Saudi Arabia Bans Abaya for Female Students in Exams
New Age Islam News Bureau
19 December 2022
• Brazilian, Female, And A Muslim Convert, Poliana
Veiga De Souza: 'I Am Afraid To Wear A Hijab'
• Sharjah Records 68% Increase In Female Entrepreneurs
• Australia Urged To Offer Asylum To Afghan Women In
‘Grave Danger’ From Taliban
• Bahraini Women: Solid Beginnings, Steady Progress
• Mrs UAE’s Gown Gains Recognition As Mrs India Wins
Mrs World 2022
• Muttahida Stages Women Power Show In Karachi, Vows
To Regain Party’s ‘Lost Glory’
• Marriott International Hosts Workshop For Future
Women Leaders In Saudi Arabia
• SDAIA Honours Prize-Winning Saudi Women Employees
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/saudi-arabia-bans-abaya/d/128664
--------
Saudi Arabia Bans Abaya for Female Students in Exams
Getty Images
----
By Asma Sajid
Dec 19, 2022
The Saudi Education and Training Evaluation Commission
(ETEC) has decided that female students will not be permitted to wear Abayas,
the customary Saudi women’s clothing, during examinations.
The ETEC emphasized that female students must wear
school uniforms when inside examination halls, and that the uniform should
conform to strict regulations as well as standards of public decency.
ETEC, originally called the Education Evaluation
Authority, is a governmental body in Saudi Arabia that is in charge of
designing, evaluating, assessing, and accrediting training and education
systems in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
ETEC was founded as a governmental organization in
2017 after the council of ministers’ order No. 120, and it is legally and
financially autonomous, directly reporting to the prime minister.
In other news, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Pakistan’s
Federal Minister of Education and Professional Training, directed last week
that future university financing be linked to outcomes.
He gave these directives during his visit to the
Higher Education Commission (HEC) secretariat, where the HEC chairman, Dr.
Mukhtar Ahmed, briefed the Minister on the commission’s performance over the
previous 20 years, the problems facing the country’s higher education sector,
and the efforts being taken to promote higher education quality.
Source: Pro Pakistani
https://propakistani.pk/2022/12/19/saudi-arabia-bans-abaya-for-female-students-in-exams/
--------
Brazilian, Female, And A Muslim Convert, Poliana Veiga
De Souza: 'I Am Afraid To Wear A Hijab'
Poliana Veiga de Souza, a
Brazilian Muslim convert, has suffered islamophobic attacks (Supplied)
-----
By Eduardo Campos Lima
18 December 2022
Two months ago, Poliana Veiga de Souza, a 28-year-old
Muslim convert living in Vitoria, Espirito Santo State, was at a bus stop with
a friend after leaving the mosque when an unknown man appeared out of nowhere
and began to shout at them. Both de Souza and her friend were wearing hijabs.
“He came in our direction saying that we were weak
women, whose husbands are accustomed to cut off heads in their countries and
wanted to do the same here in Brazil,” she recalled, describing that he
apparently had a furious outburst only for seeing them.
After converting – or reverting, as she prefers to say
– to Islam in 2017, that was the first time that she experienced such a
threatening attack, she told Middle East Eye.
“He acted very violently and intimidated us. Since
then, we are being escorted to the bus stop by the sheikh or another brother of
the mosque every week,” she added.
A recently published study on islamophobia in Brazil –
the first one in Latin America – showed that cases like de Souza’s are rather
common among Muslim women in the South American nation.
The survey, carried out by the Anthropology in Islamic
and Arab Contexts Group, led by anthropologist Francirosy Barbosa, showed that
73 percent of the female interviewees have already suffered some sort of
aggression on the streets. Most of the attacks were verbal, but 10 percent of
them report to have been physically assaulted.
Poor women more vulnerable
Barbosa, a professor at the Department of Psychology
of the University of São Paulo in Ribeirao Preto and a Muslim convert herself,
explained that Islam has been steadily growing in the country over the past 20
years.
New waves of immigration from Muslim countries and an
increasing number of converts have been the central reasons for that
phenomenon. Women have taken the lead in that process, with 70 percent of all
conversions.
There are no reliable numbers concerning the size of
the Muslim community, but it has been estimated by unofficial sources to be at
least 700,000 people. Families of Arab origin continue to be the majority among
them.
