Taboo Leaves Many Shershahabadi Muslim Women of Bihar To Lead Life Of A Single
New Age Islam News Bureau
12 December 2024
· Taboo Leaves Many Shershahabadi Muslim Women of Bihar To Lead Life Of A Single
· Over 78pc Women Face Tech-Based Violence In Bangladesh
· Iran Imposes Strict Hijab Laws; Approves Death Penalty For Offenders
· NGO ‘Shocked’ Malta Detained, Isolated A Syrian Woman, Group Of Children
· ICM Statement Condemning the Ban on Afghan Women Accessing Midwifery Education
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/taboo-leaves-muslim-women-bihar/d/134008
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Taboo Leaves Many Shershahabadi Muslim Women of Bihar To Lead Life Of A Single
12-12-2024
Two unmarried woman of Shershahabadi Muslim community
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Many Muslim women in a small part of Bihar live miserable lives due to a strange tradition in their community. The Shershahabadi Muslims living largely in the Kochgama block of the Supaul district of Bihar are not supposed to seek a match for their daughter to wed; instead, they wait for Agua (professional messenger or match-maker) to come with a proposal from the side of a prospective groom for the girl.
The tradition among the community is that parents are not supposed to ask for a match for their daughters for marriage, nor do they entertain any direct proposals for matrimony from the family of a prospective groom.
Looking for a match for their daughter or sister by anyone is socially looked down upon as a desperate act making people presume that the woman in question is unfit to get married.
Generally, girls from this community get married at the age of 15 to 20 years. For women above this age, the prospectus of getting a match are marriage decreases in case they cross the age of 25. At this stage, women are considered 'old' and unfit for marriage.
In such cases, parents can only wait to see a proposal for the marriage of their daughter.
As a result, two out of every ten girls in the community are unmarried. This strange custom still exists in Kochgama Panchayat, barely ten kilometers from the Nepal border.
Most of the Muslims in this Muslim-dominated area belong to the Shershahabadi community. Apart from this Panchayat, people of the Shershahabadi community also live in many other districts of Seemanchal and Nepal.
Local social worker Abu Hilal explains, "This problem of many unmarried women in the community been compounded by the growing greed of dowry. Only women who are either good-looking or can afford a hefty dowry get married."
Abu Hilal explains, “It becomes difficult for girls with short height, or not fair-skinned or unattractive facial features. Many times it also happens that out of two or three sisters, the boy's family picks the younger sister for their son. Such a wedding of a woman leads to diminished chances for the older sister.”
The condition of women who remain unmarried due to this custom is grim. They are not entitled to claim a share in the family property. They have to live as a burden on their brothers and their families; they also face ill-treatment and discrimination.
Most of these women suffer from malnutrition and anemia because they are often neglected by their families and not offered proper food. They live off the charity that Muslims do `during the month of Ramazan.
According to a report published in BBC Hindi, the Shershahabadi population living in Bihar comes under the extremely backward class.
Nurul Huda, head of the Shershahabadi Muslim-dominated Kochgama Panchayat, told BCC Hindi: "We had made a list of such unmarried women a few years ago. At that time their number was 250, now it must have increased further."
This number in a Panchayat is too big for its population and one can only imagine the count of such women in the entire community living in many districts of India-Nepal border.
A report in the Hindi newspaper Dainik Bhaskar quoted Shah Jamal alias Lal Mukhiya, who has contested assembly elections and has been the Mukhiya of Kochgama Panchayat twice, as saying that a few years ago the entire community had called a meeting to solve this problem.
People of the Shershahabadi community living in different areas of India and Nepal decided that this must change. "The meeting decided that parents of a girl of marriageable are were free to look for a match or take the initiative for it for their daughter. Lal Mukhiya claims that the initiative had a lot of impact.
"Today, the number of girls left unmarried is less. These days girls choose their prospective husbands.”
However, other villagers disagree with him. Abu Hilal says, “Nothing has changed even after that meeting. Even today people do not go to get the girl married.”
