Pregnant women and newborns face trauma, infection, malnutrition in Gaza under Israeli assault
New Age
Islam News Bureau
18 November 2023
· Women headed for puja pelted with stones from Nuh madrassa, 9 injured
· UP cleric asks Muslim women to avoid salons where men work
· Woman banned from TikTok for sharing Osama bin Laden letter says she wasn't promoting violence
· Congresswoman Omar unveils resolution to block US arms sale to Israel
· The Regression Of Women’s Rights In Iran
· More Police Deployed To Enforce Hijab In Tehran Metro Stations
· Official voices Iran’s support for Gaza female students
· World Student Day spotlights Afghan students’ struggles and challenges
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/pregnant-women-newborns-gaza-israeli/d/131136
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Pregnant women and newborns face trauma, infection, malnutrition in Gaza under Israeli assault
November 17, 2023
An injured child is brought to the Al-Aqsa
Hospital after the Israeli attack. (Getty Images)
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LONDON: What should have been a time of great joy and excitement has become a living nightmare for thousands of new and expectant mothers living under siege and constant Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip.
For Layla, 28, whose name has been changed for her safety, bringing a new life into the world at a time of so much death and destruction fills her with dread. “What worries me most is falling in love with life, amid all the death, once I hold my baby,” she told Arab News.
Like 5,500 other pregnant women in the Gaza Strip, Layla is due to give birth very soon amid a conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas that has devastated healthcare infrastructure and deprived the population of access to nutritious food, clean water and public sanitation.
The closure of hospitals and clinics under the intense bombardment and chronic shortages of electricity, fuel and medicine are among the biggest challenges faced by the roughly 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza.
As of Nov. 10, some 18 hospitals and 51 primary care centers across the embattled enclave are no longer operational, meaning fewer than 60 percent of hospitals and 30 percent of public health centers are operating to some degree.
FikrShalltoot, Gaza director for Medical Aid for Palestinians, or MAP, a British charity operating in the Palestinian enclave, said that pregnant women in Gaza “face a dire reality, with limited access to essential health services amid a near-total humanitarian disaster.”
“With over 180 births daily and a staggering 235 attacks on healthcare infrastructure since Oct. 7, the situation is critical,” Shalltoot told Arab News. This leaves women deprived of emergency obstetric services and forces many to give birth in unsafe conditions.
“Closed hospitals force births in shelters, homes and streets amid rubble, raising infection risks,” she said. “Maternity hospitals, like Al-Hilo, face attacks.”
Hospitals in Gaza have been on the frontline of the conflict, overwhelmed by wounded civilians since the start of Israel’s military campaign, which came in retaliation for the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, which killed 1,200 and saw more than 200 people, both Israelis and foreigners, taken hostage.
Some 135 health facilities across Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. Although these facilities are protected under international humanitarian law, Israel claims Hamas has been using hospitals, particularly Gaza’s largest, Al-Shifa, to host underground command centers.
Hamas and medical staff deny these facilities are being used to store weaponry, conceal hostages, or move fighters along a sophisticated network of tunnels. Israeli forces who took control of Al-Shifa on Wednesday are yet to provide evidence to support their claim.
There are at least 650 patients, including 22 in intensive care and 36 premature babies, at Al-Shifa, according to local media, in addition to some 400 medical staff. More than 2,000 Gazans have also taken refuge within the facility.
Amid the destruction and shortages, made worse by Israel’s restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, physicians have been forced to take extreme measures, such as performing cesareans without anesthetic or pain relief.
“Some women face complications while giving birth, and to stop the problem and because there are no (capabilities), tools, (or) time, (physicians) are faced with the extreme option to take out the uterus,” Soraida Hussein-Sabbah, gender and advocacy specialist at ActionAid Spain, told Arab News.
At Al-Awda Hospital, the only provider of maternity services in northern Gaza, doctors performed 16 cesarean C-sections last weekend under extremely challenging circumstances, according to local media.
Hussein-Sabbah said that although there are many trained and specialized obstetrics physicians and nurses in the Gaza Strip, as well as private and public maternity hospitals, “these cannot operate normally right now.”
Despite this, “any specialized person found in a shelter, or any place… will continue serving as much as possible,” she added.
Elaborating on the dangers of conducting cesareans under such extreme circumstances, Zaher Sahloul, head of MedGlobal, a US-based medical NGO, said that while “doctors typically try to deliver as fast as possible,” performing such surgery requires them to “cut through multiple layers” and then “suture multiple layers.”
