Now, 'Talaq' Takes a Skype Route
New Age Islam News Bureau
20 May 2013
Photo: President of AMMGSU Rukshar Chowdhury speaking
• Pakistani Woman’s Suicide turns out to Be Honour Killing
• Haryana, India, Gets NHRC Notice after 6 Villages Ban Girls from Attending School
• Pak Elections: ‘Dir Women Disenfranchised For Security Reasons’
• Seminar on Education of Muslim Girls Held At Imphal, India
• Girls Need New Thoughts to Continue Women’s Gains
• Kurdish Female Fighters Pick up Arms As Assad Pushes Forward Into Rebel-Held Land
• Saudi Women Take the Wheel in Truck-Building Industry
• Indonesian Marriage Law Outdated and Irrelevant: Academics
• The Jewish Women Who Pioneered Modern Arab Music
• Indian Women First Twins to Scale Everest
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/now,-talaq-takes-skype-route/d/11650
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Now, 'Talaq' Takes a Skype Route
Mahesh Buddi, TNN | May 20, 2013
HYDERABAD: If online Nikah gained popularity in the Muslim community, could e-Talaq be far behind? The new generation is now using modern communication tools like Skype and short message service (SMS) to sever marital ties in a jiffy.
For instance, Mehrunnisa (name changed), a 23-year-old housewife from Hussainialam, was shocked to receive Talaq in the form of an SMS on her mobile from her United Arab Emirates-based husband. A perplexed Mehrunnisa approached the police. "The woman's husband, a private employee who had gone to the UAE a year ago, had sent an SMS saying Talaq. The woman believed that she was divorced and approached us for justice," Women Police Station (WPS), South Zone, inspector N Sreya said.
Narrating another such incident, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), South Zone, Tarun Joshi said that when he was posted in the Central Zone a few months ago, a housewife from Himayatnagar approached him with a complaint against her techie husband who had given her Talaq through Skype video chat.
"The victim's husband is in the US and he pronounced talaq while video chatting with her on Skype. As the woman complained that she was harassed by her husband, we have registered a domestic violence case under section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," the DCP said.
Every year, lakhs of skilled and semi-skilled Hyderabadi Muslim workers migrate to the oil-rich Gulf countries, North America and European nations in search of livelihood. Earlier, when migrants wanted to get divorced, they used to post Talaq documents to their wives back home with details of settlement of the Mehr amount. However, with the advent of digital technology, Muslim men have begun to utilise the internet and mobile phones to give Talaq. The Hyderabad police claimed that in the past few months, several cases of men giving talaq to their wives through SMSs and video chats have come to their notice.
Cops cracking down on NRIs
Asked about the validity of such Talaq, advocate Mohammed Muneeruddin told TOI, "Pronouncing Talaq through digital means, including SMS or video chat or e-mail, in the presence of witnesses is perfectly acceptable as per the Sharia."
"Talaq has to be pronounced thrice, on three occasions in three consecutive months as per the Sharia. However, the prevalent practice is to pronounce it thrice at a go in the presence of a Qazi and other witnesses and get it registered. It is illegal as per the Sharia," Muneeruddin added.
Though legal experts claim e-Talaq is acceptable as per the Sharia if done in the presence of witnesses by showing that the dower (Mehr) amount has been given to the wife, women can still hope for justice if they prove they were subjected to torture.
"We are accepting Talaq documents sent by post but not intimations through SMSs and emails as in a majority of such cases, men act on the spur of the moment. In such cases, if a woman approaches us saying she was duped, we will register cases under section 498-A (Punishment for subjecting a married woman to cruelty) of the IPC or the Dowry Prohibition Act," Central Crime Station (CCS), WPS inspector P Janakamma said.
Police are also cracking down on Non-resident Indians (NRIs) who desert their wives in this manner. In the past four months, the South Zone police issued 20 look out circulars (LOCs) against men who were accused in domestic violence cases. "We have managed to arrest six people in the past few months based on the LOCs," Tarun Joshi said. According to the police, a majority of such domestic violence cases end up in an amicable settlement at Lok Adalats where men pay dower (Mehr) amount to their former wives.
Police are now planning to write to the AP Waqf Board requesting them to provide guidelines on dealing with the new age Talaq cases.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Now-talaq-takes-a-Skype-route/articleshow/20143960.cms
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Pakistani Woman’s Suicide Turns out to Be Honour Killing
May 20, 2013
Last week, the capital police were informed that a 19-year-old woman had committed suicide in the Muslim Colony locality near Bari Imam Shrine.