Even today, girls in the community are kept under strict surveillance when they step out of their homes. They are not allowed to work or do labour work and can study only in madrasas. Shaheena Parveen, who works for The Hunger Project, has raised the voice of these women many times.
Shaheena Parveen believes that one of the important steps that should be taken to overcome this problem is to educate the girls and make them self-reliant. She says, 'If these girls go out, study well, and start working, they will overcome this problem.'
According to BBC Hindi, Shershahabadis who speak pure Bengali (a mixture of Urdu and Bengali) associate themselves with Emperor Sher Shah Suri. These people claim that they joined Sher Shah's army as soldiers.
Sher Shah was the founder of the Suri dynasty and he established his sultanate by defeating Mughal Emperor Humayun.
Syedurrahman Rahman, president of All Bihar Shershahabadi Association, says, "These people were settled by Sher Shah. These people, who are of strong build, hardworking and live on the banks of the river, live on the borders of Bengal, Jharkhand and Nepal apart from Bihar."
"Their population in Bihar is approximately 40 lakh and they are game changers in the 20 assembly seats of Seemanchal. These people are very backward educationally and economically in Bihar."
The Shershahabadi Muslims are an economically and educationally backward society, women are mostly educated only till the fifth grade. Women are not free to go out of the house and men also go to big cities like Surat, Jaipur, and Kolkata to work as labourers or tailors.
Common surnames of this community are Sheikh, Sekh, Haque, Islam, and Mondal.
Most of them are Sunni Muslims affiliated with the Ahl-i Hadith movement. They live mainly in the Dubas (lowlands) around the Ganges river extending from Katihar district of Bihar on the northern bank to Sahibganj district of Jharkhand on the southern bank and Murshidabad district of West Bengal on the southern bank and on the northern Bank in the Malda district.
Source: awazthevoice.in
https://www.awazthevoice.in/society-news/taboo-leaves-many-shershahabadi-muslim-women-to-lead-life-of-a-single-33075.html
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Over 78pc women face tech-based violence in Bangladesh
Dec 12, 2024
Over 78 percent of women in Bangladesh have experienced technology-facilitated violence against women (TF-VAW), reveals a new study by NETZ Bangladesh.
The study found that 78.4 percent of these incidents occurred on Facebook, followed by 28 percent through messaging services, like WhatsApp and Imo.
These findings were presented at a roundtable discussion, titled "Towards Safer Digital Spaces: Enhancing Legal and Policy Responses to VAWG in Bangladesh," held at The Daily Star Centre yesterday. The event was jointly organised by The Daily Star and NETZ.
As per the findings, around 50 percent of women reported avoiding online activity or hiding their identities on social media due to safety concerns. Additionally, 35 percent of women reported experiencing mental health issues as a direct result of online harassment.
The study was conducted between July and November 2023 across eight districts with a sample size of 300 respondents.
At the programme, TaherulHuq Chauhan, additional deputy inspector general of police, highlighted the risks of unregulated online behaviour.
"The current generation often seeks popularity and trends on online platforms by sharing personal activities without fully understanding the potential consequences. In some cases, this includes sharing intimate or inappropriate content, which requires greater awareness," he said.
"Cyberbullying frequently escalates into blackmail, with perpetrators often targeting women for financial exploitation. Cyber harassment has also become a significant factor contributing to adolescent suicides. Addressing the gaps in existing laws and policies is essential to creating a safer cyberspace for everyone," he added.
Abu Sayed MdKamruzzaman, additional secretary of ICT division and director general of National Cyber Security Agency, emphasised the importance of reinforcing social values, norms, and ethical education among the younger generation.
He stated, "Parents need to be more vigilant. Under the guise of education, children are being given smartphones, but it is the parents' responsibility to monitor the apps their children use. The government cannot do this for them. A nation cannot function solely through laws; our culture must take a proactive approach rather than a reactive one."
Speaking about including internet safety lessons in textbooks, he said it is not feasible to include everything in the curriculum.
