New
Age Islam News Bureau
15
October 2021
• Women
Take Lead in Expo 2020’s Climate and Biodiversity Week in UAE
• How
More Women Can Be Encouraged To Take Up STEM Careers In The Middle East
• Safe
From Taliban: 100 Afghan Women Football Players, Their Families Evacuated From
Afghanistan To Qatar
• WWE
Superstar Becky Lynch Looks To Inspire Saudi Women At Crown Jewel In Riyadh
• Caritas
Pakistan Focuses On Women For Disaster Relief
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/sun-sea-conservative-sex/d/125578
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Sun,
Sea And The Opposite Sex As Deeply Conservative Saudi Arabia Slowly Loosens Up
Haitham
El-Tabei
October
15, 2021
Saudis
are being permitted to mix at parties attended by both sexes, as the kingdom
continues a liberalisation drive (AFP/Fayez NURELDINE)
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For
Asma, spending a day on the beach with her boyfriend was unthinkable until recently
in deeply conservative Saudi Arabia.
Now,
the 32-year-old is dancing with her partner on white sands fringing the Red
Sea, to music thumping from loudspeakers.
It's
a small reminder of the changes underway in the Islamic kingdom, which is
attempting to ease some of its tight social strictures in a modernisation drive
at the same time as a crackdown on dissent.
Music
was banned in public places until 2017, a measure enforced by the religious
police, and women were only allowed to drive a year later. Beaches are still
usually segregated between men and women.
But
for 300 Saudi riyals ($80) each, Asma and her boyfriend can enter Pure Beach
near Jeddah, with its music, dancing and inflatable water park spelling
"Saudi Arabia" in English when viewed from above.
"I
am happy that I can now come to a nearby beach to enjoy my time," she told
AFP, wearing a blue dress over her bathing suit.
"It
is the epitome of fun... it was our dream to come here and spend a beautiful
weekend."
Beachgoers
swim in the turquoise waters and women wear bikinis, some of them smoking
shisha. As the sun sets, performers dance to Western music on a lit stage as a
couple embraces nearby.
In
many countries, these would not be unusual scenes but they are different for
Saudi Arabia, which houses Islam's holiest sites and espouses Wahhabism, a
rigid form of the religion.
They
are also not seen outside of the Jeddah area, which is known as the country's
most relaxed region. Pure Beach is at King Abdullah Economic City, about 125
kilometres (about 80 miles) north of Jeddah's city centre.
"I
was raised here, and a few years ago we weren't even allowed to listen to
music, so this is like heaven," said Egyptian Hadeel Omar.
-
Phones confiscated -
The
country is experiencing change under the crown prince and de facto ruler,
Mohammed bin Salman, who came to power in 2017.
But
'MBS' has also launched a sweeping crackdown on dissent, detaining women's
rights activists, clerics and journalists. A US intelligence report accused him
of approving the 2018 brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi
consulate in Istanbul.
The
Gulf kingdom's social reforms are spurred by a desire to diversify its
oil-reliant economy, including by stimulating tourism and domestic spending.
Only
business travellers and Muslim pilgrims could visit until 2019, when Saudi
Arabia began offering tourist visas.
Bilal
Saudi, head of events at King Abdullah Economic City, said the beach was
targeting "both local visitors and (foreign) tourists".
"I
feel that I no longer have to travel (abroad) to have a good time... because
everything is here," said Dima, a young Saudi businesswoman, as she swayed
to the music.
Staff
at the beach said they did not know whether the couples were married or not. It
was only two years ago that unmarried foreign couples were first allowed to
share hotel rooms.
For
the sake of "privacy", as staff put it, mobile phones are confiscated
and kept in plastic bags.
"I
was surprised at the freedom and openness at the beach, something that would be
experienced in the United States," said beachgoer Mohammed Saleh.
One
thing still missing, visitors said, was cocktails, with a nationwide ban on
alcohol still in place.
"Life
is normal (in Saudi Arabia)," said Asma, adding: "It wasn't normal
before."
Source:
Yahoo News
https://news.yahoo.com/sun-sea-opposite-sex-saudi-090433732.html
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Women
Take Lead in Expo 2020’s Climate and Biodiversity Week in UAE
October
14, 2021
DUBAI:
The world is at a turning point on climate change. Now is the time when the
global community must take decisive and collective steps to protect the planet
from future harm before more irreversible damage is done.
