Ticket To Ride As Saudi Women Prepare To Drive High-Speed Haramain Train that Links The Holy Cities of Makkah and Madinah
New
Age Islam News Bureau
03
January 2022
• Afghan
Woman Freezes To Death Near Turkey-Iran Border
• Islamic
Emirate Of Afghanistan Close Women Baths In Northern Afghanistan
• 'Bulli
Bai Came Post Narsinghanand Campaign': Hyderabad Muslim Woman Alerts Cops
• China
Donates Study Centre For Balochistan Women At SKB University
• Victims
Turned Activists: Iraqi Women Battle Abuse
• Delight
For Saudi Women’s Team After Finishing Second At 2021 Arab Weightlifting
Championship In Iraq
• Najd
Crowned Women’s Handball Champions
• The
Entrepreneur Helping Middle Eastern Women Enter The Digital Economy
• Young
Activists Combat Stereotypes To Prevent Violence Against Women In Azerbaijan
• Pakistan’s
Balochistan Most Neglected Province In Terms Of Girls Education
• Campedelli
Named Iran’s Women’s Volleyball Coach
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/saudi-haramain-train-makkah-madinah/d/126088
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Ticket To Ride As Saudi Women Prepare To Drive High-Speed Haramain Train that Links The Holy Cities of Makkah and Madinah
In
this screen grab from a video posted on the Saudi Railway Polytechnic's Twitter
account, a young Saudi woman undergoes training in the Haramain Express Train
Leaders program. (Credit: @SRP_KSA video)
------
January
03, 2022
RIYADH:
Saudi women could soon be driving the Kingdom’s Haramain express train, the
high-speed service that links the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, and is
expected to carry up to 60 million passengers a year.
The
Saudi Railway Polytechnic announced on Sunday that it has opened registration
for Saudi women to train in the Haramain Express Train Leaders program.
Female
graduates will work together with male counterparts who have graduated from
previous programs.
Registration
for the program, which lasts for a year and ensures a position with Renfe KSA —
one of the companies operating the high-speed train project — is open until
Jan. 13 through the polytechnic’s website.
Abdul
Aziz Al-Sugair, SRP general manager, said the training program will begin on
Feb. 15 in Jeddah, and includes practical training at work sites linked to the
rail project.
Saudi
women will help meet the need for more qualified drivers following high demand
for the Haramain service, he added.
Trainees
will receives a monthly SR4,000 ($1,065) bonus during the training period, and
will be registered in the social insurance scheme as an employee under
training. After graduating, women will receive a monthly salary of up to
SR8,000.
“The
daughters of the homeland constitute an important component of the fabric of
young national talents worthy of localization, as they will contribute to the
advancement of the railway industry and its sustainability. Their excellence
will also contribute to raising efficiency and quality of services, and
achieving the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 by transforming Saudi Arabia into a global
logistical center,” Al-Sugair said.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1997096/saudi-arabia
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Afghan
Woman Freezes To Death Near Turkey-Iran Border
An
Afghan woman froze to death in an Iranian village close to the Turkish border
while trying to enter Turkey illegally with her two children on Jan. 1.
-----
January
03 2022
An
Afghan woman froze to death in an Iranian village close to the Turkish border
while trying to enter Turkey illegally with her two children on Jan. 1.
Footage
taken by villagers showed that the feet of the woman were wrapped with plastic
bags, and the hands of the surviving children were covered in their mother’s
socks.
The
shocking incident took place in the village of Belasur in Iran.
An
unnamed Afghan woman tried to enter Turkey with her two children, ages 8 and 9.
But she succumbed to the freezing cold and died.
Residents
found the two children and the body of their mother. It was seen that the
mother had given her socks to protect her children’s hands from the cold and
covered her own feet with plastic bags.
The
eastern province of Van’s governor’s office made a statement about the sad
incident.
“On
Jan. 1, some social media accounts shared photos of a mother with two children
trying to cross the border, where the mother froze to death, but her children
survived by taking shelter in a village,” the statement said.
