Sindh’s First Female Hindu Police Officer DSP Manisha Ropeta: I Hope Girls in Our Community Are Inspired by My Story
New Age Islam News Bureau
17 Aug 2024
· Sindh’s First Female Hindu Police Officer DSP Manisha Ropeta: I Hope Girls in Our Community Are Inspired by My Story
· Christian Woman, Shagufta Kausar, Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy Against Islam in Pakistan
· Madras HC Upholds Interim Maintenance for Muslim Women in Divorce Case
· Qatar's Sara Set to Vie for Second Paralympic Medal
· Saudi Arabia: 2 Women Penalised Over Commercial Cover-Up
· Afghanistan Faces Decline as Taliban’s Anti-Women Laws Spark Resistance: Expert
· Non-Muslim Woman Divorcing a Muslim Man Wants to Know Her Rights in The UAE
· Muslim Women Group Backs Harris After Disbanding Over DNC Snub
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Sindh’s First Female Hindu Police Officer DSP Manisha Ropeta: I Hope Girls in Our Community Are Inspired by My Story
September 5, 2024
Manisha Ropeta (Photo: X@ManishaRopeta)
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Pakistani actress Nimra Khan suffered a near abduction ordeal last month while waiting for her car outside a hotel in Karachi’s posh Defence Housing area.
“Initially there were fingers pointed at me as well and many trivialised my incident in the media and social media platforms but the fact that DSP Manisha Ropeta handled my case helped me calm down and deal with the situation better,” she recalled.
Nimra said speaking with an educated female police officer made her realise she was right in speaking about the incident in public.
Nimra just didn’t speak with a female police officer; her case was handled by the first Hindu female officer in Sindh police, Ropeta, who has now spent two years on the force and become a name to reckon with.
Given the fact that there are very few educated female officers in Pakistani police, Ropeta stationed as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in the Defence area has already made a big difference to the image of the police force in Sindh province.
“It keeps me inspired and motivated that the reasons I joined the police force have turned out to be correct,” DSP Ropeta said.
“I have got respect and admiration from my fellow officers and those who I supervise purely on the basis of my work. In the end, there might be some gender issues but I don’t feel out of place nor does it count for anything that I am a Hindu woman. Even today when I put on my police uniform, it is a matter of pride for me and I hope girls in our community are inspired by my story to follow in my path,” she said.
In Pakistan police, there are two types of officer categories: the rankers who come through to higher positions on the basis of their experience, and those who get posted and promoted after clearing the Central Superior Services (CSS) examinations.
Ropeta, who belongs to Jacobabad, passed her Sindh Public Services Commission examination in 2021, a rarity at that time even for her progressive-minded middle-class family.
“We lost our father who was a trader in Jacobabad when I was 13 and since then our only brother has always encouraged and supported me to join the police force,” she recalled.
After her father’s death her mother took her children to Karachi where Ropeta failed to qualify for medicine, something her two sisters managed to do and are doctors now. “That was when my brother and mother supported me when I decided to take the Public Services Commission exams,” she said.
Ropeta said that her joining the police force was a big step as normally in the educated Hindu families in Sindh, girls are supposed to take up medical or teaching professions.
After completing her training at the police academy, Ropeta was posted in Karachi’s crime-infested Lyari area and that, she says, was her biggest learning curve on how to make a difference as a female police officer.
“It toughened me up as I came face to face with the many problems in society,” she said.
Ropeta has also been educating herself with criminology courses while on duty as she says, this helps her cope with understanding the psyche of victims and criminals better.
“Women and girls usually suffer a lot of marginalisation in our patriarchal-minded society and many of them remain silent due to fear of society, parents, or social media even when some crime is committed against them or they are harassed or face domestic abuse,” she said.
Ropeta admits that being a female police officer and that too from a minority community was initially a challenge but it has also helped her to communicate and help female victims of various crimes.
“When I handled Nimra’s case, I could sense the fear in her after her ordeal,” she recalled.
Ropeta, 28, has now spent two years on active duty in the Sindh Police and believes that there is a need for more gender equality in the force and also a dire need for more educated women to understand that there is no such thing as a women-friendly profession.
