Shahzada Akhtar, a Young Kashmiri Woman Beats Odds To Become Successful Dairy Entrepreneur
New
Age Islam News Bureau
24
January 2022
• Muslim
Women Should Follow Islam, Not ‘Hislam’, Says Khalila Camacho Ali, Former Wife
Of Muhammad Ali
• High
Schools For Girls To Reopen In March: Taliban Ministry of Education
• Scholar
Says Gendered Islamophobia Main Challenge Muslim Women Face in West
• Conference
on women's social, educational role in Islam held in Baku
• Samia
Khaled, Named Best Goalkeeper In Saudi Women’s League, Shares Dream Of Turning
Pro
• Women’s
Presence In Saudi Cybersecurity Sector Reaches 45%
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/kashmiri-woman-dairy-entrepreneur/d/126228
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Shahzada
Akhtar, a Young Kashmiri Woman Beats Odds To Become Successful Dairy
Entrepreneur
Shahzada
Akhtar, a Young Kashmiri Woman/ Saudi Gazette
----
January
23, 2022
By
Mohammad Imran
SRINAGAR
— Poverty had pushed Shahzada Akhtar, a young woman from south Pulwama, to the
brink of suicide. She was fighting depression of joblessness and pressure to
pay off debts of her father.
Like
many Kashmiri women, Akhtar is a breadwinner for her aging parents, siblings
and would do odd jobs to make both ends meet in the family.
“My
father had borrowed money from a number of people to support our family and he
was unable to return his loans on time. Our creditors were exerting pressure on
us.
“I
used to do irregular jobs like cleaning apple orchards etc. But such jobs were
seasonal and as it snowed, my income would cease too,” Akhtar told us via an
interpreter over phone.
She
knows little Hindi or Hindustani language and only converses in Kashmiri.
“It
became so difficult in our family that we even stopped purchasing milk and the
only luxury at our food plate would be milk-less black tea. It was the time
when I felt extreme hopelessness and suicidal,” Akhtar recalls her difficult
days.
She
adds that as the Qur’an says, “Innama’al usri yusran (Verily, along with every
hardship is relief). This wisdom came true word by word.
“In
2015, I came in contact with a friend Niloufer, who had been to Andhra Pradesh
in connection with some government vocational training under the banner of the
National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM).
“She
was taught to start many easily-established ventures like sewing set-up, goat
farming, cattle farming, cow farming and domestic dairy farming, etc. Once,
Niloufer also visited our area with NRLM officials who advised women to make a
10-member self-help group.
“They
told us about a scheme known as Umeed (literally translated as hope). As part
of this scheme, we had to register our team or enterprise and then open a bank
account. We had to submit Rs.25 every week in this account.
“Those
days, even managing Rs.25 a week was problematic for me. Anyhow, all members of
our group deposited the required amount. And slowly, we managed to have
Rs.3,000 in our account.
“This
amount was to be handed over to one member to kick-start her start-up,” Akhtar
shares her memories. She adds that even opening a bank account and managing it
was an experience for most group members.
“Later,
the project resource person of the NRLM visited our village and audited our
bank account. All of its dealings were found to be perfect. It was awarded
Grade A and our group was sanctioned Rs.15,000 as part of the charitable fund.
“This
Rs.15,000 were equally distributed among three members. One person, who was
adept in sewing, purchased a sewing machine and started her tailoring work. The
other purchased some goats to rear them for her future goat farm.
“Only,
I was confused about what to do with my share of Rs.5,000. I was worried about
the creditors of my family and wanted to pay them off with this money. But, it
would kill the purpose of the grant. Then, again ease came my way.
“The
NRLM released additional Rs.40,000 to our bank account to help us fund our
future plans. Realizing my troubles, the group member gave this money to me and
advised me to purchase a cow with this. After initial hesitation, I accepted
this offer and advice,” said Akhtar.
She
said that purchasing a cow however didn’t solve her problems. “Cow needs a
special space in any household and additionally, it has to be fed and looked
after properly before you can draw any benefit from her.
“Ours
was a small house. Somehow, we made a make-shift cow shed along the wall of our
house,” said Akhtar.
And
thus, Akhtar’s enterprise — dairy farming — was ready to take off with a cow.
“Another ease came my way. As part of the Umeed scheme, I was given a milking
machine cow trolley.
“It
makes milking and carrying milk very easy. So, I started selling milk, half kg,
one kg, one and half kg... daily. I regularly kept depositing money in my bank
account. My income was little, but I was happy and doing work enthusiastically.
