Somali American Model Halima Aden Acted With Integrity, Muslim Twitter Should Too
New
Age Islam News Bureau
01 December 2020
• Youngest Lawmaker, Suraiya Zaman, From Pakistan’s North Looks Back On Her Days In Saudi Arabia
•
‘Moving Mountains’: How Pakistan’s ‘Invisible’ Women Won Workers’ Rights
•
Pakistan Activists Demand Action Over Child Marriage
•
Turkey’s Women’s National Football Team To Host Russia In UEFA Euro 2022
Qualifier
•
Muslim Boy From Yamunanagar District Of Haryana Converts To Hinduism To Marry A
Hindu Girl
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/somali-ameri-model-halima-aden/d/123628
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Somali American model Halima Aden Acted With Integrity, Muslim Twitter Should Too
1
December 2020
Aden says she felt pressured by
the industry to compromise her beliefs [Getty]
------
I
was scrolling on Twitter last Monday, when someone I follow said to head over
to Instagram and check out Somali American model Halima Aden's Instagram story.
In a long thread Aden, who was the first hijab-wearing model to walk the runway
at New York Fashion week, announced she would no longer be working with labels
that caused her to compromise her hijab.
Aden
reflected on instances when her religious practices were compromised, from
missing prayer times and having male stylists assist with fittings, to wearing
a pair of jeans on her head instead of a headscarf as part of an American Eagle
campaign.
There
was an outpouring of love for Aden on social media. I was happy - happy that
Aden was making a decision based on her own convictions, and not because she
was caving into pressure from anyone in the community.
But
behind the flood of support for Aden, I witnessed an ugly side to some in the
online Muslim community. Rather than reflect on Aden's brave action of walking
away from a lucrative career for the sake of her beliefs, some Twitter users
saw it as an opportunity to troll Muslim women who do not wear the hijab or not
wear it in the style they deem "correct."
Some
users belittled Muslim social media influencers who decided to no longer wear
the hijab, saying they were praying for non-hijab wearers to see the light.
Aden's response to this was fantastic: "Don't utter my name in praise if
you are openly shaming other people. This just taints what I'm trying to
spread, love!"
Maryyum
Mahmood, socio-political analyst, and creator of The SHIFT, an online platform
that provides intercultural and faith training, was on the receiving end of
such cyber bullying. She was forced to remove tweets highlighting hypocrisy in
our community: praising women for wearing the hijab in a way deemed
"correct", and criticising women who choose not wear it, or who wear
it without conforming to a literalist interpretation.
Maryyum's
tweets reflected our community's obsession with discussing what women wear, and
called for respecting a woman's choice. They were met with a torrent of abuse,
accusing her of siding with ex-Muslims and Islamophobes.
Likewise
any Muslim woman who put out a tweet reminding people that a Muslim woman's
choices are her own, encountered a backlash from the community, with some
saying that the hijab is not a choice and that anyone not wearing it
"correctly" is fooling themselves.
Even
I faced backlash. In one now deleted tweet, I reflected on how in the past, no
one advocated for a single style of hijab. From the gele in Nigeria, to the
dupatta in India and Pakistan, Muslim women within each cultural community have
been wearing their own styles for years. As I went on say, "no one, no
matter who they are, has the right to judge a Hijabi for the way they wear
their headscarf, period." For this I received a torrent of abuse from
other Muslims, accusing me, yet again, of siding with Islamophobes - something
I found amusing since I wear the hijab myself.
Leila
Ahmed's book 'Women and Gender in Islam' does a fantastic job of charting how
Islamic political movements had an influence on styles of hijab in the 20th
century, as does Hafsa Lodi, who also explores evolving "modest
fashion" in the 21st century in her book 'Modesty: A Fashion Paradox'.
In
2016 Muslim Girl made a video showcasing the different types of Hijab women
have worn in different cultures throughout the last century, which was followed
by Najma Sharif's video on 100 years of hijab styles worn across Africa. So how
did we come to just one "proper" or "correct" hijab?
The
hijab has become the a huge topic of debate in the Muslim community with some
men still appointing themselves as judges, determining what Muslim women should
wear. We are tired of a number of men in our community telling us to cover, or
how to cover. We juggle this alongside western governments that pass
legislation making it harder for Muslim women to wear the hijab and the niqab,
all in the name of "freeing us", when there is nothing to free us
from.
And
if this isn't enough to handle, we now have to contend with judgement from
other Muslim women who troll women who choose not to wear it, or those hijabis
with with a style different to their own. It's a toxic environment.
