Saudi Arabia Approves Hiring Female Drivers; 12 New Professions Added
New Age Islam News Bureau
10 March 2023
• 1st Palestinian Female Pastor, Sally Azar, Aspires
To Become Bishop
• Qatar Assisstant FM Lolwah Bint Rashid Alkhater
Emphasises the Importance of Empowering Women
• Pakistani Police Probe Officers over Women’s March
Violence
• UN Renews Commitment to Iraqi Women As Baghdad Named
Capital of Arab Women
• German Woman Risks Tougher Sentence over Yazidi
Girl’s Death
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/saudi-arabia-female-drivers/d/129292
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Saudi Arabia Approves Hiring Female Drivers; 12 New
Professions Added
Photo: Photo: AP
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Sakina Fatima
9th March 2023
Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has
permitted the hiring of female drivers as part of new professions allowed for
recruitment designated for domestic labour.
The Kingdom’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social
Development (MHRSD) has approved hiring domestic labour services in 13 new
professions available for recruitment via Musaned electronic platform.
The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social
Development said on Twitter that new jobs can be recruited through its online
platform, Musaned, as part of efforts to develop the domestic labour sector and
meet the needs of the country.
Among the new professions available to domestic
workers are driver, personal care worker, home tailor, home manager, private
tutor and home farmer.
13 new professions are:
Personal care worker
Home guard
Private tutor
Private tailor
House manager
Home farmer
Home traveller
Home coffee-maker
Home attendant
Private speech and hearing specialist
Personal assistant
Support worker
Private driver
The number of domestic workers in Saudi Arabia reached
3.5 million in the third quarter of 2022, an increase of nearly 193,000 against
the second quarter of 2022, Arabic daily Al Eqtisadiah reported.
About Musaned platform
As part of its efforts to regulate the labour market,
the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources has created a Musaned platform to help
clients learn about their rights and duties and related services including
issuance of visas, employment applications and the contractual relationship
between employers and workers.
The ministry has made the contracting process
mandatory through Musaned, being the official recruitment platform in the
Kingdom.
Source: Siasat Daily
https://www.siasat.com/saudi-arabia-approves-hiring-female-drivers-12-new-professions-added-2543242/
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1st Palestinian Female Pastor, Sally Azar, Aspires To
Become Bishop
Sally Azar, leads prayers
at Lutheran Church in Jerusalem, Beit Sahour Church in West Bank
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Abdelraouf Arnaout
09.03.2023
JERUSALEM
After a long academic journey, Palestinian Sally Azar
has made her lifetime dream of becoming the first female pastor in Palestine.
Now, she is pursuing another dream of becoming the
first female bishop in the Palestinian territories.
"I am the first female pastor in Palestine,"
Azar, 26, told Anadolu in an interview at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
the Old City of East Jerusalem.
Azar grew up in the Evangelical Lutheran Church, which
is very close to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and studied at the Schmidt
School located near the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City.
She is the daughter of Archbishop Sani Ibrahim Azar of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, who impressed her
since childhood by his religious role.
"I grew up in the church and I used to see my
father as a pastor. I always thought it was beautiful. I loved being like him.
I love theology and I want to become a pastor," Azar said.
"When I was studying theology, I was not sure if
I would become a pastor or not, but later my mission became clear, and this
became vivid during my studies."
Studying theology
Azar is one of three daughters in the family, and each
one of them chose a different study field.
"My father did not interfere in our choices. We
are three daughters at home, each one studying a different field. One is
looking to become a doctor and the other eyes social work. As for me, I studied
theology."
Azar spent the last seven years studying theology
outside Palestine before returning home to officially become a pastor.
"I studied four years in Lebanon, before
completing my postgraduate studies in Germany and training there," she
said.
"Studying theology is difficult,” Azar said. “I
started studying when I was 18 years old. We learn all the concepts that our
church and other churches follow, and thus we learn everything."
Azar recalled that the church council decided to
ordain women pastors ten years ago.
“There were six candidates before me who started
studying, but did not succeed,” she said.
"I was sent to study theology and it was clear
that I would return to the country and become a pastor. I was happy, but I did
not expect to be the first. The feeling was unbelievable," Azar said.
First woman ordained
Lazar was ordained as a pastor at the end of January
2023 at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jerusalem.
"When I returned to Jerusalem in January, the
reception was beautiful and the encouragement from the church was great, and
they supported me," Azar said.
