Niece of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, Farideh Moradkhani Urges World to Cut Ties With Tehran over Brutal Police Suppression of Anti-Hijab Protesters
New
Age Islam News Bureau
28
November 2022
• Host “Needs To Respect My Way of Life”: Ex-Miss Croatia, Ivana Knoll, Challenges Qatari Authorities with Provoking Outfits at World Cup
•
Artist Amira Nazer Celebrates Jeddah Women through Mermaid-Inspired Exhibition
•
Google Doodle Celebrates Female Emirati Poet Ousha Al Suwaidi
•
‘Leaders Have Gone Silent’: Malala Calls For UK To Help Oppressed Afghan Women
•
Iran Bank Manager Fired For Serving Unveiled Woman
•
Afghan Women, Undeterred By Taliban, Secretly Network For Change
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/supreme-ayatollah-moradkhani-tehran-hijab/d/128510
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Niece of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, Farideh Moradkhani Urges World to Cut Ties With Tehran over Brutal Police Suppression of Anti-Hijab Protesters
Farideh
Moradkhani in a screengrab from a video being shared online.
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Nov
27, 2022
DUBAI:
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's niece, a well-known rights
activist, has called on foreign governments to cut all ties with Tehran over
its violent crackdown on popular unrest kindled by the death in police custody
of a young woman.
A
video of a statement by Farideh Moradkhani, an engineer whose late father was a
prominent opposition figure married to Khamenei's sister, was being widely
shared online after what activist news agency HRANA said was her arrest on Nov.
23.
"O
free people, be with us and tell your governments to stop supporting this
murderous and child-killing regime," Moradkhani said in the video.
"This regime is not loyal to any of its religious principles and does not
know any rules except force and maintaining power."
Khamenei's
office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
HRANA
said 450 protesters had been killed in more than two months of nationwide
unrest as of Nov. 26, including 63 minors. It said 60 members of the security
forces had been killed, and 18,173 protesters detained.
The
protests, sparked by the death of young Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini after
her arrest for "inappropriate attire", pose one of the strongest
challenges to the country's clerical establishment since the 1979 Islamic
Revolution.
Challenging
the Islamic Republic’s legitimacy, protesters from all walks of life have
burned pictures of Khamenei and called for the downfall of Iran's Shi'ite
Muslim theocracy.
The
video was shared on YouTube on Friday by her brother, France-based Mahmoud
Moradkhani, who presents himself as "an opponent of the Islamic
Republic" on his Twitter account, and then by prominent Iranian rights
activists.
On
Nov. 23, Mahmoud Moradkhani reported her sister's arrest as she was heeding a
court order to appear at the Tehran prosecutor's office. Farideh had been
arrested earlier this year by Iran's Intelligence Ministry and later released
on bail.
HRANA
said she was in Tehran's Evin security prison. Moradkhani, it said, had earlier
faced a 15-year prison sentence on unspecified charges.
Her
father, Ali Moradkhani Arangeh, was a Shi'ite cleric married to Khamenei's
sister and recently passed away in Tehran following years of isolation due to
his stance against the Islamic Republic, according to his website.
Farideh
Moradkhani added in her video: "Now is the time for all free and
democratic countries to recall their representatives from Iran as a symbolic
gesture and to expel the representatives of this brutal regime from their
countries."
On
Thursday, the United Nations top human rights body decided by a comfortable
margin to establish a new investigative mission to look into Tehran's violent
security crackdown on the anti-government protests.
Criticism
of the Islamic Republic by relatives of top officials is not unprecedented. In
2012, Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani, the daughter of late former president Akbar
Hashemi Rafsanjani, was sentenced to jail for "anti-state
propaganda". (
Source:
Times Of India
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Host
“Needs To Respect My Way of Life”: Ex-Miss Croatia, Ivana Knoll, Challenges
Qatari Authorities with Provoking Outfits at World Cup
Ex-Miss
Croatia, Ivana Knoll
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November
27, 2022
DOHA:
A former winner of the Miss Croatias pageant came under intense scrutiny after
challenging Qatar’s stringent World Cup dress code rules with provocative
clothing, bluntly stating the host nation “needs to respect my way of life.”