The police arrived at the spot and found the circumstantial evidence suspicious.
So, they got an autopsy conducted on the body and also gathered information from the neighbours of the deceased. The autopsy report revealed that the death was a homicide.
Narrating the incident to Dawn, the investigators said on May 12 the victim’s paternal uncle informed the police that his niece had committed suicide.
Upon arrival at the house, the police found the body ready for burial. The family had already changed her clothes and given bath to the body.
On inquiry, the family members told the police that she had committed suicide by hanging and nothing was suspicious about the death. The police also found that the clothes, which she had put on at the time of ‘suicide’ and the scarf used in the hanging, had been washed.
It was also revealed that the victim had allegedly committed suicide in her maternal uncle’s house.
The victim’s family said as the girl had committed suicide they completed the rituals but later her uncle suggested that the police should be informed to avoid any complication. The police shifted the body to hospital for autopsy.
Later, the investigators approached the neighbours to gather information and came to know that the victim had run away from her parents’ house four days back - on May 8 - and returned to the house of her maternal uncle on May 11.
The autopsy on the body showed that she was four months pregnant. Besides, injuries were also found at nine spots on the body, including neck, cheeks, chin and hands.
The autopsy report said it was “homicidal strangulation.” In response, the police registered a murder case against unidentified killer(s) but believed that her family was behind the death in the name of honour.
According to the police investigation, the victim had fallen in love with a 16-year-old boy living in the same locality some two years ago and got pregnant a few months back.
When her family came to know about the pregnancy, she moved to the house of the boy and asked him to marry her.
In response, the boy’s father approached the girl’s family and asked them to bring her back from his house. He told the family that his son was too young to get married and shoulder the responsibility of taking care of the family.
When the parents of the girl tried to bring the girl back, she refused.
During the investigation, the victim’s aunt told the police that the girl was reluctant to go with her parents.
Later, she tried to persuade her to go home as it would bring a bad name to her family. She promised that her marriage would be held with the boy if she agreed to go home.
However, she refused and as a result her aunt took her to her own house where the incident took place the next day.
The aunt further told the police that on May 12, she was cooking meal in the kitchen while her husband was out of the house.
She said as she came out of the kitchen, she found the girl hanging with the ceiling of a room.
In the light of the autopsy report and circumstantial evidence, the police registered a murder case. The victim’s family hailed from Dir and her father sells edible items on a pushcart. The paternal uncle of the deceased is a driver by profession.
The police said the family did not want to register a case, so it was lodged on behalf of the state after making a policeman as a complainant.
The police said in such cases the families did not cooperate with them and protect the killers.
They also feared that if the killer(s) was a family member, he would be pardoned by the legal heirs.
The police said the samples collected from the body of the victim, including the foetus, were sent for DNA test to establish the parentage. After establishing the parentage, the man would be arrested on the charge of adultery.
Legal experts and senior police officers are of the opinion that honour killing should be considered as a crime against the state to curb the practice.
As the complainant in an honour killing case is the legal heir of the victim, who is also the relative of the killer(s), so the issue is settled out of court.
The killers always remain unpunished in honour killing cases, so the state should be the complainant instead of the legal heirs, they said.
http://beta.dawn.com/news/1012432/womans-suicide-turns-out-to-be-honour-killing
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Haryana, India, Gets NHRC Notice after 6 Villages Ban Girls from Attending School
Mumbai Mirror | May 19, 2013
New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought an explanation from the Haryana government over reports that six village Panchayats in Mahendergarh district have stopped sending teenage girls to school due to recurring instances of sexual harassment.
Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports, NHRC issued notices to the chief secretary and DGP, seeking their reply in four weeks, a statement issued said.
Perturbed by recurring instances of harassment of teenage girls and alleged inaction by police, Panchayats of six villages - Pal, Gadania, Kherki, Nihalawas, Kuksi and Palah - had decided not to send their girls to schools. The decision, taken by the Panchayats, which met at Pal village in district, will affect 400 girl students.
The Panchayats reportedly took the decision after two girls were allegedly teased by a few boys on their way home from school.
The Commission observed that the content of the report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of the girl students.
According to an NHRC statement, the panchayat members have expressed deep concern over the safety and security of the girls in the wake of increasing instances of sexual harassment.
In the notice, the NHRC also directed the DGP and Chief Secretary to submit the details of incidents of sexual harassment of girls in Haryana during the last 3 months, particularly in the 6 villages, and the preventive action, if any, taken by the administration in this regard, said the statement.