“I
used to carry the milk to the customers on my own. The NRLM officials were
happy with my progress. They lent me Rs.10 lakh to widen my business. I
purchased more cows and today, my farm has 25 cows.
“I
sell around 300 liters of milk dairy and am regularly paying my bank loan EMIs.
Once, as I told you, we didn’t have milk in our tea. Now, thankfully, we can
offer milk to even our guests,” Akhtar said, with her voice choking with
gratitude to Allah and the government.
Such
has been barkat (blessing of Allah) in her business, Akhtar has employed many
women from rural areas in her business. Her brothers, who were unemployed, have
opened a shop in Pulwama district and sell milk, cheese and curd.
Verily,
along with every hardship is relief! Shahzada Akhtar, 21, of South Pulwama,
proves it.
— the
writer is Kashmir-based Research Scholar at JNU, New Delhi.
Source:
Saudi Gazette
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/616184
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Muslim
Women Should Follow Islam, Not ‘Hislam’, Says Khalila Camacho Ali, Former Wife
Of Muhammad Ali
IMAGE:
AP/@Khalilahcali/Twitter
----
23rd
January 2022
Johannesburg:
Khalila Camacho Ali, former wife of legendary world boxing champion Muhammad
Ali, has advised Muslim women to follow the principles laid down in Islam for
how they should live and work, and not what she called ‘Hislam’ which is a
prejudiced point of view.
Ali
was speaking at an event hosted by the Spiritual Chords Foundation, a
charitable and social welfare organisation with Muslim ethos run in
Johannesburg by social activist Safeeyah Moosa, on Saturday during a whirlwind
tour of South Africa.
Ali
gave an account of how she had been instrumental, at the age of 10, to get the
ambitious aspirant world champion Cassius Clay to change his name, eventually
marrying him some years later.
She
also outlined her role in convincing him to become a conscientious objector and
refuse to do military service for America in its lengthy war against Vietnam.
Ali
was stripped of his heavyweight title in 1967 for refusing to be conscripted
into the US Army.
He
was convicted of draft evasion, with the sentence comprising a five-year jail
term, a USD-10,000 fine and a three-year ban on professional boxing.
The
conviction was overturned by the US Supreme Court three years later.
I
told him to say: Hell No! I don’t want to go!’ about being drafted into the
Vietnam War and he did it live on TV for the whole world to see, word for word,
Ali said.
She
divorced Ali later because of his indiscretions, but said she had forgiven him
now and had found her peace, as will be reflected in her book that will be
launched next month.
There
were a lot of things I had to go through to heal and to forgive, so now my
healing is over and I’m ready to share my story, Ali said, adding that it was
important to do this for women and girls, whether they were of Muslim origin or
not.
She
explained how she had first met Ali when she was just ten years old at the
school she was at.
This
man got onto the podium. He was about 18 years old and his name was Cassius
Marcellus Clay. He said: I’m going to be the heavyweight champion of the world
before I’m 21, so get your autograph now because I’m going to be famous.’
Ali
detailed how she had made fun of his names and tore up the piece of paper that
he gave her with his name on it, telling him to come back when he had a decent
Muslim name.
Enamoured
by her feistiness, Ali persisted in meeting her again over the years and
eventually proposing to her when she was 16, when he also decided to adopt the
Muslim faith and change his name.
They
got married in 1967, and parted ways after an acrimonious divorce battle a
decade later.
A
karate expert herself, Ali suggested that the legendary martial arts champion
and actor Bruce Lee might have become Muslim if he had not met with an untimely
death at the age of 32 in 1973 at the height of his career.
Bruce
Lee was a very important guy. He was a wonderful man and he is so missed. If he
had not passed away so soon he was very interested in Islam at the time. He
loved what I said about Islam, Ali said.
Source:
Siasat Daily
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High
Schools For Girls To Reopen In March: Taliban Ministry of Education
Jan
24, 2022
KABUL:
Afghanistan's Taliban-led government has announced that high schools for girls,
which have remained closed since the August 2021 takeover of the country, will
reopen in March, according to media reports.
In
Afghanistan, the new academic year begins from March which also marks the first
month of the new solar year, reports Khaama Press.
In a
statement on Sunday, spokesman of the Ministry of Education Aziz Ahmad Reyan
said the Taliban is committed and optimistic to reopen schools for girls and
that it is working in this regard "seriously and tirelessly".
