Nilambur Ayisha: Indian Actor of Kerala Who Survived Religious Hate and Bullets
New
Age Islam News Bureau
04
June 2022
• Women
Employed As Motorbike Taxi Drivers in Rwanda
• Martial
Artist Khadijah Safari Runs Martial Arts Classes In London For Muslim Women
• Political
Prisoners In Iran Women's Prison Are In Danger – Lawyer
• Deepti
Jharwal, Woman Official Part Of Indian Team On Afghanistan Trip
• Dr
Alazazi; Businesswoman behind UAE’s First Electric Car ‘Al Damani’ DMV300
• 17
Pakistani Students Selected For US Future of Women in Energy Scholars Program
• Dash
Me Foundation United States Moves to Lift Abused Women
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/nilambur-ayisha-india-actor-religious-hate/d/127174
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Nilambur Ayisha: Indian Actor of Kerala Who Survived Religious Hate and Bullets
Nilambur Ayisha
----
Jun
4, 2022
The
year was 1953. Nilambur Ayisha, 18, was on stage delivering a dialogue when a
bullet whizzed through the air.
"It
missed me and hit the stage curtains because I moved while speaking,"
recalls Ayisha, now 87, sitting at her home in the town of Nilambur (which
became part of her stage name) in the southern Indian state of Kerala.
The
shooter's attempt was just one among several - by religious conservatives who
believed a Muslim woman shouldn't act - to force Ayisha off the stage.
But
she went on acting, braving sticks, stones and slaps until, she says, "we
managed to change people's attitudes".
Last
month, Ayisha was in the front row when a new generation of actors in Kerala
presented a reimagined version of the play she was doing when she was fired at
- Ijju Nalloru Mansanakan Nokku (You try to become a good human being).
The
new version opens with the shooting attempt at Ayisha and takes aim at
religious conservatism among Muslims, much like the earlier version - except
that it incorporates several recent incidents of intolerance and religious
dogma, especially those intended to oppress women.
For
instance, a few weeks ago, a senior Muslim leader in Kerala kicked up a
controversy after scolding the organisers of an event for calling a female
student to receive an award on a stage.
Since
2014, when the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party swept to power in
India, attacks on Muslims - the country's largest minority at 200 million -
have risen sharply.
In
turn, the minority community is also going through a political churn where
moderate voices are finding it harder to counter what is sometimes an assertion
of conservative practices in the name of championing religious identity.
Ayisha
says she is worried that the conservatism she and her fellow artistes - many of
them Communists - fought against in the 1950s and 60s is deepening in India,
including in Kerala, often called one of India's most progressive states.
"We
tried to change these attitudes earlier. But now, when there is objection to a
young girl going up on stage, it feels like we are going back to those dreadful
days,'' she says.
It
began with a gramophone
Ayisha
was born in a rich family which fell on hard times after her father's death.
They received, she says, little help from community leaders when they struggled
to survive.
Life
was difficult, but she was happy to be at home. She had left briefly some years
ago - when she was just 14, she was married off to a 47-year-old man, but
walked out of the marriage after just four days. She realised later that she
was pregnant but went ahead with divorcing him.
One
day, she was singing along to a record on the gramophone - "the only item
of luxury left in our house" - when her brother and his friend, playwright
EK Ayamu, walked in.
At
the time, a progressive theatre group backed by Communists was gaining ground
in the state with dramas, fiery political songs and other forms of art. It
inspired several smaller groups to attempt writing and staging plays.
But
most of the roles - including those of women - were played by men.
When
EMS Namboodiripad - who in 1957 became India's first Communist chief minister
when a government headed by him came to power in Kerala - watched one of these
plays, he suggested to Ayamu that they find women to act in roles written for
them.
When
Ayamu heard Ayisha sing, he asked if she would play the challenging part of
Jameela, a housewife who had a pivotal role in the drama.
Ayisha
was ready, but her mother was worried that they would be ostracised by
religious leaders.
"I
told her that they never came to our rescue when we were in trouble. So how can
they punish us now?" Ayisha says.
The
play was a huge hit, but it also ruffled many feathers.
"There
were a lot of attacks on us. Muslim conservatives found it blasphemous that a
woman from the community was appearing on stage," says VT Gopalakrishnan,
who played the son of Ayisha's character in the drama.
People
threw stones at Ayisha when she was acting; her colleagues were attacked when
they tried to protect her.
Once,
a man jumped on the stage and slapped Ayisha so hard he damaged her eardrum -
it left her with a permanent hearing disability. The man who shot at her was
never caught.