One
of Expo 2020’s driving tenets is to be an event that accelerates transformative
global change — and this message was delivered loud and clear through Expo’s
Climate and Biodiversity Week.
This
first themed week, from Oct 3-9, was staged in association with the UAE
Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, and DP World, the global trade
partner of Expo 2020.
The
week included several conferences led by global thought leaders with the aim of
generating new ideas, inspiring different perspectives and constructing
blueprints for long-lasting calls to action.
Key
speakers included the internationally recognized leader on global climate
change, Christiana Figueres; co-chair of UN Energy, Damilola Ogunbiyi;
filmmaker and climber, Jake Norton; Eden Project founder, Sir Tim Smit, as well
as environment ministers from around the world.
Climate
and Biodiversity Week constituted the first of Expo 2020’s ten themed weeks,
anchored in Expo’s program for People and Planet, aimed at finding solutions
for the world’s most pressing problems.
One
key takeaway from Climate and Biodiversity Week was the role that women play in
environmental and societal change.
“We
are confident that by bringing together people, policy-makers, NGOs and
business leaders from 192 countries for Climate and Biodiversity Week, we can
inspire the world to take positive steps toward a more sustainable future. We
have the opportunity to take our place in history as the generation who stopped
climate change,” said Nadia Verjee, chief of staff, Program for People and
Planet, Expo 2020 Dubai, in a statement.
Leadership
in climate change was particularly apparent in one of the first conferences,
titled “Women Leading the Fight to Save our Planet,” at the Cartier-sponsored
Women’s Pavilion.
Expo
2020 is the first World Expo since the 1900s to dedicate an entire pavilion to
women.
The
inspiring session focused on the disproportionate impact of climate change on
women, and how women can play a greater role in climate-related
decision-making.
The
session was moderated by Hind Alowais, vice president, participant management,
at Expo 2020, who said the fact that Expo 2020 was led by a woman demonstrated
the capability of Arab women as well as the UAE’s commitment to female
empowerment.
Maha
Al Gergawi, senior vice president, political affairs, at Expo 2020, confirmed
that during Emirati Women’s Day on Aug. 28, 2021, more than 50 percent of the
workforce at Expo was comprised of women, and that 60 percent of Emirati women
were in leadership positions.
Women,
Alowais told Arab News, had a major role to play in addressing climate change.
She said that one of the most important points from the discussion was
emphasizing how climate change affected women differently.
“Women
are disproportionately affected by climate change and by natural disasters,”
she said.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1948306/world
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How
more women can be encouraged to take up STEM careers in the Middle East
October
14, 2021
DUBAI:
Apps, artificial intelligence, fifth-generation telephony, the internet of
things, drones, advanced metallurgy, microchips, algorithms and coding.
Buzzwords of the moment, to be sure — but also growth areas of the current and
future economy.
Young
people today who want to succeed in these fields will require strong
quantitative skills based in hard sciences such as mathematics. And technology.
And engineering. Call it STEM.
In
the Middle East, much work needs to be done to shift education patterns for its
youth, particularly women. The good news is that some have started. Experts in
the field told Arab News that mentoring, instilling a culture of
experimentation and overcoming failure, and breaking down stereotypes will go a
long way to ensure further progress.
Around
the world, only 18 percent of women in college and universities are pursuing
studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, compared with 35
percent of men, according to the UN. This means that there is a dire shortage
of software engineers but, at the same time, strong demand for more young
people to learn how to work in the digital space.
“These
figures aren’t surprising as we’ve known for a long time that there is a STEM
gap around the world and here in the region,” said Eslam Hussein, co-founder
and CEO at Invygo, a car rental app based in Dubai. “But this is a time of
positive change and there’s so much happening to boost STEM education,
particularly for women.”
In
the Middle East, women already account for almost half the total STEM student
population. Hussein pointed to Saudi Arabia, where he said the government is
leading from the front to resolve the STEM gap by encouraging learning and
careers in the field.
The
Kingdom has created Saudi Codes, a Misk Foundation, Ministry of Communications
and Information Technology, and Saudi Telecom Company initiative to teach
computer programming in an accessible and relevant way.
