Taliban-Like Decree In PoK? Hijab Made Mandatory For Female Students And Teachers
New Age Islam News Bureau
08 March 2023
• Lahore High Court Grants Permission To Hold Aurat
March
• From Tech To Space Travel, Once Closed Fields Are
Now Open To Saudi Women
• Female Train Drivers Of Haramain Railway Embody
Saudi Arabia’s Rapid Social Transformation
• Saudi Women Making Their Mark In The Creative And
Cultural Fields
• Campaign Calls For Gender Apartheid To Be Crime
Under International Law
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/taliban-decree-pok-hijab/d/129275
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Taliban-Like Decree In PoK? Hijab Made Mandatory For
Female Students And Teachers
Hijab in educational
institutions Source: PTI
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Mar 7, 2023
Muzaffarabad: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led
government has made Hijab mandatory for female students and teachers at
co-educational institutions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. A notification to
this effect has been issued by the PoK government in this regard, Samaa
reported.
According to the notification, it will be mandatory
for female students and teachers to wear Hijab in co-educational institutions.
Action will be taken against the head of the institution over the violation of
the orders, as per the Samaa news report.
Local journalists have criticized the decision of the
Sardar Tanveer-led PTI government. Mariana Baabar took to her Twitter handle to
criticize the decision and stressed that women should be given a choice.
PoK following Taliban?
In a tweet, Mariana Baabar stated that PoK government
has “made it mandatory for female students and teachers to wear the hijab in
mixed-gender educational institutions, a circular issued on Monday stated.#give
women a choice #stop dictating to women and men.”
Murtaza Solangi has compared the decision of the
PTI-led government with that of the Taliban. Last year, the Taliban also made
it mandatory for females to wear hijab in public in Afghanistan.
Solangi said, “First Afghan Taliban broke the
“shackles of slavery”, as declared by Taliban Khan and now his great deputy”
has “broken the shackles of slavery” in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. He further
said, “The Toothless Dentist (Pak President Arif Alvi) who acts like an
activist of the fascist party must answer how their govt is enforcing Taliban
rule in PoK.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan vernacular publication Siasat
recently reported that many families have been facing starvation due to the
closure of crushing machines and developmental works in several parts of
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including Muzaffarabad.
According to Siasat, thousands of people in PoK have
lost jobs and their families are in great distress after sanctions from the
environment and mineral resources departments on developmental and crushing
works.
Source: Times Now News
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Lahore High Court Grants Permission To Hold Aurat
March
Photo: She the People
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Wajih Ahmad Sheikh
March 8, 2023
LAHORE: After successful negotiations between Aurat
March organisers and the city administration, the Lahore High Court on Tuesday
allowed the Women’s Day event while directing the former to ensure that no
objectionable slogan or unlawful activity takes place during the march.
Rights activists Khawar Mumtaz, Leena Ghani and Hiba
Akbar had filed a petition against the denial of a permission by the Lahore
administration to hold the Aurat March outside Nasser Bagh.
Appearing before the court, Deputy Commissioner Rafia
Haider and police officials apprised Justice Anwaar Hussain that the permission
had been denied in light of security concerns expressed by district
intelligence committee.
The deputy commissioner said the police were already
occupied due to security arrangements for the Pakistan Super League being held
in the Qaddafi Stadium.
LHC facilitates dialogue between Lahore administration
and petitioners
The judge questioned the political gatherings in the
city despite the security concerns stated by the government. He said the police
were always ready to spring into action whenever a political personality
appeared before the courts.
The deputy commissioner said a law and order situation
was created during the last year Aurat March.
A law officer said the march could be held outside
Lahore Press Club.
Justice Hussain observed that the administration was
responsible to maintain law and order. He also advised the march organisers to
act responsibly and cooperate with the administration.
While observing that every year such issues were taken
to courts, the judge directed the city administration to sit with the
petitioners and come up with an agreed plan. He resumed hearing at 2pm when
both sides came up after a successful dialogue.
Deputy Commissioner Haider and the organisers told the
court that the march would commence from Nadra office at Shimla Hill to
Faletti’s Hotel on March 8 (today) at 2pm.
Subsequently, the judge set aside the impugned order
of the administration, with the observation that the peaceful and lawful
activities could not be prohibited.
The judge also directed the Aurat March organisers to
ensure that no objectionable statements or slogans or any unlawful activity
occurred during the activity.