Ivana
Knoll, 30, has been a regular sight for sore eyes throughout World Cups —
gaining fame for her racey outfits donning her native country’s colours.
“You
are in Qatar not in Croatia, you have to respect the rules, it is a Muslim
country”, one user posted, another told her “if you did not know that it is
forbidden to wear these clothes in an Arab country, and you must respect our
customs, traditions and religion.”
Another
user called it "disrespectful to the Qatari culture".
Qatar
has a strict dress code when it comes to tourists attending the sporting event,
requiring attendees to keep modest with their outfits.
The
gulf nation’s tourism board reiterated to football fans that they must “show
respect for local culture by avoiding excessively revealing clothing in
public.”
Knoll
stated on social media that the country needs to respect her way of life, and
that its “unfair for all fans.”
The
beauty queen-turned-model wore a figure-revealing dress to Croatia’s
stalemate-ending opener against Morocco, and proceeded to post the images on
Instagram while tagging FIFA.
Source: Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2206961/offbeat
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Artist
Amira Nazer celebrates Jeddah women through mermaid-inspired exhibition
TAMARA
TURKI
November
27, 2022
JEDDAH:
Artist Amira Nazer is showcasing her first solo exhibition at Hafez Gallery in
Jeddah until Dec. 24.
“Huriyyat
Jeddah,” which is curated by Basma Harasani, presents a series of photo
sculptures that explores the tension, freedom, and beauty present in women’s
lives through the use of fabric and the metaphor of the mermaid.
Nazer,
who was born and raised in the historic port city, says she is proud of her
roots.
She
told Arab News: “It’s the biggest influence on how I conceive the world.
Everything I experience is coming through the eyes of a Saudi woman.”
Nazer’s
artistic journey began while she was a student at Columbia University in New
York. Her passion for art prompted her to pursue a double major in political
science and the visual arts.
She
became aware of the stereotypes that surround Arab women while photographing
friends.
She
said: “It was always associated very negatively, like there was this imposition
of coverage.
“I’ve
always been drawn to material, and growing up while expressing myself in
clothes was how I chose to differentiate myself and be creative.
“It
was weird for a white man to tell me I’m oppressed. No, this is my choice. And
it got me thinking of fabric.”
Nazer’s
dream of a beautiful mermaid emerging from the sea, the debate over freedom or
restriction and its parallels with Arab women and their garments, heavily
influenced her work.
And
the 23-year-old draws on this visual concept to communicate the individual’s
experience of being comfortable in one’s physicality in relation to the
environment felt by her subjects in her photographs.
It
was important to the artist not to dictate the experience of the girls, all of
whom lived in Jeddah but came from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Encouraging
them to choose how they wanted to cover their body, Nazer captures various
physical narratives while, working with stylist and childhood friend Latifa
Bint Saad, she chose fabrics that represented her youth and the Saudi home,
such as shalki and gingham.
The
earthy tones emphasize the natural environment, which is central to the series,
while the use of pink introduces femininity.
The
images were printed onto the fabrics in which the women were photographed to
reinforce the message.
Nazer
experiments with the use and meaning of “material” to represent the composition
of existence and the idea of materializing photographs into reality.
“Hurriyat
Jeddah,” which means “The Mermaids of Jeddah,” is an exhibition that reflects
Nazer’s journey as a Saudi woman, and those of many around the world who are
subjected to others dictating their reality.
Nazer
said: “What I hope to evoke is a conversation, exactly like I had with myself
when I had the dream.
“This
is what this piece is about: the voices of the women of Jeddah and the beauty
of the experience in all its complexity.
“Diversity
within the framework is what unifies it. There’s no one way; there’s no wrong
way or right way. The differences in the experience are what unites it.”
