Senjuti Saha And Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury, 2 Bangladeshi Women Among Top 100 Asian Scientists
11 June 2023
•
Senjuti Saha And Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury, 2 Bangladeshi Women Among Top
100 Asian Scientists
• Actress Gehna Vasisth Marries Boyfriend Faizan
Converts To Islam, No It’s Not Love-Jihad
•
Afghanistan: Women Raise Concern Over Lack Of Market For Their Products
•
‘Mother Country’ and the Unique Female Arab Protagonists of Etaf Rum
•
West Philadelphia Woman, Lavaughn Jones, Creates Affordable Frozen Halal Meals
For Muslim American Families
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/senjuti-gawsia-bangladeshi-asian-scientists/d/129966
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Senjuti
Saha And Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury, 2 Bangladeshi Women Among Top 100 Asian
Scientists
Dr Gawsia Wahidunnesa Chowdhury and Dr Senjuti Saha.
Photo: UNB
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Jun
11, 2023
Two
Bangladeshi scientists have made it to the 2023 list of the 100 "best and
brightest" Asian scientists for their contribution to research.
Child
Health Research Foundation's Senjuti Saha and Dhaka University's Gawsia Wahidunnessa
Chowdhury have been included in the eighth edition of the list published by
Singapore-based magazine Asian Scientist.
This
year's list includes researchers and inventors from across a range of
scientific disciplines for their groundbreaking achievements to transform the
world -- from understanding glacial cycles and structural geology to advancing
space exploration.
"Asia's
researchers continue to dream big and serve marginalised communities. Pushing
the boundaries of the unknown, the awardees, with the help of their teams,
accomplished huge successes," the Asian Scientist Magazine said in a press
release.
Gawsia,
a professor of zoology at the University of Dhaka, has been included in the
list for her contribution in the field of sustainability.
She
obtained her PhD in zoology (wetland ecology) from the University of Cambridge.
She is a board member of the internationally renowned conservation organization
Wild Team, which works to protect the rapidly disappearing natural assets of
Bangladesh.
She
won the OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Award in 2022 for her contributions to
conserving aquatic ecosystems and vulnerable species in Bangladesh. She focuses
on the risk of plastic pollution in the country's waterways. She is also
empowering women from poor and marginalised communities to turn discarded
fishing nets into products such as carpets to help create alternative sources
of income for women while protecting aquatic habitats.
Senjuti
Saha, one of the leading young scientists in Bangladesh who has been
championing the cause of equity in global health research, has been included in
the list for her contribution to life sciences.
She
was the first in the world to show that the chikungunya virus could cross the
blood-brain barrier and cause meningitis in Bangladeshi children.
She
has won multiple domestic and international awards for her contribution to
medical science research including Women of Inspiration 2021 Award by Junior
Chamber International, Bangladesh and Webby Award in 2020 for Infectious
Disease Detectives (with Chan Zuckerberg Initiative).
Senjuti
is also a member of the Polio Transition Independent Monitoring Board (TIMB),
created by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative led by the World Health
Organization.
Scientists
from China, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, the
Philippines, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam have also
secured their places on the prestigious list.
Source:
The Daily Star
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Actress
Gehna Vasisth Marries Boyfriend Faizan Converts To Islam, No It’s Not
Love-Jihad
Actress Gehna Vasisth Converts to Islam and Marries
Boyfriend Faizan Ansari in a Traditional Nikah Ceremony
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Anshika
Tanwar
June
10, 2023
‘Gandi
Baat’ Actress Gehna Vasisth Converts to Islam and Marries Boyfriend Faizan
Ansari in a Traditional Nikah Ceremony
Indian
actress and television presenter Vandana Tiwari, popularly known as Gehana Vasisth,
has tied the knot with her boyfriend Faizan Ansari in a traditional Muslim
wedding ceremony called Nikah. This union is accompanied by a significant
development as Gehana has embraced Islam and converted to the religion,
solidifying her commitment to Faizan as her husband.
Gehana,
who gained fame for her role in the series “Gandi Baat,” comes from a Pandit
family in Chandigarh. However, her decision to convert and marry Faizan has
generated outrage and concern within her community, leading to unhappy
sentiments among many. Some have gone as far as alleging love jihad,
insinuating that Gehana’s conversion is part of a wider phenomenon.