Did
these attacks scare her?
"Not
at all. My strength only increased," Ayisha says.
"It
was a humane drama about bringing out the good in people and loving others
regardless of their backgrounds. That is also why our troupe was targeted so
many times," she says.
Ayisha's
courage under fire has given her an undeniable place in Kerala's history, says
Johnny OK, a senior journalist.
"She
was part of the social reformation movement that made a difference through art
and culture," he says.
Ayisha
went on to act in several plays and films, but after a while, offers began
drying up.
She
then went to Saudi Arabia to work as a domestic helper "for how long, I
can't remember".
When
she returned to Kerala, she began acting again in Malayalam-language movies,
winning awards for some of her performances. She is also invited to speak at
workshops and programmes where many cite her as an inspiration.
Looking
back, she says she has no regrets.
"I
withstood everything, including the physical attacks. Today, at the age of 87,
I can proudly stand before the world."
Source:
BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-61679980
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Women
employed as motorbike taxi drivers in Rwanda
Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, is training 120 women to operate electric-powered motorbike taxis.
----
June
03, 2022
KIGALI
— A project employing women to drive electric-powered motorcycle taxis is being
launched in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali.
Male
drivers currently dominate the sector.
The
first group of 120 women has just finished three months' training on riding as well
as maintaining the new bikes.
The
project both challenges people's perception of women and is hoping to improve
the environment.
Ornella
Uwobasa, who trained the women, says they want “to change the mentality” to
show that women can do the job.
“We
want to see women on the roads, and everyone to know that women can work on the
road,” she tells the BBC.
The
project, jointly owned by the city authorities and a private company, is aimed
at employing poor women who are given the motorbikes for free.
The
city's vice-mayor, Martine Urujeni, said the project will cut carbon emissions
and reduce unemployment.
“We
focused on vulnerable women like single mothers - divorced and widows - because
we want to improve their lives.”
Around
35,000 motorbike taxis are registered in Kigali but most are operated by men.
Rwanda
encourages the use of electric motor vehicles but their numbers are still low,
with only 150 registered so far this year. — BBC
Source:
Saudi Gazette
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/621341/World/Women-employed-as-motorbike-taxi-drivers-in-Rwanda
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Martial
Artist Khadijah Safari Runs Martial Arts Classes In London For Muslim Women
By
Nicole Bosco
June
3, 2022
Martial
artist Khadijah Safari is giving the women of the London area a place to train
that is all their own.
Khadijah
Safari of Milton Keynes is taking her passion for martial arts and giving women
a place to train together. She is the owner of MK’s Safari Health Hub and
Safari MMA, a women-only MMA gym that was created because of Safari’s own
experiences.
Safari
converted to Islam back in 2009. She was looking for a place to continue her
combat sports journey but was not able to find a female-only gym, so she
created her own.
Her
goal in opening her own gym, which now has over 10 locations, is to provide
self-defense classes and martial arts training to victims of domestic violence
and those with certain religious beliefs. Having a place where women could go
to train with other women and gain knowledge and confidence was lacking in the
London area ten years ago. That is when Safari decided to take all her savings
and create a place just like that.
“Women
from all different backgrounds, cultures and socio-economic groups came
together. Labels were left at the door and for once true equality was seen,” a
spokesperson for the gym told MKCitizen.
The
gym now holds women of all different backgrounds and occupations training
together. Even during the lockdowns of COVID-19, Safari made it possible for
her members to train through online classes. She even works together with local
mental health agencies to provide programs for women and children in need.
Recently,
Safari was awarded the British Empire Medal for her efforts to make these
women-friendly combat sports spaces. She also received a medal from the
Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire.
Source:
MMA News
https://www.mmanews.com/2022/06/khadijah-safari-muslim-mma/
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Political
Prisoners In Iran Women's Prison Are In Danger – Lawyer
5/31/2022
The
attorney of several jailed Iranian activists, says the lives of political
prisoners in Qarchak women's prison are in danger, implying that the
authorities are using other prisoners to threaten them.
In
an interview published on Tuesday, Mostafa Nili said a message received from
his client, civil and human rights defender Narges Mohammadi, and
photojournalist Alieh Motalebzadeh said their lives are danger by one of the
prisoners who is charged with murder and threatening to kill them to become
famous.
Pointing
out that the prisoner had no "previous problems or conflicts" with
Mohammadi and Motalebzadeh, he said that such threats without any history of
disputes or conflicts seemed "suspicious".
