Taliban Cracks Down on Afghan Women Protesting for Their Rights
New
Age Islam News Bureau
06
October 2021
• Malala Praises Imran Khan for Standing Up For Girls’ Education
•
Egypt: Awqaf Minister Lauds Arab Parliament’s Support for Empowerment of Arab Women
•
Violation of Women Journalists’ Rights Continues In Turkey
•
Egypt’s Women Council, UN launch new phase of Family Camps on
Gender-Transformative Parenting
•
Malaysian Deputy Women’s Minister under Fire in Parliament for Suggesting She
Will Answer Policy Questions in Canteen
•
UN Women Concludes 8-Year Programme For Combating Violence Against Women In
Egypt
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/taliban-afghan-women-rights/d/125520
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Taliban
Cracks Down on Afghan Women Protesting for Their Rights
By
Leah Rodriguez
October
6, 2021
Marius Arnesen / Flickr
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Women
in Afghanistan are encountering more barriers to protesting the Taliban’s
restrictions on their rights in recent weeks, according to Reuters.
Spontaneous
demonstrations have been banned and the group is using violence to stop
rallies. Women’s families are also discouraging them from protesting and there
are growing concerns over the safety of being identified via social media,
women protesters across Afghanistan told Reuters.
Afghan
women were promised more freedom to pursue education and employment under the
Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law, but the group has failed to deliver.
The
Taliban took over Afghanistan in August for the first time since 2001 and has
since worked to strip away women’s hard-earned freedoms over the past 20 years.
The Sunni Islamic militant group believes educating women goes against Islam
and girls have not been able to attend school past the sixth grade. Women and
girls are now also required to wear a burqa, only go outside with a male
companion, and have been banned from going to work.
Protests
are not currently prohibited but rally organizers need to seek permission first
from the Taliban and provide details, including what they plan on chanting.
Reuters’
reporting revealed that a group of women who protested on Aug. 15 when the
Taliban’s rule first went into effect stopped showing up to demonstrations in
early September.
Seven
women-led protests occurred between Aug. 15 and Sept. 8, according to Reuters.
Since the Taliban set the new rules for protesting, however, there was only one
demonstration held in front of Kabul’s women’s ministry after it was closed on
Sept. 19.
A
protester who formerly worked in Kabul told Reuters she and others have plans
to protest but are holding back due to safety issues and to avoid harassment.
Another woman told Reuters that she and a small group of others tried to stage
a protest on Sept. 30 but the Taliban shut it down.
Earlier
in September, women gathered in Kabul to protest against the announcement of an
all-male government in Kabul and were met with beatings and whippings. What’s
more, posted images of women’s faces were vandalized in the city’s Kahir Khana
neighborhood. Meanwhile, a different group of women protestors had their signs
advocating for girls' education ripped out of their hands by the Taliban.
The
Taliban has also used guns and have beaten and killed protesters in large
demonstrations in general opposition of the militant group.
Kabul-based
women’s rights activist Taranom Seyedi told Reuters that after organizing
protests in the city, she received letters from the Taliban claiming they had
made a list of all the women involved and would search their houses for them.
The threat led Seyedi and others to remove protest-related content from social
media accounts as a safety precaution.
"Since
my participation in the protest, I've had to relocate twice ... My family is
terrified, and even my neighbors are concerned and urging me not to join,”
Seyedi said.
Source:
Global Citizen
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/taliban-restricts-women-from-protesting-for-rights/
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Malala
Praises Imran Khan For Standing Up For Girls’ Education
6
October 2021
Pakistani ‘activist’ Malala Yousafzai,
------
Pakistani
‘activist’ Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by a Pakistani Taliban
terrorist in 2012, has heaped praises on Taliban supporter Prime Minister Imran
Khan in a Twitter post. Khan who in a BBC interview called the Taliban’s ban on
girl education ‘un-Islamic’ received applause from the Noble Laureate for his
statement.
“The
idea that women should not be educated is just not Islamic. Appreciate @ImranKhanPTI standing up for girls’ education. I hope more world
leaders will support Afghan women’s rights and tell the Taliban to let girls
return to school,” Tweeted Malala, sharing the BBC News report.
