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Islam, Women and Feminism ( 18 May 2024, NewAgeIslam.Com)

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‘Historic’: Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Swimwear Fashion Show, Signals ‘Softening’ Austere Image

New Age Islam News Bureau

18 May 2024

·         ‘Historic’: Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Swimwear Fashion Show, Signals ‘Softening’ Austere Image

·         Brain Surgery for Iranian Activist Zahra Shafiei Dehaghani: Blood Clots and Tumour Following Arrest Over Headscarf

·         Borough Welcomes Its First Muslim Mayor Shahin Ashraf, A Former Charity Worker

·         How Two Yemeni Women, Nisreen Dhirar And Faiza Haidrah, Are Revolutionising Taiz's Restaurant Scene

·         Syrian star Faia Younan Graces The Stage for World Culture, Ithra, Shaping Her Unique Musical Identity

·         Columbia Professor Amra Sabic-El-Rayess Says School Discriminated Against Her For Being Muslim

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL:   https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/saudi-arabia-historic-swimwear-fashion/d/132342

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‘Historic’: Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Swimwear Fashion Show, Signals ‘Softening’ Austere Image

 

A model presents a creation from the summer beachwear collection by Moroccan designer Yasmina Q, during the Red Sea Fashion Week in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea resort of Ummahat Island on May 17, 2024. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP) (AFP)

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18 May 2024

Saudi Arabia hosted its inaugural fashion show featuring swimsuit models on Friday, marking a significant shift in a country where, less than a decade ago, women were required to wear body-covering abaya robes.

As reported by AFP, the poolside event showcased Moroccan designer YasminaQanzal's collection, which included predominantly one-piece swimsuits in shades of red, beige, and blue. Many models had exposed shoulders, and some displayed partially visible midriffs.

“It's true that this country is very conservative but we tried to show elegant swimsuits which represent the Arab world," Qanzal told AFP.

“When we came here, we understood that a swimsuit fashion show in Saudi Arabia is a historic moment, because it is the first time to have such event," she said, adding it was “an honour" to be involved.

“It's true that this country is very conservative but we tried to show elegant swimsuits which represent the Arab world," Qanzal told AFP.

“When we came here, we understood that a swimsuit fashion show in Saudi Arabia is a historic moment, because it is the first time to have such event," she said, adding it was “an honour" to be involved.

“It's true that this country is very conservative but we tried to show elegant swimsuits which represent the Arab world," Qanzal told AFP.

“When we came here, we understood that a swimsuit fashion show in Saudi Arabia is a historic moment, because it is the first time to have such event," she said, adding it was “an honour" to be involved.

Source: livemint.com

https://www.livemint.com/news/trends/saudi-arabia-first-swimwear-fashion-show-st-regis-red-sea-resort-models-muslim-arab-world-womens-liberty-rights-11716019814884.html

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Brain Surgery for Iranian Activist Zahra Shafiei Dehaghani: Blood Clots and Tumour Following Arrest Over Headscarf

 

Zahra Shafiei Dehaghani, a writer, director, and civil activist,

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MAY 17, 2024

Zahra Shafiei Dehaghani, a writer, director, and civil activist, suffered brain injuries due to assaults during her arrest and was hospitalized last Friday.

Following brain surgery, she was discharged on Tuesday.

She was arrested on September 15, 2023, and charged with "propaganda against the Islamic Republic" and "assembly and collusion to disrupt national security."

These charges, combined with previous cases related to her civil and human rights activities, resulted in a sentence of 9 years and 6 months in prison, along with a fine.

During her arrest, she sustained severe physical injuries.

Dehaghani has created several documentaries and animations focusing on fundamental human rights.

In 2018, she directed "Advanced Cancer," a documentary about the conditions of women prisoners in Qarchak prison.

IranWire interviewed sources close to her family and one of her lawyers handling her case to discuss her current situation.

On September 15, 2023, Dehaghani was arrested on Elkhebal Street for not wearing a headscarf.

A source close to her family explained to IranWire that the city centre was under martial law to instil fear following protests on the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death.