Source: indianexpress.com
https://indianexpress.com/article/pakistan/sindh-first-female-hindu-police-officer-9551408/
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Christian Woman, Shagufta Kausar, Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy Against Islam in Pakistan
SEPTIEMBRE 04, 2024
Mrs Kausar And Her Disabled Husband Were Acquitted And Released In 2021 After More Than Seven Years’ Imprisonment Photo: Aid To The Church In Need
Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy against Islam in Pakistan | ZENIT - English
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(ZENIT News / Europe, 09.04.2024). - With the numbers in Pakistan’s prisons for blasphemy having surged to more than 700, a woman who spent seven years on death row for the crime has said the legal system is failing Christians.
Christians falsely accused of blasphemy in Pakistan struggle to find a lawyer and are discriminated against in the justice system, according to ShaguftaKausar, a mother of four who was imprisoned for allegedly sending text messages – despite being illiterate and not owning a mobile phone – insulting the Muslim Prophet Mohammed. Speaking with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Mrs Kausar said that Christians, who are “the poorest of the poor” and “marginalised”, often fail to get justice. She said: “If you are a Christian in Pakistan, and accused of blasphemy, no lawyer will willingly take your case, and no judge is willing to rule on it fairly. “In the past, radical groups have murdered lawyers or even judges who declared Christians to be innocent.” Stressing their poverty, she added: “This means that they need financial help to hire a lawyer. “For these reasons, it is difficult for us to survive both as citizens and as Christians.” Mrs Kausar and her disabled husband were acquitted and released in 2021 after more than seven years’ imprisonment and are now living in a European country after being granted asylum. She said: “After being sentenced to death I suffered from heat, hunger and separation from my family. “The only thing that nurtured me, and which became my source of serenity, was my faith in Jesus Christ.” She added: “I read Matthew 6:27 [‘And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?’] – I meditated and reflected on my faith, and I felt strengthened inside. “I was no longer alone – God was with me in this struggle between life and death.” She stressed that many Pakistani Christians like her “are unjustly accused of blasphemy and incarcerated… “For us, even the simple things of daily life are difficult, because you might just be accused by a neighbour.” She concluded: “Thanks to the benefactors of Aid to the Church in Need, and to so many other friends in the world who help to support us, we manage not only to survive, but also to profess our faith.”
Source: zenit.org
https://zenit.org/2024/09/04/christian-woman-sentenced-to-death-for-blasphemy-against-islam-in-pakistan/
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Madras HC upholds interim maintenance for Muslim women in divorce case
Sep 5, 2024,
CHENNAI: Madras HC has upheld the decision of a family court in ordering interim maintenance to a Muslim women seeking divorce, even though the relief is not provided under the Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act.
"... Since the legislature cannot contemplate a solution to all problems that are presented in society... within the broad framework that is laid down by the legislature, courts will have to find a solution for individual cases," Justice V Lakshminarayanan said.
The court passed the order while dismissing a revision petition moved by the husband, challenging the order passed by the Udhagamandalam family court, which ordered Rs 20,000 as maintenance and Rs 10,000 towards litigation expenses.
According to the husband's counsel, the trial court cannot invoke its power under Section 151 (inherent power to make orders to ensure a fair trial) of CPC to order interim maintenance when there is no provision for the same in Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act.
Refusing to concur, the court said, "When the marriage has been admitted and also the birth of the child, then it becomes the duty of the husband to maintain his wife and child."
"...In the absence of any maintenance, the wife or the child might not even survive to see the end of the litigation. If the court were to accept the argument of the husband that there is no provision under the CPC or Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act to grant interim maintenance to the wife, the court will be reducing the status of the wife and trampling on her right to exist," the judge said.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/madras-hc-upholds-interim-maintenance-for-muslim-women-in-divorce-case/articleshow/113073228.cms
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Qatar's Sara set to vie for second Paralympic medal
05 Sep 2024
Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s first female Paralympic medallist Sara Masoud, who made history after winning a silver at the 2016 Rio Games, will be aiming to upgrade her medal when she enters the shot put ring at the Stade de France, in Paris, today.