“Brazil is generally seen as a cordial country. But
when it comes to islamophobia, it may only be cordial – if that is really the
case – for women who come from a Muslim family, have a car, and live in a
protected context,” Barbosa argued.
For Muslim women living in poor neighborhoods and
using public transport every day, the risks are much greater.
“Reverted women are more socially exposed because they
take buses and trains and walk on the streets,” explained Barbosa, adding that
many of such women are workers and have African descent.
“So, that is a situation that involves class, race,
and gender issues,” she explained.
Family rejection
The adversities faced by women who convert to Islam in
Brazil are manifold, Barbosa said. People like Poliana de Souza readily confirm
that.
“It is not easy to talk about it, but when I reverted
to Islam, the reaction at home was worse than the one on the streets. There has
been much incomprehension during the first year,” de Souza described.
She said that her family did not know anything about
Muslims, “only what is said by the media about them”.
“I had to deal with a lot of outrageous things that
were said to me. I did my best to not respond and avoid more problems,” she
recalled.
The study demonstrated that 42 percent of the converts
had to face their family’s rejection of their new religion.
“That is connected to the way Islam is portrayed by
the press, according to the interviewees,” Barbosa said.
According to Sheikh Ali Abdune, who heads the World
Assembly of Muslim Youth in Brazil, “Muslims have been the victims of deceitful
propaganda disseminated by the media for a long time.”
“Misinformation is so overwhelming that many people do
not even know that Islam is a religion,” he lamented.
Abdune emphasised that many non-Arab Muslims have told
him about cases of exclusion they suffered among relatives or at work.
“They are certainly more subject to discrimination,”
he added.
Journalist Alice Barbosa has felt it many times. She
moved to Mexico nine years ago but works mostly with Brazilians on the
internet. An expert in basketball – especially on the sport’s referees – she is
frequently invited to online talks and TV shows. But her hijab can be an
obstacle.
“The discomfort of many people in Brazil when I turn
on my camera is notorious,” she told MEE.
On different occasions, people cancelled her
participation after noticing that she is Muslim and wears a headscarf.
“Once a person was very clear about it. People
obviously choose words carefully, but we know the codes of exclusion,” she
said.
Muslims with no hijab
That is why the decision to wear a head covering may
be a long and difficult process for many Muslim women in Brazil. Poliana de
Souza took three years after her conversion to decide to adopt it.
Maria Eduarda da Silva, a 24-year-old geography
teacher in Recife, Pernambuco State, has been avoiding wearing a headscarf
since she converted to Islam one year ago.
“That is a great step to take and involves much
responsibility. Once you decide to wear it, you should never give up on it,”
she told MEE.
As a public school teacher, da Silva must comply with
an appearance code, she said. “Men cannot have long beards, for instance. So, I
am afraid to wear a hijab while I am at school,” da Silva affirmed.
She said that a colleague of hers failed to get a
position as an intern in a school due to her hijab – something that increased
her fear.
“I only wear it when I am going to the mosque,” she
said.
The mosque in Recife is mainly frequented by
immigrants from Senegal, Egypt and Pakistan, but there are many converts. Da
Silva is one of the members of a women’s group that gathers every month to
discuss their specific problems.
“Many women have suffered attacks on the street.
People can throw water at them or follow them in order to intimidate them,” she
described. Recently, a psychologist visited the mosque and talked to the group
about such traumas.
Eighty-three percent of the interviewees responded
that they have suffered embarrassment due to their religion. Thirty-two percent
of them do not wear a hijab every day.
Muslims as enemies
The interviews were conducted in 2021, the third year
of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s tenure. Since his presidential
campaign, in 2018, the incumbent – who was defeated in his bid for re-election
in November and will leave the presidency on 31 December – has been a strong
ally of right-wing evangelical Christians.
Their growing social presence and political power has
intensified Islamophobia in the country, according to Felipe Freitas de Souza,
one of the study’s authors.
“One of the results of Bolsonaro and his backers’
identification as members of a western and Judeo-Christian tradition has been
the definition of Muslims as enemies,” Freitas de Souza, a doctoral candidate
in Social Science at the São Paulo State University, told MEE.
He emphasised that there were several incidents of
Islamophobia during the campaign and after Bolsonaro took office.