Officers indiscriminately arrested people to spread panic. Dehaghani's family, upon learning of her arrest, encountered many others at the detention centre whose loved ones had also been detained arbitrarily.

Due to her prior civil activities and related cases, she was first transferred to Qarchak Prison and then, a few days later, to the women's ward of Evin Prison.

In an October 2 phone call from Qarchak Prison, Dehaghani described her arrest and the assault by security agents.

She recounted how, after getting off the Valiasr metro, she found the street unusually deserted.

While heading towards Azadi Street, some elderly people warned her about the officers arresting everyone in sight.

On Shirin France Street, she encountered numerous women in "black chador, military uniforms, and black masks," along with men in "military uniforms with no names" and "plainclothes with black shirts and pants."

They arrested her with profanity and beatings. "They beat me hard and in a very bad and strange way. They tied my hands behind my back and hit me on the head and face. One of the women kicked me hard in the back, and then the men in plain clothes came and pushed me into the van.

They took a bunch of girls and boys, the girls, all wearing hijabs and cloaks, were sitting and crying, asking what they had done to deserve this. When the boys tried to defend the girls, they were beaten as well."

This testimony highlights the severe and indiscriminate nature of the arrests and the physical abuse suffered by detainees, reflecting the broader context of repression during that period.

According to a person close to Dehaghani's family, medical examinations revealed that the blows she received to her head during her arrest caused blood clots in three areas of her brain.

These clots led to increased blood pressure, resulting in a stroke, and have affected her vision and balance.

Despite these serious health issues, she was subjected to intensive interrogations for hours during the first month of her imprisonment.

Saeed Dehghan, one of Zahra's lawyers handling the international aspects of her case, described these actions as criminal.

He told IranWire: "In such cases, the arrested person should file a complaint against the arresting officers, interrogators, and judicial officers.

However, where to file the complaint depends on which agency the detainers, interrogators, and officers work under. Some are military, and some are not."

She was released on bail in November last year.

A source close to her family noted: "When she was released on bail, we already knew her blood pressure was high, and she had been given blood pressure medication in prison.

Each time her blood pressure was checked, it was over 18, and once it had risen to 21, which is extremely dangerous. They had given her pills, but we also noticed she had a slight stutter, lacked balance, and complained of decreased vision."

Her family consulted several doctors, including neurologists, for further health evaluations.

"The neurologist told us that due to the impact, clots had formed in three areas of her head, causing her blood pressure to rise and resulting in a stroke.

The symptoms of this condition include decreased vision, imbalance in walking, and other related issues," explained the source.

Doctors are conducting multiple tests, including scans and MRIs, to further investigate her brain condition.

"In one of her brain images, aside from the three clots believed to be caused by the head injury, a tumour was found on the other side of her brain," the source added.

The neurosurgeon diagnosed Dehaghani with a brain meningioma tumour, which often remains asymptomatic for years and is typically discovered incidentally during scans for other issues, such as head trauma—exactly how her tumour was found.

She was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday a few days after undergoing brain surgery.

A person close to Dehaghani's family emphasized that all her medical care was conducted in approved medical centres and by specialists endorsed by forensic medicine.

This ensures that they can advocate for her inability to tolerate imprisonment.

Dehaghani has been sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison and fined for charges including collusion, propaganda, and various civil activities.

Saeed Dehghan, her lawyer, highlights their current objective, to halt the execution of her sentence or modify the punishment in light of her health condition.

This is based on Article 502 of the Criminal Procedure Law.

Article 502 states that if a convicted person has a physical or mental illness that worsens with imprisonment or delays recovery, the judge can postpone the punishment upon receiving a forensic medical opinion.

If recovery is unlikely, especially in suspended verdicts, the judge can alter the punishment to something suitable for the illness and the crime, providing a final decision to the issuing authority.

If an illness arises during imprisonment requiring immediate suspension of the punishment, the judge must act accordingly.