Nili
also said that following the death threat, several inmates with a history of
violent crimes tried to provoke clashes twice with the prisoners of the
political ward during visits to the prison infirmary.
He
added that the issue began with the threats to Mohammadi and Motalebzadeh, but
since Sunday other political prisoners have also been threatened. Nili noted
that prison authorities have not taken any action.
He
said that such incidents are reminiscent of similar clashes between criminal
prisoners and political detainees in recent years, such as the cases for
Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, Atena Daemi, Shakila Monfared, and Saba Kord Afshari
who were beaten in apparent clashes with other inmates.
In
2019, political prisoner Alireza Shir-Mohammad-Ali was killed in Tehran’s
Fashafoyeh Prison after he was stabbed in the neck and stomach by two inmates
of the general ward.
Earlier
in the year, Reporters Without Borders expressed concern for the lives of
jailed activists who have been transferred to detention centers known to
mistreat prisoners, including Qarchak women’s prison.
Source:
Iran Intl
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202205312645
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Deepti
Jharwal, Woman Official Part of Indian Team on Afghanistan Trip
Jun
4, 2022
NEW
DELHI: A woman diplomat was part of the Indian team that visited Afghanistan to
oversee the delivery of India’s humanitarian aid to the country and meet with
senior members of the Taliban. Deepti Jharwal is part of the MEA’s
Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division, sources said.
In
Kabul, Jharwal also attended a meeting the team had with Amir Khan Muttaqi,
Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister. Her inclusion in the team comes against
the backdrop of repeated calls to the Taliban regime by the international
community, including India, to protect the rights of Afghan women.
Source:
Times Of India
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Dr
Alazazi; Businesswoman behind UAE’s First Electric Car ‘Al Damani’ DMV300
Sakina
Fatima
31st
May 2022
Abu
Dhabi: A chairwoman of United Arab Emirates (UAE) based M Glory Holding Group
Dr Majida Alazazi is the woman behind the country’s first-ever electric car.
Dr
Majida Alazazi is all set to roll out the first batch of the fully electric car
called ‘Al Damani’ DMV300 by the end of June 2022.
The
Al Damani DMV300, with two different models built using European specifications,
has a battery capacity of 52.7 kWh and can cover more than 405 kilometers on a
single charge.
In
March 2022, M Glory Holding Group laid the foundation stone for the country’s
first industrial facility for the manufacture of electric vehicles (EV) at
Dubai Industrial City (DIC). The factory will be finished by 2024.
Meanwhile,
DMV300 will be made at a temporary factory not far away from the main one
getting constructed in DIC.
The
new factory will be built on a total land area of 1 million sq ft and will
create more than 1,000 jobs, as part of M Glory’s future expansion plans.
The
company aims to benefit from the Fourth Industrial Revolution and
sustainability by employing future technologies and robotics in the manufacture
of electric vehicles (EVs). The new facility is an extension of its portfolio,
which includes robotics engineering and artificial intelligence, as well as
sustainable real estate.
Majida
is the first Arab woman to establish a car factory in the Middle East, and the
first Emirati to obtain an applied doctorate degree in supply chain management
and industries from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) university.
Since
graduating from the university, she has held several major jobs, where she
worked in large successful government factories in the country and traveled to
several car-manufacturing countries.
She
traveled to France, Britain, the Czech Republic, and Germany in an attempt to
learn about their experiences and success stories that enabled them to achieve
record profits. She hoped to replicate the achievements of these countries in
their major projects, in her homeland UAE.
Al-Azazi
began her experience as a businesswoman in 2004, and worked on various
projects, then moved to a greater ambition, which is the automobile industry, out
of a constant search for a challenge.
After
her passion to be a leader in the industrial sector, she opened an automobile
factory— Sandstorm Motor Vehicle Manufacturing.
“Since
2012, I started to develop Sandstorm. It is now a successful factory. We are
now going electric with M Glory. We are now planning to do more sustainable
projects under M Glory Holding Group,” Al-Azazi told Khaleej Times during the
Electric Vehicle Innovation Summit.
The
electric vehicle can touch a top speed of 160 km and cover more than 405 km
after being charged once. When charging at home, it will fully charge in six to
eight hours, but we have a quick charge, which will charge the car up to 85
percent in 30 minutes.
The
industrial engineer said, “We are working on developing our own charger that
can be charged within four hours at home, as well as about 25 percent of the
car’s parts from the local market, and soon we will be able to gradually
increase this percentage.”
The
businesswoman indicated that thousands of orders for the purchase of electric
cars have already been received, and explained that their daily capacity ranges
from 8 to 10 cars and 10,000 cars annually from the temporary factory. Once the
main factory is ready, it will be able to produce 50,000 to 70,000 cars
annually.