Performing such an operation without anesthetic, or even a partial dosage of pain relief, would be agonizing.
“It is, as you can imagine, an extremely traumatic experience, something that would be associated with PTSD,” Sahloul told Arab News. Medical professionals are also forced to discharge new mothers within three hours, which poses additional risks.
New mothers are typically monitored for a minimum of 24 hours because the postpartum period is associated with various complications, including hemorrhage. Even before the latest outbreak of violence in Gaza, “the two biggest causes of (maternal) deaths were bleeding and sepsis,” said Sahloul.
“The lack of water and sanitation puts them at an even higher risk of infection and sepsis. (Hospitals) do not (even) have any blood to transfuse these patients if they start to have complications.”
Even if they survive the ordeal of childbirth in these conditions, mother and baby are not out of danger. The lack of hygiene facilities, nutritious food, clean drinking water, safe sleeping spaces, and other basic comforts and necessities threaten health and development.
Fatty acid and vitamin deficiencies in lactating mothers can compromise newborns’ immune systems, putting them at risk of communicable diseases as well as cognitive development challenges, said Sahloul.
Fatema, another woman trapped inside Gaza, has resorted to using clean clothes to manage discharge as she lacks access to sanitary towels. Embarrassed, and with limited privacy, she has then buried those clothes, she told ActionAid.
More than 1.4 million Palestinians have been displaced since Oct. 7, according to the UN’s humanitarian office, OCHA. Many have set up makeshift tents outside hospitals, while others have squeezed into the corridors of schools or have slept out in the open.
MedGlobal’sSahloul warned that with limited access to food and water, malnourished women face the risk of “preterm delivery,” which is also associated with fetal and neonatal morbidity and mortality.
Shalltoot of MAP, meanwhile, cautioned that as access to obstetrics services becomes increasingly difficult, “maternal deaths will rise, stress-induced complications soar, and malnutrition worsen, affecting childhood survival.” Moreover, “without fuel, premature babies relying on neonatal care face a life-threatening crisis.”
She added: “Maternity care at Al-Awda Hospital hangs in the balance. Doctors report a surge in premature births due to the bombing of homes, a heartbreaking crisis where premature deliveries are performed while mothers lay dying.”
Three premature babies at Al-Shifa died on Tuesday after the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit was knocked out of operation. The lives of at least 36 others are in danger amid a lack of electricity and fuel for incubators, according to the facility’s director.
With women and children making up more than 70 percent of the casualties — one in four of them women of reproductive age — access to maternal health services is critical, said Shalltoot.
“Gaza is in urgent need of support to protect the lives of mothers and newborns,” she said, adding that “a ceasefire is imperative for pregnant women and infants.”
She said: “Without immediate access to fuel, aid, and medical experts, we face the looming threat of infectious diseases. Mass starvation, treatable deaths and a healthcare system in ruins are imminent unless swift action is taken.
“Opening multiple crossings is crucial to prevent a humanitarian freefall. Our plea is clear — act now to avert a catastrophic crisis.”
MAP has delivered a range of items, including medications and medical disposables that can be used to support delivery and the treatment of women and babies. “With our partner in Gaza, Ard El Insan, we have released all of our medications and food items for malnourished children and their families,” Shalltoot added.
Save the Children and ActionAid have also called for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of a humanitarian aid corridor.
“For this to happen, there is a need for a unified and coordinated call and pressure for the Rafah crossing to open, and the Israeli occupation forces to comply with international humanitarian law and allow for aid to come and civilians to be saved,” said ActionAid’s Hussein-Sabbah.
As of Nov. 14, at least 11,320 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, of whom over 4,650 are children and more than 3,145 are women, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. A total of 198 medics have also died.
Earlier this month, Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, described Gaza as “a graveyard for children” and “a crisis of humanity.”
In a statement to Arab News, Save the Children said: “During this humanitarian catastrophe, civilians, especially children, continue to pay the heaviest price for the ongoing violence.
“Children are being killed at a devastating rate, whole families are being wiped from the registry, and a growing number of people, including children, are being left with no surviving family members.”
Attacks on schools and hospitals are considered “a grave violation against children by the UN and may amount to violations of international humanitarian law.”
Calling for an end to “the continued, systematic assaults,” the NGO said that “hospitals and schools cannot be battlegrounds, and children cannot be targets. Yet in Gaza, all three are attacked on a daily basis.