Nonetheless, close sources to the couple dismiss these claims, highlighting
that their relationship is built on genuine love and respect.
Adding
further intrigue to their story, Faizan is a well-known social media influencer
and Bollywood actor who recently appeared on the reality show “Datebaazi” on
Amazon MiniTv.
Following
their wedding, Gehana and Faizan’s photographs have become viral sensations
online, evoking mixed reactions from their fans. Gehana’s striking red lehenga
and Faizan’s elegant black Pathani suit have captivated viewers, showcasing the
couple’s style and grace.
It
is important to note that Gehana Vasisth has faced controversy in the past due
to her alleged involvement with prominent producer Raj Kundra, who is married
to Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty. Reports have linked Gehana and Raj Kundra
to the production of pornographic films, resulting in their arrest by the
Mumbai Police. However, the specific details of Gehana’s role in the case have
not been disclosed to the public. Both individuals were subsequently released
on bail.
As
Gehana Vasisth embarks on this new phase of her life, her marriage to Faizan
Ansari continues to dominate headlines and spark discussions among fans and the
entertainment industry as a whole.
Source:
The States Man
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Afghanistan:
Women Raise Concern Over Lack Of Market For Their Products
11
June, 2023
Kabul
[Afghanistan]: Women in Afghanistan expressed their concerns about the absence
of a market for their products on the occasion of World Handicrafts Day,
Afghanistan-based TOLO News reported.
Many
Afghan women noted a decline in the market for their handicrafts over the past
two years and emphasized the need for support from relevant institutions.
Rokhsar, a female investor with four years of experience in the handicrafts
business, called for assistance from the Taliban.
She
further said, “Women should be supported so they can stand on their own feet
and make progress,” TOLO News reported. Benafsha, a businesswoman, said that
their business has witnessed a decline ever since the Taliban took control of
Afghanistan in August 2021.
Benafsha
further added, “The sales decreased due to the poor economic situation of the
people. They cannot afford to buy our products. Also, our products are not sent
abroad due to the closure of air corridors for women.”
Akhundzada
Abdul Salam Jawad, a spokesperson for the Taliban-led Ministry of Industry and
Commerce, said that the Taliban has the commitment to assist businesswomen and
added that they are working to address the issues of women, according to TOLO
News.
Akhundzada
Abdul Salam Jawad said, “We fully support women who are engaged in handicrafts
business, and we create markets for their handicrafts both inside and outside
the country so that they may make an important contribution as a powerful part
of the country’s commerce sector.”
Meanwhile,
the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that women’s chambers of
commerce have been open in 16 provinces of Afghanistan, including Nangarhar,
Laghman, Kunar, Nuristan, Herat, and Kabul.
Earlier,
UNICEF raised concerns that if international non-governmental organisations
working in the field of education are no longer allowed to operate in
Afghanistan, it will affect highly affect the education of the children in the
war-torn nation, TOLO News reported.
Reiterating
once again that every child has the right to learn, UNICEF said in a statement
that Afghanistan could lose out on quality learning through Community Based
Education within a month if international non-governmental organizations
working in the field of education are no longer allowed to work.
“As
the lead agency for the education cluster in Afghanistan, UNICEF is deeply
concerned about reports that over 500,000 children, including over 300,000
girls, could lose out on quality learning through Community Based Education
within a month if international non-governmental organizations working in the
field of education are no longer allowed to operate and if handovers to
national NGOs are done without comprehensive assessment and capacity building,”
the UNICEF said, TOLO News reported.
Source:
The Print
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‘Mother
Country’ and the Unique Female Arab Protagonists of Etaf Rum
FARAH
SADEK
10
JUNE 2023
“Being
a woman is the greatest curse, you told me once. I must have been six or seven.
You said, ‘One day you will understand what I mean’.”
This
is how New York Times bestselling author Etaf Rum starts her short story,
‘Mother Country’ (2023). The short story was released as part of a Kindle
collection consisting of seven stories by different authors titled ‘Good
Intentions’, which dissects the highs and lows of mother-daughter
relationships.