Reyan
claimed the reason behind not allowing girls to attend classes in high schools
was because the Taliban was creating a safe system for girls.
"The
Taliban has no issue with girls' education that is why we have paid the
salaries of female teachers. We will hire more female teachers for girls,"
Khaama Press quoted the spokesman as saying.
The
spokesman further said that they were working on capacity building of female
teachers and want to increase the number of these teachers so that only women
teach girls.
If
female teachers were not available in some areas, then only elderly male
teachers will be allowed to educate girl students, he added.
Girls
were only allowed to attend classes up to six since the Taliban gained power on
August 15 last year, which drew strong criticism at home and abroad.
The
spokesman's remarks come after the US special representative to Afghanistan
Thomas West told BBC Pashto over the weekend that Washington and the
international community intends to pay the salaries of schoolteachers if the
Taliban permits schools for girls to reopen, reports TOLO News.
Source:
Times Of India
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Scholar
Says Gendered Islamophobia Main Challenge Muslim Women Face in West
January
23, 2022
A
webinar titled “Challenges of Muslim Women and Families in the West” was held
here in Tehran with participation of three scholarsdiscussed the topic from
different points of views. The webinar was co-organized by International Quran
News Agency (IQNA), Islamic Culture and Relations Organization, and the ACECR
branch of Al- Zahra University.
In
this webinar Dr. Hakimah Saghaye Biria, Assistant Professor of Tehran
University, faculty of Islamic culture and thought, discussed the main
challenges Muslim women living in Western countries face. Here is the full text
of her comments:
IQNA:
What are the problems that Muslim women mainly face in Western countries?
Saghaye
Biria: I want to talk about two different challenges. One is particular to
Muslim women and the other is what all women living in Western countries face.
The first challenge is Islamophobia and the other is objectification of women.
Muslim
women face “Gendered Islamophobia”. I mean the ways in which the figure of the
Muslim woman has been constructed throughout the Western encounter with Muslim
societies especially since colonialism.
This
is the idea that when colonial powers entered the Muslim countries, they saw
that it was not possible for them to control the Muslim body. The very Muslim
identity seemed threatening to them. In different parts of Muslim world be it
Iran, Egypt, Nigeria, etc. we have gendered Islamophobia from the beginning of
colonialism. There was an attack on Muslim women identity that the Hijab is
framed as a backward part of society that needs to be removed but in reality,
what is happening is that the Muslim women’s identity is a source of
empowerment for her in terms of resisting colonialism and that was a danger to
colonial powers so they tried to overcome this obstacle.
IQNA:
What did the colonial powers do to propagate this policy?
Saghaye
Biria: What they did was raising the question of Muslim women as oppressed and imperiled
victims in need of saving and that was a part of justifying imperial projects
throughout history.
We
are seeing the same thing today happening when the US for example invaded
Afghanistan, they talked of saving of women. In fact, practicing Muslim women
represented as a threat to the liberal order. They claimed that the
liberalization of women equated with their empowerment. Sometimes they carried
out this policy forcefully, other times through cultural imperialism.
So,
the abandonment of hijab promoted as a sign of that empowerment. But the
reality is that Islam's approach to hijab is holistic. It is with this holistic system of hijab and
chastity that Islam keeps society safe from sexual objectification of women. A minimalist approach to hijab does not
conform with Islamic teachings. A Muslim woman practicing minimalist hijab
could well become a victim of beauty sickness albeit to a lesser degree and be
hurt by all the consequences. The Muslim women should not fall for the trap of
a minimalist approach to hijab.
For
Muslim women living in the west there is another fear and anxiety about being
visibly in public but more and more Muslims are trying to resist that
atmosphere and trying to overcome that challenge. Of course because of this
growth in the practice of hijab we are seeing some changes even in the
marketing industry and you see a variety of Muslim brands which is a positive
sign.
IQNA:
You talked about the challenge of Objectification. What does it mean?
Saghaye
Biria: There is another challenge which is Objectification of women that we see
in general in Western societies and this is a challenge that is not particular
to Muslim women but they are not exempt from it so they have to be aware of the
challenge. This is partly about the issue of education, the very culture our
families are living in what sort of culture are we talking about that it seems
to be threatening to our Islamic identity.