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2207011/lifestyle
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Google
Doodle celebrates female Emirati poet Ousha Al Suwaidi
November
28, 2022
DUBAI:
Google Doodle celebrated on Monday Emirati poet Ousha Al Suwaidi, who inspired
female poets across the region, with an illustration featuring her in
traditional attire, including a face covering.
Nicknamed
‘Fatat Al Khaleej’ (The Girl of the Gulf), Al Suwaidi was known for writing
Nabati poems, or traditional poetry originating within the nomadic Bedouins of
the Arabian Peninsula.
Al
Suwaidi was born on Jan. 1, 1920 in Al Ain. When she was 15, she rose to fame
nationally in what was commonly a male-dominated field of literature.
Many
of her poems were inspired by the Arabian Gulf and desert landscapes, as well
as her own experiences in the UAE, touching on themes such as love, wisdom,
patriotism, and nostalgia.
She
is regarded as one of the finest Arabic Nabati poets with many of her poems
sung by popular Emirati and Arab artists.
On
this day in 2011, a prestigious event recognized her contributions to
literature and many of Al Suwaidi’s poetry and poems written in her honor were
recited at the venue.
The
poetry community in the UAE also established an annual award for female Emirati
poets in Ousha Al Suwaidi’s name in 2011. A library at the Emirates International
School, and a section of the Women's Museum in Dubai, was also dedicated in her
honor, according to a website citing her biography.
Al
Suwaidi died in 2018, she was 98.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2207351/media
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‘Leaders
have gone silent’: Malala calls for UK to help oppressed Afghan women
November
27, 2022
Nobel
Laureate Malala Yousafzai has called on the UK Government to “step forward more
boldly” in their support for Afghan women living under the Taliban.
The
25-year-old Pakistani activist, who was shot at by the Taliban for supporting
girls’ education, accused world leaders of going “silent” as she addressed the
Action for Afghanistan rally opposite Downing Street, central London, on Sunday
afternoon.
The
protest came as part of a campaign aimed at sparking renewed focus on Afghan
women and girls becoming increasingly oppressed by the Taliban, which took over
the country after the withdrawal of Western troops last year.
Addressing
the crowd, Ms Yousafzai said her story is not “unique” and that she can imagine
what Afghan women and girls are going through since the regime banned their
secondary education.
“That
is why I’m here today because, in the face of gender apartheid in Afghanistan,
our leaders have gone silent.
“(Being)
fragmented in their response has allowed the Taliban to increase their
oppression of women and girls.
“Each
of us who have the freedom to speak must not look away. We must call on our
leaders to act with urgency.”
Addressing
UK leaders specifically, Ms Yousafzai called for the Government to hold a
global summit on women and girls’ rights in Afghanistan as well as establish
asylum and resettlement routes for at-risk women.
“To
the UK government, step forward more boldly and live up to your claim to be a
global champion for girls’ education and gender equality,” she said.
“Use
your convening power to hold a global summit where world leaders can agree on
bold and coordinated actions to ensure women and girls’ rights are upheld in
Afghanistan.
“Demand
the release of women activists in Afghanistan and welcome at-risk Afghanistan
women by establishing asylum and resettlement routes.”
Ms
Yousafzai also urged those who can speak out in solidarity with Afghan women
and girls to do so, adding: “We will go safely to our homes. For them, defying
the Taliban means risking their lives.
“We
cannot allow their sacrifices to be in vain. We cannot allow a generation of
girls to give up on their dreams and disappear behind the walls of their
houses.”
Her
speech came after protesters marched from Park Lane to Downing Street, carrying
placards reading: “Women’s rights are universal rights” and chanting: “Free
Afghan women. We want justice. We want freedom.”
Marches
are also set to take place across cities in Canada and the US on Sunday with
organisers saying they plan to stage further protests in other countries.
Fawzia
Koofi, Afghanistan’s first woman deputy speaker and peace negotiator, also
called on the UK government to provide more support for Afghan women and girls
and warned that failure to respond could lead to another 9/11 (attack).
“We
said (the) Afghanistan war was not an Afghan war. It is going to come to your
borders,” she told the crowd.