"The concept of ordaining female pastors was
unacceptable 10 years ago, and for this reason, we met with women and talked
about equality between men and women. The decision at the time was important
until we reached this point," she noted.
As part of her obligations as a pastor, Azar leads
prayers in the Lutheran Church.
"My duty as a pastor is like my counterparts.
Pastors are servants of God, and therefore we pray on Sundays, baptize, pray,
and preach to the members of the sect," she said. "I lead prayers for
everyone, including men and women, in the Lutheran Church here in Jerusalem and
in the Beit Sahour Church (south of the West Bank)."
"In the future, every pastor has the right to
become a metropolitan, and the church council is authorized to choose a
metropolitan, and he or she must have experience, and therefore, after years,
when my experience accumulates, the council can choose me as a
metropolitan," she said.
Azar encourages girls from her congregation to follow
her example. “This is a general message for equality between women and men.”
Source: Anadolu Agency
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/life/1st-palestinian-female-pastor-aspires-to-become-bishop/2841276
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Qatar Assisstant FM Lolwah Bint Rashid Alkhater
Emphasises the Importance of Empowering Women
MARCH 09, 2023
HE the Assistant Foreign Minister Lolwah bint Rashid
AlKhater participated on Wednesday in the “Women in Islam: Understanding the
Rights and Identity of Women in the Islamic World” conference, which was the
held on the sidelines of the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of
Women (CSW67) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The conference was organised by Pakistan, which chairs
the current 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the
Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC).
The inaugural and the high-level part of the
conference is chaired by Pakistan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto
Zardari with the participation of the President of the 77th UN General Assembly
Csaba Korosi, UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous, and Chair of the Bureau
for the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Mathu
Joyini.
In a speech at the conference, HE AlKhater renewed
Qatar’s emphasis on the importance of empowering women in all fields, pointing
out that the Constitution of the State of Qatar enshrined the principle of
equality for all citizens in terms of rights and obligations, in addition to
equality of all before the law without discrimination.
She noted that Qatar carried these values through its
regional and international efforts to achieve this goal and supports projects
that aim to improve the lives of women around the world.
HE AlKhater stressed the need for the international
community to work closely to ensure the establishment of societies that empower
Muslim women and help them achieve their rights in both Muslim-majority and
non-Muslim-majority countries.
She said that while the conference is a first step in
the right direction towards change, but participants must guarantee continued
progress.
HE the Assistant Foreign Minister stressed that the
status of women is a question that must be answered without being politicised.
She added that the challenges faced by women around
the world are almost similar in essence, as women have to deal with, on a daily
basis, discrimination, violence, invisible barriers and much more.
HE AlKhater noted that these problems are exacerbated
in particular for Muslim women as their rights are politicised.
HE the Assistant Foreign Minister said that
Islamophobia, as a phenomenon and discourse, has continued to escalate
unchecked over the past few decades.
HE AlKhater touched upon a UN report in 2021 on
Countering Islamophobia/Anti-Muslim Hatred to Eliminate Discrimination and
Intolerance Based on Religion or Belief issued by the special rapporteur on
freedom of religion or belief, which indicated that Muslim women are more
vulnerable to discrimination and hate crimes, and often face double punishment
for being women and Muslims, and sometimes triple punishment if they belong to
ethnic minorities.
She said that Muslim women play a vital role in
society but are often wrongly portrayed as either oppressed or dangerous due to
stereotypical media representations. – QNA
Source: Gulf Times
https://www.gulf-times.com/article/657138/qatar/lolwah-emphasises-the-importance-of-empowering-women
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Pakistani police probe officers over women’s march
violence
9 Mar 2023
Pakistani police are investigating officers after
violence at a march to mark International Women's Day in Islamabad, a spokesman
said on Thursday. Three constables have been suspended from duty for misusing
their authority.
Hundreds of people gathered in a central area of the
city to mark the occasion on Wednesday, amid tight security. Organisers said
the event was aimed at seeking rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Some
conservative groups last year threatened to stop similar marches by force.
The demonstrators faced strong resistance from police,
who charged at them with batons as they tried to enter the rally area, which
was blocked off by shipping containers.
“The constables involved in the baton charge have been
suspended from their duties on charges of misuse of authority,” Islamabad
police spokesman Taqi Jawad said.
