New
Age Islam News Bureau
17
December 2020
• Meet The Players Competing in the First Women’s Football League in Saudi Arabia
•
Saudi Arabia Cracks Down On Women-Only Businesses
•
Jobseekers Warned As 12 Indian Women Duped By Recruitment Agents Are Rescued In
UAE
•
Egypt Fights Sexual Harassment on The Train With Commuter Campaign
•
Edmonton Police Charge Woman In Assault On Black Muslim Woman
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/overcoming-war-disability-yemen-women/d/123791
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Overcoming
War and Disability: Yemen's Women Basketball Players Hit The Court
Dec
15, 2020
Yemen's disabled basketball players overcoming
adversity on court
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SANAA:
In Yemen's capital Sanaa, women in long-sleeved athletics shirts raced down a
basketball court in wheelchairs, dribbling and passing as a small crowd cheered
them on.
"If
the Yemeni people are suffering from the war, then those with disabilities are
suffering twice as much," said Amal Hizam from the sidelines, herself also
in a wheelchair.
The
Arab world's poorest country is devastated by conflict, the novel coronavirus
and a humanitarian crisis that the United Nations has called the world's worst.
But
all that didn't stop a local wheelchair basketball championship going ahead in
Sanaa this month.
Five
all-women teams were part of the competition, only the second of its kind,
including Al-Erada -- Arabic for "The Will", and Al-Mustaqbal, or
"The Future".
Tens
of thousands have been killed in Yemen since 2015, when a Saudi-led coalition
intervened to support the government after Huthi rebels took control of Sanaa the
year before.
A
UN-brokered agreement reached two years ago between the government and the
Iran-backed Huthis offered some hope, but a peaceful settlement has yet to
materialise.
The
female players, some wearing face coverings as well as their headscarves,
jostled and shot baskets from sports wheelchairs painted red and light-green at
the indoor court.
Hizam,
assistant director of Yemen's sports federation for people with disabilities,
said initiatives such as the tournament were "practically non-existent".
"I
wish society wouldn't look down on those who are disabled, and that it would
see our capabilities," said one of the Al-Erada players, 28-year-old
Tahani al-Omari.
"Disability
is a gift, not an obstacle," she told AFP, wearing her team's striped orange
vest.
Teenage
girls in the bleechers squirmed with excitement, throwing their arms into the
air to cheer on the players.
Yemen's
conflict has displaced some 3.3 million people, and around 80 percent of the
population needs humanitarian aid and protection, according to the UN.
There
are estimated to be around four million people with disabilities in Yemen,
according to World Health Organization data.
"Millions
of people with disabilities in Yemen have not only endured years of armed
conflict but are also among those most excluded," rights group Amnesty
International said last year.
"What
we want is inclusion and support, and we can be involved in any field,"
Omari said.
"We
need special wheelchairs equipped for playing and, most importantly, moral
support."
A
coach of multiple teams, Abdo Mohammed Zayed, said Yemen's lack of clubs and
facilities for players with disabilities presented another challenge.
The
goal of the tournament, he said, was to "offer social and moral support to
those with disabilities, and allow them to showcase their capabilities and
creativity."
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/overcoming-war-and-disability-yemens-women-basketball-players-hit-the-court/articleshow/79733209.cms
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Meet
The Players Competing In The First Women’s Football League In Saudi Arabia
16-12-2020
A women’s football team in Saudi Arabia
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A
female football team in Saudi Arabia hopes to become the best in the country’s
first women’s football league.
Dribbling
and kicking a ball across a football field is a dream come true for Saudi
player Mariam Alangari. The young woman is part of a newly formed football team
in the Kingdom, established after the government allowed the formation of an
amateur league for women on November 17.
“Finally!
I’m so happy that there is a chance to achieve my dream. I used to play abroad
but now thank God I can play in my country, and if God is willing, I will get
the chance to become a professional player,” said Alangari, who dreams of one
day become a professional player.
Saudi
Arabia's first women's football league officially kicked off in November after
initially being postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
At
a training session for the Eastern Flames Football Club in Saudi Arabia’s Al
Khobar, a total of 52 players of various ages ran dribbling and passing drills,
running up and down a large field in the city.
“We
train them and develop their skills in different ways including overall
fitness, neuromuscular compatibility, football skills, and more. Hopefully, we
will help them become professional players,” said coach of Eastern Flames FC,
Maram Albutairi.
The
coach said she had received many certificates from FIFA and has previously
worked with the UAE national team. “Hopefully, we can win many tournaments,”
she added.
The
historic Saudi Women’s Football league will see 24 teams across Jeddah, Riyadh
and Dammam competing for a championship cup and a $133,000 cash prize.
“As
a mother of one of the players here, the Saudi player Renad Alghamdi, I’m so
proud of her, and I will support her, and she will be a bright name in the
future since the field is open now in Saudi Arabia,” one supportive mother of a
female football player said.