“If
you continue to abandon women of Afghanistan, if the world turns a blind eye to
what’s happening in Afghanistan, then god forbid we will experience another
9/11.
“Afghan
women are fighting for Afghanistan. They are not only fighting for education –
education is the fundamental human right, in fact, it is the basic Islamic
right for everyone.”
Other
speakers included Ms Yousafzai’s father, education activist Ziauddin Yousafzai,
journalist and political commentator Ayesha Hazarika and human rights activist
Horia Mosadiq.
Zehra
Zaidi, executive director of Action for Afghanistan, said the campaign groups
behind the protest are planning to deliver a letter to Prime Minister Rishi
Sunak, asking him to “lead this call” for a global conference and to establish
a specific asylum route for vulnerable Afghan women.
Asked
if they are hopeful the Government will respond, her co-founder Kathleen
Mulhern told the PA news agency: “We are going to push them like crazy. We are
not letting them off the hook.”
Source:
Shropshire Star
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Iran
bank manager fired for serving unveiled woman
27
November ,2022
An
Iranian bank manager who served an unveiled woman has been fired, local media
reported on Sunday, as demonstrations triggered by the mandatory head covering
rule shake the Islamic republic.
Women
in the country of more than 80 million people are required to cover their
heads, necks and hair, a law enforced by the country’s morality police.
The
September 16 death in morality police custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, for allegedly
breaching the dress code rules, sparked nationwide demonstrations which
authorities call “riots.”
Mehr
news agency reported that the bank manager in Qom province, near the capital
Tehran, “had provided bank services on Thursday to an unveiled woman.”
As
a result, he was “removed from his position by order of the governor,” Mehr
quoted deputy governor Ahmad Hajizadeh as saying.
Mehr
said video of the unveiled woman “elicited a lot of reaction on social media.”
In
Iran most banks are state-controlled and Hajizadeh said it is the
responsibility of managers in such institutions to implement the hijab law.
Dozens
of people, mainly protesters but also members of the security forces, have been
killed during the demonstrations, which Iran says are encouraged by its Western
“enemies.”
The
hijab became mandatory four years after the 1979 revolution that overthrew the
US-backed monarchy and established the Islamic Republic.
Later,
with changing clothing norms, it became commonplace to see women in tight jeans
and loose, colorful headscarves.
But
in July this year ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raisi called for
mobilization of “all state institutions to enforce the headscarf law.”
Many
women continued to bend the rules, however.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Afghan
women, undeterred by Taliban, secretly network for change
By
Michal Kranz
28
Nov 2022
For
months, Shamail Naseri has been moving house-to-house to evade arrest by
Taliban authorities. Her crime: Raising her voice to protect Afghan women who
have faced increasing marginalisation since the Taliban came to power in August
2021.
“The
Taliban attempted twice to arrest me, but it was unsuccessful. I hid and
switched off my phone, and they could not find me,” Naseri told Al Jazeera by
phone from an undisclosed location in the capital Kabul.
The
Taliban promised women’s rights and free speech when they stormed to power. But
Afghanistan’s new rulers have gone back on their promises, imposing curbs on
women’s movement, introducing dress codes for women, and shutting down high
schools for girls – bringing back memories of their repressive rule in the
1990s.
Naseri,
along with other women’s activists, has been actively involved in providing
support to vulnerable Afghan women after the Taliban-led Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan government dissolved critical state support structures like the
Ministry of Women’s Affairs and after key organisations, including the largest
network of women’s shelters in the country, closed their doors.
Despite
the threats to her safety, Naseri remains undeterred in her mission, and unlike
all the other Afghanistan-based activists in this story, felt comfortable
sharing her full name publicly.
“[These
threats] will not stop me, and I will continue,” she said.
While
women-led street protests in Afghanistan have attracted worldwide attention,
behind the scenes, female activists have steadily been building support
networks for marginalised women, creating grassroots organisations, documenting
cases of gender-based violence, and opening safe spaces for women in various
parts of the country.
