Schools To Allow Women, Girls Back After Formalising New Curriculum, Says Afghan Official
26 March 2023
• Schools To Allow Women, Girls Back After Formalising
New Curriculum, Says Afghan Official
• Afghan Woman, Maryam Amiri, Who Lives In
Glasgow, Fears For Life If Sent To
Afghanistan After Visa Denial
• Traditional Clothing: A Custom Qatari Women Hold
Onto During Ramadan
• Egypt Offers Cash For Families To Control Births
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Schools To Allow Women, Girls Back After Formalising
New Curriculum, Says Afghan Official
25 March, 2023
Representative Image.
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Kabul [Afghanistan], March 25 (ANI): Girls will be
allowed back into schools in Afghanistan once work on a new curriculum that is
being developed is finished, the head of the security department in Parwan,
Azizullah Omar, told TOLOnews
“There is no problem with the start of schooling.
There is only a problem with the curriculum. And therefore a committee has been
formed for its reform. After confirmation of the clerics, the schools will
begin,” he said.
Girls and women were recently barred from attending their
universities. They have been urging the interim government to reopen
universities for them, TOLONews reported.
“We had our eyes on the reopening of our universities
and thus we would be allowed to go to universities,” said Husna Behzad, a
student.
Families in Afghanistan called on the Taliban yet
again to open schools for girls in grades 7 to 12 as they are worried about the
future of their daughters in the country under the regime of the organisation,
TOLOnews reported.
This comes as schools in Afghanistan reopened for the
academic year, however, the female students in the country are still denied
their basic right to attain education.
Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan,
schooling above grade six for them has been closed. Later in December last
year, girls and women were barred from going to universities and working with
NGOs.
In a statement given to TOLOnews, families lamented
over the ongoing situation in the country and said that the cruel decision of
the de facto authorities has put the future of their daughters at stake. “I
have four grandchildren who did not attend school and are now staying with
me.They should decide whether or not to attend school,” Kabul resident Abdul
Jalil said.
Another resident, Raziq said, “I have two daughters.
One of them is in grade 8 and another one is in grade 10. We are calling on the
Islamic Emirate to allow them to go to their schools.
“This comes as female pupils have also expressed
sadness over their schools closing. Zainab, a student, stated, “We urge the
Islamic Emirate to reopen the schools for us so that we can finish our
education,” according to TOLOnews.
Furthermore, the closure of schools for females in
Afghanistan has affected the stationery vendors heavily. They claimed that the
closure of schools for female students had an impact on their industry.
“It has had an 80 per cent impact on us. As good as
the market was before, it is not anymore,” TOLOnews quoted Rafiullah, a
stationary seller as saying.
Although the interim administration insisted that the
ban on girls’ education was temporary and that they would permit it once the
environment was appropriate, more than one and a half years have passed since
then. However, the environment is still unsuitable for girls attending
universities and schools.
The previous year, on September 18, the high schools
in Afghanistan opened their gates to boys whereas girls were ordered to stay at
home by the Taliban.
Taliban has imposed draconian restrictions on the
rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly and movement for women
and girls.
The Taliban’s decision to ban female students above
grade six from going to school has drawn widespread criticism at the national
and international levels.
Further, the Taliban regime which took over Kabul in
August last year has curtailed women’s rights and freedoms, with women largely
excluded from the workforce due to the economic crisis and restrictions.
Source: The Print
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Afghan Woman, Maryam Amiri, Who Lives In Glasgow, Fears For Life If Sent To Afghanistan After
Visa Denial
26 March 2023
Credit: PA
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An Afghan woman who has spoken out against the Taliban
has been left fearing for her life after the Home Office denied her a new visa
and suggested she should return to Afghanistan.
Maryam Amiri, who lives in Glasgow, is calling on the
government to reconsider its decision, saying her husband, who is also from
Afghanistan, worked for British forces and it would not be safe to make either
of them return.
Her MP, Alison Thewliss, Glasgow Central, said the
Home Office’s advice that Mrs Amiri could return to life in Afghanistan was
“dangerous” and that it did not reflect the changes in the country since her
first visa was issued in 2016.
The Home Office decision notice, seen by the PA news
agency, said Mrs Amiri does not qualify for leave to remain under the five-year
or 10-year partner route, despite having qualified for two shorter visa periods
since 2016.