Saudi
entrepreneur Nora Al-Nashwan and her friend Deema Alamer set up Code for Girls
in 2018 to give Saudi women the skills necessary to join the tech industry.
In
2017, Dubai created its One Million Arab Coders initiative, offering prizes of
up to $1 million. In February, it said that 1.2 million people had signed up.
“Complementing
these initiatives is the rise of the startup ecosystem. Women entrepreneurs are
also encouraging young female students to take up learning in STEM fields,”
Hussein said.
Nevertheless,
studies have shown that women prefer to pursue studies in biological sciences,
business administration, psychology, human resources and social work.
Dr.
Rita Zgheib, assistant professor at the faculty of engineering, applied science
and technology at the Canadian University Dubai, believes the findings are
consistent across much of the world.
“The
figure is the same in many European countries, too. It has been linked to
cultural history, where women are oriented toward simple tasks, and also to
preconceived notions about engineering,” she told Arab News.
“Most
women with high capabilities and the skills to integrate and excel in engineering
have a false understanding of engineering,” Zgheib told Arab News. “They think
that it is hard, and they are often afraid.”
She
recommends more orientation sessions at school, as well as high-profile women
describing their experiences. Nevertheless, challenges persist. Stereotyping
and a lack of knowledge around education in STEM subjects are common.
Zgheib
highlights marriage and female domestic responsibilities as barriers, pushing
women to pursue less-demanding jobs. “There’s a lack of orientation and
motivation,” she said.
Dr.
Yousef Al-Assaf, president of the Rochester Institute of Technology in Dubai,
said that not all regional universities fall into the low-figure bracket for
women in STEM, highlighting the institute’s 23 percent ratio as an example.
“There
are girls who would like to study computing more than mechanical engineering,”
he told Arab News.
“So,
we have to make the right initiatives and encouragement for them to be more
(motivated). The region lacks coders because it’s accustomed to just adopting
solutions and implementing them, but having software engineering as a
discipline is new and we need more. What we make of those figures is what we
have to think about carefully.”
Creating
awareness of the career paths and opportunities available while studying and
working in STEM may help.
Nathalie
Chamaa, head of products at FlexxPay, an online platform based in Dubai that
allows employees to access their pay, said that tech companies need to recruit
female talent into their teams and invest in professional growth.
“Technology
companies in the region, which are predominantly male oriented, need to
establish a gender-equal culture that will help drive communication, teamwork
and leadership in the workforce,” Chamaa said.
“This
will create a more inclusive work environment where women feel empowered to
excel in their roles.”
According
to Hussein, the possibilities for women who join and stay in technology
companies are endless. Equipped with just a computer and an Internet
connection, young talent can achieve a great deal, he said.
“With
the rise of new learning platforms and teaching methods, the barriers to STEM
education are being removed rapidly. This is a time to achieve the impossible.”
So
how to get there? There is a need for more mentorship for young students,
especially females. In Saudi Arabia, 38 percent of Saudi graduates in STEM are
women, but only 17 percent of these go on to work in related fields.
“It
is critical that education is able to translate into long-term careers,”
Hussein said. “We also need to encourage a culture of experimentation. This
will create a major mindset shift, driving young talent to test their skills,
create new concepts, and bring new, ground-breaking ideas to life.”
Providing
scholarships and training to young women can shape ambition.
According
to Al-Assaf, research by RIT showed girls perform better than boys
academically. “We need to change the mindset, whether from government, NGOs or
academia, because, to date, women have been encouraged to study subjects that
are compatible with society’s norms,” he said.
“It’s
changing, but maybe parents and teachers can encourage more.”
Vandana
Mahajan, founder of Futures Abroad, a Dubai-based consultancy that helps
students choose courses overseas, said that small changes in departments such
as physics and computer science, and provision for a broader overview of the
introductory courses on offer, can make a significant difference.
“Institutions
can employ more female professors to change this perception and to motivate
girls. Mentoring programs can help along with effective work-life balance
policies for all faculty members. We have to make a conscious effort at home to
eliminate this gender bias and to encourage girls to explore STEM-related
courses,” Mahajan said.
Enabling
students to solve real-world problems through early direct-learning experiences
can inspire and motivate for the long term. Inculcating a sense that it is not
the end of the world to fail is also important.