“There
was no incident reported to Turkish law enforcement units. After a deep
investigation, it has been determined that this sad event did not take place in
our [Turkish] soil,” it added.
Residents
of Belasur handed the children to Iranian soldiers safely.
According
to the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR), Afghans make up one of the largest refugee
populations worldwide.
There
are 2.6 million registered Afghan refugees in the world, of whom 2.2 million
are registered in Iran and Pakistan alone. Another 3.5 million people are
internally displaced, having fled their homes searching for refuge within the
country.
On
Aug. 20, 2021, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that Turkey is
hosting around 300,000 documented and undocumented Afghan refugees, adding
Ankara has been putting in the necessary effort for Afghanistan’s development
and will continue to do so.
Source:
Hurriyet Daily News
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/afghan-woman-freezes-to-death-near-turkey-iran-border-170522
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Islamic
Emirate Of Afghanistan Close Women Baths In Northern Afghanistan
03
Jan 2022
As
the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is taking root across the country, their
restrictions especially on women have begun.
Local
officials of the IEA in northern Balkh-bordering Uzbekistan- province have
announced the closure of all general baths of women.
The
decision was made unanimously by religious scholars and provincial officials of
the directorate of promotion of virtue and prevention of vice in the province.
Based
on the new decision, women can only take showers in private baths while
observing Islamic hijab, not in general baths.
The
Head of the directorate of promotion of virtue and prevention of vice in Balkh
province said that the decision was made after consultations with religious
scholars (Ulama).
“Since
people do not access modern baths at home, men are allowed to go to general
baths but women are supposed to go to private baths while observing hijab.”
Said the head of the directorate.
In
the meantime, boys under age are also banned from general baths and body
massage is also banned in the baths.
Earlier,
local officials in western Herat province temporarily closed general baths of
women.
It is
worth mentioning that, ministry of promotion of virtue and prevention of vice
has restricted women’s travel to 45 miles across the country and drivers are
recommended not to seat two women in the front seat of their cars.
Source:
Khaama Press
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-close-women-baths-in-northern-afghanistan/
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'Bulli
Bai Came Post Narsinghanand Campaign': Hyderabad Muslim Woman Alerts Cops
NIKHILA
HENRY
03
Jan 2022
For
Khalida Parveen, a 67-year-old Muslim woman and activist from Hyderabad, Bulli
Bai app featuring her name, Twitter handle, and photograph did not come as a
surprise.
"They
targeted vocal Muslim women. It is not a coincidence that my name figured in
the list a day after I campaigned on Twitter for the arrest of Narsinghanand,"
she said.
Parveen
and Ayesha Minhaz, a Hyderabad-based journalist and Muslim woman, are expected
to file complaints against the app and its users with the city police's
Cybercrimes Wing on Monday, 3 January.
Parveen
had campaigned against Narsinghanand Saraswati, a self-styled godman, who had
made incendiary speeches against Muslims in a conclave organised by the Hindu
right-wing in Haridwar, between 17 and 19 December 2021.
'App
Targets Vocal Muslim Women'
Parveen,
who is popularly known as Khalida apa (sister) in the Hyderabad activist
circles, has been a human rights activist for close to four decades. She said
that Bulli Bai app specifically targets vocal Muslim women, who have found
their voice. "Muslim women of Shaheen Bagh, who left their home to sit on
a dharna for months together, showed the country that Muslim women are a force
to be reckoned with. For the right wing, such women are threats, be it online
or on ground," Parveen told The Quint, while she was on her way to file
the police complaint.
The
67-year-old's name figured in the auction list on 2 January, a day after the
app was launched on 1 January. "I had extended my solidarity to women who
were already on the list when my name, too, appeared. It did not come as a
shock because I realised that they targeted Muslim women activists and those
who have a voice on social media," Parveen said.
Mihanz
had tweeted, "The unfortunate reality of being a Muslim woman in India is
that I have prepared myself for far worse. No amount of caution will spare us
till we overthrow fascists."