Khan
was quoted by BBC as saying, “I think they (Taliban) will allow women to go to
schools. The idea that women should not be educated is just not Islamic. It has
nothing to do with religion.”
However,
Malala’s vocal appreciation of Khan, whose government has provided tacit
support to the Taliban to regain control over Afghanistan, has not gone down
well with many Afghans and others.
A
Twitter user said, “Malala, you are not an Afghan woman, you are Pakistani.
Stop speaking on behalf of Afghans & thanking a Taliban supporter. Just
because white westerners think all “brown” Muslims are the same and will use
any as a token doesn’t mean that the SWANA world doesn’t know and care.”
Mujtaba
Naqib who has an Afghan flag in his Twitter profile remarked, “Absolute
hypocrite. The person that you are praising also claimed that the “Holy War”
that was declared by the Taliban was justified. Since when was the killing of
innocent men, women, and children justified in Islam? Its better to keep silent
than tweet nonsense.”
Reminding
Malala of the gun attack, Nazia Nasrat of Kabul University Tweeted, “Well, I
didn’t get it. You know that your PM represents and lobbying for the #Taliban
and I’m sure you also know who the Taliban are.”
Upset
with Malala’s hypocrisy ‘Pashtun Bhoy’ said, “The fact that @Malala can
actually endorse serial #misogynist @ImranKhanPTI is illustrative that sadly
her credibility is no longer worthy. I’m ashamed to be of the same ethnic
lineage as her.”
Interestingly,
Khan who claims to support girls’ education in Afghanistan does not seem to be
perturbed by the low percentage of women literacy in Pakistan. As per a
Statista report, the literacy rate amongst women in Pakistan from 2006 to 2017
remains low at 46.47 per cent.
Textbooks
showing Malala Yousafzai as ‘important personality’ seized
Ironically,
Pakistani authorities in July this year had seized textbooks that listed Malala
Yousafzai as an ‘important personality’, apparently for her ‘controversial
views’ on Islam.
The
All-Pakistan Private Schools Federation had even decided to launch a
documentary to ‘expose’ her before the youth. The president of the
organisation, Kashif Mirza, said, “Through this documentary film ‘I am not
Malala’, we will tell 20 million students in 200,000 private schools across the
country about her controversial views on Islam, marriage, pursuing of Western
agenda.”
“The
idea behind this is we want to expose Malala among the youth so they do not get
impressed by her so-called story of struggle for women rights,” he had said at
a press conference.
Malala
criticized for ignoring atrocities by Taliban
The
Pakistani activist was criticized heavily for staying mum after the Taliban had
taken over Afghanistan and had stepped up atrocities against women.
Till
August, there was not a single post by Malala on Afghanistan and the Taliban.
Though the so-called ‘activist,’ who enjoys a comfortable life in the UK at the
expense of the UK government, has been very vocal on myriad issues and often
criticises India, she had been quite silent on actual atrocities meted out
against women in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Source:
Opindia
https://www.opindia.com/2021/10/malala-praises-imran-khan-taliban-girls-education-afghanistan/
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Egypt:
Awqaf Minister Lauds Arab Parliament’s Support for Empowerment of Arab Women
6
OCTOBER 2021
Awqaf
Minister Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa has praised the great support provided by the
Arab Parliament (AP), under Speaker Adel Al Asoumi, to empower women and back
their issues and causes.
The
minister made his remarks on Tuesday 5/10/2021 at an event organized by the
AP's Center for Arab Parliamentary Diplomacy in the presence of a host of Arab
female lawmakers, among others.
He
highlighted the Awqaf Ministry's initiative on boosting the participation of
Egyptian female preachers to play more vital roles in spreading moderate
thought and teachings of Islam.
The
participants in the event lauded the Ministry of Awqaf's great efforts to
empower women and protect their rights.
Source:
All Africa
https://allafrica.com/stories/202110060340.html
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Violation
of women journalists’ rights continues in Turkey
October
4, 2021
The
violation of women journalists’ rights in Turkey continued in September,
according to a monthly reportreleased by the Coalition For Women In Journalism
(CFWIJ).
“At
least two women journalists were physically assaulted by the police while
following September 1 World Peace Day demonstration in İstanbul,” the report
said, adding that “Seven women journalists were prevented from following the
Kobani Trial which took place in Ankara.”