“On his fifth day as the new president, Bolsonaro
shared a video of a Muslim woman being stoned and criticised the idea of ‘a
Muslim invasion in the West’,” recalled Freitas de Souza, who converted to
Islam 12 years ago.
The rise of the evangelicals in Brazil is not new. In
fact, there has been a consistent growth in their numbers over recent decades.
But the confluence of many of their segments with the right-wing is a recent
phenomenon, which coincided with the adoption of Israeli symbols by many
Pentecostal and Neo-Pentecostal churches.
“Israeli flags can be spotted in evangelical temples
all over Brazil now,” he affirmed, adding that many of such groups believe that
the Messiah can accelerate his second coming if the Jewish people regain full
control of the so-called Holy Land.
For them, the Palestinian issue has no historicity,
Freitas de Souza argued, and Palestinians are only seen as enemies. “Those
ideas collaborate to normalise violence and Islamophobia,” he reflected.
It is not a coincidence that most Muslims in Brazil
consider that evangelicals are the religious group that discriminates against
them the most: that is true for 73 percent of the Muslim women interviewees.
Many of them face such a reality at home. Several reports of evangelical
relatives who humiliate Muslim converts appeared in the study.
Muslim community criticised
Both Francirosy Barbosa and Felipe de Souza affirm
that the Muslim community in Brazil has not been very cooperative when it comes
to protecting the victims of Islamophobia, especially when they are women
converts.
“Most Muslim leaders in Brazil prefer to talk about
religious intolerance, believing that ‘Islamophobia’ is a too negative term and
may make things worse,” Barbosa reflected.
There is also a component of xenophobia in that
problem, she added.
“The Muslim communities failed to build
representativeness. Most of them are hegemonically Arab and fail to include
women, Blacks, and poor,” Barbosa argued.
The result is that working-class women who live in the
poor outskirts of Brazilian cities do not feel represented – nor protected – by
community leaders.
The researchers interviewed 653 Muslims. Most of the
people who agreed to participate were women. For Barbosa, that is a sign that
they feel an urge to denounce what they have been going through.
“Violence is provoking serious consequences for their
mental health. Many of them complained about depression, sadness, and low
self-esteem,” she said. Many end up distancing themselves from their faith.
“We cannot maintain a denialist attitude and just
pretend that Islamophobia does not exist in Brazil,” Barbosa concluded.
Source: Middle East Eye
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/brazil-women-muslim-convert-afraid-wear-hijab-islamophobia
--------
Sharjah records 68% increase in female entrepreneurs
17 Dec 2022
Sharjah has posted a 68 oer cent increase in female
entrepreneurs recently , said Maryam Bin Al Shaikh, Director of the Sharjah
Business Women Council.
She was speaking at a panel discussion entitled
“Marhaba: Welcome to Sharjah”, that discussed strategies for promoting Sharjah
as a destination for a global audience. The panel discussion was part of the
Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival 2022.
The panel hosted Chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and
Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), Khaled Al Midfa; Mohammed Musharrakh,
CEO of Invest in Sharjah; Ahmed Alkhoshaibi, Group CEO of Arada; Maryam Bin Al
Shaikh, Director of the Sharjah Business Women Council; and Kareem Al Jisr,
Chief Sustainability Officer of Diamond Developers; and was moderated by
broadcast journalist Abdul Karim Hanif.
Khaled Al Midfa stressed the importance of learning
and understanding the culture and history of Sharjah in order to effectively
welcome and engage with visitors and the fact that more than 50 per cent of the
UAE’s museums were located in the emirate and that tourism made up over 12 per
cent of the GDP. “By embracing and sharing our culture and heritage, we can
create a truly authentic and meaningful experience for visitors,” he said.
Al Midfa mentioned that tourism is rapidly growing in
Sharjah and even though the population is around 1.5 million, over 1.8 million
people visited and booked hotel rooms in the past year. “Sharjah has a
population of over 200 nationalities, we have well diversified economies, we are
a dynamic emirate that provides a benchmark for innovation and that exceeds
expectations time and time again. We are a hub of possibilities with a strong
authentic identity”.