Parveen
insisted that Bulli Bai targeted women who have vociferously criticised the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre. Among those targeted are
women who have criticised the Haridwar conclave where Hindu 'godmen' reportedly
called for violence against Muslims in the country.
"They
(the accused) have realised that Muslim women will not go back home till they
achieve success. So they want to silence such women," Parveen said.
Her
campaign against Narsinghanand Saraswati had got traction online, she added.
"Bulli Bai appeared soon after several Muslim women, men and other
activists spearheaded an online campaign against Narsinghanand. The app was
meant to divert attention from this campaign."
Parveen
has decided to include this aspect of the case in her complaint to the
Hyderabad police.
‘I Am
Not Ashamed’
The
seasoned activist said that the 'auction' has not deterred her resolve. "I
am not ashamed because my photo appeared on that app. The ones who put up the
photo there should be ashamed," she said.
Parveen
said that since the app targeted both young and older Muslim women, it is safe
to assume that the perpetrators want all Muslim women to be silenced.
"They are scared even of the older Muslim women like me," she said.
When
Hyderabad-based activists lead the cybercrime police to her plight, the
officials acted promptly, she said. "The Hyderabad police reached out to
me on Twitter and asked me to approach them without any hesitation. The
response has been good so far. I hope the investigation nails the
culprits."
Source:
The Quint
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China
donates Study Centre for Balochistan women at SKB University
By
Mian Abrar
January
2, 2022
QUETTA:
Governor of Balochistan Syed Zahoor Ahmed Agha inaugurated China Study Centre
(CSC) at Sardar Bahadur Khan Women’s University (SKBWU) Balochistan, according
to a report published by Gwadar Pro.
Mr.
Li Bijian, Chinese Counsel General in Karachi, spoke online on the occasion and
highlighted a decades-old friendship between the two neighbouring countries who
have always stood side by side. Chinese Consulate General in Karachi funds the
CSC at Women’s University.
“The
establishment of CSC for female students of SKBWU by the Chinese Embassy is a
sign of deep friendship between Pakistan and China,” said Syed Zahoor Agha who
was chief guest on the occasion.
“China
has stood by Pakistan in every difficulty and we are thankful to the Government
of China and the Chinese people for their kindness,” Mr. Agha added.
According
to the governor of Balochistan, China has undoubtedly progressed in a very
short time; “we must follow in the Chinese footsteps towards economic
prosperity and development.
CSC
will provide an opportunity to our students to reach Chinese culture,” he said,
adding “In order to further strengthen Pak-China relations, it is important
that Chinese students also learn Urdu”.
The
Governor lauded the role of SKBWU which is a great facility of “modern
knowledge and research” for female students of Balochistan.
Dr.
Naheed Haq, Pro Vice Chancellor of SKBWU, said CSC will promote research on
Pak-China relations and will stimulate the study of Chines language, history
and culture.
“The
center can also help further promote people-to-people contact between the two
countries,” she added.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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Victims
turned activists: Iraqi women battle abuse
January
03, 2022
BAGHDAD:
After a day’s work in an Iraq public sector job, Azhar offers legal support to
women who are victims of domestic abuse, something she knows well given her
experience with a brutal husband.
After
she was forced into marriage by family pressure, Azhar, 56, battled in court
for almost a decade to divorce the man who would beat her up.
“I
believed I was going to die,” she said, recalling one attack and showing
pictures of purple bruises on her arms and legs.
“That
was the moment when I decided to break my chains.”
She
eventually won her freedom, and the ordeal prompted her to study law.
“I
felt I was weak in the face of the justice system,” recalled Azhar, who heads a
non-government organization that offers legal support to victims of violence
and is part of the Iraqi Women’s Network coalition.
“I
help any woman who is a victim of violence or in need of legal aid, so that
these women become aware of their rights and can defend themselves,” she said.
From
marriage of minors to economic coercion, feminists and lawyers struggle to
defend the rights of women in the overwhelmingly patriarchal country.
They
cite regressive laws and the indifference of authorities as key obstacles.
In a
country of 40 million, about 17,000 complaints of domestic violence were
registered in 2021 by the interior ministry’s family protection unit, said
media official General Saad Maan.
