Saudi Woman, Yasmine Idriss, Completes 1,400 Km Cycling Trip Around Iceland
New
Age Islam News Bureau
31
December 2023
•
Saudi Woman, Yasmine Idriss, Completes 1,400 Km Cycling Trip Around Iceland
•
Saudi Aid Agency Helping Train Yemeni Girls, Who Fell Out Of The School System,
For Brighter Future
•
Female Arab DJs Bringing Electrifying Energy To The Region And Beyond
•
Pakistan: Women’s Bodies Demand More Reserved Seats In Assemblies, Local Bodies
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/saudi-yasmine-idriss-iceland/d/131425
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Saudi
Woman, Yasmine Idriss, Completes 1,400 Km Cycling Trip Around Iceland
Novice cyclist Yasmine Idriss is making history as
the first Arab woman to cycle around the entirety of Iceland.
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NADA
ALTURKI
December
30, 2023
RIYADH:
Earlier this year, Yasmine Idriss sat down with Arab News just before setting
off to Iceland to cycle the country’s Ring Road on the journey of a lifetime.
Now, she has become the first Arab woman to complete the grueling trip.
Initially,
she thought her time on the road — which runs for almost 1,400 km — would give
her the chance to plan her next career move. Little did she know she would
pedal her way to much deeper enlightenment.
“I
open up quite a bit (in the film) about what this was for me and what the
‘heroine’s journey’ is. The heroine’s journey isn’t just a woman going through
the hero’s journey. (It) has a lot more surrender embedded in it, and that’s a
huge theme of what Iceland was for me,” she told Arab News.
While
Idriss knew there was no way to replicate the effects of Iceland’s biting winds
during her training period, she hadn’t expected them to be quite as fierce as
they were — she faced the highest winds of the entire season and was blown off
track in all directions. With oncoming traffic on one side and sharp rocks on
the other, she prayed for stability.
Her
close friend — and one of her two companions on the road — KathiHendrick, said
to her: “Wind stops inertia, wind forces you to move, it forces you to be
awake, otherwise you would fall.”
“The
muscles that needed to be working were working, and the muscles that didn’t
need to be working were relaxed. Psychologically, how that translated was: I
just let anything that needed to happen, happen,” she explained.
I
feel proud to be able to represent Saudi women. I don’t feel like I’m the
first. There are so many amazing Saudi women who have paved the way for me,
(who have) done amazing things (and) are doing amazing things.
Hendrick
supported the cyclist on the trip and helped create the narrative for the
upcoming documentary, while Madison Hoffmann, also a good friend, was the lead
filmmaker.
Idriss
said: “Somehow the three of us were mirroring each other’s experiences. Each of
us was going through something very similar; even though I was on a bike and
they were in the van, there was a sort of synchronicity that was happening. It
was just really beautiful to see the magic that can happen when women come
together in a supportive way.”
The
trip was meant to help clarify what the next chapter of her life would look
like. Idriss had just left her position as the head of a sustainable footwear
company, which she thought was her dream job.
Removing
herself from the responsibilities of daily life, and being disconnected from
family and friends, ignited a deep transformation, as trips of this nature tend
to do. “Over 20 days on the bike, it was an inward journey,” she said.
While
there was no hiding from the elements, there was no avoiding the self either.
From ending a close relationship to facing difficult questions, “everything was
brought to light,” Idriss said, adding that that was exactly what she needed.
Idriss
is now advocating for time away to recharge and innovate in a hyper-productive
society, packed with intense working hours and social commitments.
She
explained: “For Vision 2030, we’re developing like crazy. We’re one of the
fastest developing countries in the world, and it’s happening with such
beautiful leadership. We also need rest, and we need space, and we need to take
care of ourselves in order to be as productive as our communities need us to be
right now.”
“I
feel proud to be able to represent Saudi women. I don’t feel like I’m the
first. There are so many amazing Saudi women who have paved the way for me,
(who have) done amazing things (and) are doing amazing things,” she said. “If I
can be a mirror for the world to look at what women are doing in Saudi Arabia,
then that would be a huge privilege. And if I can inspire others to go on their
own road, whether that’s a walk in the neighborhood, or climbing Mount Everest
like Raha Moharrak, then I have accomplished my mission.”
Immersing
herself in the landscapes of Iceland, with all the challenges and revelations
that it brought, inspired her to “(bring) this work to others and invite others
into similar journeys of transformation in a very different form. This is what
I’m working on next.”
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2434061/saudi-arabia
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Saudi
Aid Agency Helping Train Yemeni Girls, Who Fell Out Of The School System, For
Brighter Future
Scheme
offers courses in sewing, embroidery, technology, photography
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ARAB
NEWS
December
30, 2023
RIYADH:
The Saudi aid agency KSrelief recently launched an education program in Yemen
as part of a project to train girls who fell out of the school system.
The
program offers orphan caregivers’ families a choice of 14 courses, covering
skills like sewing, embroidery, incense and perfume production, food
industries, technology and photography.
Aligned
with Saudi Arabia’s efforts to enhance Yemen’s education sector, the project
has already benefited 280 trainees in Lahj, Abyan, Marib, Hadramout and
Socotra.
Elsewhere
in Yemen, KSrelief is continuing to develop a dialysis center in the Al-Dhale
governorate, which provides medicines and other essential supplies to people
with kidney problems.