"We have drafted a Cyber Security Ordinance and submitted it to the Cabinet. This ordinance will address issues such as freedom of speech, cyberbullying, and harassment," he added.
MdMonir Hossain, additional director (deputy secretary) of Department of Women Affairs at MOWCA, said, "The advancement and widespread use of technology has made women, especially teenagers and young women, more vulnerable to threats. This is also putting pressure on their education and mental development. The responsibility does not end with just formulating laws; this law needs to be enforced. It is also necessary to make everyone aware at the community level. Steps must also be taken on how to deal with online harassment urgently."
A few students from various districts shared their community's situation regarding tackling cyberbullying.
Jinat Ara Haque, chief executive of WE CAN, said, "In our society, parents only think about the safety of their daughters, but they should also think about their sons. Because girls are not responsible for violence against women."
"In addition to adopting new technologies, it is the responsibility of the government to conduct campaigns on cybersecurity and increase awareness about helplines," she added.
MasumaBillah, programme head of the gender, justice and diversity programme at BRAC, said, "Just as parents once married off girls to secure their place in society, we are now neglecting their digital security. We are restricting girls from accessing digital spaces and tools, which is widening the digital divide. If they are not digitally empowered, they will ultimately fall behind in the job market."
Nishath Sultana, director of influencing, campaign and communication of Plan International, and Hasne Ara Begum, social development and gender expert of Asian Development Bank, also spoke at the event.
Source: thedailystar.net
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/politics-wont-influence-acc-any-longer-3774111
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Iran imposes strict hijab laws; approves death penalty for offenders
11 Dec 2024
Women take part in a protest gathering called by the "Woman Life Freedom Collective" (Femme Vie Liberte) and the Association Phenix, in support of the Iranian student arrested after stripping to her underwear in Tehran, by the Pantheon monument near the Sorbonne University in Paris on November 5, 2024.(File Photo | AFP)
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Iran introduces stricter penalties for persons defying compulsory morality laws. The 74-article law titled 'Protection of the Family through the Promotion of the Culture of Chastity and Hijab' imposes severe penalties including fines up to $2,380, flogging, prison sentences of up to 15 years or even death.
The law was drafted by the judiciary in May 2023 following the 'Woman Life Freedom' uprising in September 2022. The Guardian Council approved the bill earlier this year and was passed by the Iranian parliament on December 1. The law will be implemented from December 13 onwards with a trial period of 3 years.
Amnesty International issued a statement on Tuesday noting that the new law has been adopted to crush the ongoing resistance to compulsory veiling, further diminishing the rights of women.
"The authorities are seeking to entrench the already suffocating system of repression against women and girls while making their daily lives even more intolerable," said Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Regional Office.
Human Rights Watch published an article in October 2024 stating that the law consolidates existing measures to enforce compulsory hijab by putting in place restrictions on employment and educational opportunities for violators.
“Rather than responding to the Woman, Life, Freedom movement with fundamental reforms, the autocratic government is trying to silence women with even more repressive dress laws,” said Nahid Naghshbandi, acting Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch. “This law will only breed fierce resistance and defiance among women in and outside Iran.”
"Corruption on earth"
The new law defines different degrees of 'improper dressing' with varying penalties. Immodest clothing for women is defined as tight clothing that exposes parts of the body below the neck, above the ankles or above the forearms. Immodest clothing for men refers tight clothing that exposes any part of the body below the chest and above the knees or sleeveless shirts that expose the shoulders.
Depending on the degree and frequency of violation, violators can face fines ranging from $160 to $22,000.
'Bad dressing' can result in a fine of $160 for the first infraction and $4,000 for the fourth infraction; subsequent offences risk a fine of around $8,000, up to five years in prison, two-year ban on social media and two-year travel ban (Article 38 and 48).
'Nudity' or anything that could be perceived as nudity in public or virtual spaces can lead to immediate detention, prosecution, a fine of up to $12,000 or up to 10 years in prison; repeat offenders can be fined around $22,000 or imprisoned for up to 15 years (Article 49).
