Pakistan Shariat Court Disapproves Of Questioning Muslim Women’s Chastity
New
Age Islam News Bureau
05
April 2023
•
Twenty Iranian Schoolgirls Hospitalized After New Mysterious Wave Of Poisoning
Attacks: State Media
•
Princess Nourabint Faisal to Chair Forbes Middle East Women’s Summit
•
Muslim Woman Teacher Instructs Students At Murugan Temple
•
Afghan Women Banned from Working, Endangering Life-Saving Aid: UN
•
Thousands Of Indian Women To Perform Hajj Without Male Guardian
•
28-Year-Old UK Woman Dies During Weight-Loss Surgery In Turkey
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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Pakistan
Shariat Court Disapproves Of Questioning Muslim Women’s Chastity
Malik
Asad
April
5, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
The Federal Shariat Court (FSC) declared on Tuesday that every Muslim woman
must be presumed chaste, saying that the Islamic concept of “Al Ihsan” requires
Muslim men to desist from questioning a woman’s character without evidence.
“Chastity
is a quality held by someone pure, modest or celibate. A virgin is an example
of chastity. Faithful married couples are examples of chastity,” the FSC said
in a judgement delivered on Tuesday.
“A
presumption of chastity is applicable to every Muslim woman under the concept
of Al Ihsan,” the court said in its verdict on a petition filed by Saira Rauf
of Chakwal against a decision of the additional district and sessions judge in
a case brought by her former husband, Muhammad Asad Tahir.
According
to Saira Rauf, her marriage to Asad Tahir was dissolved by way of Khula in
2017. The dissolution led to a round of litigations over the custody of their
two sons, aged 16 and 12, before a guardian judge in Chakwal.
Asad
Tahir, while submitting his affidavit before the judge, levelled allegations
regarding his ex-wife’s chastity.
The
petitioner (Saira Rauf) filed a criminal complaint under Section 8 of the
Offence of Qazf (Enforcement of Hadd) Ordinance, 1979, before the Sessions
Judge in Chakwal, but he rejected it after recording a statement of the
complainant and two other witnesses.
Later
the petitioner’s ex-husband tendered an apology before the court, regretting
that he had uttered indecent words out of stress.
The
Shariat Court set aside the additional sessions judge’s order and remanded the
case to the trial court, asking it to decide the matter within 90 days.
The
trial court was also asked to record the statements of the complainant, along
with the evidence of two witnesses, in accordance with Section 6 of the Qazf
Ordinance.
The
FSC directed the trial court to determine whether the crime of Qazf, liable
to be punished as Hadd, was committed or not.
Source:
Dawn
https://www.dawn.com/news/1745975/shariat-court-disapproves-of-questioning-muslim-womens-chastity
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Twenty
Iranian Schoolgirls Hospitalized After New Mysterious Wave Of Poisoning
Attacks: State Media
04
April ,2023
Iranian
schoolgirls attend former President Hassan Rouhani’s presentation of the for
2018-2019 budget to the parliament on December 10, 2017, in Tehran. (AFP)
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Twenty
Iranian schoolgirls were hospitalized Tuesday after the latest in a mysterious
wave of poisoning attacks that have sickened thousands of pupils, state media
reported.
The
girls were treated after suffering shortness of breath, in Tabriz, capital of
the northwestern province of East Azerbaijan, reported the news agency IRNA.
“Emergency
experts were immediately dispatched to the scene after a report that a number
of students from one of the girls high schools in Tabriz were in a bad
condition,” Asghar Jafari, head of the city’s emergency service, told IRNA.
The
“vital signs... and the general condition of all students is good,” he added.
In
a wave of cases since late November, more than 5,000 students have suffered
fainting, nausea, shortness of breath and other symptoms after reporting
“unpleasant” odors, with some needing hospital treatment.
The
unexplained attacks in about 230 schools have sparked fear and anger among
pupils and their parents.
Schools
had resumed classes on Monday following the two-week Nowruz holiday.
In
early March, Iran announced more than 100 arrests over the poisonings, charging
that the unidentified perpetrators may have links with “hostile” groups.
Supreme
leader Ali Khamenei has called for the perpetrators of the “unforgivable crime”
to be tracked down “without mercy.”
The
poisonings started two months into the protests that gripped Iran following the
September 16 death of 22-year-old MahsaAmini, who had been arrested over an
alleged violation of women’s dress rules.
Schools
across 25 out of Iran’s 31 provinces have been targeted in the attacks, the
latest official tally said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Princess
Nourabint Faisal to chair Forbes Middle East Women’s Summit
April
04, 2023
Princess
Noura bint Faisal Al Saud. (Supplied)
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RIYADH:
Forbes Middle East has appointed Princess Nourabint Faisal Al-Saud as the chair
of the Women’s Summit 2023.