It said Mrs Amiri does not meet the minimum income
requirement and that the home secretary has not seen any evidence that there
are “insurmountable obstacles” to Mrs Amiri and her husband continuing family
life together in Afghanistan.
Human rights groups and international observers have
since raised concerns about access to education and work for women and girls
under the regime, and there have been concerns for the safety of those who
supported western forces. The Home Office advises against travel for British
nationals.
“I disagree with the decision of the Home Office to
send me back to Afghanistan where the women are not secure – especially for a
woman activist who has always been vocal against the Taliban.”
Mrs Amiri said she has dreamed about going to
university for years, but now she is due to start a course in September she
fears she will not get the chance. She also said she wishes to continue with
community work in Glasgow and aspires to become a Member of the Scottish
Parliament.
She said: “I have put my life in trouble by opposing
the Taliban and their activities. My family has already been threatened with
persecution because I oppose the Taliban’s decisions on women’s rights. So,
it’s really risky for me to go back.”
Source: Itv.Com
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Traditional clothing: A custom Qatari women hold onto
during Ramadan
MARCH 26, 2023
Traditional clothing in the Arabian Gulf is an
integral part of the culture of the nation, and a legacy of the previous
generations, which reflects the customs and traditions of Arab society.
Traditional women’s costumes are considered an extension of the Arab dress in
the Arabian Peninsula. They are worn on special occasions, as well as cultural
celebrations to pay tribute to traditional dress.
With the advent of the blessed month of Ramadan,
Qatari women are keen to live the spirit of the holy month in their homes, and
begin to choose their traditional clothes very carefully, in order to beautify
them during this holy month, thus instilling in their daughters love for the
traditional dress, and it remains a legacy inherited from generation to
generation.
Qatari women are always keen to appear in luxurious
clothes studded with unique cheerful colours, which represent their religious
values and societal customs, in addition to the fact that all of these clothes
are characterized by reviving the customs and traditions of the Qatari
heritage. Among the organisations concerned with fashion, especially women’s,
is the M7 Center affiliated with Qatar Museums.
In this regard, Director of the MsheirebCenter (M7)
Maha Ghanim al-Sulaiti, said in an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency
(QNA) that the costume tells about the culture and heritage of the country. She
explained that the centre’s role is to promote the traditional values of our
Qatari society, stressing the centre’s permanent keenness on the importance of
folklore and its role in shaping the memory and conscience of the nation,
stressing at the same time that local costumes are an integral part of this
heritage.
She added that M7 is keen on holding workshops that
shed light on traditional attire in a bid to maintain the country’s cultural
identity while also adding a modern touch to them to encourage the younger
generation to engage with them and to grow their sense of innovation and
creativity. Al-Sualiti added that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 was on occasion
to showcase the Qatari culture, with tourists and fans trying on Qatari
traditional attire enthusiastically.
She highlighted that instead of Qataris having to
change the way they dress to fit in with the world, the world was one that
embraced traditional Qatari clothes. Speaking to QNA, the Qatari artist and
designer Tamader al-Sultan said that fashion is closely connected to culture,
pointing out that she participated in many local exhibitions organised by
various entities in the country and often displayed designs influenced by
Qatari culture and others that keep pace with modern fashion.
Regarding the way to revive women’s traditional
costumes such as at weddings and events such as Ramadan, Tamader explained that
there is no need to revive these traditional costumes as they are still present
and have not disappeared, as they are renewed and flourish every time our
mothers and grandmothers wear them on Qatari occasions and holidays. The Qatari
artist and designer explained that the international fashion shows that are
organised in Qatar have helped in the prosperity and revival of these
traditional costumes, noting that the recent period has witnessed a huge
turnout by masses from all over the world to wear traditional costumes, in
addition to women paint their hands with henna.
She pointed out that Qatari girls and women generally
wear these traditional costumes in the month of Ramadan and on various
occasions, and from her point of view, these traditional costumes are still
alive. Qatari women’s clothing is famous for its unique designs and is characterised
by the many luxurious golden inscriptions that highlight the Qatari folk
character, especially in Al Bakhnaq, a dress often worn by young girls on the
night of Al Nafila or Garangao. Al Bakhnaq is a black dress with some
embroideries of bright golden or silver colour, as the girl can wear it using
an embroidered shield. Also, Qatari women usually wear the Al Nashel dress
during Ramadan and religious events. Abaya remains the most commonly used
Qatari women’s traditional costume with its various designs and embroideries.
