Shahnila Altaf, Second Woman Makes It to Over Century-old Border Military Police in Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan
New Age Islam News Bureau
19 August 2022
The Mossad's new director
of intelligence, known as Aleph, is the first women to take on the position.
Her appointment was announced on August 18, 2022 (Defense Ministry
Spokesperson)
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• In Firsts, Mossad’s Director of Intelligence and
Head of Iran Desk Are Both Women
• Chicago Muslim Girls Don Hijab in Special Ceremony
‘Celebrating Hijab, Not As A Piece Of Cloth, But As Obedience To Allah’
• Video of Woman Singing In 'Niqab' (Full-Face Veil)
Causes Outrage in Saudi Arabia
• Saudi Female Boxers Take Part in Training Session
Led By Ramla Ali
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/shahnila-bmp-dera-ghazi-pakistan/d/127751
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Shahnila Altaf, Second woman makes it to over
century-old Border Military Police in Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan
August 19, 2022
Dera Ghazi Khan: The Border Military Police (BMP) in
its 132-year history has got the second woman to serve.
Shahnila Altaf has been appointed to serve the BMP in
Dera Ghazi Khan in place of her father, Constable Altaf Hussain Lound who died
during service.
As per service rules, if a government employee dies in
service, his son or daughter can be appointed in his place. The woman has been
appointed constable by BMP Commandant Ikram Malik.
Earlier, BMP commandant in Rajanpur, Imran Ahmed, had
recruited Shazia Bibi as constable in February.
Source: Dawn
https://www.dawn.com/news/1705596/second-woman-makes-it-to-over-century-old-border-military-police
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In Firsts, Mossad’s Director of Intelligence and Head
of Iran Desk Are Both Women
The Mossad's new director
of intelligence, known as Aleph, is the first women to take on the position.
Her appointment was announced on August 18, 2022 (Defense Ministry
Spokesperson)
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By ASH OBEL
18 August 2022
The Mossad spy agency announced Thursday that for the
first time ever a woman was recently appointed to the senior position of
director of intelligence in the agency.
In a rare press release, the Mossad noted that there
are now two women in top positions at the agency, with the second already
serving in a key spot as the head of the Iran desk.
Identified only by their first initials in Hebrew,
“Aleph” and “Kuf,” the pair are the first women in Mossad history to take up
the positions.
According to the statement from the Prime Minister’s
Office, Aleph has been involved in the intelligence establishment for around 20
years.
In her new position, the equivalent of the head of
military intelligence in the IDF, she is in charge of the formation of the
strategic intelligence picture at the national level on a series of issues
including the Iranian nuclear program, global terrorism and normalization with
the Arab world, the statement said.
Also, she is responsible for the intelligence in all
the Mossad’s operations and manages many hundreds of employees in the
professions of intelligence collection, analysis and research, it added.
Speaking at an award ceremony two months ago, Aleph
said, “I will utilize this distinguished platform to call on women to realize
their potential and influence in the security establishment, particularly the
combat or technological units, in order to continue making their mark.”
Kuf, head of the Mossad’s Iran desk, is responsible
for the organization’s “strategy against the Iranian threat in all its forms”
and for coordinating between the operational, technological and intelligence
branches of the Mossad in conjunction with the IDF and other relevant security
branches, the statement said.
Naftali Bennett, who worked closely with the pair as
former prime minister, heaped praise on the appointments in a series of tweets
Thursday.
Bennett called the appointments “a great decision,”
adding that “just this past week I met them for an important work meeting, and
as per usual I felt we were in good hands.”
Bennett continued “the two of them feel the great
responsibility for the task appointed to them and for the development of the
Mossad. Good luck!”
Despite stepping down as prime minister, Bennett still
holds the Iran portfolio.
Mossad chief David Barnea welcomed the move, saying,
“as soon as one enters the gates of the organization, there is complete
equality between men and women. Many women serve in all roles in operations, as
agents and operators of agents, and are integrated into the core of operations
and intelligence, with talent, professionalism and energy.”
Barnea encouraged more women to join the Mossad,
emphasizing that the “door is always open” to “men and women,” and that all
that matters is their suitability for the role.
“It is important for the Mossad as a security
organization that stands at the forefront of operations on behalf of national
security, to inform women of the unlimited possibilities for them in the
organization, and to be an example for other security organizations regarding
the integration of women into key roles,” Barnea said.
With Aleph’s deputy, referred to by the Hebrew initial
“Hay,” also a female, the Mossad’s intelligence branch is now managed by two
women, something the Mossad says is “unprecedented.”
The recent wave of appointments is a new high point
for women in the Mossad after Aliza Magen was appointed deputy director almost
30 years ago.
Since then, women have held varying ranks within the
secretive organization, such as in the Division Heads Forum. However until now,
women have not held positions as director of intelligence or head of the Iran
division.