According
to the report, an investigation has been launched into Jinnews reporter Öznur
Değer regarding her posts and stories about the assassination of seven people
from the same family in Konya.
The
report also mentioned the case of writer, lawyer and human rights activist
Nurcan Kaya, who has been handed down a suspended sentence of 15 months due to
a tweet she posted in 2014 about resistance in the Syrian town of Kobani
against the occupation of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Kaya
was sentenced due to her tweet, which said: “Not only Kurds but all the people
living in Kobani are resisting. Democratic Arabs are also resisting…” against
the siege by ISIL.
The
CFWIJ documented 61 cases of violations against women journalists including
detentions, legal harassment and physical assault around the world last month,
the report revealed.
According
to the report, freelance journalist and activist Sophia Huang Xueqin has
reportedly gone missing in China.
Turkey
is ranked 153rd among 180 countries in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index
released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in April.
According
to the Stockholm Center for Freedom’s “Jailed and Wanted Journalists in Turkey”
database, 174 journalists are behind bars in Turkey and 167 are wanted and
either in exile or at large.
Source:
STOCKHOLMCF
https://stockholmcf.org/violation-of-women-journalists-rights-continues-in-turkey/
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Egypt’s
Women Council, UN launch new phase of Family Camps on Gender-Transformative
Parenting
Nehal
Samir
October
5, 2021
The
National Council for Women (NCW) and UN Women in Egypt have launched a new
phase of family camps on “Gender-Transformative Parenting” in collaboration
with WellSpring Egypt.
The
camps will take place in several governorates, including Cairo, Alexandria,
Damietta, and Minya over the coming weeks under the framework of “Men and Women
for Gender Equality” programme implemented through the generous support of the
Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
These
camps target parents in the selected governorates to enhance the adoption of
gender transformative practices to accomplish gender equality at home through challenging
stereotypical gender norms and promoting more equal sharing of unpaid care and
domestic work between women and men and girls and boys. The activities included
in the camps also emphasize the importance of good communication between
spouses.
All
activities conducted during the camps are based on the training manual that has
been developed for use by individuals or organizations engaged in supporting
parenting approaches including government entities, civil society, independent
trainers, academia, and other professionals that deal with parents and believe
in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in the home.
Source:
Daily News Egypt
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Malaysian
Deputy Women’s Minister under Fire in Parliament for Suggesting She Will Answer
Policy Questions in Canteen
06
Oct 2021
BY
R. LOHESWAR
KUALA
LUMPUR, Oct 6 — The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry (KPWKM)
came under fire again for not providing details and progress updates on key
policies, such as aid for the elderly, the Sexual Harassment Bill and gender
equality.
Its
deputy minister, Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff, came under fire for “reading from her
script” and not giving proper answers on what the ministry has done with its
large budget.
“The
minister’s answers sound like I’ve heard them before. I want to know the steps
you actually took. What steps did you take when the sexual offences Act was
supposed to be implemented last year?
“You
have been in a government with the biggest Cabinet for more than 24 months. You
cannot still say ‘berusaha’ (trying). I want to know what your initiatives are
to help working mothers return to work? What are your childcare policies? So
far, you are speaking in generalities only,” said Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto.
In
response, Siti Zailah said they can take the conversation to the canteen of the
Dewan Rakyat as she had a lot of matters to go through.
However,
Kasthuri rebuked her by stating that such an important discussion cannot be
taken outside the House.
“RMK12
(12th Malaysian Plan), a five-year plan, and you want to discuss it in the
canteen?” she asked.
At
this point, Deputy Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon stepped in, asking the MPs
to settle down and allow Siti Zailah to finish her speech.
However,
after several minutes, Padang Serai MP Karupaiya Muthusami, Merbok MP Nor
Azrina Surip and Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh pressed her for an explanation, but
were ignored.
Rashid
intervened again and said the minister or ministry will send her answers in
written form.
At
this point, Hannah Yeoh stood up to argue that debating in Parliament had no
meaning when Rashid cut her mic off.
As
he called Deputy Communications Minister Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin to deliver
his speech, Yeoh remarked that Rashid was making a mockery of Parliament by not
allowing MPs to post questions.