Recently, a state minister had announced that CCTV cameras and a round-the-clock helpline would be installed in all colleges in Haryana to ensure safety of women. Agencies
OTHER BIZARRE BANS
In April, inmates of Aligarh Muslim University's hostel were been barred from using motorcycles on campus to check 'nefarious' elements.
In March, a panchayat in Jind district, Haryana, banned girls from dancing saying it leads to crimes against women.
A panchayat at Siwan district, Bihar, banned mobiles and short dresses among school and college girls in January, saying excessive use of phones to listen to music and talk to men led to crimes against women.
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/news/india/Haryana-gets-NHRC-notice-after-6-villages-ban-girls-from-attending-school/articleshow/20129244.cms
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Pak Elections: ‘Dir Women Disenfranchised For Security Reasons’
May 20, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Restoring peace in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa will be a major challenge for the incoming provincial government, says Sirajul Haq, the finance minister-designate in the provincial cabinet.
“But it [the provincial government] will have little say on the issue,” adds Haq, who was elected to the K-P Assembly from PK-95 (Lower Dir-II) on a Jamaat-e-Islami ticket.
In an exclusive chat with The Express Tribune, Haq said that resolving the security issue in K-P depends entirely on the will of the military establishment and federal government. “If they desire to end this bloody game, the issue would be settled within hours,” he added.
If Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan could approach the media, then why was it impossible for the military to negotiate with the Taliban and end the bloody conflict, he said.
For peace talks to begin, Haq suggested that some Taliban prisoners could be released as a goodwill gesture. “But this decision can only be taken at the level of the federal government or the military command.”
Haq revealed that before the 2008 elections, the Awami National Party had reached an agreement with the Taliban on the release of some of their prisoners. In exchange, the Taliban agreed not to create any trouble for the party during its election campaign. However, the ANP reneged on its promise due to the military’s reluctance, and as a result it suffered countless attacks at the hands of the Taliban, he said.
Agreement to bar women from polls
Haq offered a different account regarding the agreement inked by political parties to bar women from voting in his constituency. He claimed that the deal was proposed by the Pakistan Peoples Party based on intelligence reports which suggested militants were planning to use female suicide bombers to attack polling stations on May 11.
“All parties reached a consensus in light of the reports,” he added. “I was personally not in favour of disenfranchising local women.”
Education and budget
As a cabinet member, Haq said his first priority would be to reopen the schools destroyed by Taliban insurgents in the province and to launch a microfinance scheme for graduates. “Under the scheme, loans will be provided to graduates according to their skills level,” he said.
The JI leader, who will likely present the provincial budget for the year 2013-14, said the provincial budget could be termed a bureaucratic budget because the new finance minister and provincial government would have little time to introduce significant changes to it.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/551731/elections-2013-dir-women-disenfranchised-for-security-reasons/
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Seminar on Education of Muslim Girls Held At Imphal, India
20 May, 2013
By Dr. Syed Ahmed
Imphal: All Manipur Muslim Girl Students’ Union (AMMGSU) organized a one-day seminar cum interaction session on the theme “Education of Muslim Girls: Opportunities and Challenges” at Kuki Inn at Imphal on 18 May 2013.
The seminar was attended by former Speaker of Manipur State Assembly Dr. Md. Maneruddin Sheikh, Social Worker Okram Henry, Social Activist Dr. Dhanabir Laishram, A.R. Khan, IAS (Retd.), State Nodal Officer of National Tobacco Control Programme Dr. Konsam Kamolini Devi, Assistant News Editor of Dordarshan, Imphal Ch. Birendra Singh and Social Worker Sitara Begum.
In the key-note address, President of AMMGSU Rukshar Chowdhury presented a concise report of the survey conducted by the union in some of the Muslim inhabited areas of the State to understand the problems faced by the Muslim girls in getting modern education. She said, “From the survey we came to know that majority of the Muslim girl students in the State could not complete school education due to various socio-economic and cultural factors. Besides these, the State Government has failed to give adequate attention to promote the education of Muslim girls.”
Full report at:
http://twocircles.net/2013may19/seminar_education_muslim_girls_held_imphal.html
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Girls need new thoughts to continue women’s gains
May 20, 2013
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid yesterday said Bangladeshi women have been successful in many areas, and the girls of the younger generation need new thoughts, strength and verve to continue the success.
He urged the girls to be patriotic and humane in leading the country.