The
summit will bring together the world’s most talented and accomplished women
from all spheres of society and sectors in Riyadh from May 21-23.
The
summit aims to examine the most important issues, refute out-of-date
perceptions, and spark deep connections among a multigenerational global
network of innovative women.
“We
are so honored to have Princess Nourabint Faisal Al-Saud as the chairperson for
our Women’s Summit. We chose to appoint Princess Noura to this position as she
is a young role model working to promote Saudi Arabia’s culture and tourism
industry. She works hard to support and empower women in all sectors,” said
Khuloud Al-Omian, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Middle East.
“The
value of a powerful community cannot be underestimated, and this is the mantra
fueling our vision of gathering the world’s most sensational thought leaders,”
Al-Omian added. “We are thrilled to partner with an innovator like Princess
Noura to elevate the Forbes Middle East Women’s Summit 2023. Her visionary
leadership and distinguished entrepreneurial mindset is the ideal amalgamation
to inspire others at this celebratory congregation of women’s voices.”
The
speakers confirmed at the summit this year include astronaut Lama Al-Oraiman,
actress Maguy Bou Ghosn, model and activist Halima Aden, swimmer Yusra Mardini,
singer Dalia Mubarak, and motorsports athlete Dania Akeel.
The
summit will also gather some of the Middle East’s leading business icons,
including Hend El Sherbini, CEO of Integrated Diagnostics Holdings; Sahar Hamad
Al-Marzouki, director and owner of Al-Faris International School; Adwa
Al-Dakheel, founder and CEO of Falak Investment Hub; Moon Baz, creator
partnerships lead for the Middle East, Africa and Turkey at Meta; Dr. Saeeda
Jaffar, senior vice president and group country manager for the Gulf
Cooperation Council at Visa; and Mona Kattan, founder of Kayali Fragrances.
“It
is a great honor to be appointed chair of the Forbes Middle East Women’s Summit
2023. With all the exciting opportunities in Saudi now, this event is a
platform for inspiring women to be together in one place to exchange ideas so
that we can forge forward as better leaders, entrepreneurs, role models, and
motivators,” said Princess Noura.
In
2022, Princess Noura established the Global Culture House, a Saudi boutique
consultancy that offers consulting and implementation services related to
culture, creativity and sustainable business.
She
was formerly a member of the leadership group responsible for establishing the
Fashion Commission at the Ministry of Culture and developing the Kingdom’s
fashion sector strategy.
The
first-ever Saudi Fashion Week was organized by Princess Noura back in April
2018.
She
earned a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing from Effat University in
Jeddah and a master’s degree in international business with a focus on Japan
from Rikkyo University in Tokyo, Japan.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2281306/saudi-arabia
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Muslim
Woman Teacher Instructs Students At Murugan Temple
Apr
04, 2023
A
Muslim woman has taken on the role of a teacher at the Murugan Temple, where
she imparts knowledge and wisdom to her students. Despite being from a
different faith, she has found acceptance and respect within the Hindu
community, and her teachings have been well-received. Her presence at the
temple is a testament to the power of education to bridge cultural and
religious divides. By fostering understanding and promoting unity, this teacher
serves as a shining example of the potential for peaceful coexistence and
mutual respect among people of different backgrounds.
Source:
Times Of India
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Afghan
Women Banned from Working, Endangering Life-Saving Aid: UN
By
Fidel Rahmati
April
5, 2023
The
United Nations expressed “serious concerns” after the Afghan female UN staff
were banned from reporting to work in the eastern province of Afghanistan,
Nangarhar, on Tuesday.
The
UN said, “The United Nations in Afghanistan expresses serious concern that
female national UN staff have been prevented from reporting to work in
Nangarhar province.”
The
organization warned the de facto authorities that the life-saving aid would be
at risk without female staff since most of the International organization’s staff
are female.
“We
remind de facto authorities that United Nations entities cannot operate and
deliver life-saving assistance without female staff,” the UN said on Twitter.
Many
international organizations, including the UN, have repeatedly expressed their
concerns over excluding women from the aid sector and saying that without
female staff, the organizations will be unable to reach needy women.
Since
the Taliban retook Afghanistan in August 2021, it has imposed bans on women and
girls. Preventing them from education and employment.
The
de facto authorities first banned girls from going to school beyond sixth
grade; in December 2022, a decree prohibited Afghan women from higher education
and working with national and international NGOs.
The
suppressive restrictions on women are confronted with massive criticism by
national and international organizations warning that it will disrupt the
humanitarian aid to the most needful people of Afghanistan.