“Mr
Speaker, you are making a mockery of Parliament. Cannot ask questions. Written
answers are useless with no meaning and none of the MPs’ questions are being
answered. If reading from scripts is the way to go, then anyone can be a
minister,” Yeoh said.
“Additional
questions are not attacks on the minister,” she said, as Zahidi could be heard
reading his speech in the background loudly.
The
KPWKM is helmed by Datuk Seri Rina Harun. It was given a RM2.584 billion allocation
in Budget 2021.
Source:
Malay Mail
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UN
Women concludes 8-year programme for combating violence against women in Egypt
Nehal
Samir
October
2, 2021
The
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also
known as UN Women, has concluded its long-term programme for combating violence
against women after eight years.
The
programme, entitled “Safe Cities Free from Violence Against Women and Girls:
Ending Violence Against Women Survivor-Centered Approach”, was carried out in
partnership with the National Council for Women (NCW) and the Ministry of
Social Solidarity in Egypt, with the generous support of United States Agency
for International Development (USAID).
The
closing ceremony included high-profile speakers: Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of
International Cooperation; Nivine El-Kabbaj, Minister of Social Solidarity;
Maya Morsy, President of NCW; Amal Ammar, President of the Court of Appeal and
Assistant Minister of Justice for Human Rights, Women, Children’s Affairs;
Ahmed Elsaid, President of the Court of Appeal and Director of the Criminal
Research and Training Center at the Public Prosecution Office; Nicole
Shampaine, Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Egypt; and Christine Arab, UN
Women Country Representative.
An
interactive panel discussion was also held on effective prevention and response
measures to end violence against women and girls. Among the panelists were Amal
Tawifk, Director of the Women’s Complaints Office at NCW; Amina Tarraf,
Associate Professor for Social Policies at the Ministry of Social Solidarity;
Nehad Abolkomsan, Senior Lawyer and Chairperson of the Egyptian Center for
Women’s Rights; Iqbal Elsamaloty,
Chairperson of Future Eve Association; and Mariam Naoum; Award-winning
scriptwriter and gender champion.
What
is this programme about?
For
10 years, UN Women’s global initiative, Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces for
Women and Girls, has worked with leading women’s organizations, local and
national governments, UN agencies, and other partners to develop, implement,
and evaluate comprehensive approaches to prevent and respond to sexual
harassment against women and girls in public spaces in different settings.
Ending
violence against women and girls (VAW&G) requires an integrated approach.
For the provision of comprehensive and targeted services for victims of
VAW&G, UN Women Egypt aimed through this programme to establish a
survivor-centred referral system. Case management at the local level through
shelters and specialized service providers assures that victims do not face
solitude while recovering from experiencing violence. Innovative community
mobilization and capacity building sessions for shelter staff and community
leaders assure the social reintegration of survivors. The programme also
collaborates with local and international civil society organizations to
develop spaces free from all forms of violence against women and girls in areas
within and beyond Cairo.
Christine
Arab said, “Under Egypt’s National Strategy to End Violence Against Women, in
partnership with the Government of Egypt, UN Women’s programme has worked with
essential service providers nationally and locally in supporting a
survivor-centred approach, which seeks to empower women and girls in need while
providing the most immediate services required for them to move forward beyond
the violence experienced. Through the long-term support of USAID, the programme
has successfully partnered in nationally-led interventions contributing to
breaking the silence around VAWG at the community and national level.”
Minister
Al-Mashat stated that the international partnerships concluded by the Ministry
of International Cooperation with multilateral and bilateral development
partners bolstered the efforts undertaken by the Government of Egypt and
stakeholders to empower women, protect them from different forms of violence,
and engage them in economic activities.
She
commended the collaboration between stakeholders as represented by the
partnership between UN Women and USAID, and between NCW and the Ministry of
Social Solidarity, to implement the program to end violence against women and
girls, which fostered Egypt’s efforts with regards to the provision of a
female-friendly environment that shall avert all sorts of violence.