The
mother said she was happy her daughter “can live her dream and do the thing she
loves, the things that we couldn’t do before.”
In
February 2020, Saudi Arabia launched its first women’s football league, the
latest step in the Kingdom’s wide-reaching reform of its sport and
entertainment sectors.
The
Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA) inaugurated the official Women’s Football
League (WFL) at a launch event in Riyadh. The WFL will launch next season with
matches being played in the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam.
https://en.ammonnews.net/article/45243
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Saudi
Arabia cracks down on women-only businesses
December
17, 2020
Samir
Salama
Abu
Dhabi: Female inspection teams from the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and
Social Development have carried out more than 1,000 visits in six months to
women-only businesses to ensure owners adhere to work regulations.
Private
schools, workshops and sports clubs were also visited, in addition to some
small women’s projects across the capital Riyadh.
Inspectors
recorded 100 violations, most of them related to employment of foreign workers
in jobs restricted to Saudis and employment of men in jobs restricted to Saudi
women, in addition to violations of the absence of work and medical insurance
contracts.
The
ministry said the work of female inspectors is not limited to issuing tickets,
but also extends to professional counseling for female employees in the private
sector and answering their inquiries related to rights and duties.
It
stressed the inspection campaigns will continue throughout the year to follow
up on commitment to the rules and organisation of the labour market.
https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/saudi-arabia-cracks-down-on-women-only-businesses-1.75953467
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Jobseekers
warned as 12 Indian women duped by recruitment agents are rescued in UAE
December
15, 2020
Sajila
Saseendran
Ajman:
Authorities and social workers have worked together to rescue 12 Indian women
who were duped by recruitment agents, prompting the Indian mission in Dubai to
reiterate its warning against job-seekers flying into the UAE on visit visas.
The women, who were brought to the UAE on visit visas, had initially pleaded
for help through their families and a social worker — Amjad Ullah Khan — in
India. One of them also informed the police about their plight, following which
they were rescued.
The
Indian Consulate in Dubai said the mission was initially informed about five
women who got trapped after being brought to work in the UAE.
“When
we enquired, initially we got to know there were three more. We took action and
made more enquiries through the Indian Association in Ajman. Then we found out
that there were actually 12 women. We have provided them temporary
accommodation and they are being taken care of,” Neeraj Agrawal, Consul for
Press, Information and Culture told Gulf News.
Roop
Sidhu, general secretary of the Indian Association in Ajman, said all the
women, except one from Karnataka, hail from Hyderabadin south India. Aged
between 21 and 46, they were given false hopes of jobs as housemaids. “They
were not given proper jobs and they complained of being ill-treated,” said
Sidhu.
What
the maids say
A
21-year-old woman from Hyderabad, the youngest in the group, told Gulf News she
had come in September and had been requesting the agent to send her back from
the very next day after her arrival because she was being treated badly.
A
38-year-old woman hailing from Bengaluru said that she decided to complain
against the agent who had locked up seven women. “My issue was about not
legalising my papers. The agent told me to work in different houses for which I
was not ready. Then he kept me with the other six women. I saw them being
treated very badly. They were not given proper food. He was taking their money
and abusing them. So I complained,” she said.
Sidhu
said Ajman Police had already arrested one agent, while rescuing the seven
women who were locked up in an apartment. “We also managed to rescue another
group of five women from another accommodation managed by the same agent over
the weekend,” said Sidhu.
On
the advice of the consulate, he said he had given an undertaking on behalf of
the association to provide food and accommodation to the women and also taken
the seven women to issue their statement related to the case to the Public
Prosecutor, along with volunteer Chaya Devi who handles such cases. On being pressured,
the maids’ India-based agent booked tickets for two women and one managed to
fly back home on Sunday, he said.
Recruitment
portal
Thanking
Ajman Police for their timely intervention, Agrawal said the women would be
assisted with repatriation once they get clearance from the local authorities.
The official reiterated that expats should not come to the UAE on visit visas
to seek jobs. “People should only come through proper channels and should not
fall prey to the middlemen,” the diplomat pointed out.
The
employment of Indian housemaids is done through the online recruitment portal
e-Migrate to avoid middlemen and also to ensure the welfare of job applicants.
The
woman, who had complained against the agent, however, said the maids were not
aware of the e-Migrate system.
“I
have worked in Saudi Arabia and Oman earlier. I went on visit visas to take up
jobs there. We usually approach the agents who get us visit visas. They give us
the visas and tickets upon reaching the airport. That is what usually happens.
We get residence visa and labour contract done after reaching the Gulf country.