Masoud, who cleared a distance of 5.39 meters in Brazil to finish in second place behind Algeria’s Asmahan Boudjadar in the F33 class of the women’s shot put, will be up against a stellar field in today’s contest as she looks forward to bringing home Qatar’s first-ever Paralympic gold medal.
Following the historic win in Rio, the 38-year-old Masoud continued her success with another memorable win, at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London, where she clinched a silver medal. Two years later she competed in the same discipline at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai and secured an eighth-place finish.
At the continental level, she won a silver medal at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, proving her consistency as a top-class athlete.
Ahead of today’s final, Masoud expressed her desire to win another Paralympic medal, but noted that the competition in Paris will be tougher, with more athletes showing high levels of performance. However, she emphasized her readiness for the event, having undergone intensive training ahead of the 2024 Paralympics.
Coach Waleed Maghmoul expressed his confidence in Masoud’s ability to win another medal.
“The training program Sara underwent was successful by all standards, and that she greatly benefited from participating in several competitions over the past few months,” Maghmoul noted, adding that Masoud appears well-prepared to compete strongly for a podium finish despite the presence of an extremely challenging line-up of outstanding athletes.
The reigning world champion in the F33 category, Gilda Cota Vera of Mexico, is the standout performer in today’s final. Cota Vera set a 7.77-meter Americas record on her way to winning the gold at the Para Athletics Worlds in Kobe, Japan, in May.
China’s Wu Qing, with a personal and season best of 7.54 meters, is another formidable contender who is expected to challenge the favourite Cota Vera. Neutral Para Athlete Svetlana Krivenok is another key athlete, having a personal and season best of 7.49 meters. Rio gold winner Boudjadar, Joanna Oleksiuk (Poland) and Fouzia El Kassioui (Morocco), all with personal bests of over 7 metres, have the potential to make significant impacts in the final standings today.
The F33 class fields athletes with moderately affected movement and coordination across the whole body or affecting part of the body with movement affected to a high degree in the legs. All of them have balance co-ordination problems that challenge throwing consistency.
Source: thepeninsulaqatar.com/
https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/05/09/2024/qatars-sara-set-to-vie-for-second-paralympic-medal
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Saudi Arabia: 2 women penalised over commercial cover-up
Sep 04, 2024
Cairo: Saudi authorities have named two women – a Saudi citizen and an Egyptian national-- to shame them after a court convicted them of committing the crime of a commercial cover-up by running a beauty parlour in the holy city of Mecca.
The Ministry of Commerce found evidence confirming that the expatriate identified as Mona Abdulshafi had illegally pursued her own business without obtaining a foreign investment licence by using a commercial register issued in the name of the citizen named Afia Hassan.
Authorities also discovered that the expat raked in high revenues from operating the parlour and gave a paltry sum of SR500 per month to the citizen in return for cover-up.
A disciplinary court issued a final ruling against both including naming to shame them, revoking the commercial register, liquidating the business, paying due taxes and deporting the expat from the kingdom.
Saudi authorities have recently launched an electronic service allowing commercial institutions to report about commercial cover-up perpetrated by their counterparts in a step aimed to ensure compliance with the market rules in the kingdom and curb the illegal act.
Previously, reporting about commercial cover-up cases was limited to individuals and consumers.
Violation of the anti-commercial cover-up law in Saudi Arabia is punishable by a maximum imprisonment of five years and fines up to SR5 million, impounding and confiscating the illegal money after a final court ruling is issued against the offender.
In 2019, Saudi Arabia set up the National Programme to Combat Commercial Cover-Up. In undertaking the mission, the programme, affiliated with the Saudi Ministry of Commerce, promotes opening bank accounts for businesses, automating services and boosting commercial transparency.
Source: gulfnews.com
https://gulfnews.com/business/markets/saudi-arabias-pif-secures-2b-fund-for-its-mega-projects-1.1725458043311
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Afghanistan faces decline as Taliban’s anti-women laws spark resistance: Expert
04 September ,2024
The economic and social situation in Afghanistan could worsen as a result of the latest laws imposed on women by the ruling Taliban, Afghan former member of parliament and former ambassador to Norway Shukria Barakzai told Al Arabiya English’s Riz Khan.