The
marriage of minors is on the rise in Iraq, according to a government survey.
For
females under 18 it jumped to 25.5 percent last year, up from 21.7 percent in
2011.
Azhar,
who did not wish her surname to be published for security reasons, was around
20 when she first got married.
But
she was soon widowed and forced again into marriage seven years later.
She
eventually left her abusive second husband with her eight children and filed
for divorce.
The
first judge knew the man and rejected the request, despite three medical
certificates proving her injuries, she said.
“’I
will not break up families on the basis of certificates’,” she recalled the
judge telling her.
“’So
what if a man beats his wife?’,” she quoted him as saying.
In
cases of domestic abuse, judges often push for “reconciliation,” said the head
of the family protection unit, Brig. Ali Mohamed.
But
“it is the victim who pays the price,” said Hanaa Edwar who heads the Al-Amal
organization and has worked for 50 years as a rights defender.
“The
justice system’s considerations for affairs involving women is much weaker than
the machismo that dominates the minds of judges.”
Iraq
has no specific law dealing with violence against women, and the 1969 penal
code contains an article that allows rapists to escape punishment if they agree
to marry their victims.
Rights
groups are seeking parliament’s endorsement of a draft law on domestic abuse,
but it has been blocked by Islamist parties since 2010.
A key
provision of the bill is the creation of shelters for victims of domestic
violence, said lawyer Marwa Eleoui.
\Mobilizing
public opinion is often the only way to make headway and score the smallest of
victories in Iraq, as in the case of Mariam, 16.
The
teenager was disfigured by a man who broke into her home and sprayed her with
acid, after her family spurned his offer of marriage, media quoted her parents
as saying.
Mariam’s
story drew sympathy nationwide when it was reported by Iraqi media in December,
seven months after the acid attack.
Authorities
say two suspects have been arrested over the assault.
“If
it weren’t for media pressure, Mariam’s case would have taken two years before
it went to court,” said Eleoui.
In
the northern province of Kirkuk, Lina was among the young women for whom the
Al-Amal organization became a critical lifeline.
At
just 13 years of age, she was married off against her will to a man she said
was violent.
“I
was 25 when I told myself I’d had enough,” she said. “He would beat me up in a
way I cannot describe.”
When
she complained, her husband — and her father — tried to obtain a certificate
from a doctor saying she was mentally unstable, eager to avoid a social
scandal.
“The
doctor saw the bruises and put me in contact with the association,” said Lina,
who uses a pseudonym, fearing for her safety.
Now
she works with Al-Amal and makes house calls to tell women about their rights.
“Leaving
the courtroom after I got my divorce was like leaving a prison,” she said.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1997076/middle-east
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Delight
for Saudi women’s team after finishing second at 2021 Arab Weightlifting
Championship in Iraq
January
03, 2022
The
coach of the Saudi women’s national team Rania Bahloul has expressed her
delight with the senior team’s second-place finish at the 2021 Arab
Weightlifting Championship, which ended in Irbil, Iraq on Dec 31.
The
Saudi girls' team also finished third in the junior and youth category.
“I am
happy with what was achieved after we intensified the training in order to have
a team that represents the Kingdom well, especially as we benefited from our
experience in the international weightlifting championship that was held in
Jeddah months ago,” Bahloul said.
The
Saudi women’s success follows that of the men’s team from the Kingdom, who were
crowned champions in the senior category and runner-up for the junior and youth
category at the same championship.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1997206/sport
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Najd
crowned women’s handball champions
January
01, 2022
RIYADH:
Najd have won the first women’s handball championship cup organized by the
Saudi Handball Federation at Dar Al-Uloom University Hall in Riyadh.
The
teams were Najd, with Jeddah Hands and Al-Majd in the first group, and Najd
Al-Mustaqbal, Elite and Al-Himma making up the second group.
Opening
the tournament, the women of Najd showed their strength and determination to
win the title early, beating Jeddah Hands a 4-11.