Slowly
making strides
Although
women advocates are slowly making strides in organising themselves in
Afghanistan, these efforts remain limited in scope and geography, and according
to experts, are as of yet unable to fill the immense gap in women’s services in
the country.
“At
the moment this is a very big need for women, so we cannot just give up,” said
Duniya, a Kabul-based coordinator with a local NGO in Afghanistan who asked not
to be identified using her real name for security reasons. “We are at least
trying to do something by taking some risk.”
The
Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has led to a 28 percent decrease in women’s
employment in the country, according to the United Nations, and rates of
domestic violence, forced disappearances, torture of peaceful women protesters,
and other forms of gender-based violence have risen sharply since the group’s
return to power, according to Amnesty International and other human rights
organisations.
Duniya’s
organisation had established a grassroots network across 20 of Afghanistan’s 34
provinces that promoted democratic values, women’s rights, and solutions to
gender-based violence over the past decade.
But
during the past year, the group’s offices were shuttered, many members fled the
country, and according to Duniya, several activists with whom her NGO was
working on a temporary basis were arrested for months, although they have since
been released.
As
many international donors pulled out of Afghanistan and as United States
sanctions against the Taliban government hampered humanitarian aid efforts,
many foreign NGOs fled the country as well, in some cases even reportedly
leaving behind their own staff.
But
Afghan women inside and outside the country have come forward to fill the gap.
In December 2021, Duniya’s NGO was able to reopen its doors and resume
operations after negotiating with Taliban officials in 14 provinces.
“The
Taliban said ‘OK, as long as you’re not doing some meetings against Islam, as
long as you’re not encouraging or mobilising people against us, go ahead and
continue your activities,” said Nargis Nehan, Afghanistan’s former acting
Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Industries, who is currently based in Canada
and serves as the lead researcher for VOICE, an NGO. Among other initiatives,
Nehan has been helping to reconnect women activists in organisations like
Duniya’s with international donors.
According
to Duniya, organisers have been able to do this partially by framing their
efforts in Islamic terms that make them appear more acceptable to the Taliban,
but also by obscuring some activities the Taliban would likely find
intolerable.
A
new safe space for women
The
Taliban has assured women’s rights within the ambit of Islamic law, initially
promising that women would have the right to education and work. But the group
later justified its action against women based on its interpretation of Islamic
law.
One
of these highly sensitive efforts is a new safe space for women in Paktia
province in eastern Afghanistan where the group’s members have secretly been
registering cases of gender-based violence since July. Duniya claimed local
officials are unaware of the true nature of their work, and believe it is a
generic counseling centre.
“Most
of the activities that we are doing, most of them are hidden from the
government,” she said about the space in Paktia, mentioning rights awareness
trainings for women, gender-specific case resolution sessions, and more. “We
are not letting them know about the exact content of the activities we are
doing.”
Organisations
in other parts of Afghanistan, such as in Herat, in the country’s west, are
also continuing to work among local women through capacity building and public
awareness efforts.
“Despite
the security problems, I am still present in the scene and continue my work,”
said Arezo, an activist who heads a network of women leaders in Herat and is
also involved in a high school education project for 150 girls.
“I
must be a symbol for others. Having a common pain brings us closer to each
other.”
‘Women’s
rights are guaranteed’
Mufti
Abdul Mateen Qani, the Taliban government’s spokesperson and adviser for policy
at the Ministry of Information and Culture, denied that there were any problems
with women’s rights and their right to organise socially in the country.
“Women
are active in all ministries, organisations and sectors,” he told Al Jazeera,
despite the fact that even though women working for the Afghan state have not
formally been fired, they have been barred from entering workplaces and have
had their pay slashed.
“They
live according to their wishes in Afghanistan, and there is no shortage or
deficiency in securing their rights.”
When
asked about why the Taliban dismantled the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and
instead set up the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of
Vice in its place, Qani stated that “there is no need” for a ministry dedicated
to women because “in Afghanistan, women’s rights are guaranteed”.