If
we are ever to find unity within our community, we need to start respecting
other Muslims' choices. We need to stop abusing the term 'naseeha', Arabic for
advice. Some Muslims believe it's their duty to advise other Muslims. However,
there are rules of engagement for naseeha-giving, rules that have been
discarded.
You
are not meant to judge people, nor are you meant to give advice in the public
domain in a way that embarrasses someone or hurts their feelings. We are taught
to practise naseeha using wisdom so that it does not make an individual feel
targeted.
Have
we forgotten how to have a nuanced discussion? Some lament the loss of the
Golden Era of Islam of the 9th and 10th centuries, forgetting this was also
time when Muslims had differing opinions and interpretations of the religion,
and discussed them respectfully.
Halima
Aden's announcement that she would no longer take on jobs that compromised her
faith should not be about her wearing "proper" hijab and pressuring
others to follow suit. It should be a celebration of standing up for what she
believes in, and having agency as a Muslim woman to make her own life decisions.
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/comment/2020/11/30/halima-aden-acted-with-integrity-muslim-twitter-should-too
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Youngest
Lawmaker, Suraiya Zaman, From Pakistan’s North Looks Back On Her Days In Saudi
Arabia
December
01, 2020
Suraiya
Zaman during the interview with Arab News, where she spoke of her time in Saudi
Arabia, on Sunday. (AP photo)
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KARACHI: After making history as Pakistan’s youngest lawmaker from the northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan earlier this month, Suraiya Zaman credits her time in Saudi Arabia and “lots of sweet memories” for her successful foray into politics.
“Growing
up in Saudi Arabia allowed me to meet people from different cultures and walks
of life,” Zaman told Arab News on Sunday. “It has given me a sense of pride and
appreciation for my own country. I spent my childhood in Saudi Arabia, and I
consider the Kingdom as my second home. I have a lot of sweet childhood
memories.”
Zaman
was born in Oct. 1993 in the scenic but conservative Darel Valley of
Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district. She moved to Saudi Arabia with her family
in 2004.
Her
father, Dr. Muhammad Zaman Khan, was a physician at Al-Hada Military Hospital
in Taif and she studied at Saudi Arabia International School Al-Hada until
grade 10.
“I
remember visiting Makkah every weekend for Umrah and the weather and mountains
of Al-Hada,” Zaman said, reminiscing about her “beautiful life” in the Kingdom.
But there was nothing specific that she missed about Al-Hada because it was so
similar to Gilgit-Baltistan.
“Both
are mountainous areas and the weather and fruits are the same. Even we are the
same!” she added, explaining how life in Saudi Arabia had affected her family.
“Most
of our extended family eat spicy food, but we cannot eat it. We mostly cook and
eat Saudi cuisine, especially mandi even though it does not taste the same. We
wear abayas and other Saudi outfits and sleep late and wake up late on
weekends.”
Zaman
returned to Pakistan in 2013 for higher studies, while her family moved back in
July this year.
She
enrolled at Islamabad’s National University of Modern Languages to study
English literature and linguistics. She speaks English, Urdu, Shina and Khuwar.
Zaman
was elected as president of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s
women’s wing for the Diamer-Astore division in Gilgit-Baltistan in February
after her father, a PTI leader, convinced her to join politics.
Gilgit-Baltistan
is not an officially recognised part of Pakistan, but forms a part of the
disputed Kashmir region that Pakistan controls. Both India and Pakistan have
claimed ownership of Kashmir since 1947 and have fought two wars over the
territory.
Elections
were held on Nov. 15 for 23 seats in Gilgit-Baltistan’s third legislative
assembly with as many as 330 candidates, including four women, contesting the
polls.
Zaman,
who was elected on the PTI ticket, did not expect to win but wants to use her
newfound status to improve the education sector in Daimer, where religious
extremists destroyed 14 schools, mostly for girls, in Aug. 2018.For that goal,
she said, she would look to her experiences in Saudi Arabia.
“Saudi
Arabia treats its citizens as a mother would treat her children – very fairly.
They are given free medical care and education, which relieves a huge burden
from the shoulders of its citizens. I want something similar to be implemented
here in Gilgit-Baltistan.”
Daimer’s
Darel Valley has a 12 percent literacy rate for girls, the lowest in the entire
province where 42 percent of girls and 66 percent of boys between the age of 10
and 15 attend school. Zaman found this statistic worrying.
“Female
education is one of my priorities. I want to play an important role in
promoting it in Gilgit-Baltistan, especially in my district. I want to unite,
educate, empower and engage the youth of different backgrounds to ensure the
decision-makers hear their voices.”