Source: Times Of Israel
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Chicago Muslim Girls Don Hijab in Special Ceremony
‘Celebrating Hijab, Not As A Piece Of Cloth, But As Obedience To Allah’
August 19, 2022
A photo from the ceremony was shared by Sheikh Kifah
Mustapha ElMera’bi, imam and director of the Prayer Centre of Orland Park, on
his Facebook page.
“The girls of Orland Park mosque are celebrating
donning hijab, not as a piece of cloth, but as obedience to Allah, love for
Islam, and pride for being Muslim,” Sheikh Mustapha wrote in a post in Arabic.
Islam sees the hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not
just a religious symbol displaying one’s affiliations.
Though many people in the west regard hijab as a
suppression of Muslim women, the decision to don hijab is usually met with
celebrations from girl’s and their families.
Earlier this week, New Zealand Muslim superstar Sonny
Bill Williams shared his joy with fans for his wife’s decision to wear hijab.
There aren’t precise numbers of how many Muslims live
in Illinois.
A recent report titled “Illinois Muslims: Needs,
Assets, and Opportunities,” estimates that there are more than 350,000 Illinois
residents who self-identify as Muslim — roughly 3% of the state’s population.
The report also says Muslims are the youngest and most
diverse faith community in the state, consisting of members of various races, ethnicities
and nationalities.
Source: IQNA
https://iqna.ir/en/news/3480151/chicago-muslim-girls-don-hijab-in-special-ceremony
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Video of Woman Singing In 'Niqab' (Full-Face Veil)
Causes Outrage in Saudi Arabia
18 August, 2022
A woman filmed singing while wearing a niqab full face
veil has caused outrage in Saudi Arabia.
Abdullah Al-Sadhan, a Saudi actor, tweeted a video of
the woman's performance on Tuesday and expressed his support for her.
"I just say may God protect you. Finding work and
making money is difficult. Keep going, your voice is beautiful regardless of
the melody," he said.
But some strict Muslims consider singing and music to
be religiously forbidden, especially for women, and other social media users
voiced strong disapproval.
"O Lord, may you open for her a door to a
livelihood other than singing," one man wrote.
Another user said: "I say fear Allah. A halal
[religiously permissible] livelihood is what is rich and joyful."
A third asked: "Why does she wear the niqab if
she's started down this path? If she took it off, it would be better than
offending it."
Some other social media users, however, came to the
singer's defence.
"She's an artist. Her voice is pleasing, and her
performance is precise," tweeted Abdel-Rahman Al-Naser, head of the arts
section at the Al-Riyadh newspaper.
"The niqab did not prevent her from getting her
talent out there. She has conviction in the face covering and she also has
conviction in her talent."
Al-Naser added that the video is quite old and had
done the rounds over a year earlier.
"Well done – may God bless her. She is beautiful
and her voice is wonderful," another user wrote.
"The most important thing is her commitment to
hijab. May God protect and help her, O Lord, and continue sustaining her."
Al-Sadhan responded to the backlash his post attracted
by sharing a satirical video which pan-Arab news website Arabi 21 said came
from a project he was involved in.
"This is my response to everyone who objects to
the previous tweet," he said.
Source: The New Arab
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/saudi-woman-causes-outrage-singing-while-wearing-niqab
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Saudi female boxers take part in training session led
by Ramla Ali
18 August, 2022
Saudi girls and women took part in a boxing training
session led by British-Somali fighter Ramla Ali, who is due to make history
when she faces Crystal Garcia Nova on Saturday.
Ramla coached a group of 15 to 30 year olds from clubs
across the country at Jeddah’s Waad Academy on Thursday morning alongside Rasha
al-Khamis, who is Saudi Arabia’s first certified female boxing coach.
Ramla and Nova are set to be the first two women to
appear in a professional boxing match when they face off at the Rage on the Red
Sea event on Saturday.
“The organizers inviting myself to compete and
allowing this fight to go ahead really shows you the cultural shift in the
landscape that is happening in the region,” Ali said in a press statement.
“I hope myself and my opponent, as well as the full
card competing in Saudi Arabia inspire future generations.”
“It’s been wonderful to spend time with this group of
girls today, and I hope they truly believe their ambition is limitless.”
Al-Khamis added: “Training programs are very
important, not only for the athletes but to develop coaches and referees.
“The more we have, the more competitions can be organized,
[and this] helps identify promising talent,” she added.
“We are constantly in the process of providing more
training and increasing the number of competitions nationally and regionally,
as well as looking into more programs that pave the way for future athletes.”
“It’s so exciting to see the growing interest in the
sport, especially following some of the incredible boxing spectacles we have
like this week’s Rage on the Red Sea.”
Saudi Arabia has made unprecedented progress in
improving women’s participation in sports in recent years.
Traditionally prohibited from many sporting
activities, Saudi girls were allowed to take part in physical education lessons
in schools starting in 2017.
In January 2018, women were allowed to attend a
football match for the first time.
Women’s national teams have also been established in a
range of sports since the beginning of the Vision 2030 reforms in 2017.
Female athletes from the Kingdom have racked up more
than 100 medals in regional and international events since then.
Source: Al Arabiya
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