'Public indecency' is punishable under Article 638 of the Islamic Penal Code which prescribes flogging of the offender (Article 67).
Article 37 provides that “promoting or propagating nudity, indecency, unveiling, or bad dressing” in collaboration with entities including the government, media and civil society organisations, may be punished by a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $12,000. In case the conduct amounts to 'corruption on earth', it can be punishable by death under Article 286 of the Islamic Penal Code.
In accordance with Article 37, any person defying or assisting another defy the morality laws can possibly be sentenced to death.
The law also provides blanket impunity for 'vigilantes' carrying out their 'religious duty'. Businesses, employers and other third parties are encouraged to monitor and report 'offensive activities'. Centres for promoting the 'culture of chastity and hijab' are prescribed to 'develop family-centric spaces and society'.
President's reluctant approval
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X last week that his signing of legislation is largely ceremonial and that the hijab law is ambiguous. "We should not do anything to disturb the harmony and empathy of society. We have to talk and interact about the issue," he wrote.
Pezeshkian has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with the country's dress code rules since his appointment through popular vote on a reformist platform. He had spoken out about compulsory hijab, the Raisi-era dress laws and the death of Mahsa Amini under custody during his election campaign, promising to end morality police.
Negar Mortazavi, editor and host of the Iran Podcast, told CNN that Pezekhian can not stop the implementation of the law as any intervention hinges on "Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s tacit approval."
Consequences
Bahar Ghandehari, the Director of Communications at the Center for Human Rights in Iran, told Newsweek that the law not only enables a regime of gender apartheid but also attempts to turn citizens into spies.
"It's requiring students and teachers to be judged by their hijab compliance, not by their performance. It threatens punishments for cultural figures in the art and sport and other social influencers who challenge compliance. It is desperate in its scope, trying to turn citizen against citizen in the face of widespread societal rejection in Iran of mandatory hijab," she said.
SaeidDehghan, a human rights lawyer at the Parsi Law Collective, told the Guardian that “nearly all provisions of this law contravene fundamental principles, such as article 9 of the Iranian constitution, which prohibits legislation that undermines citizens’ freedoms even in the name of national sovereignty.
Mohammad Nayyeri, a lecturer in law at Brunel University of London, told Newsweek that the law has been "designed to outmanoeuvre these acts of resistance and shrink spaces for personal freedoms even further by effectively putting the Iranian regime on a war footing."
Nayyeri also note that the law might serve as inspiration for regimes with similar ideologies as "bad practices tend to spread across borders."
Source: newindianexpress.com
https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Dec/11/iran-imposes-strict-hijab-laws-approves-death-penalty-for-offenders
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NGO ‘shocked’ Malta detained, isolated a Syrian woman, group of children
12 December 2024
NGO aditus expressed shock that a Syrian woman with a group of very young children is being detained at Safi Barracks.
"We are further shocked at the news that they have been locked up for around five days, and that the children (or at least some of them) have been ill since they were apprehended," the NGO said in a statement Wednesday.
Instead of providing the woman and children with the necessary support, care and attention in an appropriate accommodation setting, the Government decided to lock them up.
Furthermore, Malta chose to detain them in a detention centre that has been repeatedly condemned as exposing children and vulnerable persons to inhuman and degrading treatment, aditus said.
This incident flags several elements wrong with Malta's detention regime.
Firstly, it puts in doubt Malta's public claim that it does not detain children or vulnerable persons. This group is composed of very young children coming from a war-torn country, characteristics that render them extremely vulnerable. Their situation in Malta is aggravated by the fact that, at least some of them, were found to be ill.
Secondly, this incident highlights how Malta's policy deprives detained people of access to lawyers and other forms of support.
Their on-going detention was only brought to our attention by sheer chance and at no point during their days in Safi were they allowed to talk to a lawyer or other independent professional, the NGO said.
Whereas we are generally able to call in to the 'women zone' in Safi Barracks, it seems rather odd that today - the day when we flagged the group's situation to the authorities - there seem to be technical problems with the centre's telephone lines, but only in the 'women zone'.