Source:
Siasat Daily
https://www.siasat.com/meet-dr-alazazi-businesswoman-behind-uaes-first-electric-car-2338204/
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17 Pakistani
students selected for US Future of Women in Energy Scholars Program
4
Jun, 2022
ISLAMABAD
– The US Mission Pakistan has selected 17 bright Pakistani women university
students for the US-Pakistan Women’s Council’s (USPWC) inaugural four-week
Future of Women in Energy Scholars Program.
Starting
June 5, the students will learn about working in the energy sector. This program will foster women’s
participation and leadership in Pakistan’s energy sector by providing young
women the opportunity to study energy issues and energy infrastructure at Texas
A&M University’s campus in Qatar.
Following
their two-week program in Qatar, the students will return to Pakistan for a
two-week familiarization trip to engage with key Pakistani public and
private-sector organizations in Islamabad and Lahore to learn about Pakistan’s
energy sector.
The
program is jointly sponsored by the US Mission Pakistan, the US Department of
State, the US Department of Energy, the US Agency for International Development
(USAID), Texas A&M University, and a number of public-sector and
private-sector energy employers interested in promoting women’s advancement in
the energy sector.
The
program is a product of the commitment the U.S. government made to advance
women’s educational and economic participation in Pakistan’s energy sector
during the U.S.-Pakistan Energy Dialogue in September 2021.
The
Pakistani women students participating in the program are currently pursuing
bachelor’s degrees in science and engineering at private and public
universities throughout Pakistan and were chosen through a rigorous selection
process.
US
Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome said, “Coinciding with the 75th anniversary
of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and
Pakistan, we are excited to launch the USPWC’s Future of Women in Energy
Scholars Program. Through this program,
the U.S. Mission in Pakistan is helping Pakistani women to pursue career
opportunities in the energy sector and help them develop networks for a vibrant
future.”
The
USPWC Executive Director Radhika Prabhu said, “The USPWC Future of Women in
Energy Scholars Program will give young women hands-on experience in the energy
sector. Congratulations to these future
leaders!”
The
US-Pakistan Women’s Council is a public-private partnership that seeks to
increase women’s economic participation in Pakistan by catalyzing commitments
from the private sector, civil society, and government leaders in both
countries to advance women’s economic empowerment in Pakistan.
Source:
Daily Pakistan
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Dash
Me Foundation United States Moves to Lift Abused Women
04
June 2022
Dash
Me Foundation United States has officially received a non-profit with
tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the US Internal Revenue Code.
The
Founder of Dash Me Foundation, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, who expressed delight at the
development, said contributions from both corporations and individuals, donated
to New York-based Dash Me Foundation (US) are now fully tax-deductible.
Adeosun,
who is a former Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, explained that the Dash Me
Foundation (US) was now eligible to apply for government and foundation grants,
which will further broaden access to resources and strengthen its ability to
raise funds for orphans and vulnerable children, victims of domestic violence
and disadvantaged youth.
Adeosun
added: “The Dash Me Foundation U.S. is proud to announce that it is officially
a non-profit with tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the United
States Internal Revenue Code.
The
granting of non-profit status to Dash Me Foundation in the United States is a
major milestone for our growing organisation, and we are excited about the
prospects it creates. Attaining recognition of our Charitable Status by the
American Internal Revenue Service was a rigorous process and we are proud to
have met all the requirements.”
She
stated that the U.S. team could now actively mobilise donations and support
from its extensive U.S-based diaspora as well as corporations and foundations,
interested in supporting indigenous charitable work in Nigeria and beyond.
“Our
donors can now change lives in Nigeria whilst obtaining a full tax deduction in
America,” Adeosun stated. Since its launch in Nigeria in June 2021, Dash Me
Foundation has raised funds for orphanages, domestic violence shelters and the
physically challenged through its Dash Me Store and other activities.
She
confirmed that the Dash Me Foundation had mobilised and deployed cash and
resources to projects in Lagos, Ogun, Cross River, Kano, Nasarawa, Imo, Osun
and Kogi States.
“Dash
Me Foundation aims to raise more funding for orphans and vulnerable children,
victims of domestic violence and disadvantaged youth in Nigeria with the
ambition to cover the West African region,” the founder added.
Source:
Guardian Nigeria
https://guardian.ng/news/foundation-moves-to-lift-abused-women/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/nilambur-ayisha-india-actor-religious-hate/d/127174