Source: iranwire.com

https://iranwire.com/en/women/129360-brain-surgery-for-iranian-activist-blood-clots-and-tumor-following-arrest-over-headscarf/

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Borough Welcomes Its First Muslim Mayor Shahin Ashraf, A Former Charity Worker

Sam Greenway,

Shehnaz Khan

A former charity worker who has become Solihull's first Muslim mayor said she was "deeply humbled" to have been appointed.

Shahin Ashraf received overwhelming support from councillors as she was elected.

Ms Ashraf, who was made MBE in 2015, said she was "eager and excited" to begin "this new chapter on the journey of service, unity and progress."

“I promise to serve the borough with dedication and integrity," she told those who gathered at the meeting.

The new mayor, who was born in Meriden, previously worked in the charity sector and has spoken at the United Nations.

She was elected as a Green Party councillor for Shirley South in 2018 before becoming deputy leader of the group on the Conservative-run local authority.

Nominating Ms Ashraf, Green group leader Max McLoughlin said: "The fact Shanin wears a hijab means she is easily recognised for her faith but she is not defined by it.

“Shanin will be the first Muslim and first Muslim woman to be mayor of Solihull.

“This is something I know, and Shanin knows, comes with greater levels of attention and scrutiny than for many others who have worn the robes before.”

Fellow Green Party councillor Ben Groom said he hoped her appointment would mean “young women from our growing South Asian community and beyond will see politics is an achievable and rewarding option for them."

Source: bbc.com

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckv7vw935zvo

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How Two Yemeni Women, NisreenDhirarAnd Faiza Haidrah, Are Revolutionising Taiz'sRestaurant Scene

Meet NisreenDhirar and Faiza Haidrah who have defied gender stereotypes in Yemen by opening a restaurant in Taiz.

"We broke the norm that opening restaurants are for men only," Nisreen tells The New Arab. "We tried convincing society that women can also work in restaurants. There is no shame in it."

Nisreen and Faiza are university graduates, and their education armed them with the confidence to plan and execute their collective business ideas regardless of the challenges.

The two did not receive any financial support to launch their restaurant, Baytooty Restaurant, as Nisreen explains, "Financially, the project began with our savings. We tried to provide for the business on our own."

This project has allowed Nisreen and Faiza to learn more about this field and become financially independent, as well as be able to create jobs for other women. "It feels great to be an entrepreneur and self-sufficient," adds Nisreen.

In a conservative society like Yemen, it is hard to persuade a father or a mother to allow their daughters to work in a restaurant. They have several justifications for adopting such a stance. That was a prime challenge Faiza and Nisreen faced when preparing to open the restaurant.

"Finding female staff was challenging. No one was ready to let their daughter, sister, or wife work in a restaurant, Faiza tells The New Arab. "But they changed their position when they understood Nisreen and I were responsible for managing the restaurant."

An encouraging experience: Yasser Abdu's encounter at Bayooti restaurant

Yasser Abdu, a 40-year-old resident of Taiz City, told The New Arab it seemed "strange" when he entered Baytooti restaurant for the first time in January this year and found an all-female staff.

"I ordered lunch, which was brought to the table by a waitress wearing a long jacket. It was strange because I had not seen that in Taiz city before."

He added, "The food was delicious, and the restaurant looked neat. It has two separate sections for male and female customers. I don't know the female managers of this business, but I am proud of them."

Abdu considers the success of Faiza and Nisreen as an "encouraging example" for Yemeni women who want to open or run their food service facilities in Taiz province or elsewhere in Yemen.

Nawal Mohammed, a university student in Taiz, said the presence of this women-owned restaurant in Taiz city is "inspiring".

"It made me think about opening a cafe providing light meals, particularly a variety of fruit juice and sandwiches. The staff will be all women."

She added, "If women in Taiz or other Yemeni provinces have been successful doctors, nurses, and professors, they also can manage food service businesses. It is only the social norms that put limits on our abilities."

War's impact: How conflict drives women to become breadwinners

Yemen's civil war broke out in 2015, leading to multiple economic ordeals, particularly currency devaluation, rising inflation, and job loss.

Many of the casualties of the war were the breadwinners of their families. With their departure, households were left without a breadwinner, compelling women to bear new burdens and seek work to earn a living.