Mohammed Musharrakh highlighted the commitment of
Sharjah and its government to provide unique and authentic experiences for both
visitors and businesses. “Invest in Sharjah plays a crucial role in
facilitating this experience through our partnerships and collaborations with
businesses and organisations, including the important work we do with Sheera
and Sharjah Investors Services Center for example. The turnout today by
entrepreneurs and business people investing their weekend into SEF is a
testament to the fact that our work is effectively attracting the next
generation to our emirate” he said.
Ahmed Alkhoshaibi of Arada talked about the
exponential growth Sharjah has had over the past year in the property market
with over Dh700 million transacted in last month alone with 90 per cent of the
investments being made by foreign nationals. “Although the increase in
purchases made by foreigners has been increasing year-on-year, the investment
by locals has held steady and these numbers shouldn’t be seen as a decrease in
local investment but rather an example of how Sharjah is becoming an increasingly
valued destination for the world.”
Kareem Al Jisr talked about the role that Sharjah
Sustainable City has had on the emirate as a project partnered between Sharjah
Investment and Development Authority(Shurooq) and Diamond Developers saying,
“Sharjah Sustainable City is a home for new ideas and innovations, a place to
innovate problem solving. We pride ourselves on being a place for early
adopters and a living lab or “sandbox” for development. We provide a space for
entities and people to innovate and flourish.”
Source: Khaleej Times
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/sharjah-records-68-increase-in-female-entrepreneurs
--------
Australia urged to offer asylum to Afghan women in
‘grave danger’ from Taliban
Amy Remeikis
16 Dec 2022
The Australian government is being urged to offer
asylum to Afghan women targeted by the Taliban, as Pakistan moves to expel
refugees by the end of the month.
Independent MP Rebekha Sharkie, working with
crossbench support from across the parliament, has written to immigration
minister Andrew Giles and home affairs minister Clare O’Neil, urging the
government to act and bring the women to safety.
The women and their families, including one who is
pregnant, fled to Pakistan after the Taliban took back Afghanistan in August
2021. Among them are journalists, academics and prosecutors who had spoken out
against the Taliban.
Pakistan has since set a deadline of the end of this
year for foreigners without visas, or expired visas, to leave, or face forced
deportation or prison. Sharkie said without urgent intervention, the future for
the women and their families was bleak.
As Hazara minorities, they have sought humanitarian visas
from Australia but Sharkie, who became aware of the women’s plight from a
former SBS journalist while part of a delegation in France, said they have
faced “significant” delays in processing and are now running out of time.
“This is not alarmist, these women are in grave
danger,” Sharkie said.
“They have, in their professional lives as journalists
and prosecutors, either been critical of or prosecuted members of the Taliban.
This is a group of highly educated professional women – who if returned will be
a target.
“I have been working with a network of female
journalists in Europe who are deeply concerned for their fellow journalists. I
understand our High Commission in Pakistan has been in contact with these women
for some time, but time is running out and I beseech the Australian Government
to get them to Australia, to safety, immediately.”
In a letter co-signed by the crossbench, which Sharkie
said also had the support of other members of parliament, including Liberal
party MPs, she urged the Albanese government to act immediately, saying the
women and their families had gone “several months without contact or updates”.
“This state of uncertainty leaves Afghan nationals
residing in Pakistan in an increasingly dangerous and dire situation,” Sharkie
wrote.
“If these women do not receive updates on their visas
or an interview request in the next two weeks, they face forcible return to
Afghanistan. Their return is expected to be met with considerable retribution
on the basis of their gender, professions and public opposition to the
Taliban.”
Giles has committed to meeting with Sharkie.
“The government is committed to a generous and
flexible humanitarian program that meets Australia’s international protection
obligations,” he said.
“Priority in Australia’s offshore Humanitarian Program
is given to the most vulnerable applicants who are assessed as refugees by the
UNHCR and formally referred to Australia for resettlement, and those proposed
by an immediate family member (ie spouses and minor aged children).
“I look forward to speaking with Ms Sharkie on how
Australia can continue to fulfil our moral obligation to those affected by the
ongoing crisis in Afghanistan.”
In March, the government announced it would provide
31,500 places for Afghan nationals through the humanitarian and family visa
programs, including 26,500 places for Afghans who met the humanitarian visa
requirements.