“Even during wartime, basic elements of humanity must prevail.”
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2410681/middle-east
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Women headed for puja pelted with stones from Nuh madrassa, 9 injured
TNN | Nov 18, 2023
The district administration met religious
leaders and appealed to people not to write posts on social media that could
foment communal tension
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GURGAON: A group of women on their way to perform a puja were allegedly pelted with stones from a madrassa in Nuh on Thursday evening, injuring nine of them and causing law and order tension in a town that witnessed communal clashes just four months ago.
Three minors - students of the madrassa - were apprehended on Friday and sent to a shelter home after being produced in a juvenile justice board. A case was filed against unknown persons under sections 323 (causing hurt) and 341 (wrongful restraint) of the IPC and provisions of the SC and ST Act at City police station.
A huge police force was out on the streets of Nuh on Friday to thwart attempts of any communal backlash. Teams from the district administration conducted peace meetings with religious leaders and appealed to people not to write posts on social media that could foment communal tension. Markets remained open as usual and there was no untoward incident till late Friday evening.
The July 31 riots that started with an attack on a religious group in Nuh had spread to several south Haryana districts, killing at least seven persons over the next few days. Several people were arrested for making incendiary posts related to the clashes on social media.
Around 8pm on Friday, a group of 20-25 women from the Dalit community were going to perform 'kuapujan' to celebrate a birth in their family when some people in the madrassa allegedly hurled abuses at them. When the women confronted them, they were pelted with stones, police said.
A police team that reached the spot sent nine of the injured women to a nearby hospital. A complaint was lodged by Ram Avatar, who had organised the puja. "They hadn't disturbed anybody. The attack on them was unprovoked," he said.
Nuh police chief Narendra Bijarniya said the three minors were apprehended. He confirmed they were students of the madrassa, saying he would talk to the imam. "They should insist on instilling discipline among the children. They should be taught how to behave," the SP said.
In a statement to police, the imam of the madrassa said a few students were playing on the terrace when a few slippers and stones kept on the cornice fell on the group of women walking below.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/women-headed-for-puja-pelted-with-stones-from-nuh-madrassa-9-injured/articleshow/105303352.cms
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UP cleric asks Muslim women to avoid salons where men work
November 17, 2023
Saharanpur : A cleric in Uttar Pradesh’s
Saharanpur district on Friday said that Muslim women must avoid going to the
beauty salons where men are employed.
Mufti AsadKasmi it as “forbidden” and “unlawful” for women to get their makeup done at such establishments.
Kasmi further advised that women should instead opt for salons where there are only female employees.
Last month, a Kanpur woman had filed a police complaint claiming that her husband pronounced triple talaq over the phone from Saudi Arabia upon learning that she had her eyebrows shaped.
Gulsaiba told police that her husband was “old fashioned” and raised objections over her fashion choices.
She said that her husband initiated a video call during which he noticed her newly shaped eyebrows.
He questioned her about it, and despite her explanations that she had got her eyebrows shaped because she felt her face did not look good with unruly hair, he became angry and pronounced talaq three times over the video call. — IANS
Source: muslimmirror.com
https://muslimmirror.com/eng/up-cleric-asks-muslim-women-to-avoid-salons-where-men-work/
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Woman banned from TikTok for sharing Osama bin Laden letter says she wasn't promoting violence
November 17, 2023
The letter from Osama bin Laden went viral
on Tuesday after it was taken from The Guardian and posted to TikTok. ((Photo by Maher Attar/Sygma via Getty Images/TikTok/screenshot)
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One of the TikTok influencers who went viral for posting Osama bin Laden's "Letter to America" has spoken about the controversy and said people should have the right to access the information and form their own opinions.
Lynette Adkins, an online personality and pro-Palestinian activist, has responded to a request for comment by Fox News. Her statement is written in its entirety below.
"I read the letter after some other creators shared it and was surprised because I never knew it existed. I posted it to my page so others could read it as well," Adkins said.
"I did not share the letter to promote any form of hate or violence against anyone, nor do I agree with the extremism in it. I was just shocked by what I had read & wanted to have a conversation about it with my followers. I was 3 in 2001 and was always taught 9/11 happened because other people were jealous of our democracy in the U.S. Now that I'm older and am able to learn about history beyond the narrative of mainstream media, I'm realizing that there is more to the story. I think we all deserve a right to access the information being presented to us & form our own conclusions without subscribing to extreme or radical ideologies."
