Family Of Pakistani Woman, Seema Ghulam Haider, Don't Want Her Back, Says She's No Longer A Muslim
New
Age Islam News Bureau
16
July 2023
• Family Of Pakistani Woman, Seema Ghulam Haider,
Don't Want Her Back, Says She's No Longer A Muslim
• Afghan Girl’s Courageous Appeal For Education In
Viral Video Wins The Internet
• Pakistan Women's Cricket Team Captain Nida Dar Aims
To Groom Emerging Talent
• 8 Arab Women Ambassadors Behind Top Global Fashion
And Beauty Brands
• National Commission For Women
Calls For Codification Of Muslim Personal Laws
• Iran Court Verdicts Attempt to Suppress Civil
Resistance by Women
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/pakistani-woman-seema-muslim-sachin/d/130221
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Family Of Pakistani Woman, Seema Ghulam Haider, Don't
Want Her Back, Says She's No Longer A Muslim
Sachin Meena (L) and Seema
Haider. (AFP)
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Jul 16, 2023
By Press Trust of India: A Pakistani mother of four,
who sneaked into India to live with a Hindu man whom she befriended through an
online game platform, has been ostracised by her family and neighbours here for
daring to defy the societal norms in this conservative Muslim country.
Seema Ghulam Haider and Sachin Meena got in touch
while playing PUBG in 2019 and a dramatic love story unfolded between the two
living more than 1,300 kms apart, in countries not too friendly to each other.
Seema, 30, and Sachin, 22, live in the Rabupura area
of Greater Noida, near Delhi, where he runs a provision store, according to
Uttar Pradesh Police.
While Seema was arrested on July 4 for illegally
entering India without a visa via Nepal with her four children, all aged below
seven years, Sachin was put behind bars for sheltering illegal immigrants.
"She should just send her children back to
Pakistan. She can stay there. Now she is no longer even a Muslim,” said the
16-year-old son of the landlord in whose rented home Seema stayed with her
children for the last three years before deciding to illegally enter India to
be with her Hindu lover.
The story of how this largely uneducated mother of
four and the wife of a husband working abroad could have the courage in
Pakistan’s largely conservative society to abandon everything and enter India
illegally to be with a much younger man still fascinates everyone in her
neighbourhood.
Her home is in the neighbourhood of Bhittaiabad,
Katchi Abadi in the heart of Gulistan-e-Jauhar and is nothing much to talk
about as it is a three-room portion of a building devoid of any paint and
located in a narrow lane full of garbage and overflowing sewerage.
The stench of sewage is toxic in the air as one drives
down the crowded un-constructed lane and broken road bustling with people and
shops on both sides with flies aplenty and a general unsanitary environment.
As soon as one reaches Seema’s house, one myth is
broken that her husband, Ghulam Haider, who works in Saudi Arabia, brought her
the house for Rs 1.2 million.
"No, she was a tenant with us for three years
with her children. She lived alone with her children. Her father-in-law lives
some distance away from here,” Nur Muhammad, the landlord’s son, explained.
"We saw her call a taxi and leave one day with
her children and some bags and we thought she was going to her village in
Jacobabad. But after nearly a month, when we heard about her escapade on TV
channels, we were all shocked,” adds Jamal Jakhrani, an elderly man, who was
her neighbour.
Efforts to try to talk to women in the narrow lane
failed as the area is mostly inhabited by tribal area Pashtuns, Sindhis and
Seraikis from rural areas and the men don’t allow their women to talk to
strangers and make them observe Purdah.
"If ever she thinks of coming back, she will not
be forgiven by the tribe and secondly, her decision to stay with a Hindu has
angered everyone now,” Jamal said.
Mian Mithoo, a high-profile religious leader in rural
Sindh, known for using his seminary to convert Hindu girls to Islam and even
bandits, has openly threatened to punish Seema if she returns.
His supporters have also threatened to attack Hindu
worship places in Seema’s village, but SSP Kashmore-Kandhkot, Irfan Samoo,
assured Hindus and Sikhs they would be protected.
“Her national identity card says she was born in 2002.
So, she should be 21 years of age now and yet she has four children all up to
the age of 6 years,” he said.
Samoo also said the police have asked Ghulam Haider to
return from Saudi Arabia but he has been in touch with them only on video or
phone calls.
Samoo is not convinced that a woman with a rural
background would have the courage to plan her way to India via Dubai and
Kathmandu.
An officer at the police station in Karachi where
Seema’s father-in-law filed an FIR is also not convinced that it is a simple
case as it looks.
“The husband also keeps changing his stories to the
police. First, he said he bought the house. Now he says he paid one million
rupees to Seema’s family to settle a tribal decision when they first fled to
Karachi,” he said.
“One thing is clear, Seema was frustrated with her
husband’s absence and being forced to take care of four children by herself as
she had no support even from her in-laws,” he said.
Malik, a mobile shop owner, remembers how, after a
year, Seema moved into the neighbourhood, she used to visit his shop to get her
balance recharged frequently.
"She always wore a chaddar over her head and had
half of her face covered and also didn’t talk much, so that is what surprised
me when I learnt about her decision,” Malik said.
Maulvi Samiuddin, a prayer leader in the neighbourhood
mosque, was initially not even willing to talk about the incident but then said
Seema was evil.
“Husbands should never leave their wives alone for
years and parents need to constantly keep a watch on their daughters and
sisters or we will have more such incidents in future as well, because most
people, especially women, are not educated enough in such poor neighbourhoods
to understand the consequences of their actions,” he said.
“She has brought shame to Muslims and Pakistan. She
will sooner or later face punishment for her actions,” he said.
Source: Indiatoday.In
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Afghan Girl’s Courageous Appeal For Education In Viral
Video Wins The Internet
A video of an Afghan girl
talking about women's right to education is winning hearts.
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Srimoyee Chowdhury
Jul 15, 2023
By Srimoyee Chowdhury: Things have been quite rocky
since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. It is the only country in the world
where girls are prohibited from going to secondary school.
According to a report by Reuters, hundreds of
thousands of teenage girls remain barred from attending class even as the UN
children’s agency renewed calls for teenage girls to be able to rejoin the
classroom.
Amid the tense situation, a video of a young Afghan
girl explaining to her father why girls should go to school has gone viral on
the internet. It shows the girl courageously pointing out the necessity of
education for girls.
“In this inspiring video, an Afghan father jokingly
tells his daughter that school is only for boys. But this remarkable girl
responds with intelligence and conviction, asserting that education is for
everyone, regardless of gender. Her arguments are a poignant reminder that
education is a fundamental right that should be accessible to all Afghan
girls,” the caption read.
“Sadly, it has been over a year since Afghan girls
have been denied access to schools and universities. Education is a fundamental
human right, and denying Afghan girls their right to learn hinders not only
their personal growth but also the progress of the entire nation,” it added.
“To clarify any confusion, it's crucial to understand
that the father's teasing was meant to be light-hearted, and he himself is a
dedicated advocate for girls' education. He playfully engaged with his daughter
to provide her with an opportunity to convey an important message. In the full
video, the father clarifies that the teasing was in good fun and reassures his
daughter of his full support for her education, promising to enroll her in
school,” it further clarified.
The video has garnered over 17k likes and the numbers
are increasing. People lauded the little girl’s courage in the comments
section.
Source: Indiatoday.In
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Pakistan Women's Cricket Team Captain Nida Dar Aims To
Groom Emerging Talent
By Web Desk
July 15, 2023
Nida Dar, who replaced Bismah Maroof as Pakistan
women's team captain in April this year, is upbeat to find and promote emerging
talent in the country.