“In
our industry, many problems have many solutions and it’s OK to experiment with
different ways and fail more than once,” said Charbel Nasr, chief technology
officer at FlexxPay.
“Experimentation
is key to keep improving and innovating.
Students should be taught how to overcome failure, not fear it.”
With
a population of over 500 million across the region, and as legacy industries
undergo digitalization, investment in talent today will reap dividends for
future generations.
“Innovation-centric
initiatives, like Saudi Codes by Misk and Code for Girls, are already
attracting a high number of participants, and the levels of interest in coding
being shown by young Saudi women is indicative of their potential,” Hussein
said.
This
will be critical for the future of the Arab region, as it will need to have the
right skills to keep pace with the rest of the world.
“STEM
encourages innovation and creativity,” Mahajan said.
“Scientists
and engineers are working on solving some of the most vexing challenges of our
time: Finding cures for diseases, providing clean drinking water and developing
renewable energy sources. When women are not a part of the design of these
products, the needs and desires unique to women may be overlooked.”
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1948201/middle-east
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Safe
from Taliban: 100 Afghan women football players, their families evacuated from
Afghanistan to Qatar
Oct
15, 2021
by
Meenakshi
As
many as 100 women footballers, including members of the national football team,
were evacuated from Afghanistan, which is under the Taliban, on Thursday on a
flight to Doha, the Qatari government said. “Around 100 footballers & their
families including female players are on board,” Lolwah Al-Khater, Qatar's assistant
foreign minister, said in a tweet.
Sky
Sports News reported that the group includes at least 20 national women's team
footballers. The players along with other evacuees were taken to a compound to
undergo coronavirus testing. It is unclear how long they will stay in Qatar.
The
8th passengers flight from Kabul just arrived in Qatar. This is the biggest
flight thus far with 357 passengers on board and for the first time we have
citizens from New Zealand 🇳🇿. Also around 100 footballers
& their families including female players are on board 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/93ehot2urN
— لولوة الخاطر Lolwah Alkhater
(@Lolwah_Alkhater) October 14, 2021
FIFA,
the football's world governing body, has been working closely with the Qatar
government to coordinate the evacuation of players from Afghanistan. FIFPRO,
the international players' union, in August helped secure seats on a flight out
of Kabul for players from the Afghanistan women’s national team. After the
Afghan government fell in August and the Taliban took back control of Kabul
after 20 years, concerns were raised for the safety of women athletes.
Khalida
Popal, the former Afghan women’s football team captain, even urged players
still in Afghanistan to burn their sports gear and delete their social media
accounts to avoid reprisals from the Taliban regime. Many of the country's
female footballers have gone into hiding since the Taliban's takeover.
In
August soon after the Taliban took over the country, a former player in the
Afghanistan women's national soccer team Fanoos Basir fled and said there was
no future for her under the Taliban rule. "We had lots of dreams for our
country, for our future, for the future of women in Afghanistan. This was our
nightmare, that the Taliban would come and capture all of Afghanistan. There is
no future for women... for now,” she told Reuters outside the reception centre,
where she arrived after being evacuated from Kabul on a French-organised
flight.
Last
month, women players from Afghanistan's junior national team crossed the border
into Pakistan. The girls spent weeks in hiding amid fears of a crackdown on
women's rights by the Taliban, according to reports.
The
last time the Taliban ruled over Afghanistan, women were barred from taking
part in sport, or from working outside the home, and had to cover themselves
from head to toe when in public. The Islamist movement was ousted in the US-led
invasion in 2001, but 20 years later has taken power again.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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WWE
Superstar Becky Lynch looks to inspire Saudi women at Crown Jewel in Riyadh
October
14, 2021
WWE
Superstar Becky Lynch says is looking forward to her first visit to Saudi
Arabia and hopes to inspire the next generation of women in the Kingdom.
The
RAW women’s champion will be in action at Crown Jewel in Riyadh on Thursday,
Oct. 21, when she will put her title on the line in a Triple Threat match
against Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair.
“This
will be my first trip to Saudi Arabia, but I have only heard great things about
the country from the guys who have already been over,” she said.
“Everyone
is so nice when the guys go over, and the people there are so grateful and
appreciative of us going there and performing, so I can’t wait to be there and
see all this for myself.”