12
projects to empower women economically
Al-Mashat
explained that the ongoing portfolio of the Ministry of International
Cooperation includes 12 projects to achieve SDG 5: Gender Equality. These
include: Promoting Gender-Responsive Workplaces in Egypt; Combating Gender
Based Violence (GBV) in Egypt; Scaling up Safe Cities in Alexandria; Women’s
Financial and Economic Inclusion in Rural Egypt; Women’s Empowerment and
Financial and Economic Inclusion in Rural Egypt: COVID-19 Response; and other projects
that promote women’s empowerment and open up prospects for economic and social
opportunities for women and girls.
The
development financing concluded by the Ministry of International Cooperation
with multilateral and bilateral development partners to support women’s
empowerment and their participation in development efforts amounts to about
$3.3bn to implement 34 projects in various development sectors, with 20%
dedicated to the health sector; 15% for the Small and Medium Enterprises
(SMEs); 14% for education; 9% for agriculture; 6% each for irrigation and
governance; and 3% each for trade, investment, social protection,
transportation, water, and sanitation sectors.
Women
issues are top priority for Social Solidarity Ministry
Minister
El Kabbaj highlighted that women occupy a top priority in all of the ministry’s
programmes, with a special focus on girls, rural women, women heads of
household, women with disabilities, women at risk or survivors of all forms of
violence and economic exploitation, in addition to elderly women.
The
Minister also praised the support of the political leadership and the efforts
of the Ministries of Justice, Foreign Affairs, Interior and International
Cooperation, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, NCW, and the National Council for
Human Rights, in addition to the efforts of NGOs and youth in achieving
unprecedented national progress in many milestones in recent years.
State
agencies seek to empower Egyptian women
Maya
Morsy expressed her gratitude for what Egyptian women are experiencing now in
light of the current political will with regards to women’s empowerment, adding
that the state agencies and institutions seek to empower Egyptian women in all
fields through the implementation of the National Strategy for the Empowerment
of Egyptian Women 2030, most importantly protecting women from all forms of
violence against them. Morsy also noted that integrating women’s rights is an
essential pillar for their empowerment and advancement, while thanking all who
contributed to the implementation of this significant programme.
US
invests $8m in Safe Cities programme
Nicole
Shampaine said, “The United States invested $8m in the Safe Cities programme,
which laid the foundation for policy reforms, service provision, and national
advocacy efforts to criminalize sexual harassment for the first time in Egypt’s
history. By working to advance women’s economic and social empowerment, the
United States is committed to helping Egypt build an economically stable,
sustainable future.”
The
US government will continue to support women’s empowerment and economic growth
in line with Egypt’s Vision 2030. The
Safe Cities project is part of the $30bn that the American people have invested
in Egypt through USAID since 1978, Shampaine added.
Outcomes
With
the support of USAID, “Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces” and “Prevention and
Essential Services” interventions were implemented, under Egypt’s National
Strategy to End Violence Against Women, in selected cities across five
governorates: Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Minya, and Beni Suef.
A
holistic approach was applied to reduce violence against women and girls while
providing survivors with adequate legal and psychosocial support and access to
safe spaces. Using this approach, the programme expanded access to affordable
and quality psychosocial support services and enhanced case management
capacities among local CSOs.
The
most significant gains in recent years have been the strengthening of core
essential response services for women and girls who have experienced violence.
Through the strong commitment of NCW and the Ministry of Social Solidarity,
national entities have deepened their capacities, and have improved the
quality, accessibility, and coordination of provided services. Achievements
include the physical upgrade of shelters in selected governorates. National
data and knowledge products to enhance the prevention and response to violence
against women and girls has also been supported, including up-to-date
information on the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on women in the home.
The
programme resulted in the development of a globally award-winning film “Between
Two Seas” now streaming on Netflix. The programme worked with civil society at
the community level to foster locally-shaped and owned behavioural change,
raising awareness on prevention and response, and mobilising greater
community-level support for those who come forward to report. Further, and
using a unique participatory methodology where local women and community
leaders work together, safe public spaces for women, hosting a myriad of
activities have been established under the programme in partnership with the
National Council for Women and local authorities in Imbaba and Ezbet el
Hagganah. The programme also established the country’s first women-friendly
market in Zenien creating a safe workplace for hundreds of women vendors and
their children and a safe market for thousands of women customers.
Source:
Daily News Egypt
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