Advocate Asad Jamal and LHC Bar Association Secretary
Sabahat Rizvi appeared on behalf of the petitioners.
The counsel stated the deputy commissioner dismissed
an application of the petitioners and prohibited them along with thousands of
women from holding a lawful and peaceful Aurat March on the International
Women’s Day.
He argued the impugned order of the DC was an
arbitrary and colourable exercise of power and in clear violation of the fundamental
rights of the citizens guaranteed in the Constitution.
He said the fundamental right of lawful assembly of
the petitioners could not be denied unless it infringed upon the other
citizens’ right.
Source: Dawn
https://www.dawn.com/news/1740999
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From tech to space travel, once closed fields are now
open to Saudi women
RAWAN RADWAN
March 08, 2023
JEDDAH: Over the course of the past decade, Saudi
women have stepped into the limelight, with thousands entering study and the
workforce for the first time, succeeding in traditionally male-dominated
industries, and taking on leadership roles.
All over the world, across many different cultures,
women have faced social stigma and professional hurdles, routinely sidelined in
public life, often in the name of religion and custom. For many years, the same
was true in Saudi Arabia.
Authorities had twisted the basic teachings of Islam,
when in fact these teachings had granted women equal status and prominent
positions in society long before the concepts of human rights and gender
equality were written into law.
Since the implementation of reforms by King Salman and
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the past few years, Saudi women have
regained their rightful place in society and the workforce, putting their
skills to the test in almost every sector imaginable.
Last month, the Saudi Space Commission, or SSC,
announced that two astronauts would be part of the Axiom-2 private mission to
the International Space Station, scheduled to launch next year on the SpaceX
Dragon spacecraft.
Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, the first female
Saudi astronaut, will be part of the crew of four who will spend 10 days aboard
the ISS, where they will conduct 14 biomedical and physics experiments.
Mariam Fardous and Ali Al-Ghamdi will also train as
backups for the mission and are currently part of the Saudi Human Spaceflight
Program.
A month before the SSC announcement, Saudi transport
authorities said that 34 female train drivers had joined the ninth recruitment
force conducting the high-speed railway between Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah
in the Kingdom’s western region.
These astronauts and train conductors are just some of
the thousands of Saudi women now flocking to the fields of science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics — all sectors once dominated by men.
The Kingdom has launched several programs to help
develop human capital in various fields — such as energy, engineering, technology,
construction, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, research and innovation —
to build a skilled domestic workforce.
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reform agenda, designed to
diversify the Kingdom’s economy away from oil and raise the overall quality of
life, includes a strategy to help level the playing field and allow the most
qualified candidates to progress in the workforce.
Women are now more engaged than ever before in the
public and private sectors and civil society, as these reforms incentivize
women to enter the labor market, protecting their rights in traditionally
male-dominated sectors.
Today, Saudi women are training to become astronauts,
engineers, architects, mechanics,
soldiers and cybersecurity professionals. Many others are entering the creative
industries, sharing the Kingdom’s heritage and culture with the outside world.
Education has been a central pillar of this leveling
of the playing field. Saudi Arabia has achieved near universal literacy, with
95 percent of adults and 99 percent of young people now able to read and write.
The Kingdom has also seen a dramatic increase in the
number of young people enrolling at universities, taking part in world-class
programs of study. In fact, Saudi Arabia spends a significant portion of its GDP
— more than the global average — on education.
Thousands of students have received scholarships
through the Ministry of Education and other programs to attend some of the
world’s top universities — returning home with the skills and knowhow to help
build a modern, dynamic and diversified economy.
Dr. Amal Shugair, deputy minister for scholarships at
the Kingdom’s Ministry of Education, told Arab News that the majors offered in
the scholarship program are based on the prevailing needs of the local labor
market.
Shugair said that the Ministry of Education conducts
its research in coordination with other ministries and departments on an annual
basis to keep up with the demand for specific skills and areas of expertise.
“Some 40 percent of this year’s batch of scholarship
students were women. It’s the largest yet since the start of the scholarship
program,” she said. “The ministry selects the best 200 universities globally
for various fields that can cater to the Saudi labor market’s needs, offering
more opportunities for all to choose from.