"The letter was taken off of the Guardian's site after being on there for over 20 years. My TikTok was banned as of this morning, & many people who are sharing the letter are getting their videos removed as well. If we live in a true democracy, I think we should be allowed to have open & peaceful conversations about what's happening in the world," she added.
The Guardian removed the text of the letter from its website, which had been there since 2002, after it reportedly became the top Google search result amid the TikTok storm.
Adkins urged her 175,000 TikTok followers on Tuesday to read the words of bin Laden, the terrorist mastermind who helped to orchestrate the 9/11 attacks.
"I need everyone to stop what they're doing right now and go read- It's literally two pages. Go read 'A Letter to America," Adkins said in the video. "And please come back here and just let me know what you think because I feel like I'm going through, like, an existential crisis right now and a lot of people are, so I just need someone else to be feeling this."
In a separate video, Adkins praised TikTok as a platform for reliable information consumption.
"TikTok is going to save this generation," Adkins said. "The amount of things that we've learned on this app in this past month alone that other people in other generations I tried to talk to them about it, they don't understand. They don't get it because they've been literally so programmed to think a certain way, TikTok is undoing all of that. It's crazy to watch in real time."
"If you haven't already, go read 'A Letter to America,'" she added.
In the letter to America, bin Laden justified al-Qaeda's attacks against the U.S.
"Palestine, which has sunk under military occupation for more than 80 years. The British handed over Palestine, with your help and your support, to the Jews, who have occupied it for more than 50 years; years overflowing with oppression, tyranny, crimes, killing, expulsion, destruction and devastation," bin Laden alleged.
He continued, "The creation and continuation of Israel is one of the greatest crimes, and you are the leaders of its criminals. And of course there is no need to explain and prove the degree of American support for Israel. The creation of Israel is a crime which must be erased. Each and every person whose hands have become polluted in the contribution towards this crime must pay its price, and pay for it heavily."
Bin Laden also said the U.S. had repeated "fabricated lies that Jews have a historical right to Palestine" and pushed an antisemitic trope that claims Jews control the media, economy and policy.
The dissemination of the letter has cultivated discussion on Capitol Hill and social media about the potential dangers of TikTok versus the right to access and send information freely.
Source: foxnews.com
https://www.foxnews.com/media/woman-banned-tiktok-sharing-osama-bin-laden-letter-wasnt-promoting-violence
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Congresswoman Omar unveils resolution to block US arms sale to Israel
17 November 2023
US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has unveiled a resolution to block a $320 million arms sale to Israel, which has been carrying out a genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza since October 7.
A group of progressive Democrats, led by Omar, introduced the proposal called a “resolution of disapproval” on Thursday.
The resolution seeks to revoke the export license of a specific type of guided bomb kit approved for sale to Israel months before the regime started its war on the besieged territory.
In a statement, Omar's office said "These weapons have already been used in the siege on Gaza."
The administration of President Joe Biden and Israel agreed on the arms deal earlier this year. The White House informed Congress on October 31 that it would begin transferring the gear, which can turn an unguided bomb into a GPS-guided munition, The Wall Street Journal reported back then.
Omar, one of the loudest voices in Congress against US military support for Israel, said in a statement that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right government “continue to commit war crimes in their siege of the Gaza Strip.
“From requests to minimize civilian casualties, avoid a ground invasion, avoid reoccupation of Gaza, and institute a meaningful humanitarian pause, Netanyahu continues to thumb his nose at US policy and requests.”
The US has “quietly” increased its military aid to Israel amid the occupying regime’s brutal onslaught against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
She said Washington already provides Israel “with $3.8 billion of military aid a year, and holds enormous leverage over their actions. It is the responsibility of Congress to exercise oversight over weapons sales.”
“That is why we must not allow weapons sales that will be used to directly violate US and international law, human rights, and our own moral standing in the world.”
American news outlet Bloomberg however reported Wednesday that the Pentagon had “quietly” ramped up military aid to Israel," since the regime waged its war on Gaza on October 7.
The regime has so far killed more than 12,000 people, including at least 5,000 children.