Thirdly, our request to visit the women and children have so far been ignored. This despite clear reference in the Detention Services' new visitor policy to the possibility of requesting urgent and emergency visits.
"We insist that, whatever the legal or immigration status of this woman and children, it is clear that the decision to detain them in Safi Barracks is simply wrong. There are alternatives," the NGO said.
A Syrian woman travelling alone with a group of children, some sick, should have rang several alarm bells: vulnerability, best interests of the child, trauma, trafficking, aditus said.
Instead. Malta denied them access to any form of independent information or support. From information available to us, it looks like their apprehension was immediately and automatically followed by their detention at Safi Barracks, the NGO said.
This is indeed a horrific incident that questions Malta's migration management policies.
We expressed these concerns to the Minister for Home Affairs, Security and Employment and look forward to receiving his feedback.
As always, we reiterate our willingness to engage with the Ministry to explore Malta's migration and asylum policies and provide input on how they can be brought in line with Malta's human rights obligations.
Source: independent.com.mt
https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2024-12-12/local-news/NGO-shocked-Malta-detained-isolated-a-Syrian-woman-group-of-children-6736266454
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ICM Statement Condemning the Ban on Afghan Women Accessing Midwifery Education
11 December 2024
On 03 December 2024, the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan ordered the closure of midwifery and nursing institutes in Afghanistan, effectively banning women from pursuing education in these vital fields. This is a devastating blow for women in a country where, according to the United Nations Population Fund, the maternal mortality rate is already one of the highest in the world.
At ICM, we know the positive impact Afghan midwives have had on maternal and newborn health outcomes over the past twenty years. According to a 2023 report by the Afghan Midwives’ Association and UNFPA, the number of midwives in Afghanistan has grown from 467 (2002) to 6376 (2020). This was accompanied by a dramatic drop in maternal mortality, from 1600 per 100,000 (2002) to 638 per 100,000 (2019). Improvements were also seen in neonatal survival over the same period. This work was possible thanks to individual efforts, but also because midwives have established a strong national professional association, and a national regulator.
Banning women from studying midwifery threatens to undo all the progress made. It will make the already critical shortage of midwives even worse. Ultimately, it will mean more women giving birth alone, and more women and newborns dying of preventative causes, or facing lifetime health challenges because there are no midwives available to care for them.
Midwifery has been one of the few remaining avenues of safety and opportunity for Afghan women, providing a pathway to education, careers, and a chance to proudly serve their communities. This ban is part of a broader pattern of restricting women’s access to education, independence, and freedom. By removing this opportunity, Afghan women can no longer access one of the final educational options open to them, deepening the gender inequality already pervasive in the country.
As we bear witness to these events, we urge all our member associations and midwives globally to stand in solidarity with ICM, UN agencies, and human rights organisations in advocating to their governments and calling for:
the reinstatement of educational programmes for women in Afghanistan, especially those that train midwives and health workers,
ensuring an enabling environment where female midwives can work, while ensuring their safety and wellbeing,
immediate action to protect, promote and respect women and newborn’s right to life, health and dignity.
ICM believes the rights of women, newborns and children should be protected and upheld under all circumstances. We also believe that woman-centred care is the cornerstone around which all sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health (SRMNAH) services should be built.
We stand with our fellow midwives, healthcare workers and global community in condemning this new ban. We will continue our support of the Afghan Midwives’ Association, and stand in unwavering solidarity with them, committed to providing the resources and support necessary to uphold their work.
We continue to call on our stakeholders to unite and amplify efforts to stand with Afghan women, whose rights are being systematically taken away before our very eyes. The time to act is now, to protect their futures and ensure that they continue to have access to the education and care they deserve.
Source: internationalmidwives.org
https://internationalmidwives.org/icm-statement-condemning-the-ban-on-afghan-women-accessing-midwifery-education/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/taboo-leaves-muslim-women-bihar/d/134008