There was no official order to use force against
rally-goers, and the officers involved in the violence “acted in the heat of
the moment,” he said.
The inspector-general of Islamabad Police, Akbar Nasir
Khan, has ordered an inquiry into three constables and there is an
investigation to see if more officers were involved in the violence. A report
will be submitted in the coming days, according to Jawad.
Islamabad police apologised on Wednesday to the
women’s march protesters for the "unacceptable use of violence”. It said
police stood in solidarity with the rally participants and their struggle for
the protection of women’s rights.
Academic and gender studies expert Dr Farzana Bari,
one of the protest’s main organisers, condemned the violence.
She suffered scratches to the face and a ligament
injury to the hand after being pushed by police onto barbed wire.
She said officers failed to protect women on the
internationally observed day.
“Police baton-charged us and two transgender people
who suffered injuries were shifted to hospital due to bleeding,” she said. “The
police earlier issued us warnings to call off the march in view of the possible
attacks by religious fanatics, however (they) indulged in violence themselves.”
Source: Khaleej Times
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/world/asia/pakistani-police-probe-officers-over-womens-march-violence
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UN renews commitment to Iraqi women as Baghdad named
Capital of Arab Women
Amr Salem
March 9, 2023
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – On International Women’s Day
(IWD), the United Nations team in Iraq renews its commitment to support the
rights of Iraqi women and girls, and to advocate for the acceleration of their
empowerment as well as the strengthening of gender equality, according to a
press statement issued by the United Nations.
To mark the occasion in Iraq, the Women Empowerment
Directorate of the Council of Ministers Secretariat, under the auspices of
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, and in cooperation with UN agencies,
launched a conference in conjunction with the declaration of Baghdad as the
Capital of Arab Women for 2023, the statement mentioned.
At the conference, the government also launched its
National Strategy for Iraqi Women 2023-2030, with special focus on the
importance of women’s political participation, protection of women and girls,
economic empowerment, and climate change, the statement clarified.
The national strategy is in line with UN Security
Council Resolution 1325, constitutional principles of human rights, and the
Iraqi government’s priority to empower women, the statement explained.
International Women’s Day was proclaimed by the United
Nations General Assembly as a global call to recognize the social, economic,
cultural, and political achievements of women, and an opportunity to advocate
for their rights and empowerment, the statement elaborated.
This year’s International Women’s Day theme ‘DigitALL:
Innovation and technology for gender equality,’ recognizes how a
gender-responsive approach to innovation, technology and digital education can
help to collectively achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the
statement illustrated.
Advancements in digital technology offer opportunities
to address development and humanitarian challenges, including increasing
participation of women and girls in leadership and political realms, as well as
entrepreneurship, the statement added.
Source: Iraqi News
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German woman risks tougher sentence over Yazidi girl’s
death
March 09, 2023
BERLIN: A German appeals court on Thursday ordered a
new sentencing hearing for a German convert to Islam who was given 10 years in
prison on charges that, as a member of Daesh in Iraq, she allowed a 5-year-old
Yazidi girl she and her husband kept as a slave to die of thirst in the sun.
The 31-year-old defendant now risks a higher sentence.
The Federal Court of Justice threw out an appeal by
the woman, who has been identified only as Jennifer W. in line with German
privacy rules, but partly approved an appeal by prosecutors. It overturned the
sentence, though not the rest of the verdict, and sent the case back to the
Munich state court for a new decision.
The woman was convicted in October 2021 of, among
other things, two counts of crimes against humanity through enslavement, in one
case resulting in death, being an accessory to attempted murder and membership
in a terrorist organization abroad.
The federal court found that Munich judges erred in
sentencing the woman for a “less severe case” of crimes against humanity and
overlooked aggravating circumstances. German law allows for a life sentence in
cases where a defendant’s actions result in a person’s death.
At the trial in Munich, prosecutors accused the woman
of standing by as her then husband chained the young Yazidi girl in a courtyard
and left her to die of thirst. The court found that she did nothing to help the
girl, although doing so would have been “possible and reasonable.”
She was taken into custody while trying to renew her
identity papers at the German Embassy in Ankara in 2016, and deported to
Germany.
Her former husband, an Iraqi citizen who was
identified only as Taha Al-J., was convicted by a Frankfurt court in November
2021 of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and bodily harm resulting
in death. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The girl’s mother, who survived captivity, testified
at both trials.
Source: Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2265731/world
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