Huda Nasser, a 20-year-old high school graduate, has been working as a waitress in a restaurant in Sanaa since August last year. Her friends described her as "courageous" as this job in Yemen is dominated by men.

Huda admits that her family's financial conditions led her to accept the waitress job. 

"My father allowed me to work as a waitress in the Families Section in the restaurant, and this means the customers I serve are women with their husbands or brothers or children. I do not enter the section where only men are served."  

She added, "Social restrictions on women's work in restaurants are decades old. However, the war, along with the tough economic conditions, pushed women to accept jobs which were once considered hard or unsuitable."

Keeping a business afloat is a considerable challenge in a country beset by war and political instability for almost ten years.

Yemen's warring sides, the Iran-backed Houthi group and the Saudi-supported Yemeni government, have engaged in an economic war besides their military battles. This has created misery for civilians and formidable challenges for entrepreneurs.

Many businesses have ceased operations or relocated to other countries, escaping the unsafe environment and heavy taxation imposed by armed groups.

Despite the multiple hurdles businesses face in Yemen, Nisreen and Faiza try to overcome the difficulties their project is encountering.

"The price hikes, currency instability, and shortage of basic services such as electricity, water and cooking gas are among the major difficulties we are facing," Nisreen explains.

"But we do our best to tackle troubles facing our business and keep offering customers delicious meals."

Source: newarab.com

https://www.newarab.com/features/how-two-yemeni-women-are-revolutionising-taizs-food-scene

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Syrian star FaiaYounan graces the stage for World Culture, Ithra, Shaping Her Unique Musical Identity

May 17, 2024

DHAHRAN: Syrian star FaiaYounan graced the stage at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, Ithra, for the first of two evenings of music on Thursday.

Returning to the Ithra stage after almost a year, the singer-songwriter performed a medley of her most popular hits, some original songs and a few covers.

“Her music fuses modern arrangements, traditional instruments and lyrics based on classical literary poetry, shaping her unique musical identity,” Ithra said in a statement to Arab News.

At the opening night performance, Younan sang to a full house — almost every plush red seat at the IthraTheater was occupied.

After her first song, the singer asked the sound team to turn on the balcony lights so she could greet the audience.

“I am so excited to be back in the Kingdom. I would like the lights to be turned on so I could capture a visual snapshot of this beautiful crowd,” she told her fans to loud applause.

Younan included the audience by asking them to clap along to certain sections and encouraging them to join in when she repeated part of a song, telling them: “Those aching to sing along can do so with me.”

Throughout the performance, the band surrounded the singer like a frame, with the set lights changing colors behind her.

Younan thanked every musician who accompanied her on stage. The band was led by pianist Rayan Habe, followed by Mohamed Ben Salha on ney, Abdul Halim Al-Khatib on qanoun, YarubSamarait on violin, Walid Nassaer and Salman Baalbaki on percussion, and Julio Eid on bass guitar.

In an endearing moment, the heel of Younan’s shoe broke as she was belting out a lyric. But the singer completed the song without interruption, then elegantly removed her shoes and told the crowd that the accident was a blessing in disguise.

“Now, I can dance more easily to the next song, which will be Khaleeji,” she told the roaring crowd.

After singing many Arabic songs, Younan switched to Assyrian sounds, performing in one of the many ancient languages spoken in her native Syria.

The singer made history in 2015 when she became the first woman artist from the MENA region to crowdfund her debut single, “OhebbouYadayka.”

Younan has more than 1.3 million followers on Instagram and a huge fan base in the region.

Earlier this year, she was one of the winners of the Prince Abdullah bin Faisal Award for Arabic Poetry, in the best sung poem category, which earned her a prize of SR200,000 ($53,333).

“Mashallah, Faia managed to play a lot of her songs — and her singing live sounds a lot like the studio recording,” attendee Assiel Al-Shuail told Arab News at the end of the opening night.

The finale of Younan’s two-day show ends Friday, starting 8 p.m.

Source: arabnews.com

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2512181/saudi-arabia

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Columbia ProfessorAmraSabic-El-Rayess Says School Discriminated Against Her For Being Muslim

17 May 2024

NEW YORK — AmraSabic-El-Rayess is a genocide survivor, born and raised in Bosnia, where at least 100,000 people were killed. She was a teen when she lived under complete military siege, unable to go to school under the threat of bombs.

Bosnian Serb forces systematically executed as many as 8,000 Bosnian Muslim males in Srebrenica — the largest massacre in Europe since the Holocaust. Women and girls were systematically gang-raped and assaulted. Every day, civilians were tortured, starved and murdered.

In 1995, Sabic-El-Rayess received a scholarship to emigrate to the U.S. She graduated from Brown University and became the first Muslim president of the university’s alumni association in its 258-year history.

She earned her Ph.D. in Comparative and International Education at Columbia University and shortly thereafter joined as a lecturer for the university’s Teachers College. Since then, she has traveled the world to deliver presentations and talks on hate prevention and education. In 2021, President Joe Biden penned a letter to Sabic-El Rayess, telling her he was “inspired” by her “bravery and strength” and that she embodied the “very idea of America” after reading her memoir.

However, she believes it was not enough for the department heads at Columbia. In a lawsuit filed in federal court last month, Sabic-El-Rayess alleged that she was repeatedly denied the opportunity to become a tenured professor at the university’s Teachers College because of both her Muslim religion and her age.

“I survived the Bosnian genocide. I know what hate feels like. I know where hate can take a society. The one love that I had from America was that I wouldn’t be seen as someone who is the other,” she told HuffPost. “I was reminded that I was the other.”

A spokesperson for Columbia denied the claims raised in her lawsuit in a statement to HuffPost this week.

“Dr. AmraSabic-El-Rayess is a valued member of our TC community. We reject the claims made in Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess’s lawsuit and deny the allegations of discrimination. We will present our case in a court of law,” a spokesperson for Teachers College, Columbia, told HuffPost in an email.

After completing her master’s and doctorate degrees at Columbia in 2012, Sabic-El-Rayess was recruited to join Teachers College, the graduate school for education at Columbia, as a lecturer. For 10 years, she taught students and designed over 20 courses that focused on the prevention of violence targeting people due to their race, ethnicity or faith. In 2020, she launched an international interfaith research lab in which she researched, studied, and trained students and faculty alike on the dangers of bigotry and hate.

In an interview with HuffPost, Sabic-El-Rayess’ golden highlights framed her face as she folded her perfectly manicured hands. Her soft pink nails matched her lipstick as she sat up with her back straight. She spoke gracefully, rarely elevating her tone, recounting the pain she’s felt at her university.

She echoed criticisms that Columbia University has faced over the last month as protests wracked the campus and were met twice with police crackdowns — that one of the most prestigious universities in the world and the fifth-oldest university in the country fell painfully short of its commitment to antiracism and diversity.

“We live in one of the most diverse cities in the United States of America. We have students from all over the world. A big proportion of our students are international students. We have faculty members of all backgrounds,” said Sabic-El-Rayess. “But we have never had a tenured or tenure-track Teachers College faculty member who is Muslim. Why?”

Sabic-El-Rayess has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles, published two nonfiction books and wrote for news outlets including USA Today and Al Jazeera. She’s traveled the world to present her research, including the U.K., South Korea and Australia. Earlier this month, she returned from a trip from Oslo, Norway, where she spoke at a conference about the transnational impact of hate.

Her accomplishments did not go unnoticed. In addition to the note from Biden, her publications won several awards. She brought more than $10 million of research funding to Teachers College. The university beamed at her accomplishments, promoting and applauding her work publicly.

However, Sabic-El-Rayess was not tenured at Columbia, meaning her job was still at risk. Tenured professors are secured in their full-time employment, whereas lecturers are employed by contracts that need to be reviewed and approved by the administration after a set amount of years. Tenured professors also receive a slew of benefits, including higher pay and health care. Most notably, tenured professors have the security of academic freedom and scholarly independence without fear of being fired because of the nature of their work.

There are two ways for a professor to achieve tenure status: through a formal application or a target of opportunity hire, where an outstanding applicant is hired into the tenure track. Sabic-El-Rayess formally applied for tenure twice, beginning in December 2012.

During that process, she received what she said was an uncomfortable email from a colleague, according to the lawsuit. The hiring committee asked her colleague “about diversity,” he said in an email to her, according to the lawsuit. The colleague said that if she were brought up as Muslim, he would “communicate that to the search committee as one additional dimension of diversity.” She responded yes.

But the request spooked her. She taught courses about Islam and spoke about the dangers of her experience as a survivor of the Bosnia genocide in presentations and through her published works, but how well she taught or conducted research“had nothing to do with whether I’m a Muslim or not. And I knew it was wrong. But I was scared to say it was wrong. I was terrified.”

Weeks later, she learned she was rejected without a reason, according to the lawsuit. She applied again the following year, 2013, and told HuffPost she was denied again without explanation.

Columbia did not respond to HuffPost’s follow-up questions.

Frustrated, in 2014, Sabic-El-Rayess met with the then-department chair to ask how she could improve her chances of being promoted to a tenured professor. The chair acknowledged her accomplishments, she told HuffPost. But according to the suit, the chair told her that her Muslim identity makes it difficult for her to receive full support from the university.

In 2016, she became an associate professor, the highest non-tenure position she could attain. For years, as she noted in her lawsuit, she watched as the department promoted other tenured professors, none Muslim, and none she believed were as accomplished as her.

“The underlying message is clear,” she said. “As a Muslim, we don’t want you here in a capacity that is equal to non-Muslims.”

It wasn’t only the rejections. Sabic-El-Rayess said that over the years after her rejections, she faced unfair scrutiny over her courses about Muslims and Islam, with the review committee tasked with approving new courses and questioning the “relevance and importance” of one of her courses in 2018.

In another instance cited in the lawsuit, she notified leadership after a colleague tweeted that graduation caps “dangerously” resembled a fez, a traditional hat often worn by Muslim men. In 2021, one Muslim student was discouraged from taking her course, according to the lawsuit, with another professor telling her that her course “just says Islam is great and Muslims are not terrorists. You probably know more than the professor!”

Sabic-El-Rayess sent emails to the president and the interim provost at the time, which were reviewed by HuffPost. In these emails, she detailed what she said were her discriminatory experiences with staff, reiterated her accomplishments, and questioned the lack of support for a tenure-tracked position.

“I have been told because I am Muslim, I will never [be] supported for tenure at TC, and I have been asked, in writing, in the midst of a hiring practice if I’m a practicing Muslim,” she wrote in the April 2023 email to the interim provost reviewed by HuffPost.

“No meaningful action has ever been taken in my response to reporting anti-Muslim racism because, as I have come to realize through my experience, such prejudice is normalized and accepted at TC.”

She’s sent dozens of emails and met with various colleagues, peers and members of the administration, all of whom are listed in the lawsuit, all to no avail. Instead, the university reduced her salary last year, according to the lawsuit, in what she described as another form of retaliation for speaking out.

Columbia did not respond to HuffPost’s question about the salary reduction.

“No matter how hard I worked, no matter how much I gave of myself to the institution, to its people, to my colleagues, to the students, I was never from their perspective in terms of promotion and recognizing and respect, I was never equal,” she said.

She filed a $10 million lawsuit in the southern district of New York last month as a last resort. The university will respond to the lawsuit in June. Until then, she continues to teach on campus, motivated by the reason she began to teach in this field — a desire to see change and end discrimination.

“The institution is happy to parade me, this individual who has had a major contribution in terms of innovation and research and all of that. They’ve used my work to uplift themselves as the institution,” she said. “But the message internally to me has always been clear. No matter what you accomplish, you will never open that door. You will never walk through that door.”

Source: uk.news.yahoo.com

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/columbia-professor-says-school-discriminated-154434946.html

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URL:   https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/saudi-arabia-historic-swimwear-fashion/d/132342


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