Jeddah
Hands player Alaa Sindi said she underwent intensive training with her team in
preparation for the launch of the first women's league in the Kingdom for the
game.
And
she said she joined referee courses and participated as a goalkeeper and a
referee at the same time in the tournament that concluded in Riyadh.
"With
my team, Jeddah Hands, I played this tournament as a goalkeeper," she
said. "I followed many training courses in goalkeeping as well as referee
courses. I was hoping that we would win the championship. In Riyadh, we
competed with five other teams from Jeddah and Riyadh."
She
said she was relatively new to the game, but said loved it a lot, adding that
she was not put off by the roughness of the sport.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1996326/sport
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The
entrepreneur helping Middle Eastern women enter the digital economy
January
03, 2022
DUBAI
— Mona Ataya, a Palestinian-Lebanese entrepreneur based in the United Arab
Emirates, runs the largest online marketplace for mothers in the Middle East.
In recognition of her achievements, she has been chosen as one of the six
eTrade for Women Advocates for 2021-2022, by the UN trade agency, UNCTAD.
Ms.
Ataya is the founding partner and CEO of Mumzworld, and has been on the Board
of Directors of the Dubai Chamber for Digital Economy since 2011. In a
conversation with May Yaccoub from UN News, she shared the challenges faced by
businesswomen in the Middle East, and why she is committed to supporting them.
“I
have been working in the digital economy in the MENA Region for the last two
decades, and I have seen how it has gone through some revolutionary changes.
The digitalization of the global economy is core to the way the world is
moving, but women remain very underserved, and we need to bring more of them on
board.
UNCTAD’s
eTrade for Women is doing just that: it's helping women by providing the
information and resources that allow us women to have our voices heard and our
contributions felt.
I’m
looking forward to using my new role as a mentor, and sharing my knowledge,
skills, and successes with other women in the region, as well as creating
tools, information, and resources for them to tap into.
I
started my corporate career outside the Middle East, and I used those years to
build the skillset that would allow me to return home to the region, and
leverage what I have learned to build businesses in this part of the world and
create value.
Mumzworld
was built in 2011 to support women in the Arab world and help them to make
informed decisions for their families. Before, access to products for them was
limited, prices were very high, and an online community for mothers to tap into
did not exist. We set out to solve these problems, and built up a business that
reaches the homes of more than 2.5 million mothers, with the largest offer of
quality products in the region, and which has become the go-to destination for
global brands that want to reach Middle Eastern consumers.
Today
we have over 350 staff, with over 6,000 brands and more than 300,000 products
for sale on the website: a successful, homegrown business that has become a
gold standard, and has created momentum for other women to succeed and create
more jobs in the region.
The
e-commerce industry in the Middle East is heavily male-dominated, from
suppliers, to delivery companies and financiers. For a woman operating in this
space, this can be a big challenge: you have to use your unique skills and abilities
to manoeuvre through the corporate maze and succeed.
The
good news is that, when women do succeed and build scalable businesses, we give
other women the courage to also come in and start their own ventures.
I
have been helped by the fact that my husband and three teenage sons are very
understanding. Their support has been instrumental in my success, because an
entrepreneur has to compromise, sacrifice time and give a tremendous amount of
effort, financial risk and compromise in order to build a successful company.”
— UN News
Source:
Saudi Gazette
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Young
activists combat stereotypes to prevent violence against women in Azerbaijan
January
03, 2022
BAKU
— Azerbaijani activist Maryam Majidova is fighting to improve gender equality
in her country, and address the daily challenges faced by women and girls.
Maryam
Majidova is a co-founder of the Gender Hub social platform, which brings
together advocacy groups, non-profit organisations, feminists, and human rights
activists, to fight against gender-based violence. The platform also aims to
empower women and girls and support them in overcoming gender-related
challenges.
“I
have had to fight against gender stereotypes and discrimination since my
childhood, ever since I lost my father. At school and university, when I was
successful, people would ask me about ‘the man’ behind me. They could not
accept that a woman can succeed without a man’s support.
