Surge in Persecution of Baha'i Women in Iran
New Age Islam News Bureau
09 May 2024
·
Surge in Persecution of Baha'i Women in Iran
·
American Woman, Halima Salman, Repatriated From
Syria Accused Of Training With ISIS
·
Fareeda Tareen Becomes Fifth Woman Deputy
Commissioner In Balochistan
·
Part-Arab Model Shanina Shaik Takes Part In
Australian Mother’s Day Campaign
·
Anna Haholkina, A Ukrainian-Italian Model Seeks
Legal Advice After Far-Right League Uses Her Image For Anti-Islam Poster
·
Fawzia Koofi To Speak At Annual Nobel Peace
Summit
·
Palestinian American Comedian AtheerYacoub
Explores Life As A Muslim Woman Through Humour
Compiled by
New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/persecution-bahai-iran/d/132288
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Surge in
Persecution of Baha'i Women in Iran
Three Baha'i women -- Shaghayegh Khanehzarin, Zhila Sharafi, and Negar
Ighani -- were arrested in Shiraz in June.
-----
09-05-24
Dozens
of Baha'i women in Iran have been summoned to court facing baseless criminal
charges amid an escalation in the persecution of the Baha'i community.
Since
early March, over 75% of the Baha'is summoned to court or prison—65 out of
85—have been women, announced the Baha’i International Community (BIC) on
Tuesday.
Currently,
two-thirds of all Baha'i prisoners in Iran are women. Many were detained
without due process, with some detainees' whereabouts still unknown.
The
ongoing wave of persecution is part of a broader pattern of targeting women in
Iran in the wake of the 2022 uprising.
SiminFahandej,
a representative of BIC to the United Nations in Geneva, emphasized the unity
of women's struggles in Iran, stating, " The Iranian government puts you
in jail, expels you from university, terminates your job, and persecutes you
for standing up for your aspiration to live a full life as equal human
beings."
Unofficial
estimates suggest that Iran is home to over 300,000 Baha'i citizens. However,
the Iranian Constitution only officially recognizes Islam, Christianity,
Judaism, and Zoroastrianism as legitimate religions.
As the
largest religious minority in Iran, the Baha'is have been subject to systematic
harassment and persecution since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Source: iranintl.com
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202405084820
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American
Woman, Halima Salman, Repatriated From Syria Accused Of Training With ISIS
Halima Salman, seen here in an image taken from a criminal complaint
document, is facing criminal charges over training with ISIS abroad. United
States District Court Eastern District of New York
-----
May 8,
2024
An
American woman repatriated to the United States from Syria is facing criminal
charges for training with ISIS abroad, according to court documents unsealed
Tuesday.
Halima
Salman, who is in her 20s, is accused of learning how to use an AK-47 assault
rifle from the terrorist organization while living in Syria.
Salman,
according to a US official, was one of 11 US citizens, all part of one family,
from northeast Syria who were repatriated in what Secretary of State Antony
Blinken called the “largest single repatriation” of Americans from that region.
A State
Department official previously told CNN that none of the family are former ISIS
fighters. CNN has reached out to the State Department for comment on the
charges against Salman.
CNN has
not been able to identify a lawyer for Salman.
According
to court documents, Salman, who was 17 years old at the time, left the United
States and entered an ISIS-controlled area of Syria around late 2016 or early
2017. Once she turned 18, prosecutors say, Salman received her training from
ISIS. She was captured by or surrendered to “forces opposed by ISIS” about two
years later in Baghouz, Syria.
In 2023,
Salman was interviewed by FBI agents at a detention facility in Syria, court
documents show. She allegedly told agents that she had married an ISIS fighter
but denied being involved in any ISIS activities.
The FBI,
however, obtained information from a phone found in the Middle Euphrates River
Valley in Syria – a phone they claim belonged to Salman’s husband. The phone’s
photo library had pictures of a document saying that Salman had completed her
military training successfully and was in possession of an AK-47, prosecutors
say, adding that the document was stamped with a signature indicating that it
was issued by an ISIS military battalion composed solely of female members of
ISIS.
The
Kansas woman who led the all-female battalion of ISIS fighters that Salman
allegedly trained with was sentenced in 2022 to 20 years in prison. The women
in the battalion, some of whom were as young as 10, were trained to use explosives
and firearms.
The
phone also had pictures of Salman standing in front of an ISIS flag and walking
with an assault rifle, prosecutors say.