Australia, along with allied nations who had entered
Afghanistan in 2001 as part of the “war on terror” assisted with the evacuation
of 4,168 people out of Kabul over nine days. On the 32 Australian flights were
167 Australian citizens and 2,984 Afghans with approved visas.
The former government came under fire for not
facilitating visas quickly enough for Afghans left behind, who were in danger
from the Taliban. Australia has not been alone in failing to meet its
commitments to Afghans who had previously helped allied nations during the war,
with the UK, and the US also struggling to fulfil promises.
The Albanese government has also struggled to process
visas, with issues including paperwork, safe routes and various levels of
cooperation from surrounding countries adding complications.
Giles said the government was aware of the frustration
and fear.
“Since coming to government I have met with Afghan
community leaders across the country to listen to their concerns and
understandings of what we can do to provide support to those in Afghanistan, in
neighbouring countries and for those in Australia who may have loved ones still
in Afghanistan.”
Source: The Guardian
--------
Bahraini Women: Solid beginnings, steady progress
December 16, 2022
In its fourteenth year, the Bahraini Women’s Day (BWD)
in December 2022 continues to celebrate the valued contributions of Bahraini
women in all sectors. The theme of BWD this year, “Read, learnt, participated”
offers a comprehensive perspective of the milestones achieved by Bahraini
women. It tracks back their steady progress in the Kingdom of Bahrain under the
leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to their solid, early
beginnings. This year’s celebration coincides with a higher momentum of
progress for Bahraini women. The number of female ministers in the cabinet, led
by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and
Prime Minister, increased from one to five this year.
In the legislative body, the number of women in the
Council of Representatives has increased by 33.33%. The highest number of women
candidates was also recorded in this year’s elections, with a 50% increase from
previous years. In the Shura Council women make up 25% of the total number of
members. Bahraini women have always had a pivotal role in the Bahraini society,
which increased with the beginning of formal education for girls in 1928,
predating the discovery of the first oil well.
Many celebrated women pioneers had broken the glass
ceiling gradually and this inexorable forward-looking movement continues to
build on and reinforce past achievements with confident steps.
Under the leadership of HM the King, Bahraini women
have received tremendous support to fulfill their potential and gain more
rights.
The National Action Charter, the Constitution and the
establishment of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), led by its President Her
Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of HM the King,
and the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, were all milestones that have given a
boost to the status of women in the Kingdom.
The SCW has been responsible for overseeing the
implementation of women’s political, social, and economic empowerment and
advancement policies and promoting the application of the principles of gender
equality and opportunity equity.
Its initiatives included the 2013-2022 National Plan
for the Advancement of Bahraini Women, which has resulted in achieving results
on a nation-wide scale.
The efforts of HRH Princess Sabeeka in the advancement
of Bahraini women, have received international recognition, last of which was
in March 2022.
HRH’s was listed in the Contemporary and Historical
Women Leadership Initiative announced by the delegation of the European Union
to the United Nations and the Permanent Mission of Gabon on the occasion of
UNESCO’s launch of the International Day of Women in Multilateralism.
The numbers speak for themselves, in a testimonial of
the efforts led by HRH which promoted the role of Bahraini women in national
development.
An SCW report gauging the progress over the last 10
years found that the percentage of women in the overall working force increased
to 43% from 32% in 2012.
The percentage of women in the public sector reached
54% in the second quarter of 2022, with a 7% increase from 2012.
In specialized jobs in the public sector, women make
up 59%. Forty seven per cent of executive positions in the government are held
by women.
In the private sector, women are 35% of the working
force, an increase of 5% from 2012. In
the judicial sector, women are 12%, while 33% of Bahraini diplomats are women.
According to the report, the number of female owners
of commercial registrations (CR) increased from 39% in 2012 to 43% in 2021.
The percentage of sustainable ownership of CRs for
more than five years, increased for women from 34% in 2014 to 38% in 2021.
Also, 53% of virtual CRs are owned by women.
Bahrain ranked third globally in the World
Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY) published by International Institute for
Management Development (IMD), in its index for the share of women in management
positions and share of women with degrees.
The Kingdom ranked among the top 10 countries globally
in 56 indicators in different areas, including skills of the labor force,
gender equality and safety and social harmony.
In the World Bank’s Women, Business and Law 2022
report, Bahrain’s score improved by 73% between 2018 and 2022. It ranked third
on a Gulf scale and fifth in the Arab World.