Source: presstv.ir
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/11/17/714766/Ilhan-Omar-unveils-first-bill-to-block-US-arms-sale-to-Israel-
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The Regression Of Women’s Rights In Iran
November 18, 2023
Ishana Sharma
16th September, 2022. That is the day MahsaAmini, a 22-year-old woman, died in the custody of Iranian police. She was in judicial custody just because she refused to wear a hijab. This is the reality of not one, but several women and girls currently living in Iran. The situation of women in Iran has, over the past decade, become an egregious conflate of human rights violations, suppression of fundamental rights and also regression concerning freedom of expression and political rights. Amidst trying to inculpate specific political leaders, we often forget that the real victims here are the people of Iran, especially Iranian women who have witnessed severe deterioration. It is like Iran left one toxic relationship with the Pahlavi regime and almost immediately entered another with Ayatollah Khamenei. Notably, Iran was removed from the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on 14th December 2022, following a plethora of protests sparked by Amini's death; this elucidates Iran's theocratic government's non-compliant and unwilling nature to remotely work on improving the prevalent issue regarding women's rights. This makes it conspicuously clear that if we would like to work towards improving this erroneous situation, then we need to garner support on an international forum and advisory bodies such as the CSW to make viable recommendations to executive bodies of the UN.
In order to discuss political rights and healthcare, it is imperative to note the biases and prejudices against women in the Islamic Penal Code of the Islamic Republic of Iran (here on referred to as the IPC). Firstly, the document uses a plethora of ambiguous and undefined terms such as 'mature', 'immature', 'old' and 'has will and intention', which gives official authorities room to manoeuvre and manipulate the law in their favour. Article 76 of the IPC prevents women from even reporting cases of domestic violence due to lack of support and the court considers solely their testimony as invalid. Moreover, Article 150 of the IPC clearly bases a deceased woman's right to justice on her lineage and the number of children/inheritors she has. Furthermore, Article 300 of the IPC shows the government's belief that a woman only deserves half of what a man does, in this particular article with respect to bloody money for first- or second-degree murder. Articles 513, 514 and 640 basically stifle the right of freedom
of expression (of political opinions) and deem such actions as punishable offences. Article 638 also indicates that women will receive 74 lashes for violating any religious 'taboo' in public.
Abysmally, UN Women in 2021 reported that only 5.6% of the total seats in the national Parliament are held by women. This is predominantly because women are not able to even protest and voice their opinions freely, as was seen in the 2022 protests due to MahsaAmini's death, where police officials began using violence as a means to quell the protests; this is again a violation of Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Furthermore, Iran fails to provide adequate healthcare to women. It must be noted here that the scope of healthcare does not only include medical but also mental and psychological well-being. According to UN Women Reports, healthcare for women in Iran, includes care of mothers and newborn babies, cash benefits to mothers, and trouble-free access to healthcare among others.
All the aforementioned issues are not due to Sharia Law itself, but the stringent imposition and interpretation of Sharia Law in Iran. Although the Iranian Constitution provides for access to equal rights for women, the Iranian Penal Code and the action of the Gasht-e-Ershad (morality police) contradict these very salient facets of the legal system, making the situation hostile for women.
Protests against the theocratic rule soon became rampant and tempestuous, garnering support of the citizens through the 'One Million Signature' Campaign which was a petition to call for fresh, unbiased elections in Iran and legislative reforms. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps was responsible for the death of over 537 Iranian citizens in late 2022 itself, for what they based on the pretext of 'violent protests'. Soon after the protests began, the Iranian Government restricted total access of the citizens to social media platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram, as a means to quell protests.
It is essential to take immediate action; an elixir most certainly is needed. Now, these reforms and actions can be implemented by the United Nations Security Council. Firstly, we should call for the creation of the 'Iranian Regulatory Committee for Protection of Women's Rights', or the IRCPWR, in tandem with the UN Charter such that articles 2(4) and (7) are not violated and the territorial sovereignty of Iran is preserved. This committee will encompass a comprehensive and progressive approach with the predominant aim to look after women's rights as defined in Resolution 1325 (2000) and create a favourable environment for women post the 'supposed' disbandment of Gasht-e-Ershad with a modern outlook, where the committee will be provided with an annual designated fund to carry out the following- launch of hotlines, help desks and service centres for women run by women and improvement in the women's education and health sector, including better access to reproductive and sexual healthcare, maternity care and access to skilled gynaecologists and physicians. The presence of these hotlines will assist and provide legal consultation to women. This launch will enable women to take psychological consultations which helps them cope with mental distress and familial ailments. Women's health and education sector should be improved. This should involve the provision of education at a subsidised cost to all girls below the age of 14 and also the provision of adequate assistance by government-affiliated hospitals to mothers and their newborn babies. Further, increasing women's literacy rate and promoting involvement of women in scientific, agricultural, cultural, health-related and other such fields must also be considered.
Secondly, improvement of the current infrastructure and intelligence networks is very crucial. This is necessary especially in developing nations prone to human trafficking, to enable collection, collation and analysis of conundrums relating to victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation, places of their disappearance, routes and modes of transport taken by suspects, destinations notorious for mass human trafficking, identities of carriers/leaders/agents who partake in such activities and also sources of their economic income, which will then be shared with the international forum.
Thirdly, the CSW must submit a report to the Security Council vis-à-vis the Economic and Social Council requesting elections in Iran. Holding of unbiased elections in Iran, which can be overseen by an official United Nations Body upon consent of Iran, for positions of higher authority which can be substantially linked to corruption and other forms of malpractices by the government. Elections will be held after submitting the proof of corruption in the aforementioned report and with the consent of the nation. This is on the premise of the 'One Million Signatures' campaign which calls for reforms in the existing legislative system of Iran. In conclusion, we must strive to achieve equitable distribution of resources amongst men and women. We must believe in the realisation of every woman regarding the rights she has and we believe in encouraging every woman to become the best possible version of herself. This will be evident more so from our recent legislative reforms including decriminalising abortion and providing better access to reproductive healthcare, with further stringent punishment for culprits of femicide and better conditions for women in the field of politics.
The author is a student of Cathedral & John Connon School
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors' and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house. Unless otherwise noted, the author is writing in his/her personal capacity. They are not intended and should not be thought to represent official ideas, attitudes, or policies of any agency or institution.
Source: businessworld.in
https://www.businessworld.in/article/The-Regression-Of-Women-s-Rights-In-Iran/18-11-2023-499309/
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More Police Deployed To Enforce Hijab In Tehran Metro Stations
November 18, 2023
Iranian news websites and social media users report that officers have been deployed in greater numbers and armed with cameras to enforce mandatory hijab in the Tehran’s metro stations.
Numerous hijab officers can be seen crowded into a subway passageway in Tehran's Enghelab station, according to social media images posted Friday. The situation has been described as the "horror tunnel" for women.
The Tehran newspaper Farhikhtegan verified the increased presence of hijab enforcers on Thursday in other busy metro stations.
The newspaper highlighted that the Security Police (FARAJA) was assisting the hijab enforcers by using their cameras to spot and identify women without headscarves.
“There is an increase of FARAJA forces in the subway stations, especially in front of the ticket gates and next to the hijab guards, and when you leave the gate, a young man with a small camera will appear in front of you to take your picture,” Farhikhtegan wrote.
Over the past week, reports on social media have increased about the government's more aggressive attempts to impose and monitor hijab in the subway.
"Recording images of passersby violates people's right to privacy," added Farhikhtegan in its article.
The hijab officers in the subways have become extremely strict after Iranian-Kurdish woman MahsaAmini, 22, died in hijab police custody in September 2022, sparking the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests.
In May, Tehran mayor Alireza Zakani announced that the city has implemented a uniformed security unit to prevent women from entering the metro ticket gates unveiled.
There was also a report in August that Tehran municipality would send 400 personnel to enforce hijab laws at subway stations in the capital.
The increased presence of hijab police also evokes the memory of ArmitaGeravand, 16, who in October died after an encounter with Tehran's hijab police.
Source: iranintl.com
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202311173586
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Official voices Iran’s support for Gaza female students
November 17, 2023 TEHRAN- Vice President for Women and Family Affairs EnsiehKhazali has elaborated on the details of accepting female students from Gaza, Fars news agency reported on Friday.
Since the beginning of the Zionist attacks against the people of Gaza, over 11,000 Gazans have been martyred. Also, the Zionist army has destroyed a large number of schools and universities in the enclave.
The Israeli Army has recently destroyed the building of the largest educational institution in Gaza, Al Azhar University-Gaza (AUG).
Reacting to Israeli autocracies, Khazali voiced Iran’s readiness to support the female students of Gaza to continue their studies in Iran.
Continuing with the aforementioned support, she announced that Bu Ali Sina University in Hamedan will be awarding scholarships to three female students from Gaza.
She expressed hope that other Iranian universities will also expand their support for Gaza students.
Some Islamic countries ready to fund Gazan female students in Iran
Speaking after the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Khazali also said the conditions for education are not proper for girls in Gaza. She said some of them have been martyred and 14 others captured by Israeli forces in the past few days.
She reiterated that some Islamic states, in the Jeddah summit, announced their will to financially support the education of female students.
Regarding the preparation of the process to facilitate the cooperation of the Islamic countries in funding Gaza female students, she said, “The documents for students’ studies are being prepared.”
Source: tehrantimes.com
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/491488/Official-voices-Iran-s-support-for-Gaza-female-students
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World Student Day spotlights Afghan students’ struggles and challenges
Fidel Rahmati
November 18, 2023
World Student Day is observed annually on November 17th, marking a day of historical importance while shedding light on the issues affecting students worldwide. In Afghanistan, students face challenges that extend beyond resource limitations and cramped spaces, encompassing feelings of despair, forced deprivation, and apprehension about an uncertain future.
On World Student Day, while many societies celebrate the importance of education, it’s disheartening to note that for the second consecutive year, Afghan girls have been deprived of the opportunity to pursue their studies and attend universities. Students express that these forced deprivations and the infringement on their freedoms have made life in Afghanistan nearly impossible, leading them to contemplate migration. Due to these constraints, some have already left the country in search of a safer and healthier life.
Elham Nabizada, the top scorer in Afghanistan’s nationwide university entrance exam for girls in the year 2022, spoke on the occasion of World Student Day, saying, “When the exam results were announced, it was truly one of the best days of my life, but I never thought I would carry the regret of not being able to go to university in my heart…”
She never even once set foot on a university campus because the Taliban administration has a problem with girls attending universities and has imposed a two-year ban on girls’ education.
Elham Nabizada is from Herat province, Afghanistan, and completed her education at the Mulana Abdullah Atifi Girls’ High School. She says, “During our preparation for the university entrance exam, five friends dreamed of getting into the medical field… We achieved that dream, but we could never go to university.”
Being barred from university gates, schools, and educational centres, deprived of the right to work, social restrictions, and forced marriages – all of these challenges contribute to creating a suffocating environment for girls and women in Afghanistan.
Shukria, a 19-year-old student from the top-ranked students’ class at Kaj School, used to walk two kilometres an hour every day and studied hard day and night to excel in her desired field. On a Saturday morning, 30th September 2022, she set off for Kaj School with her friend and classmate Hakima to take a practice university entrance exam. Around 7:30, while she was deeply engrossed in solving math problems, this educational centre became the target of a deadly terrorist attack.
Shukria was found in Mohammad Ali Jinnah Hospital. She was wounded, her tent and hair were burned, and her right ear was severely injured. She still feels pain in her chest area. Shukria was in deep shock, and doctors prescribed nerve medications for her, but none of these events stopped her from taking the university entrance exam (Konkur).
The attack on Kaj Educational Center happened when very little time was left for the nationwide Konkur exam. However, Shukria and her injured friends participated in this test with determined spirits. Shukria scored 280 in the Pharmacy field at Kabul University but was never allowed to continue her education.
Shukria, too, left Afghanistan and became a migrant. She says, “The experience we had at Kaj Educational Center is so bitter and unforgettable that it cannot be described in words.” However, the deprivation of girls from education is what forced her to migrate.
Jawad, a Kabul University student, says, “The spirit of education among students has been shattered, and everyone is thinking of escaping from Afghanistan.”
According to him, no students care about studying and the quality of the educational materials anymore: “Students who are currently studying in various fields are those who have no other options. It’s not that students are passionate about studying in a particular field because going to university has now become a duty that may be better than staying at home. Otherwise, becoming a beggar student is a hundred times better than the hopeless situation of students at Kabul University.”
It should be noted that the state of education in Afghanistan is on the international community’s agenda. Many countries, non-governmental organizations, and international organizations strive to assist Afghan students and pupils and support them in continuing their education and building a better life.
Many universities and higher education institutions worldwide offer programs to welcome Afghan students and have launched exceptional educational opportunities. Additionally, online scholarship programs and free educational courses have been initiated to help Afghan students, providing unique educational support.
Furthermore, international organizations such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and human rights organizations are also working to increase international pressure on Afghanistan to ensure the right to education for all Afghan citizens, especially girls and women.
However, many challenges remain in finding solutions to these problems. Creating equal access to education for all Afghans, especially women and girls, requires more effort. Additionally, establishing security and stability in Afghanistan is necessary to maintain the educational environment and infrastructure.
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/world-student-day-spotlights-afghan-students-struggles-and-challenges/
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