I
believe that gender stereotypes have harmful effects on women’s capacity to
develop their personal abilities, pursue their professional careers, and make
choices about their lives. I decided to fight against these stereotypes, which,
unfortunately, are dominant throughout Azerbaijan.
As a
gender activist, trainer, and youth policy expert, I have been working on
positive youth development for about ten years. During this period, I partnered
with international organisations, including the United Nations, on projects
supporting women’s participation in public and political life.
According
to the National Survey on Violence Against Women in Azerbaijan, 24 per cent of
women aged 15-59 had been subjected to violence by either a non-partner or an
intimate partner. This is a national problem, and it should be on the top of
the government’s agenda.
Key
to preventing and addressing violence against women is the active engagement of
men and boys. Having men speak out against gender-based violence will also
contribute to changing society’s perceptions about gender roles and patriarchal
norms.
To
raise awareness of the consequences of gender-based violence and the benefits
of a gender-equal society, my colleagues and I organized a series of events
across the country, using the hashtag #menengage, a key topic of the 2021 ‘16
Days of Activism’ campaign against gender-based violence, launched by the UN in
Azerbaijan
The
UN partnered with an Azerbaijani football team, Neftchi FC, which agreed to
play one of their league matches in orange jerseys featuring the slogan “Stop
violence against women”. The UN also collaborated with local influencers who
helped spread this slogan through traditional and social media.
It is
difficult to achieve rapid changes with such a deeply rooted cultural and
structural issue. Nevertheless, I am confident that these kinds of projects
send the right message and help in the push to bring about the kind of change
we dream of.
Sometimes,
companies hire women because of quotas, for symbolic inclusivity, but I don’t
want to be hired for the sake of numbers. I also believe that no one should
tell a woman what she deserves, or how she should behave. I simply want women
to have the same rights as men.” — UN News
Source:
Saudi Gazette
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Pakistan’s
Balochistan most neglected province in terms of girls education
1st
January 2022
Islamabad:
Pakistan’s Balochistan is the most neglected among all the four provinces in
terms of education, health, and employment, with only 24 per cent of women are
literate here in the region.
According
to Pakistan Today citing a non-governmental organisation report that 76 per
cent of Balochistan’s girls as out of school with a primary enrollment of
322,000 girls; of whom only 20,046 persist after they finish their
matriculation.
The
Pakistani publication said that Balochistan is the richest-in-resources
province of Pakistan with a small population of 12.34 million, but still the
most neglected among all the four provinces – especially when it comes to
education, health and employment.
Girls,
in particular, are going through challenging times owing to a cries of
educational facilities despite the human rights charter of the United Nations,
declaring education as a basic human need.
Meanwhile,
Balochistan’s poverty ratio is going from bad to worst.
At
least 37 per cent population of Pakistan is suffering from malnutrition, said
chairperson of the women parliamentarian forum in the Balochistan Assembly Dr
Rubaba Khan Buledi, adding that this ratio rises to nearly 50 per cent in
Balochistan.
As
per a nutrition survey, more than one-third of the children are victims of
malnutrition in the country and the majority of these children are from Sindh
and Balochistan provinces, Express Daily reported.
Dr
Buledi said that Nutrition Stabilization Centers are being established in
Balochistan with the help of the World Health Organization for taking care of
the children suffering from malnutrition.
Source:
Siasat Daily
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Campedelli
named Iran’s women’s volleyball coach
January
2, 2022
She
has penned a one-year contract with Iran volleyball federation with an option
to extend for another year.
Campedelli
will lead Iran’s women’s volleyball team at the 2021 Asian Women's Volleyball
Championship.
Mohammadreza
Davarzani, head of Iran volleyball federation, has already said they want to
book a place in the Asian competition’s top four.
The
2021 Asian Women's Volleyball Championship will be held in the Philippines in
May 2022.
The
event was Originally scheduled for Aug. 29 to Sept. 5, 2021, but was postponed
to May 15 to 22, 2022 due rising COVID-19 cases.
Source:
Tehran Times
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/468698/Campedelli-named-Iran-s-women-s-volleyball-coach
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