Maybe they are getting more commission for the way they brought us here. That
is why they are not telling us about the e-Migrate system,” she said,
highlighting the need for better awareness among women like her back in India
about the government-authorised recruitment channel.
https://gulfnews.com/uae/jobseekers-warned-as-12-indian-women-duped-by-recruitment-agents-are-rescued-in-uae-1.75896965
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Egypt
fights sexual harassment on the train with commuter campaign
December
14, 2020
Sexual
harassment is so common on Egypt's railways that many women avoid travelling by
train, but a new initiative aims to make female passengers feel safer and
embolden victims of abuse to report it.
Billboards
reading "The Railway is Safe" have been installed at Cairo's main
rail terminus, a complaints hotline has been set up and from now on dedicated
conductors will be on trains to handle complaints of groping or sexual
harassment.
The
government-led initiative comes amid a growing debate about sexual harassment
and violence in the socially conservative country, and women's groups said it
was a positive step.
"It
addresses the economic and social empowerment of women as a lot of them fear going
to their workplaces or schools or universities to avoid sexual harassment on
public transport," said Randa Fakhr El Deen, executive director of the
NGOs Union on Harmful Practices Against Women and Children.
A
2017 Thomson Reuters Foundation poll found Cairo to be the most dangerous
megacity for women, and a United Nations' survey in 2013 found that 99% of
women had experienced harassment in Egypt, a country where women have long felt
disadvantaged.
The
same UN study showed 70% of Egyptian women do not feel safe commuting on public
transport.
Raising
awareness is a top priority of the Japanese-funded scheme, which involves the
state-run rail operator, the National Council for Women (NCW), and the European
Bank for Reconstruction and Development, said NCW member Um Kulthum Shalash.
"Train
stations are places that gather people from different cities and backgrounds
and are the perfect venue for raising awareness about a controversial and
crucial topic like sexual harassment," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
In
addition to the billboards, the project also involves promotional videos on
station screens and passenger announcements, while volunteers have been
briefing passengers on two major routes into the capital this month.
"We
tell women how to react when faced with any sexual harassment incident and
we've taken details of several complaints," said Rahma Mahmoud, a
19-year-old volunteer.
Rail
traveller Soha Ahmed said similar initiatives on public transport had not led
to major progress on stamping out sexual harassment.
"We
need strict law enforcement on public transport and anywhere else to reduce
sexual harassment cases," she said.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201214-egypt-fights-sexual-harassment-on-the-train-with-commuter-campaign/
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Edmonton
Police Charge Woman in Assault On Black Muslim Woman
By
Fakiha Baig
Dec.
16, 2020
EDMONTON
- The CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims says she’s worried that
two separate attacks on Black Muslim women in Edmonton will affect their mental
well-being.
“’I
think for folks who wear a hijab, they’re often walking around feeling like
there is a target on their backs. And I think it’s terrifying that it can
actually be true,” said Nadia Hasan, who added the city needs to do more to protect
Muslim women in public spaces.
Police
said Wednesday they had charged a woman after another woman wearing a hijab was
assaulted at a light-rail transit station while her attacker shouted racial
slurs at her.
It
was the second attack near Southgate Mall in just over a week.
In
Tuesday’s attack, the 23-year-old woman had just entered the transit station
when she was approached by a woman who yelled at her and tried to hit her on
the head with a shopping bag. The woman was able to run away and an Edmonton
Transit Service peace officer called police.
Rene
Ladouceur, 32, is charged with assault with a weapon. She also has nine
outstanding warrants against her for unrelated events.
The
Edmonton Police Service hate crimes unit said in a release that it is recommending
that a section of the Criminal Code be applied “allowing the courts to consider
increased sentencing when there is evidence the offence was motivated by
hatred.”
The
first attack on Dec. 8 happened as two women wearing hijabs were sitting in a
car in the mall’s parking lot. Police say a man came up to the passenger side
and began screaming. They say he eventually shattered the window by punching
it.
The
woman on the passenger side tried to run away, but the man chased her, pushed
her to the ground and began hitting her. The second woman tried to help, but
she was also pushed down.
Richard
Bradley Stevens, 41, faces two counts of assaultand one count of mischief.
The
Southgate neighbourhood is a big part of the Edmonton Muslim community, Hasan
said.
“It’s
certainly something that is disturbing, where you think that you’re safe,
especially when you’re in public and you know everyone can see you.”
The
council has contacted the two women who were attacked last week. They are still
traumatized and have several injuries, Hasan said.
“Especially
with the two women who were attacked, just the extent of the violence is
extremely alarming, and indicates the need for us to do more to really ensure
the security and safety of Muslim women, and particularly Black Muslim women in
public spaces,” Hasan said.
A
statement by the Alberta Anti-Racism Advisory Council said racists have no
place in Alberta.
“Our
great province was built by people from different cultures and ethnicities” it
said. “The overwhelming majority of Albertans are welcoming and tolerant.”
This
report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 16, 2020
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/12/16/edmonton-police-charge-woman-after-assault-on-black-muslim-woman.html
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/overcoming-war-disability-yemen-women/d/123791
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