Etaf
Rum is a Palestinian-American author whose works revolve around the experience
of Middle Eastern women, especially those living in the diaspora — caught
between two entirely different cultures.
‘Mother
Country’ introduces a nameless daughter: a young Palestinian woman and the
eldest of seven siblings. Being a second generation immigrant crammed in a tiny
Brooklyn apartment with her entire family, the protagonist wants nothing more
than to make her mother’s sacrifice for her and her siblings worth it.
So,
she does what is expected of her: she gets married, bears children, and spends
all her days helping her mother-in-law cook and clean while waiting for her
husband to return from work. The protagonist is forced to grapple with the fact
that every decision that led her to this moment has been a result of being
puppeteered by her mother, and decides to take matters into her own hands.
The
short story is structured like a letter that is written in a stream of
consciousness. The protagonist is addressing someone who has hurt her deeply,
but still occupies a significant space in her thoughts, and dictates all of her
decisions, despite not being physically present.
It
is not immediately clear who the protagonist is addressing, but the presence of
that figure is so overarching and looming – it is entrenched in her past,
present, and how she longs to return to that ‘home’. This makes it appear as
though she is directing her words at her actual mother country, and addressing
the trauma of being separated from one’s homeland.
However,
this is a mere metaphor hiding behind words actually addressed to her mother, proof
of Rum’s prowess and how she can trap the reader inside a woman’s mind and
force them to knock on its gates, begging the captor to let the reader and the
protagonist out.
The
story’s strength lies in the fact that the daughter does not express disdain
towards her mother, even when she makes decisions that break the patriarchal
cycle of compliance that started many generations ago, while knowing that this
decision will estrange them. There is a sense of resignation in knowing that
she can not change people, but she can only change herself, and break the cycle
for the sake of her children.
The
protagonist also knows that she will never find closure, because no matter how
much she expresses her feelings towards her mother, there is a wall that
hinders communication between them. She writes letters that her mother will
never read and would never understand, and even if they did have a
confrontation it would be too late, with too many years of trauma under both
their belts.
To
some readers, especially those familiar with Rum’s debut book ‘A Woman is No
Man’ (2019), it might seem as though Rum is victimizing Arab women in her work,
but a deeper look reveals that the story is coming from personal experience.
Although not all women in the Middle East and the Arab diaspora have
experienced the extent of what she is describing in the story, they have all
experienced at least a degree of it.
Overall,
the female protagonists of Etaf Rum are complex, well-developed individuals
with unique strengths and faults, who represent the struggles faced by many
women before them.
The
young Palestinian women Rum portrays – whether in this short story or in her
other works – struggle with the decision of whether to embrace the morals that
the previous generations have instilled in them or decide to follow their own
goals in a moving story of sacrifice, tenacity, and reinvention. Rum’s novels
are a powerful and poignant exploration of the experiences of Palestinian women
living in America, and it is a must-read for anyone interested in issues of
culture, identity, and gender.
Source:
Egyptians Treets
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West
Philadelphia Woman, Lavaughn Jones, Creates Affordable Frozen Halal Meals For
Muslim American Families
BY
MARCELLA BAIETTO
JUNE
10, 2023
PHILADELPHIA
(CBS) -- A woman in West Philadelphia is making it easier for Muslim American
families in our area to find accommodating religious meals at the grocery
store.
Lavaughn
Jones converted to Islam in her 20s and was struggling to find a quick meal to
make for her two kids that upheld their religious beliefs while also combining
their American roots.
"I'm
going to make an easy halal tasty meal for single parents, busy moms," she
said. "There's a lot of misconceptions. People think that Muslims are just
foreigners but no, you have millions of Muslim Americans that were born in
America."
After
working with a ShopRite business incubator program, Aruba's Halal Kitchen meals
finally hit the frozen food section in April inside 10 grocery stores.
"So,
I wanted to have that option to go into the grocery store and buy this meal
with my food stamps card," Jones said. "I've experienced it. I know
other parents have experienced the same thing. Here you go girl, or here you go
dad. I know the struggle. This is for you."
Source:
Cbs News
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/senjuti-gawsia-bangladeshi-asian-scientists/d/129966