“A female doctor will not be anymore there. Not a female journalist, not a female engineer, nor the female entrepreneurs. So, this is how the contribution of economy is not only coming by men. Every society, every country, every bird needs to fly with two wings,” Barakzai said.
The Taliban, who regained power after the complete blackout of foreign troops in 2021, imposed several new laws in August widely ostracizing women from public life.
According to the new laws, women are not allowed to speak or sing in public. They are already banned from higher education.
“…Women in Afghanistan, we are not the second citizen. We are not the third citizen. We are not a citizen at all,” the former lawmaker said.
Barakzai called the new situation a “great loss” to her country.
“We lost Afghanistan. We lost our achievement. We lost who we were. We lost our dignity. We lost our contribution in our society with the with this entire work…The history, the pride the position, the hopes, the dreams for generations,” she said.
Barakzai who now lives in the UK said that there have been several failed attempts on her life.
Comparing the situation with the first rule of the Taliban over large parts of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, she stated that since their return matters have become even worse.
When also speaking to Al Arabiya's Riz Khan, Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Chair of the United Nations Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls, reiterated Barakzai’s call to brand the Taliban’s acts and new laws as crimes against humanity and "gender apartheid."
A shred of hope
Beyond that, Estrada Tanck stressed the rejection of the new legislation by some Islamic scholars, including within the country.
“Even being in Afghanistan, we actually met with religious scholars. So, they weren't an ulema or the religious leaders of community, but they were scholars with great experience and understanding of Islamic law. And they were saying, this is not the correct interpretation.”
For her part, Barakzai expressed hope that the new grip on Afghanistan might eventually trigger popular resistance against their rule and emerging divisions within their own ranks.
“But I think now people are realizing, now the people are standing against them. Now they are losing their own commanders. Now you can see division among the Taliban leadership, one saying ‘school needs to be open’ and others say ‘no’.”
Source: alarabiya.net
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2024/09/04/afghanistan-faces-decline-as-taliban-s-anti-women-laws-spark-resistance-expert-
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Non-Muslim woman divorcing a Muslim man wants to know her rights in the UAE
September 05, 2024
Question: I am a non-Muslim woman married to a Muslim man, and I have a three-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter. If I want divorce, but without harm, do I have the right, according to the law, to obtain it?
If the court rules a divorce, until what age do I have the legal right to retain custody of my children? Do I have the legal right to claim half of my husband’s wealth? Do I have the legal right to ask the court to apply the non- Islamic law?
Answer : To obtain divorce with or without a reason is a matter related to the court as per its estimation. As a general rule, Article 118 and 120 of the Federal Law No. 28 of 2005 on Personal Status states that if prejudice is not established, the lawsuit shall be rejected, and if the discord is still continuing between the spouses, the aggrieved party may file a new lawsuit and the court shall transfer the matter to arbitrators.
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If the two arbitrators fail to reconcile the spouses, the court shall present the arbitrators’ recommendations to the spouses and invite them to reconcile before issuing the judgment of separation.
There is also another way to obtain divorce through filing a suit of Khul.
Regarding the children’s custody, and according to Article 145 of the above law, you have the right to custody until the children reach five years of age.
Should the fosterer be a mother of a different religion than that of the fostered child, her duties shall be forfeited unless the judge deems otherwise in the interest of the fostered child, provided the period of fostering ends upon the child completing the age of five.
You do not have the right to claim half of your husband’s wealth according to Sharia Islamic Law, but if you requested to apply your own law without the husband’s objection and your law gives you the right of this half wealth, then the court might rule this taking into consideration that you have to prove the existence of your own law and its rules.
The law of the UAE shall apply in case the existence of the governing foreign law cannot be established or its context cannot be delimited, according to Article 28 of the Civil Transactions Law.
You have the right to request the application of your own law in case your husband does not object and without prejudice to the provisions of the Civil Transactions Law, according to Article 1 of the Federal Law No. 28 of 2005 on Personal Status.