So,
the first question is: what is Objectification? what are we talking about”? I
refer to an article written by Fredrickson and Roberts named “Objectification
Theory: Toward Understanding Women's Lived Experiences and Mental Health Risk”
in which they actually put forward a theory in this regard. They said
objectification is a Process by which something that is not a thing is regarded
as one. So, you are facing a process that is called dehumanization that you are
looking at the woman as an object not as a human being. What does that mean? It
means that you are looking at a woman as something not someone. Something that
is devoid of independent judgments and actions. So that their Vision, character
and behavior are controlled by external factors. this is being talked about
women living in Western culture in general.
IQNA:
This is what women are facing in Western societies. what is the process of
that?
Saghaye
Biria:There is a book by Dr. Renee Engeln, an American psychology professor at
Northwestern University in the US which is called “Beauty Sick”. She talks
about the same problem and she talks about the cultural obsession with woman's
appearance. An obsession that focuses on women’s appearance over anything else
they might do or say or be so in this culture of objectification you see that
how women look, becomes the most important aspect of their life, not who they
are, not what they do, not what they say, not what sort of achievements they
have in life.
In
this atmosphere, women are required to compete in a lifetime marathon, so when
a woman looks at herself in such a way the first thing that happens is socialization.
It happens through the norms and expectations and cultural values that are
passed on to girls in various ways including through the media and of course
education.
Beauty
sickness matters in part because it hurts. But even more important, it matters
because it's hard to change the world when you're so busy trying to change your
body, your skin, your hair, and your clothes.
Now,
in this culture, we have the practicing Muslim women who despite this enormous
pressure keep their hijab. And of course, because of this practice, they become
subject to all kinds of discrimination: especially work-related discrimination.
Many job opportunities are out of reach for practicing Muslim women. So, in
such a culture, Muslim women are pressured to either abandon the hijab or to
practice a minimalist form of hijab: that is to reduce the hijab to the
headscarf and comply with other aspects of beauty sickness such as the use of
make-up, tight clothing, and plastic surgery and the like.
IQNA:
So, what Muslim women should do to confront these challenges?
Saghaye
Biria: I propose the following suggestions:
1.
Understand the interconnectedness of the two challenges.
2. Do
not fall for the trap of a minimalist approach to hijab.
3.
Understand the holistic approach of Islam to women’s identity: Humanity first,
gender second.
4.
Understand what Islam has to offer for overcoming the social problem of
objectification of women.
5.
Create a social support network so you can resist the effects of the two
challenges.
6.
Talk about Islam’s message to others especially about the meaning of hijab as
it relates to a healthy life style free of objectification.
7. In
short, act proactively, not reactively.
Source:
IQNA
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Conference
on women's social, educational role in Islam held in Baku
January
23, 2022
On
the occasion of the birth anniversary of Hazrat Fatimah (PBUH) recognized as
Mother’s Day in Iran, a conference about the social and educational role of
women from Islamic perspective was held at Cultural Center of the Islamic
Republic of Iran in Baku. Iran's ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan,
local religious figures, representatives of Iran, and the followers of Ahl
al-Bayt (AS) took part the ceremony.
Cultural
Attache of Iran in the Republic of Azerbaijan Ghorban-Ali Pourmarjan
congratulated on Hazrat Fatimah Zahra's birth anniversary (PBUH) and Mother's
Day and said that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) regarded enmity with Hazrat Fatimah
Zahra as enmity with himself and that Imam Ali (AS) was always proud of her.
Iranians
celebrate Hazrat Fatimah Zahra's birth anniversary, designated by the Islamic
Republic of Iran as Mother's Day in the country.
Source: ABNA24
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Samia
Khaled, named best goalkeeper in Saudi Women’s League, shares dream of turning
pro
January
22, 2022
RIYADH:
Saudi footballer Samia Khaled, who was named best goalkeeper in the inaugural
Saudi Women’s League Championship, said she is proud to be part of the
Al-Mamlaka side that won the title this month.
Her
personal award reflects the key role she played in her team during the
tournament. In the final match against Al-Tahadi, for example, she kept a clean
sheet as her side cruised to a 7-0 victory.
She
said her ambition is to win more championships and develop her skills further
in a bid to become a professional and play abroad one day, particularly in Europe.
Khaled
lists Algerian goalkeeper Rais M’Bolhi, who plays for Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi
Pro League, as a role model and hopes that like him, she will have the chance
to represent her country.
She
thanked all those who have supported her football dreams, including family,
friends and the fans who cheer her on when she plays. There was special thanks
for Mohammed Khalfan, who has been her trainer for several years, from futsal
level up to her current position.