For
that to happen she hoped to encourage parents in Daimer to give their children
the basic right to education and send them to school.
“There
are many parents who are willing, but they do not have enough funds to support
their children’s education. So scholarships will be given to such children.”
Zaman
was also hoping to seek help from the Kingdom for her cause.
“It’s
my second home. I hope they help us in the development of Gilgit-Baltistan.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1770791/world
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‘Moving
Mountains’: How Pakistan’s ‘Invisible’ Women Won Workers’ Rights
Zofeen
Ebrahim
1
Dec 2020
Home-based
workers officially register as workers in Sindh province, Pakistan. Their new
status will allow them to receive numerous benefits. Photograph: Zofeen Ebrahim
-----
Shamim
Bano has been an invisible worker for 40 years. Working 12-hour days from home
as a “cropper” in the port city of Karachi, she cuts the loose threads off
clothing and makes samosas to sell at schools.
Bano
is paid about 25 Pakistani rupees (£0.10) a day. It’s a precarious existence
for Pakistan’s home-based workers, without access to social security benefits
or pensions. Most of these informal workers are women.
But
now Bano has become visible – as the first person to register under new
legislation that will finally recognise her work. Sindh province is about to
enact a law to award employment rights to an estimated informal workforce of 3
million people.
In
2018 Sindh passed the Home-Based Workers Act, making Pakistan the only country
in south Asia where home workers were recognised as official labourers.
Although the country’s three other provinces have not yet followed suit, it is
believed that 12 million people across Pakistan are home-based workers, making
clothes, shoes and crafts from their living rooms.
About
80% of them are women. Their contribution to the economy is sizeable – the
informal sector accounts for 71% of employment in Pakistan outside agriculture,
according to the Labour Force Survey for 2017–18. In rural areas 75% of people
are classed as informal workers.
At
the dilapidated one-room office of the United Home-Based Garment Workers’ Union
in Karachi last week, Bano became the first woman working from home in Sindh to
register with the provincial government’s labour department. She will now be
eligible for social, medical and maternity benefits, and will also qualify for
government grants to help pay for weddings and funerals.
“I
don’t know when I will actually be able to enjoy the gains, but I am satisfied
I was in the forefront of the struggle, says Bano, who lives with her husband,
two daughters, son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. “To even get to
this point, and that I was able to help so many other women, including my
daughters have a future, that is better than … [getting this myself].”
It’s
been a long journey to get to this point. The Home-Based Women Workers
Federation (HBWWF), has been fighting for its 3,500 members to be able to claim
social security benefits and receive a living wage since 2009.
Zehra
Khan, the federation’s general secretary, said the “historic” registration
proved that “when scattered workers, especially women, organise themselves,
they can move mountains and fight against capitalist greed”.
Khan
added that the registration process would also give a true picture of the
number of home-based workers.
As
she filled in her registration form, Saira Feroze, 36, the general secretary of
a union that belongs to the federation, said she had never thought “we would be
recognised as workers in our lifetime”, and that this had seemed “like a
distant dream”.
The
registration process was due to begin in August, but Covid-19 restrictions
delayed the rollout. Now Feroze’s union is trying to make up for lost time. “We
are now taking it upon ourselves to start from our end, fill in the forms and
hand them over to the labour department,” she says.
The
delay in registration meant that women working from home were not eligible for
the government’s emergency cash payments programme during the Covid-19
lockdown, which has had a huge impact on home-based workers.
Bano’s
husband lost his livelihood selling street food from a kiosk during the
lockdown.
“There
is no work,” says Bano’s daughter, Sumera Azeem. “We had to take out a loan to
be able to buy groceries. We have not paid the monthly house rent of 7,000
rupees since April, or the electricity and gas bills.”
Zahida
Perveen, president of the HBWWF, said many home workers were already living
hand-to-mouth when the city came to a standstill in March. “The second wave of
Covid-19 is upon us and with food inflation at its height, I doubt if we can
rely on this government to help us,” she says.
“If
the registration process had not been delayed, many among us would have been
able to avail ourselves of the government’s emergency cash payments.”
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/dec/01/moving-mountains-how-pakistans-invisible-women-won-workers-rights
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Pakistan
activists demand action over child marriage
December
01, 2020
Pakistan’s
human rights defenders have presented a charter of demands calling for the
inclusion of chapters on early child marriage, sexual violence, harassment and
life skills in the school curriculum.