Source: Gulf-Times
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Egypt offers cash for families to control births
MohamedSabry.jpg
March 26, 2023
A man rides a scooter with a woman and two children
along a main street adorned with Christmas and New Year's decorations, in the
northern suburb of Shubra (home to a large Christian population), Cairo, Egypt,
Dec. 31, 2021. - Khaled Desouki/AFP via Getty Images
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In an effort to stem population growth, the Egyptian government
plans to pay 1,000 Egyptian pounds (roughly $32) annually to married women who
have two children or less, under a protocol that was signed this month between
the Finance and Planning and Economic Development ministries.
The cash will be disbursed under an incentive program
initiated by the government to reduce the fertility rate for women ages 21 to
45.
Each woman with two children or less will get the
accumulated amount when she turns 45 based on her age when she joins the
program. The woman, however, will lose her right to claim any amount if she
gives birth to a third child.
The incentive program is part of the National Project
for Development of the Egyptian Family, which aims to tackle the overpopulation
by improving demographic characteristics.
Planning Minister Hala al-Saeed said on the sidelines
of the signing ceremony that the program aims to slow down the population
growth and consequently improve the living conditions of Egyptian citizens.
A country of over 104 million, Egypt is the most
populous nation in the Arab world and the third-largest in Africa, according to
the state statistics agency, CAPMAS.
According to a study prepared by the United Nations
Population Fund, the fertility rate per woman in Egypt was 5.6 births in the
1970s before it dropped to 3 births in 2008, thanks to government efforts to
curb population growth. The rate, however, rose again to 3.5 births in 2014 in
the wake of political unrest that followed the uprising that unseated President
Hosni Mubarak in 2011, before it declined again to 2.8 births in 2022.
A 2014 study by the Egypt Demographic and Health
Survey showed that around 59% of married women in Egypt were using
contraceptives. This percentage rose to 66% in 2021.
In 2022, Egypt's population rose by 1.6 million,
according to CAPMAS. The agency estimates that the country’s population will
reach 192 million by 2052 if current growth rates continue. However, it says
this projection could be reduced to 143 million if state efforts to reduce
fertility rates are intensified.
Adel Amer, head of the Egyptian Center for Economic
and Social Studies, said the growing population puts heavy pressure on the
country's economic resources.
“Egypt’s economic resources are sufficient for only
half of the country’s current population,” he told Al-Monitor. “This forces the
Egyptian government to import around 75% of its needs to provide the
necessities of the growing population.”
Amer believes that the new incentive program “will
encourage many families to curb births and consequently reduce population
growth.”
The Egyptian government estimates that it will need to
double its spending on infrastructure and development projects over the coming
30 years to accommodate the expected growth.
Last year, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned that
the soaring birth rates were wasting all gains of economic development. “We
need 16 trillion pounds [$518 billion] per year to spend on an Egypt with 100
million citizens and would need to double this figure to spend on an Egypt with
195 million,” he said at the inauguration of a number of health projects in the
country in February 2021.
According to the World Bank, reducing Egypt’s
fertility rate from 2.8 births per woman to 2.1 would save the country around
569 billion pounds ($18.4 billion) in gross domestic product between 2020 and
2030, and 26 billion pounds ($841 million) in savings in the health, housing
and education sectors.
Saeed Sadek, professor of political sociology at the
American University in Cairo, is critical of the government program to curb
population growth.
“The amount of 1,000 pounds offered by the government
is very small and will do nothing to encourage people to curb births,” he told
Al-Monitor over the phone.
“The main responsibility of any government is to
maintain social peace. Although the government has the tools to apply fines on
families who refuse to abide by the two-child policy and use these fines to
build schools, roads and hospitals, it prefers to act like a preacher,” he
noted.
“Families tend to give birth to more children in order
to put them to work to generate income for the family,” Sadek added. “Educating
women and improving their conditions will also help reduce the fertility rate
and consequently reduce population growth.”
Source: Al-Monitor
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/03/egypt-offers-cash-families-control-births
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/schools-women-girls-formalising-curriculum-afghan/d/129409