She
also had advice for other women in the country interested in building a career
in the sport: “Female Saudi players need more experience and skills, and need
to build their body strength and increase speed and power.”
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2009456/sport
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Women’s
presence in Saudi cybersecurity sector reaches 45%
January
22, 2022
By
Aljohara Zarea
JEDDAH
— Saudi Arabia’s cybersecurity sector has witnessed a high presence of women,
with the rate of participation reaching 45 percent, according to statistics
published by the Saudi Federation for CyberSecurity, Programming and Drones
(SAFCSP).
The
global representation of women in the cybersecurity field is about 25%.
Saudi
Arabia has marked a tremendous increase in women’s participation in most
sectors lately. This comes alongside the Kingdom’s efforts to develop,
strengthen and diversify its economy in the light of Vision 2030 under the
leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense.
Women’s
role has become highly visible in cybersecurity, which is one of the most vital
and sensitive sectors where they have proved their ability to be effective
partners. One of the groups that support the role of women in the cybersecurity
sector is Hemaya Association.
Abrar
Alrefaei, Deputy CEO of Information Security at Hemaya, said Hemaya dates back
to 2011, when a group of cybersecurity specialists decided to establish a
voluntary group that enhances the exchange of experiences among specialists,
men and women alike.
Abrar
added that due to the lack of Arabic content on cybersecurity, the Hemaya
Association has expanded its activities to fill the gap and enrich the content
in Arabic language. It also increased its activities to help the community
raise awareness about the dangers on the internet and guide the public on the
ways of using technologies safely.
The
association, since its inception, has been keen to enhance the presence of
women in the field of cybersecurity parallel to men. A special community was
established in the association and it has been called "HameyaT" which
in turn includes several women specialized in cybersecurity, Abrar said
For
her part, Nouf Yousef, HameyaT community supervisor and cyber security and
information technology director, has stated that Hemaya is currently a
non-profit organization. It is registered with the Ministry of Human Resources
and Social Development (MHRSD), which aims to activate the role of the sector
by providing awareness and training in the information security field.
Hemaya
Association also provides plans, consultations and specialized courses
according to the facilities’ request in order to provide all information and
programs that guarantee security and protection for the facility and its
customers’ data through a group of experts and specialists in cybersecurity
sector, Nouf pointed out.
The
Chief Information Security Officer at Saudi National Bank, Rasha Abu AlSaud,
pointed out that due to the variety of hacking attempts and the polished
techniques that have been used lately, cybersecurity has an important role. And
it is necessary to form a competent and independent team in each facility to
evaluate the controls independently at all times, she said.
In
order for the objectives of the work units not to overshadow the importance of
achieving a balance between the availability of technical services and their
security and safety, Rasha emphasized the importance of having an independent and
specialized team in cybersecurity, as some decisions related to raising the
level of security within the network requires complete independence between the
information security team and the other technological teams.
Hemaya
Association cooperates with a number of sectors, such as the Ministry of
Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the National Cybersecurity
Authority (NCA), Abrar said. She indicated that these sectors are providing
support to the association to achieve its goals attached to a number of the
Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals, which are related to empowering the non-profit
sector.
"The
efforts of the various sectors, led by the National Cybersecurity Authority
(NCA), resulted in providing many jobs and training opportunities", Rasha
confirmed, noting that "there is a high turnout of women to join the
cybersecurity field, where it provides employment chances in the establishments
without any discrimination".
Cybersecurity
is considered a different and renewable field that requires the participation
of both sexes without exception, she emphasized.
Dr.
Wejdan Bin Saeedan, Member of Information Security Association (Hemaya
Association), said that because of her presence in Hemaya Association and as a
faculty member, she has noticed during the recent years a great interest in the
cyber security major. There is no specific age group applying to the major, but
rather there are many among female students in general education and among
those with high positions who started their careers in cybersecurity, Dr.
Wejdan said.
Nouf
confirmed that the turnout in universities by new graduates for the
cybersecurity sector began to grow significantly as the field provides
opportunities to work in companies, banks and many other private sector
ventures.
In
2017, women constituted about 11% of the workforce in the cybersecurity field,
while in 2019 the percentage increased to reach 24% globally, according to a
study conducted by (ISC)², the International Information System Security
Certification Consortium, for the workforce in the global information security
field, Nouf added.
Source:
Saudi Gazette
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/616161
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/kashmiri-woman-dairy-entrepreneur/d/126228