The
demands were presented during a press conference on Nov. 27 hosted by RASTI in
Karachi with the support of the Awaz Foundation and UJALA Network.
RASTI
is a national organization working with children, youth and women to improve
their quality of life by providing services in health, education and capacity
building on development issues, gender equality, ecology and children’s rights.
Among
the participants were rights agencies, social workers, social activists,
teachers, parents, students, theater artists, sports people and media
representatives.
Activists
said separate courts should be formed for the protection of women and children.
Due
to the increasing number of harassment and sexual abuse cases, the government
must look at the women’s charter. The school curriculum must include topics on
early marriage, sexual abuse and harassment.
Police
must also be guided on how to deal with these issues and there must be a
separate desk especially for women abuse-related cases in police stations.
The
budget for Darul Aman shelter homes must also be increased so that it can help
women in need. During the investigation of sexual harassment and abuse cases,
the police and judiciary should consider forensic reports instead of
eyewitnesses.
The
press conference also demanded the government introduce a 24/7 helpline for
this purpose.
Participants
strongly condemned the increase in early marriage, sexual abuse, harassment and
murder cases.
According
to UNICEF, 21 percent of Pakistani girls are married by the age of 18 and 3
percent before 15. Child marriage tends to occur in the country’s most
marginalized and vulnerable communities.
Pakistan
has the sixth-highest number of women married or in a union before the age of
18 in the world.
https://www.ucanews.com/news/pakistan-activists-demand-action-over-child-marriage/90513#
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Turkey’s
women’s national football team to host Russia in UEFA Euro 2022 qualifier
NOV
30, 2020
Amatch
against Russia on Tuesday will decide the women’s national football team's fate
in the UEFA Euro 2022 qualifiers.
The
Turkish side, nicknamed the Crescent Stars, will host its rival in the southern
province of Antalya in their 10th and last game in Group A. The team sits at
fifth place in its group, ahead of Estonia, with only one win and two draws in
nine matches. Russia, with seven victories, has garnered 21 points so far and
is runner-up behind the Netherlands.
The
Turkish team defeated Estonia 4-0 in an away game Friday.
The
group winners and the three runners-up with the best record against the sides
first, third, fourth and fifth in their sections will join hosts England in the
final tournament scheduled for July 2022. The other six runners-up will have a
playoff in April for the remaining three berths in the 16-team finals.
Coach
Necla Güngör Kırağası relies on a mixed lineup of homegrown stars and
footballers playing abroad including Yağmur Uraz at Beşiktaş and Arzu Karabulut
of Germany's SC Fortuna Koln. Players from Alg Spor based in the southern
province of Gaziantep, which leads the Women’s First League, dominate the squad
with six members, including goalkeeper Ezgi Çağlar, defender Gülbin Hız and
midfielders Emine Ecem Esen, Ebru Topçu, Ilayda Civelek and Derya Arhan.
https://www.dailysabah.com/sports/football/turkeys-womens-national-football-team-to-host-russiain-uefa-euro-2022-qualifier
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Muslim
Boy From Yamunanagar District Of Haryana Converts To Hinduism To Marry A Hindu
Girl
Dec
1, 2020
CHANDIGARH:
At a time when the Haryana government is thinking of bringing in a law against
‘love jihad’ cases in the state, a Muslim boy from Yamunanagar district has
converted to Hinduism to marry a Hindu girl. The boy (name withheld) changed
his name before marrying the girl in a temple in accordance with Hindu rituals,
reports Ajay Sura.
The
couple — the girl (name withheld), 19, and the boy, 21 — are under the
protection of the Yamunanagar police following the intervention of the Punjab
and Haryana high court. They had told the court that they feared a threat to
their lives and liberty from the girl’s family.
The
boy, who works in a private company and earns around Rs 15,000 per month,
claimed his parents were ready to accept their relationship but the girl’s
family and relatives were against it.
On
November 9, they solemnised their marriage against the wishes of the girl’s
parents. However, they alleged, when the girl’s family learned of their
marriage, they started threatening them with dire consequences.
The
couple had approached the high court, submitting that opposition to their
marriage was a serious abuse of their rights provided under Article 21 of the
Constitution. The couple claimed that the girl’s relatives are saying that they
will eliminate them whenever they get a chance.
During
the hearing on November 11, the counsel for the girl’s family said her family
wanted to meet her once. She, however, declined.
After
hearing the case, the HC ordered the Yamunanagar SP to evaluate the threat
perception and provide them security.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/in-haryana-muslim-youth-converts-to-marry-hindu-girl/articleshow/79501507.cms
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