Lynch
said that she is looking forward to connecting with women at the show, and
hopes to deliver a positive message to those seeking inspiration.
“Being
able to inspire people is the most important thing; that’s why we do this,” she
said. “We are seeing a whole new generation, and hopefully are showing them
what is possible and what can be done. It is hugely important for us to go over
there and steal the show.”
Lynch
is a former simultaneous holder of both RAW and SmackDown women’s titles, and
is known for forging her own path in WWE.
The
Ireland-born star believes “we should all trust our intuition a little more in
life,” adding: “I think it is all about being true to yourself and trusting
your gut.”
She
said: “As women, and as people, we often don’t trust ourselves enough and I
don’t know where that comes from. As you grow up, we are always told to be
careful, and don’t do this or that, but I do think you have an inner voice that
never serves you wrong. I don’t recall ever thinking in my life that I wish I
didn’t trust my gut. Once we follow our intuition is always brings us to good
places.”
Nicknamed
“The Man,” Lynch returned to WWE at SummerSlam in August following the birth of
her first child, and is aware of her position as a role model, and how her
actions can influence so many.
“One
thing I find I look at differently now is social media and how that affects
people, and young people, in particular,” she said.
“You
may have noticed but I don’t really post as much any more, and it very much
around the narrative of how we empower woman to use our voices in an
appropriate way, especially when there is so much noise all the time. I think I
am very much still trying to figure all that out, but I think anything I do has
that much more weight to it now I am a mom.”
The
champion is ready to put on a show alongside Banks and Belair for the Riyadh
crowd, and expects to leave with her title intact.
“People
can expect me to walk out there still the Smackdown women’s champion,” she
said. “But in addition to that they can expect a barnstormer of a match. Any
time you get myself, Sasha Banks, and Bianca Belair, three of the best in the
industry regardless of gender, you know you are going to be watching something
very special, and there is no doubt that match will steal the show.”
Lynch
will take on Banks and Belair for the RAW women’s championship at Crown Jewel
at the Mohammed Abdo Arena — Boulevard in Riyadh on Thursday, Oct. 21. Tickets
available from ticketmx.com starting at SR50 ($13.30).
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1947801/sport
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Caritas
Pakistan focuses on women for disaster relief
October
15, 2021
The
International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction was observed by the Caritas
Pakistan Karachi chapter focusing on the role of women in times of disasters.
John
Rehmat, the program coordinator, said women had a vital role to play in
disaster response. Real community resilience to disasters may not be achieved
without their full participation and contribution in decision-making and
leadership, he said.
The
community, therefore, needs to recognize the productive and constructive role
of women to encourage them to move forward and share their knowledge and
experiences in disaster planning and management to build a resilient community,
Rehmat added.
The
International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction has been observed every Oct. 13
since 1989 after a call by the United Nations General Assembly to promote a
global culture of risk awareness and disaster reduction.
This
year Caritas Pakistan Karachi held a
conference with the theme “Strengthening Communities Copping Practices to
Response Disaster” with the objective of building the capacity of its
volunteers, strengthening communities and adopting best practices in response
to disasters.
In
his opening remarks, Mansha Noor, executive secretary of Caritas Pakistan,
said: “We do observe this day with our volunteers to build their capacity and
appreciate and recognize their selfless services and contribution for the
emergency and humanitarian interventions."
Antony
Naveed, a Catholic member of the Sindh Assembly who was the chief guest,
appreciated Caritas for organizing a disaster management conference for
grassroots community workers, especially women, to build their capacities to
respond to any disaster in an effective way.
As
highlighted by the UN, disasters hit hardest at the local level with the
potential to cause loss of life and great social and economic upheaval. The
sudden onset of disasters displaces millions of people across the world every
year. Disasters, many of which are exacerbated by climate change, have a
negative impact on investment in sustainable development and the desired
outcomes.
Pakistan
is one of the most disaster-prone countries in South Asia. The country has
suffered about $18 billion in damages and losses from natural disasters over
the past decade, according to a 2017 World Bank report.
The
report further said nearly 3 million people are affected by disasters in
Pakistan each year with the country prone to natural hazards such as drought,
floods, heatwaves, extreme cold, and earthquakes.
Source:
UCA News
https://www.ucanews.com/news/caritas-pakistan-focuses-on-women-for-disaster-relief/94569#
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