The minister was addressing members and officials of Bangladesh Girl Guides Association (BGGA) after laying the foundation stone of a 10-storey building of the association at New Bailey Road in the capital.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/girls-need-new-thoughts-to-continue-womens-gains/
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Kurdish female fighters pick up arms as Assad pushes forward into rebel-held land
By JILL REILLY
20 May 2013
Female Kurdish women fighters are the hidden face of Syria's armed rebellion against President Bashar Assad's government forces in Aleppo.
Their battle in the key city comes as the weekend saw bitter fighting in Qusair, a key rebel-held town near the Lebanese border after government troops launched a major operation to strengthen Assad's grip.
Most of the Kurdish female soldiers are young and attractive - some have been part of the Kurdish militia since they were five years old.
'I have been a fighter since I can remember and I always will be,' Delar Perlar, the 23-year-old commander of the brigade told Sky News.
'I am here to protect my people, to protect my family first and to make sure that the revolution happens, then I will carry on and be part of the new Syria,' says Janda Teoplin, a one-year veteran who looks about 13.
Full report at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2327345/Hidden-face-Syrias-armed-rebellion-Kurdish-female-fighters-pick-arms-Assad-pushes-forward-rebel-held-land.html#ixzz2TpHwvEpj
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Saudi women take the wheel in truck-building industry
20 May 2013
Thirteen Saudi women have been trained to assemble trucks for Mercedes-Benz and its Jeddah partner, marking a breakthrough in having women work in a male-dominated job in the Kingdom.
Khaled Juffali, chairman of the Juffali Automotive Company, made the announcement during a visit by Commerce & Industry Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah.
The company produces 5,000 trucks annually in Jeddah in a joint venture with Mercedes-Benz.
The company trained the 13 women in technical work assembly of light parts of heavy machinery. The women are now building vehicles. “We are the first pioneers in automobile industry who took the initiative of training women in this field, complying with Shariah, at our training center,” said the company’s human resources director, Fawad who requested his family name not be published.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/452233
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Indonesian Marriage Law Outdated and Irrelevant: Academics
BY LUH DE SURIYANI
2013-05-20
Prominent women’s rights activists and academics in Bali are urging the Indonesian government to revise and amend the old-fashioned marriage law with input from traditional marriage concepts and academic points of view.
This was the conclusion from a one-day workshop on marriage law organized by Udayana University’s School of Law graduate program and LBH APIK in Denpasar last weekend.
Soka Handinah from the Legal Aid Foundation for Women’s Rights and Justice (LBH APIK) stated that the Marriage Law, issued in 1974, was considered irrelevant to current conditions and was not in line with progress in the legal system.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/bali-daily/2013-05-20/marriage-law-outdated-and-irrelevant-academics.html
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The Jewish Women Who Pioneered Modern Arab Music
Upcoming concert is occasion to recall these artists who were honoured in the Arab world - but in Israel, not so much.
By Tsafi Saar
May.20, 2013
They scorched the stages of Algeria and Tunis, in Casablanca and Baghdad, and also in Berlin and Paris. With bobbed hair − a daring style for the time − a thin cigarette in a holder between their fingers, they were among the leaders of the musical and cultural scene in their countries and even became international stars. They are the great Jewish female musicians and singers who were active in North Africa and the Middle East in the mid-20th century: Leila Mourad, Faiza Rushdi, Zohra El Fassia, Habiba Msika, Louisa Tounsia, Reinette L’Oranaise, Line Monty and Raymonde Abecassis. Msika, a Tunisian Jew, was an actress in the Arab world’s most prominent theater. El Fassia, a Moroccan Jew, was the first woman from that milieu to release a record album. Like many others, she too wrote the lyrics and music of the songs she performed.
Full report at:
http://www.haaretz.com/culture/arts-leisure/big-in-tetouan-the-jewish-women-who-pioneered-modern-arab-music.premium-1.524844
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Indian Women First Twins to Scale Everest
Manesh Shrestha, TNN | May 20, 2013
KATHMANDU: Two 21-year-old Indian students from Dehradun became the first twins to climb the Mount Everest on Sunday.
Nunshi and Tashi Malik were among the 135 people to reach the summit of the world's highest peak at 8,848-metre above sea level along with their two Sherpas who are also twins, Gyanendra Shrestha, an official said.
The two sisters had been staying on mountains in the region to acclimatize to the atmosphere since March. The 11-member joint Indian and Nepal army expedition also reached the summit on Sunday.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indian-women-first-twins-to-scale-Everest/articleshow/20144075.cms
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