According
to the World Food Organization, only on March 2023, more than 4 million went
without food due to the shortage of funds. The number reached 9 million in
April if new funding still needed to be received from Japan’s contribution.
The
UN said, “Nearly 20 million Afghans do not know where their next meal will come
from. Six million of them are one step away from famine.”
According
to the organization, the UN is seeking to raise $4.6 billion to provide
emergency aid to more than half of the population of Afghanistan, including
women and children. At the same time, the raising funds has been disturbed by
the Taliban’s gender discrimination policy.
However,
the de facto regime wants active engagement with the international community;
At the same time, the increased gender discrimination policy contradicts their
willingness.
Source:
Khaama Press
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-women-banned-from-working-endangering-life-saving-aid-un/
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Thousands
of Indian women to perform Hajj without male guardian
SANJAY
KUMAR
April
04, 2023
NEW
DELHI: More than 4,300 Indian women have registered to perform this year’s Hajj
on their own, in what authorities say will be the country’s largest female
contingent to embark on the pilgrimage without a male guardian.
With
over 200 million Indians professing Islam, the Hindu-majority South Asian
nation has the world’s largest Muslim-minority population. Under the 2023 Hajj
quota, about 175,000 of them will travel to Saudi Arabia in June for the
spiritual journey that is one of the five pillars of Islam.
In
a first, among the pilgrims will be women who applied individually and will
reach the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah on their own, following last year’s
decision by Saudi Arabia to lift a rule that required women to be accompanied
by a mahram, or male guardian. Those who had no such companion could previously
travel only in large groups of other women.
India
tweaked its Hajj policy accordingly in February, and the Ministry of Minority
Affairs announced its list of pilgrims on Monday, saying that this year 4,314
pilgrims were selected in the Ladies Without Mahram category, marking the
country’s “largest ever contingent of women proceeding on Hajj alone without a
male member.”
A.P.
Abdullakutty, chairman of the Haj Committee of India, a statutory body of the
Indian government that organizes Islamic pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia, told Arab
News that the fact that so many Indian women are going on Hajj without a mahram
was an indicator of social development.
“It’s
a good sign,” he said. “This is an empowerment of women, especially the
empowerment of Indian Muslim women.”
Shaista
Ambar, a resident of Lucknow, is one of the women who applied to travel alone.
“I
lost my husband and a son in the COVID pandemic, but I did not lose my hope to
go for Hajj and I applied all alone,” she told Arab News.
“Women
have been asking the Haj committee to change the rules for (so) long. Qur’an
gives women equal rights to education and freedom (as men).”
To
make the new pilgrimage policy even more fair, Indian authorities have also
abolished the VIP quota for pilgrims, which earlier had 500 reserve spots set
aside for top government officials. They also made special arrangements to
provide forex facilities to pilgrims, allowing them to carry sums that are
based on their actual requirements.
“In
front of Allah everyone is equal,” Abdullakutty, said. “There is a complete
transparency in the selection ... The whole idea is to make pilgrimage as
smooth as possible for Indian Muslims.”
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2281241/world
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28-Year-Old
UK Woman Dies During Weight-Loss Surgery In Turkey
April
04, 2023
A
28-year-old woman from Scotland has died while undergoing a weight-loss
operation in Turkey. According to the BBC, the woman, identified as Shannon
Bowe, died on Saturday during gastric band surgery - a procedure where a band
is used to reduce the size of the stomach.
A
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman confirmed her death and
said that it was supporting Ms Bowe's family. "We are supporting the
family of a British national who died in Turkey and are in contact with the
local authorities," the spokesperson said, as per the outlet.
Gastric
band surgery is a weight-loss procedure in which an adjustable band is placed
around the top part of the stomach to decrease food consumption, and the
operation takes only around an hour to complete. It is not clear which medical
facility Ms Bowe travelled to or what complications led to her death.
Meanwhile,
Ms Bowe's boyfriend, Ross Stirling, paid tribute on Facebook. "Sleep tight
my angel, love you forever and always," he wrote.
"No
words, absolutely devastated. Life is so cruel. You will be forever in our
hearts Shannon Bowe," said another friend, adding, "My heart is sore
for you and everyone that loved you. We have had some of the best memories and
you really did make everyone laugh with your ways. You were taken in such an
unfair way and I'm so sorry".
Ms
Bowe's aunt, Amanda Bowe, also paid tribute to her "beautiful niece,"
writing "Life can be so cruel".
According
to Metro, one of Ms Bowe's friends also said that the 28-year-old did not have
travel insurance, meaning her family have to spend thousands to bring her back
to the United Kingdom.
Source:
NDTV
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