The provisions of the Personal Status Law shall apply to non-citizens, unless any of them insists on implementing the law of their country’s law, without prejudice to the provisions of Articles 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 27 and 28 of the Civil Transactions Law promulgated by Federal Law No. 5 of 1985.
Source: gulfnews.com
https://gulfnews.com/uae/uae-president-attends-abu-dhabi-international-hunting-and-equestrian-exhibition-1.104010130
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Muslim women group backs Harris after disbanding over DNC snub
4 September 2024
By MEE staff
After making headlines across national and international media outlets with its announcement to disband, a group that calls itself "Muslim Women for Harris" has reversed its decision to do so and is now doubling down on supporting the Democratic Party's presidential ticket.
The pivot for the voter outreach group comes amid mounting concerns among Democrats over the party's ability to retain Muslim and Arab voters as Vice President Kamala Harris refuses to signal a change regarding the party's policies towards Israel.
Last week, one of two Council for American Islamic Relations (Cair) polls found that the Muslim-American community was split in its support of Harris and Green Party candidate, Jill Stein.
Since her initial remarks on the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, Harris has refused to make any commitment to an arms embargo as demanded by pro-Palestinian groups.
Muslim Women for Harris, which temporarily disbanded after the Democratic National Convention (DNC) refused in late August to give a platform to a Palestinian speaker, returned days later to clarify that supporting Harris was a priority for Muslim Americans.
In a statement published last week, the group urged Muslim Americans "to vote for Vice President Harris and Governor Walz this November; with the stated caveat that we will continue to both pressure the Biden administration for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and for real policy change from the Harris-Walz campaign".
"As a result of the November elections, we will either have Kamala Harris or Donald Trump as our next President - and we pray for the sake of all of us here and abroad, that it is Kamala Harris," the group said.
The statement, which the group said was intended to "set the record straight", neither made any mention of its previous post saying it could no longer continue support for Harris nor did it clarify how it decided to reverse course.
Last month, on the sidelines of the DNC, a group of pro-Palestinian Democratic delegates belonging to the Uncommitted Movement staged a protest outside the convention centre. The Uncommitted movement began by urging voters to choose "uncommitted" during the Democratic primary cycle as a protest vote against US President Joe Biden and his support for Israel.
The group demanded that the DNC allow a Palestinian American to be given the space and time to give an address on the main stage of the convention floor. The demand was dismissed by the DNC, leading to outrage from the delegates.
After the protest began, Muslim Women for Harris, which said that it supported the demand of the Uncommitted movement, said it could not continue to operate given what had transpired.
"We cannot in good conscience, continue Muslim Women for Harris-Walz, in light of this new information from the Uncommitted movement, that VP Harris' team declined their request to have a Palestinian American speaker take the stage at the DNC," the group said in an Instagram post published on 21 August.
The news of the group disbanding made headlines in prominent newspapers including The Guardian, The Hill, and USA Today.
Several reports claimed that during the DNC, Muslim Women for Harris also withdrew their support for the Democratic nominee. Middle East Eye could not independently verify this claim.
The US's support for Israel's war on Gaza, which has raged for nearly a year and killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian health ministry, has become a major issue among American voters.
In the Muslim community, another Cair poll found that support for the Democratic Party dropped by more than 40 percent since 2020, with many Muslims upset at the Biden administration's vigorous support of Israel's war efforts.
In the immediate aftermath of Biden announcing he was no longer seeking reelection in July, and Harris ascending to become the new Democratic nominee, Harris was viewed by some progressive groups as being more sympathetic towards Palestinians.
However, Harris on multiple occasions publicly said that she would make no changes to the US approach to Israel, and her team has denied that she would consider an arms embargo on Israel - a major demand of pro-Palestinian groups in the US.
Muslim Women for Harris did not respond to MEE's request for comment in time for publication.
Last week, another group and Instagram page launched with the name, "Muslim Women Against Harris-Walz".
Source: middleeasteye.net
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/muslim-women-group-backs-harris-after-dnc-snub
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