Dar is currently in Karachi to attend players' skills
camp which is underway at National Bank Stadium. Speaking to media on the
sidelines of the camp, the all-round cricketer said she is keenly watching every
single player following her target to find the potential players.
"The skills camp is very important for the
emerging talent who are our future," said Dar who is currently one of the
most experienced woman cricketers in the country.
"We are preparing young cricketers by giving them
different scenarios. This emerging talent is our backup and we need to get them
ready for international cricket," she added.
Dar is currently supported by the team's head coach
Mark Coles who is also present during the skills camp in Karachi. During Coles'
previous tenure, Pakistan accomplished significant feats, including a
fifth-place finish in the ICC Women’s Championship 2017-2020.
To a query about lacking power hitters in the side,
Dar said she knows all the weaknesses. "I know where we are weak. Those
weaknesses will be addressed with time. We are finding power hitters and
working on their skills. You will see improvement in the near future," she
stressed.
"Senior players are obviously part of our
plan," said Dar when asked about Bismah, who recently left the captaincy,
and experienced Javeria Khan who was ignored in the recently concluded series.
During next 11 months from August 2023 to July 2024,
Pakistan will play 15 ODIs, which are part of the ongoing ICC Women's
Championship, and 17 T20Is.
Source: Geosuper.Tv
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8 Arab Women Ambassadors Behind Top Global Fashion And
Beauty Brands
By Julian Nabil
Jul 16, 2023
International luxury brands are paying increasing
attention to the Middle East. These Arab women have become brand ambassadors
for top global fashion and beauty brands.
Egyptian actress Salma Abu Deif first collaborated
with the Italian luxury fashion house Maison Valentino in 2020 and then again
in mid-2021 to promote the brand’s launch of the Rockstud Alcove bag. In 2021,
the actress was featured in the fashion house’s #ValentinoDiVas campaign. Abu
Deif, who is also a UN Aid Ambassador, started her career aged 20 as a model
before making her first TV appearance in 2017, starring in the Ramadan series
“Halawet EL Donia” and “LahTotfea EL Shams.” She was nominated for the
Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice award for favorite female newcomer in 2019. She has
also worked with L’Oréal, Chaumet, MAC Cosmetics, Bulgari, and Tiffany &
Co.
In February 2023, Lebanese superstar singer Nancy
Ajram was named Tiffany & Co.’s new brand ambassador. Ajram follows in the
footsteps of Hollywood stars Beyonce, Anya Taylor-Joy, Gal Gadot, and Tracee
Ellis Ross. She is also a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. Throughout her
career, she has won multiple awards, including the 2008 World Music Award for
best-selling Middle Eastern artist for her album Betfakar Fi Eih, making her
the youngest Arab World Music Award winner.
French luxury jewelry and watch house Boucheron, part
of the French fashion multinational corporation Kering, announced in November
2022 that Riyadh-born actress Mila Al Zahrani was the French label’s new local
ambassador. Al Zahrani is known for her roles in Boxing Girls (2018), The Fate
Hotel (2021), and Cello (2022). The Saudi actress was nominated for an award at
the Venice International Film Festival for her role in “The Perfect Candidate,”
which was directed by Saudi director Haifa Al Mansour and debuted in 2019.
In May 2023, Egyptian-Montenegrin actress Tara Emad
was named CHANEL’s first Middle East brand ambassador for fragrances and
beauty. This came after the French luxury fashion label chose Emad to be the
first Egyptian and Middle Eastern model to feature in its advertising in 2022.
Having started her career at 14 as a model, Emad started acting with the TV
series Al Jamia’a (2011). This was followed by Saheb El Saa’da (2014), Torab El
Mas (2018), and El Feel-el Azra’a 2 (2020).