The US
has worked to repatriate Americans from the former ISIS territory and has
encouraged other nations to repatriate their own citizens as well.
There
are tens of thousands of people, “the majority of whom are children,” from more
than 60 countries who remain in two sprawling encampments – Al-Hol and Roj – in
northeast Syria, according to Blinken.
CNN’s
Holmes Lybrand and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.
For more
CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Source: yahoo.com
https://www.yahoo.com/news/american-woman-repatriated-syria-accused-011940604.html
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Fareeda
Tareen becomes fifth woman deputy commissioner in Balochistan
May 08,
2024
Another
female bureaucrat, Fareeda Tareen, made her way to perform an administrative
role after being appointed as deputy commissioner (DC) in Balochistan, followed
by four other women high-ranking government officers.
Fareeda,
a Grade 18 officer who was earlier performing duties as assistant commissioner
(AC) Dasht tehsil of Balochistan’s Kharan district, was elevated to the deputy
commissioner’s position in Sohbatpur district.
She is
the fifth deputy commissioner in the province who breaks down barriers of the
male-dominated society and sets a precedent of effectively performing
administrative duties amid a volatile political landscape and low-key
insurgency.
Her
appointment was followed by the on-duty high-ranking government officers,
including Lasbela DC Humaira Baloch, Naseerabad DC Sadaf Batool Assadi, Hub DC
Rohana Gul Kakar from Balochistan Civil Service and Awaran DC Ayesha Zehri, who
took charge of the administrative units in different parts of the province.
'Four
transfers in 36 days'
During
her career as a civil servant, Fareeda went through difficult situations while
serving on different government positions. She faced four back-to-back
transfers to different posts within 36 days from February 11 to March 16, 2021,
according to Geo News.
The
bureaucrat was first appointed as Assistant Commissioner Quetta on February 11.
On the
very next day, her appointment was cancelled, and on Feb 16, she was posted as
Section Officer Three in the administration department.
Later on
February 25, she was posted as Section Officer One in the Services and General
Administration Department (S&GAD), and finally, on March 16 she was
appointed as Section Officer Commerce and Industries.
When Geo
News approached Balochistan government's then spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani in
this regard in 2021, he dismissed the notion of discrimination against the
women officer.
The
spokesperson, acknowledging Farida Tareen's abilities, had said transfers were
a part of the job. "Fareeda Tareen is a smart, intelligent, and
hardworking bureaucrat," the spokesperson had remarked in response to the
queries.
Source: thenews.com.pk
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1186748-fareeda-tareen-becomes-fifth-woman-deputy-commissioner-in-balochistan
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Part-Arab
Model ShaninaShaikTakes Part In Australian Mother’s Day Campaign
May 08,
2024
DUBAI:
Part-Arab model ShaninaShaik took part in her first-ever Mother’s Day campaign
with fashion platform Witchery to mark the Australian iteration of the globally
celebrated occasion, which lands on May 12.
The
Australia-born model — who is of Saudi, Pakistani and Lithuanian descent —
shares a son with her partner, Matthew Adesuyan.
Born in
September 2022, their toddler ZaiAdesuyan Matthew is also part of the campaign
video and he can be seen laughing on his mother’s lap in a studio setting.
“Motherhood
has changed me in so many ways… it’s definitely created more patience,” Shaik
joked in the video campaign that she shared with her 3.4 million followers on
Instagram.
“Now
that I’m a mother, I would like to say to my mother, ‘I understand.’ I
understand the worry, the concern, because you just want to protect your child
every day at all costs,” she added.
The
33-year-old model also said: “If I could describe motherhood in one word, it
would be ‘powerful,’” before concluding “the purest form of love is the bond
between a mother and a child.”
Shaik
announced the birth of her first child in September 2022 by sharing a picture
of the couple’s bundle of joy on Instagram. “Welcome to the world baby
ZaiAdesuyan Matthew. @bausmatthew and I are so in love,” she captioned the
post.
“I have
taken this time to adjust to my baby’s schedule and to understand the role of
being a mother. Bringing life into this world is a beautiful challenge. I would
be happy to share my experience soon,” she wrote at the time.
Zai was
born on Sept. 16 in Los Angeles, according to Shaik’s mother, Kim Shaik.
The
grandmother wrote on Facebook: “My gorgeous grandson was born last night at
12:50 on the 16th September 2022.”
The
catwalk star announced her pregnancy in May 2022 with a letter to her
then-unborn child.
“To the
new love of my life, thank you for choosing me to be your mum. I have always
wanted you for as long as I can remember, and at times my patience was tested.
The timing had to be right, and I can say with confidence that I am ready to be
your guide, your protector and your best friend,” the former Victoria’s Secret
model wrote.
“As each
month goes by during this precious journey of pregnancy, I am learning what the
role of being a mother entails. I worry a lot, especially about your wellbeing
and development. It’s a feeling that I’ve never experienced before, not even
about myself. I would do anything for you, be anything for you and sacrifice
anything for you,” she continued.
She then
praised her own mother, mentioning that she was raised by an “amazing woman”
who taught her a lot about motherhood. “She has set the bar high and I don’t
want to disappoint you. I want to raise you as she raised me.”
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2506781/lifestyle
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Anna
Haholkina, A Ukrainian-Italian Model Seeks Legal Advice After Far-Right League
Uses Her Image For Anti-Islam Poster
8 May
2024
A woman
whose photograph was used in a poster campaign by Italy’s far-right League, a
member of GiorgiaMeloni’s ruling coalition, has said she will consult lawyers,
describing the images as “racist”.
Anna
Haholkina, a Ukrainian-Italian model who lives in Rimini, said she was shocked
to see her face on the posters that have sprung up in Milan in recent weeks as
the League, which is led by the deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini,
intensifies its anti-Islam stance in the run-up to next month’s European
elections.
The
posters feature the images of two women, one with the photo of Haholkina used
to represent a “free” western woman, and the other of a woman wearing a niqab
who is “forced to cover the face”. A slogan reads: “Which side do you want to
be on?”
The
League is resorting to familiar themes of immigration and Islamophobia as it
fights for political survival in the June ballot for European parliamentary
elections. The party won more than 34% of the vote in the 2019 elections, but
in the most recent national polls is hovering about 8%.
Salvini
has referred to the elections as “a referendum on the future of Europe” to
decide “whether [it] will still exist or whether it will be a Sino-Islamic
colony”.
Meanwhile,
a law proposed by Brothers of Italy, Meloni’s party, to shut down hundreds of
Muslim prayer spaces that were not mosques was passed in the lower house of
parliament on Tuesday.
The
photo of Haholkina came from a stock image provider and was intended to be used
to promote beauty products. She told Corrieredella Sera newspaper that although
she signed a photo release waiver, the provider’s rules stipulated that the
images could not be used for electoral or political campaign purposes.
“Nobody
contacted me to ask my permission. I will make [a legal] complaint,” she said.
“I live in Rimini but often come to Milan for work and when I saw the posters,
I was shocked. I don’t want to be associated with any party, but above all
because these electoral posters are racist.”
In
March, Muslim associations in Italy appealed to the Italian president, Sergio
Mattarella, to put an end to the League’s “campaign of hatred, denigration and
discrimination towards our religious community” in response to another of the
party’s poster campaigns that stigmatised Muslim women.
Some politicians
have exploited the Israel-Gaza war in an attempt to bolster their anti-Islam
campaign. The most high-profile example is Anna Maria Cisint, the League’s
mayor in Monfalcone, who banned prayer in the northern town’s two Islamic
cultural centres. Cisint is running in the European elections with a promise to
“stop Islamisation”.
More
than 1.6 million people in Italy are Muslim, although Islam is not an
officially recognised religion. There are less than 10 officially recognised
mosques in the country.
Meloni
has also long railed against “Islamisation” in Europe.
“The
situation for Muslims in Italy is really, really bad,” said BouKonate, the
president of the Darus Salaam Muslim cultural association in Monfalcone that is
challenging the prayer ban through an administration court. “But it is worse
now because the League and Brothers of Italy are in sync and nobody in the
coalition government is opposing them.”
Source: uk.news.yahoo.com
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/model-seeks-legal-advice-salvini-155332482.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9jLm5ld3Nub3cuY28udWsv&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHfIu1mAoGx72nDPmHyHtAxIIuyd7chsmYgGXBgBegIPQ5_54xDr_V0pgm5iauf-rwkP9JwFp6qQzNFKSQgympZBVDGMPnjkWypliw0iInvOkMQ3-bMaIMzPhhGjL6dRNl4Jzpi7byPWSYRA9ld2_L3MARvf5htdAVOhIsJGZb9m
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Fawzia
Koofi to speak at annual Nobel Peace Summit
May 9,
2024
Fawzia
Koofi, the Movement for Change Party leader and a former Afghan House of
Representatives member, will speak at the annual Nobel Peace Summit.
Koofi
said on her social media platform X, “I am delighted to be one of the speakers
at the Nobel Peace Oslo in September. She continued, “The world has become a
place where women and their rights are used as an object to gain power. Today,
more women and children lose their lives in conflict. We must unite in the face
of continued suppression of women.”
The
Nobel Peace Center announced on Wednesday, May 8, that the summit will occur on
September 5 this year.
The
institution added that the annual Nobel Peace Summit brings together laureates,
experts, policymakers, and activists to discuss challenges and explore
solutions.
According
to the newsletter, the summit will highlight the dangerous setbacks in women’s
rights worldwide and examine the best practices to address them.
It is
worth mentioning that Fawzia Koofi was also awarded the Spanish Bar Council’s
Human Rights Prize in 2022.
It is
noted that with the Taliban’s rise to power in Afghanistan, women in the
country live under the group’s severe restrictions.
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/fawzia-koofi-to-speak-at-annual-nobel-peace-summit/
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Palestinian
American Comedian AtheerYacoubExplores Life As A Muslim Woman Through Humour
May 08,
2024
Palestinian
American comedian AtheerYacoub hasn’t changed her material since the start of
Israel’s war in Gaza.
The war
brought the conflict between Israel and Palestinians to the forefront for many
people, but Yacoub says it’s nothing new to her community. She’s been talking
about it since she started doing stand-up.
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Yacoub’s
family fled the West Bank after surviving a bombing in 2000. They arrived in
Alabama in the summer of 2001, months before the Sept. 11 attacks. Yacoub was
the only Muslim at her school.
“My goal
is just to express my personal experience growing up in Palestine and in
Alabama as a Muslim woman,” Yacoub says. “You don't have to be Palestinian or
Arab or Muslim to relate to the things that I talk about.”
Yacoub
recently performed at The Jar in Somerville, Massachusetts.
3
questions with AtheerYacoub
How do
you approach the war in Gaza in your comedy?
“I feel
a little bit of an aversion, to be honest, to the word ‘war.’ It implies two
equal and opposing sides, but it's not Muslims against Jewish people. It's an
occupation, and I've lived through it since I was a child.
“I was
bombed. I survived. I grew up in Ramallah, which is in the West Bank and my family,
our house, across the street got bombed and parts of the missile hit our house
in I want to say about 2000. And then in 2001, we moved back to Alabama.
“I've
lived there throughout my childhood until about middle school, high school. So
I know firsthand what it's like to experience and what I'm seeing now is very
triggering and I talked about PTSD on stage and I'm noticing the reaction now
is more visceral for people.
“So
that's been interesting, people's reactions to certain jokes that I've done
before, sometimes more pity rather than like laughter.”
Why
don't you mention on stage that your family had been bombed?
“I think
I haven't really processed it now that I'm watching what's going on. I just
started seeing an EMDR therapist. EMDR is a type of trauma therapy. It's called
eye movement desensitization and reprocessing and it helps you reprocess and
rewrite kind of traumatic memories. I've heard a lot about it for PTSD.
“So
that's something that I just started doing because it's a deep-seated trauma that
it's hard to make funny when it's something that I constantly have a visceral
reaction about, like fireworks or loud noises, doors slamming.
“It's
not funny. As I'm saying it now, I'm like, it's not funny. So it's hard to make
that into something when I have even processed this thing living in my body.
I'm being re-triggered every time I open Instagram. I'm seeing those terrified
faces. I'm seeing the shaking. I'm seeing like the physical reactions that I
experienced and still experience even when I just, again, hear a noise. It's
hard.”
Is
comedy your way of getting at some of the trauma?
“Yeah, I
mean, being on stage is definitely more empowering and it allows me to talk
about things through the lens of humor versus, ‘Here is my trauma dump.’
There's just something more freeing when you're up there.
“I just
want people to remove any kind of preconceptions that they have about Arabs or
Muslim women. You know, not everyone is conservative. And even if you are, or
you're practicing, it doesn't mean that you're this or that we're not a
monolith.”
Michael
Scotto produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Todd Mundt.
Allison Hagan also adapted it for the web.
This
segment aired on May 8, 2024.
Here
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/persecution-bahai-iran/d/132288