Earlier
this month, the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of
Vice banned women from gyms and parks after accusing them of violating gender
segregation and dress code rules.
Duniya
and other women’s activists say they avoid organising sessions by women-led
civil society organisations publicly, and instead plan their meetings and
conferences in secret.
She
said that thankfully, her NGO has been able to raise some funds through grants
and with the help of several international donors who were a part of its
external network before the Taliban’s return to power and have been able to
continue providing support for Duniya’s NGO afterward.
But
Naseri and other activists continue to face funding issues as international aid
and support dried up in the wake of the US sanctions following the Taliban’s
return to power.
Several
women organisers said that on top of security issues, they are forced to work
without any kind of budget to support even the most basic of initiatives, and
often have to scrape by with only the bare essentials.
In
addition to her presence at past demonstrations, Naseri runs an NGO that is
registering economically vulnerable women with international charity
organisations and gathering funds from international organisations to provide
free classes to financially disadvantaged men and women in rural Afghan
provinces like Bamiyan, Daykundi, Ghazni, and others.
Her
NGO was recently involved in an initiative to house women demonstrators who
were expelled from universities after staging protests against the pattern of
violence against ethnic Hazara and threats to women’s education following a
suicide attack in a Hazara neighbourhood of Kabul that left 19 dead in
September.
‘Afghan
women are together now’
Sahar,
an activist based in Kabul, participated in the recent protests demanding
safety and security for women in the wake of the September attack targeting
women students.
She
fled from Daykundi province in central Afghanistan fearing a threat to her
life. She was involved there in efforts to promote education for women and
children for years. She still lives underground due to fear of arrest after she
was nearly discovered by Taliban authorities in Kabul.
“We
are all in danger and our lives are in danger,” Sahar said. “We live secretly.”
Nevertheless,
she remains actively involved with the Afghan Women’s Participation Network, a
movement that has organised community-building efforts and demonstrations
against restrictions on women’s employment and the removal of women from
government posts.
Sahar
says the group provides a wide range of services to women like support for
victims of gender-based violence, counseling, and personalised, needs-based
guidance, and includes members from a wide swathe of social groups and
professions.
“In
this network there are people from all walks of life — psychology doctors,
gynaecology doctors, paediatricians, even people who are transgender,” Sahar
said. “Everyone works together equally in line for each other.”
Zaman
Sultani, a South Asia researcher with Amnesty International, stated that
despite the presence of local organisations and safe spaces for women in the
country, the government’s restrictions mean that the structures that exist are
far from sufficient.
“Some
civil society organisations are still in Afghanistan; they are working,”
Sultani said. “But their capacity is in no way [adequate] to respond to the
situation on the ground. It may exist a little here and there, but the ground
reality requires much more than what is available.”
Zahra
Joya fled Afghanistan when the Taliban took over, and is now based in London.
She has founded Rukhshana Media, which documents the stories of Afghan women
facing abuse at the hands of both the government and the men in their lives.
Joya
detailed growing reports of such violence in the public and private spheres
from Afghan women with whom she is constantly in touch.
“As
we are in touch with ordinary women, they are sending me messages, they are
calling me,” she said about reports she is receiving from women about rampant
gender-based violence.
Her
media outlet has been in contact with people like a woman who was beaten by
Taliban guards while trying to cross the Afghanistan-Iran border for not
wearing a head covering they deemed appropriate. The outlet has also covered
the high-profile case of Elaha Dilawarzai, a woman who was forced into marriage
with a high-ranking Taliban member who raped and tortured her.
For
Joya, the work she and her colleagues in Afghanistan are doing to support women
is part of a commitment she feels duty-bound to honour.
“Before,
in the first rule of the Taliban, our mothers, our sisters, all of them
accepted the Taliban, and they didn’t resist against the Taliban,” Joya said.
But
this time, she added, things are different.
“Afghan
women are together now,” she said. “We will do our responsibility for the next
generation of girls in Afghanistan.”
Source:
Al Jazeera
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