Meanwhile, Bahrain ranked 131 in the Gender Gap Report
issued by the World Economic Forum, with the gap settling at 63%. It scored the
highest global ranking in high school and higher education.
Socially, the National Plan for the Advancement of
women prioritized overall family stability. It continued to cooperate with the
executive, legislative and judicial authorities to provide a safe legal
framework for women as part of the family law.
As part of those efforts, Family Courts were moved to
separate premises providing more privacy for families during proceedings and
counselling. SCW also launched a national strategy for the protection of women
from domestic violence, as part of the national plan. In 2021, the number of
active civil society organizations promoting women’s rights has increased to
reach 20.
Source: Pak Observer
https://pakobserver.net/bahraini-women-solid-beginnings-steady-progress/
--------
Mrs UAE’s Gown Gains Recognition As Mrs India Wins Mrs
World 2022
December 18, 2022
DUBAI: While Mrs India was crowned the new Mrs World
2022 in an awards ceremony in Las Vegas on Saturday, Mrs UAE Pamela Serena also
impressed the jury.
Serena’s outfit, designed to highlight the UAE’s
pearling traditions, was one of five gowns recognized as part of the Manish
Vaid Designers Choice Awards. Serena, who is of Indian descent, was born and
raised in the UK, but has been living in Dubai for more than 10 years.
India's Sargam Koushal was crowned Mrs World 2022 at
the glitzy event, the first time a contestant from the country has won the
contest in 21 years.
“I'm so excited. Love you India, love you the world,”
said the beauty queen after receiving the crown.
Second place went to Mrs Canada and third to Mrs
Polynesia.
Source: Arab News
The UAE did not rank in the top 16 for Mrs World 2022.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2218036/lifestyle
--------
Muttahida Stages Women Power Show In Karachi, Vows To
Regain Party’s ‘Lost Glory’
Imran Ayub
December 19, 2022
KARACHI: Almost a month after the Pakistan Peoples
Party organised a public meeting at Nishtar Park, the Muttahida Qaumi
Movement-Pakistan on Sunday staged a women-only power show in the historic
ground vowing to restore the party’s ‘lost glory’ and ‘regain’ the political
ground that it claimed had been ‘snatched’ from the party through ‘political
engineering’.
The women convention of the MQM-P resolved to bring
more women to the political activism and give them key responsibilities for
future leadership roles in the country.
Attended by a large number of women from all across
the city, the convention venue was decorated with giant portraits of prominent
women of the country including Fatima Jinnah, Fatima Surayya Bajia and Bilqees
Edhi.
Clapping, singing party songs and chanting slogans,
the participants kept the convention alive that lasted for more than three
hours.
In his key address, MQM-P convener Dr Khalid Maqbool
Siddique took the opportunity to give future line of action to the party and
boost the morale of workers.
He warned “those forces” who had made efforts to
eliminate the party of any such move in future and said that such actions would
receive strong reactions from Mohajirs.
He paid rich tribute to women workers of the party
whose “great sacrifices” had kept the MQM-P alive in the toughest phase of its
history.
“No one can wipe out the MQM-P and Mohajirs,” he vowed
to the roaring crowd in the famous ground.
“The next elections, whether national or local bodies
elections, would see the rise of MQM-P again. Our women, mothers and sisters
are assets of our party. Since they have not given up in hardest of time, the
party would rise again under their commitment and guidance.”
He also remembered the missing workers of the party
and saluted their families mainly their female members who had not lost their
faith in the party despite the greatest sacrifices of their lives.
The MQM-P conveyor though didn’t name any party or
individual for ‘conspiracy’ against the party, but claimed that “their time is
over” and they would never meet success.
“Pakistan came into being due to Mohajirs and now
Mohajirs are struggling for its survival and would never let anyone harm it,”
said Dr. Siddiqi.
“We believe in political struggle. We believe in
peaceful politics. But no one should consider our principles as our weakness.
Through the same strategy we won the verdict from the Supreme Court for
empowered local government. Through the same strategy we proved our value to
the successive governments and parliamentary process.”
Resolution passed
The convention also passed a resolution presented by
senior MQM-P leader Nasreen Jalil that demanded several reforms for women
empowerment in the country’s governance system and society.
The convention demanded quota for women in government
jobs considering their ratio in the population.