In
Lebanon, KSrelief is funding the Al-Amal Charitable Bakery project, which
provides 25,000 bread bags a day to Syrian and Palestinian refugee families and
local people in Akkar governorate and Al-Minieh district.
In
Pakistan, the aid agency distributed 1,500 food baskets in flood-affected areas
of Sibi and Qalat, Balochistan province, benefiting 10,500 individuals. The
initiative is part of its 2023-24 Food Security Support Project.
Since
its inception in 2015, KSrelief has implemented 2,670 projects worth more than
$6.5 billion in 95 countries and worked with 175 local, regional and
international partners.
According
to a report by the agency, the bulk of the support has gone to Yemen ($4.3
billion), followed by Syria ($391 million), Palestine ($370 million) and
Somalia ($227 million).
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2433971/saudi-arabia
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Female
Arab DJs Bringing Electrifying Energy To The Region And Beyond
by
VOGUE ARABIA
Dec
31, 2023
Saliah
is bent over a set of decks her fingers nimbly amplifying and mixing beats.
Behind her, colors illuminate rays into orange, red, and green. Before her, a
sea of youth with hands in the air ebb and flow to her music. Enter the era of
the Arab female DJs, commanding the attention of guests at both private events
and music festivals across the region. And while Dj’ing has traditionally been
viewed – and is – dominated by men, she’s part of a rising club of female DJs
who are now playing for hundreds of thousands of people. They are releasing
EPs, starting their own radio shows, and inspiring musicians from around the
world with a focus on sharing and inclusivity.
Saliah
revives Middle Eastern influences and fuses them with electronic beats and
performs in a jalabiya. The result is high- energy electronic anthems, smooth,
chilled- out mixes, and versatile sets. “I have never felt so seen,” notes poet
and spoken word artist Nadine Aloul, who attended a set this past summer. “All
of us being there in appreciation and joy of our culture and music was so hard
to fully put in words. Saliah created a safe space for us all to feel seen and
really be proud of who we are. I cannot explain the feeling of being at a venue
where most of the people look like you, speak the same language, and proudly
wear their kufiyas.” The British-Lebanese multi-genre music producer and DJ
made her debut at the Boiler Room and Glastonbury sets last year and is
considered a one-to-watch, having opened for Omer Souleyman, Shkoon, Jazzy
Jeff, and Ammar 808. What brings her a different edge is her support of
grassroots organizations and teaching DJ workshops.
Lebanese
DJ Nicole Moudaber, who boasts over half a million followers on Instagram,
wears many hats. Professional car racer, Philanthropist, human rights activist,
producer, and host of an award-winning weekly radio show, she cites DJ as her
core profession – she’s played around the world many times over and notes that
it’s “the family vibe,” that keeps her going. “I know the guys from so many
years, from the stage managers to the tech people to the crowd, it feels like
I’m at home, and this is why I love it.”
At
the head of her own imprint, Mood Records, she began her career promoting dance
parties in Beirut in the Nineties. When she caught the attention of English DJ
Carl Cox in 2009, she was signed to his record label Intec and went on to
release her first album Believe in 2013. She is a public advocate of the Lower
Eastside Girls Club, an organization that helps disadvantaged young women
pursue a career in music. She recalls that her father urged her to work at a
bank after her university studies in London, which she considers her “worst job,”
and where she stayed a month – she hopes that her journey can help open paths
for other
women
who find redemption in the beat.
Source:
En.Vogue.Me
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Pakistan:
Women’s bodies demand more reserved seats in assemblies, local bodies
31
December, 2023
Islamabad
[Pakistan], December 31 (ANI): The South Asian Partnership (SAP) and Aurat
Foundation, Pakistan said considering population statistics, the proportion of
reserved seats for women should be increased in all elected assemblies and
local bodies, Dawn reported.
The
SAP is a network of six national organisations that work to achieve the rights
and prosperity of people in South Asia. The network’s member organisations are
based in Bangladesh, Canada, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
They
stressed that this increase should be effected immediately through a
constitutional amendment, raising it to 33 per cent, according to Dawn.
ShahidaKakar,
a representative of SAP, along with Yasmeen Mughal, Alauddin Khilji, and
Shugufta Khan of Aurat Foundation, highlighted this concern during a joint
press conference on Saturday.
Referring
to the lists issued by political parties, Kakar said it shows that active women
workers, transgender individuals, and persons with disabilities have been
neglected, Dawn reported.
“Only
11 per cent of women candidates have been nominated for election on general
seats of national and provincial assemblies, which is significantly lower than
the demand for a minimum of 33 per cent representation for women. Additionally,
minority women receive very little preference,” she said.
The
representatives of SAP and Aurat Foundation stressed that whichever party comes
to power after the elections, should amend the Pakistan Election Act of 2017,
making it mandatory for all political parties to ensure a minimum of 33 per
cent representation for women, youth, minorities, transgender individuals, and
non-Muslim Pakistanis in their organisational structures and candidate
preferences.
“The
Election Commission of Pakistan should, through amendments to the Election Act
of 2017, declare elections null and void in constituencies where the overall
female voter turnout is less than 20pc,” she added.
Referring
to the representatives of SAP and Aurat Foundation, she proposed constitutional
amendments to ensure the continuity of local government elections in Pakistan,
according to Dawn.
Source:
Theprint.In
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/saudi-yasmine-idriss-iceland/d/131425