Supermodel Imaan Hammam’s first campaign with Estée
Lauder debuted in July 2023. Of Moroccan and Egyptian descent, Hammam started
her modeling career in 2013 for brands such as Givenchy, Hermes, CHANEL, and
Valentino. She has featured in campaigns for Tiffany & Co, CHANEL, Versace,
Fendi, Moschino, and Calvin Klein and is a global ambassador for the nonprofit
She’s the First. In 2020, she won the Harper’s Bazaar Women Of The Year award
for her advocacy for young women.
Lebanese-British actress RazaneJammal was Dior’s
ambassador for its womenswear line in the Middle East in October 2022. The
brand released images featuring the actress dressed in designs by Maria
GraziaChiuri for its ready-to-wear line. Jammal, who grew up in Lebanon, began
her career in advertising in her mid-teens before making her foray into acting.
Her feature debut came in 2010 in Olivier Assayas’ Golden Globe-winning
“Carlos,” which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. She is best known for
her role in Netflix’s Paranormal or Ma Waraa Al-Tabi’a (2020) and Shahid’s
Pan-Arab series Al Thaman (2023). Jammal was also the former face of Chanel in
the Middle East.
Egyptian actress Yasmine Sabri was named the latest
ambassador for French luxury jeweler Cartier and its Panthère de Cartier
collection in 2020. The film Into The Wild featured Sabri as part of a
community of muses, including the Italian model MariacarlaBoscono, actresses
Annabelle Wallis, Ella Balinska, and Chang Chen, and singer Karen Mok. Sabri
started her acting career in 2013 when she appeared in the Egyptian program
“Khatawat El Shaytan.” She later joined the cast of TV series “Gabel El Helal”
(2014), then “Tariqi” (2015).
In February 2021, French personal care company L’Oréal
Paris announced that Mona Zaki was its new spokesperson for MENA and would
appear in ads for the brand’s range of beauty, skincare, and hair care
products. Zaki, who has also been a UNICEF ambassador since 2017, has won
multiple awards, including the FatenHamama Award of Excellence during the 42nd
Edition of the Cairo International Film Festival and Murex D’Or 2017. She is
known for her roles in female empowerment productions, including Dam El Ghazal
(2005), EhkyYaSharhazad (2009), and Taht El Wesaya (2023).
Source: Forbes Middle East
https://www.forbesmiddleeast.com/lifestyle/hobbies/arab-women-ambassadors-behind-global-brands
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National Commission For Women Calls For Codification
Of Muslim Personal Laws
16th July 2023
By Preetha Nair
NEW DELHI: A day after the law commission extended the
period for submission of suggestions on the Uniform civil code (UCC) by two
more weeks, the national commission for Women (NCW) called for the codification
of Muslim personal laws and revisiting marriage and divorce and guardianship
law.
During the discussion, NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma
said, “In our pursuit of equality, let’s reflect: if a law cannot serve the
rights of Hindu, Christian, Sikh, and Buddhist women, can we truly say it is just
for Muslim women? the need for codified laws is urgent. We need to work towards
a legal framework that ensures equal rights for all, regardless of religion.”
The thrust of the meeting was ‘Review of Muslim
personal laws and Rights of Muslim Women’, according to a statement from
NCW. “During the consultation, there was
an unequivocal need expressed for the codification of Muslim personal law and
the need to revisit the marriage and divorce law and guardianship law,” NCW
said.
NCW further said that the non-codified nature of
Muslim personal law poses challenges for Muslim women. “the discussions
emphasized that the absence of a Uniform civil code has perpetuated
inequalities and inconsistencies in our diverse nation, hindering progress
towards social harmony, economic growth, and gender justice,” it said.
It said that the meeting also discussed matters such
as reforming divorce as a judicial process, with exceptions for divorce by
mutual consent, and the need to reform inheritance rights based on universal
principles governing succession, both testamentary and intestate.
The commission further said that the focus is on
ensuring equal opportunities for all, collaborating with legal authorities to
establish a framework that supports children’s well-being and promotes gender
equality. the principle of natural guardianship should rest jointly with
parents as a rule, and custody should be based on the best interests of the
child.
The meeting was also attended by Attorney General R
Venkataramani, the Additional solicitor general from the Supreme Court, state
high courts, Vice-chancellors of renowned law universities and legal
luminaries, and civil society organizations.
However, various women’s organizations in a joint
letter, have written to the law commission on Friday that any reforms towards
gender-just family laws must draw upon the best practices from the diverse
religious laws and customary practices, harmonized with lived realities.
It said the national Family Health Survey-5 (2019-20)
reveals the prevalence of polygamy is 2.1 per cent among Christians, 1.9 per
cent among Muslims, 1.3 per cent among Hindus, and 1.6 per cent among other
religious groups.
“Yet, the focus remains on prohibiting polygamy within
Muslim communities, without any apparent intent to secure the rights of women
in such polygamous marriages across communities,” it added
Source: New Indian Express
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Iran Court Verdicts Attempt to Suppress Civil
Resistance by Women
July 15, 2023
In a coordinated action, several branches of Iran’s
judicial system have recently issued "controversial" rulings
targeting opponents of the country’s mandatory hijab regulations. The verdicts
have affected many professions and sparked outrage, leading to widespread
condemnation.
In a recent case, a woman in the city of Varamin was
sentenced by a public court to a supplementary punishment of "one month of
washing corpses at the Tehran city mortuary" for the charge of "non-compliance
with hijab" while driving.
The judicial ruling was issued by Mohammad Hossein
EsmailMorineh, the presiding judge of Branch 104 of the Criminal Court in
Varamin.
Recently, Tehran's court imposed a six-month ban on
actress AzadehSamadi, prohibiting her from using social media platforms
directly or through intermediaries on the grounds of "not observing
hijab."
In another aspect of the verdict against the Iranian
actress and critic of compulsory hijab, she was ordered to undergo
"antisocial personality disorder" treatment by attending
"official psychological centers" every two weeks. Additionally, she
must provide a "health certificate" upon completion of the treatment
period.
KambizNorouzi, a legal expert, expressed his reaction
to the verdict issued by the Varamin court, stating on his Telegram channel,
"Regardless of the dubious justifications for the defendant's conviction,
the supplementary punishment imposed is truly 'astonishing.'"
He continued, "A court that imposes the
punishment of washing corpses for one month as a supplementary penalty lacks a
sound understanding of human rights and a proper grasp of appropriate
sentencing."
Abbas Sheikh al-Islami, the head of the Khorasan
Lawyers Association, criticized the sentence imposed on a woman who opposed
compulsory hijab, sentencing her to "one month of washing corpses at a
mortuary." He remarked, "Fortunately, one of the roles of social
media is to circulate 'weak verdicts' and to reflect the legal community's
objections to them."
He further emphasized, "The act of not wearing
hijab has no relevance to 'washing corpses.' If the defendant had spit on the
deceased or desecrated the body, perhaps such a sentence would have been
appropriate to help the defendant grasp the gravity of washing corpses and
discourage such behavior."
In the meantime, the Farhikhtegan newspaper that is
published in Tehran and affiliated with the Islamic Azad University and known
for its alignment with the establishment, stated in its Saturday edition,
"By arbitrarily juxtaposing the religious obligation of hijab with the
religious obligation of washing corpses, we have created a clash between
religions in such a ruling."
According to experts and social activists, the Islamic
Republic aims to suppress the growing and widespread "civil
disobedience" against compulsory veiling in different cities throughout
Iran by issuing such "derogatory and demeaning" judgments against
women who oppose mandatory hijab, and therefore undermining the professions and
individuals employed in those professions.
Mansoureh Hosseini Yeganeh, a women's rights activist,
expressed to VOA’s Persian Service, "The Islamic Republic's destructive
and aggressive actions against opponents and protesters have weakened the
barrier of compulsory hijab."
Source: Voa News
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/pakistani-woman-seema-muslim-sachin/d/130221