It also demanded an initiative from political parties
to field more female candidates in the elections and sought role of Election
Commission of Pakistan to ensure maximum participation of women voters in the
electoral process.
The resolution urged the state and its institutions
for their role for safe recovery of missing political workers for relief of
their mothers, wives, sisters and every female member of their families.
Source: Dawn
--------
Marriott International hosts workshop for future women
leaders in Saudi Arabia
December 19, 2022
RIYADH – Marriott International continues to reinforce
its commitment to developing the next generation of hospitality leaders in
Saudi Arabia with a dedicated workshop for women participants and alumni from
the company’s Tahseen programme. The event took place in Riyadh in the presence
of H.H. Princess Nouf Bint Faisal Bin Turki Al Saud and Anthony Capuano, Chief
Executive Officer, Marriott International.
The workshop was attended by more than 40 women who
are currently enrolled in or graduated from Tahseen, Marriott’s leadership
programme in the Kingdom. During the
event, H.H. Princess Nouf Bint Faisal Bin Turki Al Saud inspired the group by
speaking about her journey and experiences.
H.H. Princess Nouf Bint Faisal Bin Turki Al Saud said,
“I value this pioneering initiative by Marriott International for Young Saudi
Women to learn and support the country’s Vision for 2030. The vision of the country promises Saudi
women senior, executive and other management positions in various institutions,
with their knowledge, awareness and experience.”
The group also heard from Marriott International’s
Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Capuano, President for EMEA, Satya Anand and
Chief Operating Officer, Middle East, Sandeep Walia. Marriott’s leadership reinforced the
company’s commitment to the advancement of women and increasing the presence of
women leaders at all levels of the organisation. During the workshop, all participants also
went through an exercise on their personal branding which included identifying
and establishing their key strengths and building leadership presence.
Sandeep Walia, Chief Operating Officer, Middle East,
Marriott International commented, "As part of our leadership development
efforts in Saudi Arabia, we look forward to advancing the next generation of
women hospitality leaders in the country.
We remain committed to investing in local talent to ensure the success
of the Kingdom’s travel and tourism sector.”
The Tahseen programme in Saudi Arabia has been
designed in partnership with Cornell University to develop the next generation
of hospitality leaders in the country.
Since its inception in 2018, more than 110 candidates have graduated
from the programme of which nearly 40 per cent have been women. The company also recently launched the High
Potential (HIPO) leadership programme in the country, which is an extension of
Tahseen. The HIPO programme places high
performing and high potential leaders from the company’s successful Tahseen
programme, onto an exclusive career development pathway to grow them as a Hotel
Manager or General Manager within two years.
The inaugural selection of candidates for the HIPO programme features
three women leaders.
The Tahseen programme supports Saudi Arabia’s National
Tourism Strategy, which aims to create a thriving industry that will provide
new employment prospects to a generation of Saudis. The strategy works
alongside the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which aim to create one million jobs in
the tourism sector, attract 100 million visitors annually, and shape the
tourism sector to contribute to 10 percent of the country’s GDP by 2030.
Source: Zawya
--------
SDAIA Honours Prize-Winning Saudi Women Employees
December 16, 2022
RIYADH — The Chairman of Saudi Data and Artificial
Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, has honored
eight Saudi female employees of the National Center for Artificial Intelligence
(AI) for achieving first and second places in three local competitions.
The competitions were organized by the Ministry of
Interior, the Ministry of Culture, represented by the Literature, Publishing
& Translation Commission, and the General Authority for Small and Medium
Enterprises “Monsha'at”, represented by Thakaa Center in partnership with the
Ministry of Sports in the areas of data and AI in support of young national
cadres in this advanced technological field.
The move to honor the winners comes within the
framework of SDAIA's endeavor to support Saudi women's empowerment within the
targets of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and its belief that women have the bulk
role in development and construction, and to enhance their active participation
and presence in the development scene in the Kingdom.
The winners who have been honored are: Atheer
Al-QarniReem Al-Ruwaili, Al-Jawhara Al-Mulhim, Fatima Al-Ghamdi, Renad
Al-Musaed, Sheikha Al-Subaie, Asma Al-Khalidi, and Raneem Al-Najem. — SPA
Source: Saudi Gazette
--------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/saudi-arabia-bans-abaya/d/128664
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism