Saudi Women Tackling, Kicking Their Way Into Football; 1,100 Female Football Players Registered With Saudi Clubs
New Age
Islam News Bureau
02 May
2024
·
Saudi Women Tackling, Kicking
Their Way Into Football; 1,100 Female Football Players Registered With Saudi
Clubs
·
Sarah Agha, An Irish Palestinian
Actress Launches Podcast Focusing On Palestine
·
Aafia Siddiqui's Defense Attorney
in Kabul to Gather Evidence
·
Women’s Presence Increases by 17%
in Media: Afghan Journalists Safety Committee
·
Afghan Activist Who Was 'Erased' By
Taliban Reveals How Women Are 'Suffering' In Iran
·
BJP Ropes In Muslim Women To
Garner Support For Candidates
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/saudi-football-female-clubs/d/132253
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Saudi
Women Tackling, Kicking Their Way Into Football; 1,100 Female Football Players
Registered With Saudi Clubs
Sara Khalid is one of the Kingdom’s star female
football players. (Instagram/@sara. khalidgk)
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May
03, 2024
NADA
ALTURKI
RIYADH:
Women are finding new territories in various industries as the Kingdom sets
diversity and inclusion goals, and football is no different.
There
are currently 1,100 female football players registered with Saudi clubs through
the leagues, three regional training centers, and four active national teams.
Today,
the Women’s Football Department focuses on various areas of grassroots
development, like five upcoming local competitions including the Premier
League.
The
head of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s Women’s Football Department,
Aalia Al-Rasheed, told Arab News: “Today, we’re witnessing with Vision 2030 a
whole transformation when it comes to the country in general. The Ministry of
Sports reported a 150 percent increase in women’s participation (since 2015).
The game is growing everyday."
Al-Awwal
Park Stadium lit up with fireworks Sunday night as Al-Nassr were crowned
champions against Al-Ittihad, ending their season on a high with a 1-0
victory.
As
the 2023-2024 Premier League concludes, the spirit of celebration still lingers
in the air. Female trailblazers in the football sector came together on Monday
to champion the incredible women of the Kingdom who are breaking boundaries in
the realm of football at Hiwar, PepsiCo’s signature annual event for women
empowerment.
In
the 2024 Hiwar, hosted in collaboration with the SAFF’s Women’s League,
industry drivers spoke about their experiences in pushing the boundaries of
women inclusion in the sport, during a panel discussion that evening moderated
by Mo Islam, featuring Al-Rasheed alongside Al-Nassr’s goalkeeper Sara Khalid,
Al-Ittihad’s women’s team head coach Kelly Lindsey, and PepsiCo.’s senior marketing
manager, Anfal Al-Duhilan.
Khalid,
one of the Kingdom’s star female football players, reflected on her team’s
first-ever international victory last year, winning the premier league twice in
a row, and her current, vivid reality in leading the industry into
international territory.
But
when Khalid left her day job to pursue a football career, she knew she had an
example to set and responsibility on her back.
She
told Arab News: “Today, I can say I’m one of the first players to represent the
national team and my country on an international level, and now with us winning
the league and participating in the AFC champion’s league, it’s definitely a
huge weight on my shoulders.
“Every
decision I have to make must be made thoughtfully and in consideration of
everything else, and to always inspire and be inspired by the people around
me.”
As
a coach, Lindsey said the top struggle is creating equilibrium within a team.
Her coaching approach blends physical preparation with cultural understanding,
acknowledging the importance of nutrition, sports psychology, and family values
within Saudi leagues.
While
some Al-Ittihad team members struggled to even pass the ball five times just
last summer, they have now managed to compete in the first level of the Saudi football
pyramid.
She
commended Saudi Arabia’s massive investment into women’s sports, with the SAFF
allocating SR49.9 million ($13 million) to women’s football cross-country
programs just last year.
Lindsey
told Arab News: “By investing in sports, women are not only out in society,
they are front and center for everyone to watch, judge, and support.
“The
dialogue will change about everything that needs to happen around them so that
more women can do their passion, live their passion in work and music and art
and culture and sport. It will create a natural dialogue and a push for more
infrastructure for women to succeed.”
Last
October, this support was bolstered even further as PepsiCo. and the SAFF
announced that the multinational’s subsidiary, Lay’s potato chips, will sponsor
the 2023-24 Saudi Women’s Premier League.
“Our
sponsorship is in alignment with the company’s vision, which is to basically
drive diversity and inclusion, aligning with the Saudi 2030 Vision. We wanted
to make a difference and really give every single Saudi female the opportunity
to pursue her dreams in any field and to continue empowering and supporting
them,” said Al-Duhilan.
Source:
arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2503666/saudi-football
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Sarah
Agha, An Irish Palestinian Actress Launches Podcast Focusing On Palestine
Sarah Agha is an Irish Palestinian actress and
writer. (Supplied)
-----
May
03, 2024
DUBAI:
The Arab Film Club, a monthly gathering in London celebrating Arab cinema,
launched a podcast on May 1.
Spearheaded
by the club’s founder, Sarah Agha, an Irish Palestinian actress and writer, the
inaugural five-episode season of the interview-based podcast will focus on
Palestinian filmmakers and cinema’s role in cultural resistance.
The
debut episode features Darin J. Sallam, director of “Farha,” Jordan’s Oscars
entry in 2022. In other episodes, Agha interviews Lina Soualem, (“Bye
ByeTiberias”), Ameen Nayfeh (“200 Metres”) Annemarie Jacir (“Wajib”) and Farah Nabulsi
(“The Teacher”).
Agha
told Arab News, “It is so urgent right now to do anything and everything we can
to keep talking about Palestine. So I thought, ‘Why not do some interviews with
some of my favorite Palestinian directors and put them online so everyone can
listen to them?”
Reflecting
on Sallam’s episode, Agha highlighted the transformative potential of cinema. “She
is linking educational talks with her film, and I do believe her film is like a
tool of change,” the presenter said.
Agha
said she found Soualem’s documentary particularly intriguing, due to its
departure from the scripted films typically showcased at the Arab Film
Club.
“I
wanted to make an exception for Soualem’s film because it’s another portrayal
of the Nakba, but in very different terrains — like, totally different,” she
explained. “My father is from Tiberias, so I was also attracted to it for that
reason.”
Agha
believes her podcast is launching at a time when Palestinians are being
censored in the arts.
“There’s
been a lot of cancellations of events to do with Palestine and Palestinian
narratives,” she said. “So I think the best thing that we can do is not succumb
to hopelessness. The fact that they’re trying to silence voices means those
voices are significant. You don’t silence something that’s irrelevant. For example, the
fact that the Israeli government tried to pressure Netflix into removing
Darin’s film shows that it’s important.”
Agha
hopes the podcast will appeal to a diverse audience, including non-Arabs.
“That,
for me, is a really big thing. If we just talk to ourselves all the time, we
won’t really get any further with reaching a wider audience,” she said.
Source:
arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2503846/lifestyle
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Aafia
Siddiqui's Defense Attorney in Kabul to Gather Evidence
02
MAY 2024
A
defense lawyer for Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani national currently detained in the
US, has come to Kabul and said in a press conference that his visit is to
gather evidence for Siddiqui's case.
Clive
Stafford Smith, Siddiqui's defense attorney, also said in a press conference in
Kabul that he has two witnesses from the Ghazni province who prove that
Siddiqui was unjustly arrested in Ghazni in 2008.
Aafia
Siddiqui is a Pakistani woman who immigrated to the United States in 1990 and
disappeared in 2003 while visiting her family in Karachi, Pakistan; however,
five years later, she was arrested in Ghazni on charges of carrying explosives
and transferred to America.
Smith,
a British-American defense attorney for Aafia Siddiqui, said: “I want to begin
by thanking the government of your country for their immense help that they
have given us on working to get justice for Aafia Siddiqui, and the purpose of
this press conference from my perspective is to solicit your help and the help
of the people who watched and listen and read your media, and to get justice
for Aafia Siddiqui and her family.”
Reportedly,
Aafia Siddiqui was arrested in 2008 on charges of carrying explosives and
attempting to kill an American soldier in Ghazni.
Mohammad
Ajmal, a resident of Ghazni who witnessed Siddiqui's arrest in 2008, said that
she did not have any materials with her at the time of arrest.
"Her
scarf fell off twice and her face became visible. They saw that she had nothing
on her, and they grabbed her by the arms and legs and threw her into the Ranger
in a way that no one would even treat an animal," said Mohammad Ajmal.
Malang,
a former detainee at Guantanamo, said about this incident: "When we saw
the men arresting her, we were upset. She is a woman and a female soldier
should come and arrest her."
Aafia
Siddiqui, a Pakistani neurologist, is now being held in Texas, in the United
States.
The
United States said that one of Siddiqui's family members was involved in the
September 11, 2001 attack and that she is also accused of being an Al-Qaeda
operative.
Aafia
Siddiqui was sentenced in 2010 to 86 years in prison in the United States and
is currently serving her sentence at the Federal Medical Center, Carswell, in
Fort Worth, Texas.
Source:
tolonews.com
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-188605
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Women’s
Presence Increases by 17% in Media: Afghan Journalists Safety Committee
02
MAY 2024
On
the eve of World Press Freedom Day, the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee
(AJSC) in a program in Kabul said that the presence of women in the media has
increased by 17% compared to last year.
Abdul
QadimWyar, the head of the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, also expressed
concerns over challenges facing journalists and asked the Islamic Emirate to
seriously address these challenges.
According
to the findings of this organization, the number of male employees in the country's
media has also increased by 10%.
Abdul
QadimWyar said: “Problems still exist, and journalists from various
institutions are being arrested, which means that they are not respected by the
Islamic Emirate to the extent that they should be.”
"Please
protect the girls who are currently working in the information sector because
they are the ones who have the experience and have worked," said Farahnaz
Fariborz, a journalist.
Meanwhile,
The spokesman for the Interior Ministry, Abdul MatinQani, who was present in
the program, assured further cooperation with the media.
Qani
said: "The Islamic Emirate is committed to freedom of expression within
the framework of Islamic values, national interests, and the cultural values of
the country, and we try to fully provide the right of access to
information."
"We
and you are a very strong force and we can make a difference, thus our duty and
yours as a journalist dictates that we must work for the survival of
Afghanistan," said HafizullahBarakzai, head of the Afghan Journalists
Union.
At
the same time, officials from some media outlets again emphasized that all
challenges faced by journalists in the country must be addressed. They have
asked the interim government to ratify the media law as soon as possible.
Zabihullah
Sadat, the head of TOLOnews, said, "Some media are currently facing
economic problems, and if this situation continues, their doors may close, and
a number of our professional colleagues may lose their jobs."
"Our
request is that they provide us with information in a timely manner, it is the
right of the media," said Najibullah Anwarzai, the managing director of
Shamshad TV.
In
the program, some members of the Afghan Journalists Union spoke about creating
a fund to cooperate with journalists who are in bad economic conditions,
emphasizing that the establishment of this fund will solve some of the economic
challenges faced by journalists.
Source:
tolonews.com
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/attack-mediajournalists-188608
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Afghan
Activist Who Was 'Erased' By Taliban Reveals How Women Are 'Suffering' In Iran
3
May 2024
A
young women's rights activist from Afghanistan recently left the country and
travelled to Iran.
Women
in both countries have few rights - but the activist told Sky News that when
she arrived she saw a massive difference between the two places.
That
was until Iranian women revealed how they suffered under the Islamic Republic's
regime.
We
are keeping the activist anonymous to protect her safety. This is her story:
Almost
three years of living in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime has systemically
erased me and my fellow Afghan women from public life.
During
this time, I struggled with deep depression and mental health crises, like
countless women in the country.
There
was no hope my situation would improve so my brother urged me to go travelling
with him.
For
most of people in Afghanistan, there are two countries we can travel to -
Pakistan and Iran.
But
because I'm a women's rights activist and there has been a women's revolution
in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini, I chose to go to Iran.
In
the first days of our arrival, I could see women everywhere - in the streets,
schools, universities, parks, restaurants - free to wear and do what they want
at any time.
One
day, I went to a beauty salon in the Mashhad area of Iran.
When
I entered, there was a woman who just entered the salon before me. She was
crying and all the women in the salon were welcoming her with tears and open
hugs.
Waiting
for my turn, I got more information about Sapideh. She was a well-known client
of the salon for years.
She
had lost her father recently - her only parent - and had been at home
overcoming her grief and loss. It sounded like she didn't have any other family
or friends to support her in this difficult time.
The
ladies in the beauty salon listened to her words and cries and everyone did
their best to comfort her.
When
I was leaving, I could see that three women were working on her face, hair, and
nails. She had stopped crying.
In
Afghanistan, beauty salons - the small spaces that allow women to help and
support each other - are all closed.
On
my way to the hotel, I saw women driving, or women without hijab who were free
- and my mind could only think of Afghan women.
Because
we are used to it, we don't know that our rights and our freedoms have been
stolen from us.
During
those first days, I was constantly comparing our situation with Iranian women -
I couldn't find any similarity between our struggles, even though both
countries can be described as having gender apartheid regimes.
In
Afghanistan, women are fighting for basic human rights that we are denied, but
Iranian women already appear to have them all.
Iranian
women are suffering but I wasn't able to see that as I am one of the millions
of Afghan women who are subject to suffering, oppression, and pain.
Meeting
Tranom, a young Iranian teenager, in the bathroom of a shopping mall, changed
my mind.
Tranom,
who was 16, had short purple hair, no hijab, and was wearing a T-shirt and
jeans. She told me that when she had a proper hijab, she had been arrested
three times.
"It
was too bad for a woman to be arrested in my society but now I'm not scared
anymore. I wear what I want," she said.
When
I was in Tehran, I met Zari, a construction engineering student.
We
discussed my first impressions of Iran. Zari said that the regime is mostly
targeting the young generation of Iranians.
Areas
that have more young people also have more trouble and tensions.
"You
might have not seen the vans of Gasht-a Ershad, the Iranian morality police, in
other areas but you can see one of them in [the] neighbourhood where the
university is located and the parks where female and male students go,"
said Zari.
Young
Iranian women, especially students, are oppressed every day under the pretext
that their hijab is not worn correctly, I learned from Zari.
When
I travelled with my brother to Kish Island, in southern Iran, I met Fatima, a
teacher who was there with her daughter and husband.
She
spoke about a deep mental health crisis and depression among Iranian women.
While
we were sitting on the beach of the Persian Gulf, she asked me to watch each
woman who was passing in front of us.
She
told me that Kish Island is one of the most expensive places in the country -
many Iranians dream of visiting. The people here are the wealthy of Iran, she
says.
"When
you are looking at women, you see they wear expensive clothes and they have
plastic surgery and sometimes heavy make-up," said Fatima.
"But
none of them are happy because they have been oppressed by the regime. Because
they are not free."
"The
fear from the morality police [is that they] never leave them alone. They all
are aware of countless young women who have been arrested under the hijab
pretext, and they have been raped, tortured, killed and disappeared. We all are
alive but we are not living."
Gender
apartheid must be codified as a crime against humanity - let all Afghan and
Iranian women live free.
Source:
sky.com
https://news.sky.com/story/afghan-activist-who-was-erased-by-taliban-reveals-how-women-are-suffering-in-iran-13127466
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BJP
ropes in Muslim women to garner support for candidates
May
3, 2024
Prayagraj:
With INDIA bloc and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) locked over Muslims votes ahead
of parliamentary polls, the BJP minority morcha on Thursday launched campaign
to connect with people of the community in Muslim dominated areas of Allahabad
and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats.
Allahabad
goes to vote on May 25 in phase 6 of seven-phased polls.
“Minority
morcha leadership has formed teams of 10-15 women workers to approach eligible
voters in Muslim dominated pockets to garner support for party candidates,”
senior BJP leader Haider Abbas told TOI.
The
teams are also making efforts to reach out to beneficiaries from the community.
The
party had recently got a boost when scores of Muslims, including members of
prabudhvarg (elite class)/ families, had joined the party.
“Apart
from campaigning for candidates, we are also focusing to increase the vote
percentage with an objective that party could get more votes at all booths,” he
said.
Abbas
added: “We are also forming teams of party’s Muslim women activists in urban
pockets like Dariyabad, Kareli, Teliyarganj, and Bamrauli who would be visiting
Muslim houses seek votes.”
Another
senior leader Mujtaba Hasan said: “The party has intensified campaign in both
Allahabad and Phulpur parliamentary seats and is making efforts to reach every
eligible voter in Muslim dominated pockets like Phaphamau, Allahabad West,
Phulpur and Soraon areas.”
We
also published the following articles recently
Nominations
for Phulpur, Allahabad from todayPrayagraj gears up for Lok Sabha nominations.
DEO Navneet Singh Chahal oversees the process, with nominations from 11 am to 3
pm. Separate filing locations for Phulpur and Allahabad seats. Nomination
period: April 29 to May 6, except May 5.109676266
Muslim
leaders upset as no Muslim candidate from the Congress in MaharashtraMuslim
leaders in Maharashtra express disappointment as Congress fails to nominate any
Muslim candidates for Lok Sabha elections. Community feels let down and hopes
for future compensation from the party.109640947
Maulanas
urge Muslims to vote for BJP and its allies in AssamAssammaulanas call for
Muslim support to BJP, AGP, UPPL in Lok Sabha elections. Ataur Rahman Kasimi
urges to defeat AIUDF's Ajmal. Focus on welfare schemes and development under
Narendra Modi's leadership.109674699
Source:
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/allahabad/bjp-ropes-in-muslim-women-to-garner-support-for-candidates/articleshow/109797894.cms
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/saudi-football-female-clubs/d/132253