“We’re being selective due to the demand of the market
needs, so we’ve allowed students to enroll in master’s and Ph.D. programs, but
only in specific fields and majors based on recommendations from the Kingdom’s
Research Development and Innovation Authority.”
For the next decade, the ministry’s strategy is to
support and empower certain members of society to provide equal opportunities
for men and women through various initiatives, such as enrolling university
students in internship programs or co-op training at companies before
graduating.
“The 2022 strategy differed from previous strategies
as it focused on the quality of the outcomes rather than the quantity (number
of students),” Shugair said. “Our target is for students to enroll in elite
universities, the top 30 universities all over the world.”
Although the number of female doctors and scientists
continues to grow in Saudi Arabia, Shugair said that the mentality had changed
for many as they seek to major in fields that have been closed off to earlier
generations.
“Women today are thinking more strategically, finding
pathways which can support them and help them excel given the opportunities,”
Shugair said.
“They no longer fear the unknown, and are taking their
first steps in their futures.”
Source: Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2264156/saudi-arabia
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Female train drivers of Haramain railway embody Saudi
Arabia’s rapid social transformation
REBECCA ANNE PROCTOR
March 08, 2023
JEDDAH: Ayah Abdulrahman Taher, 28, from Makkah, is
one of 34 female train drivers who recently began working on the Haramain
high-speed railway between Saudi Arabia’s holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
Her success in this traditionally male-dominated
industry is indicative of the massive social transformation underway in the
Kingdom, thanks to reforms implemented since 2016 as part of Saudi Vision 2030.
Taher studied English literature at university but
jumped at the opportunity to begin an exciting career with the Kingdom’s
railways when she learned of a new, year-long training scheme.
“I never thought this would be a profession I would
do, but when the opportunity came, I wanted to be one of the first women in
Saudi Arabia to drive a train,” Taher told Arab News.
More than 28,000 women applied for the limited number
of roles when they were first announced in January 2022. Of these, 14,000
completed the first phase of the selection process and underwent an on-site
examination at the Saudi Railway Polytechnic in Qassim.
“It feels wonderful to be driving the train but also a
big responsibility for us,” said Taher. “Despite the responsibilities of
driving a train full of people, we see how proud people are of us and this
makes us proud too.”
The Haramain railway, which began service in October
2018, shuttles pilgrims and visitors to the Grand Mosque of Makkah.
The women’s training program, which commenced in March
2022, includes 1,157 hours of theoretical and practical modules covering
everything from technical issues and traffic control to health and safety
regulations.
Practical training involves 674 hours of driving
monitored by supervisors from Renfe KSA, one of the companies operating the
high-speed train project. Out of the 34 recruits, six were already part of
Renfe, working in station services or as onboard personnel.
The recruitment initiative takes Renfe KSA’s staff of
drivers to 140 — almost a quarter of them women. The average age is 26.8 and 73
percent hold a university degree.
Saudi women were granted the right to drive in 2018
following a 30-year prohibition. Today, tens of thousands of Saudi women are
driving a wide range of vehicles, from cars to airplanes.
In May 2022, the low-cost Saudi airline Flyadeal
announced the first domestic flight in the Kingdom with a crew made up entirely
of women, including co-pilot Yara Jan, aged just 24, making her Saudi Arabia’s
youngest female pilot.
Although restrictions on women’s participation in
government and key leadership positions began to be lifted under King Abdullah,
it was only after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched Vision 2030 that
the female labor force began to flourish.
Saudi women now make up 37 percent of the Kingdom’s
workforce, according to Ahmed Al-Rajhi, the Saudi minister of human resources
and social development. In 2016, this figure stood at 17.7 percent.
About 2.2 million Saudis are now employed in the
private sector — the highest number in the country’s history.
Saudi women have made unprecedented progress in the
labor market, particularly since reforms were passed in 2019 allowing women to
work in previously male-dominated industries.
The Kingdom has relaxed dress codes, legislated
against workplace gender discrimination and harassment, encouraged women to
pursue higher education, and appointed women as ambassadors, CEOs, and to top
government positions.
According to the World Bank, other reforms include
equalized right to choose a place of residency, the prohibition of
discrimination based on gender in employment and in accessing credit, and the
prohibition of the dismissal of pregnant women.
Additionally, new decrees have introduced pension
equality by equalizing the retirement ages for men and women and mandating
pension care credits for maternity leave.
With an increasing number of Saudi women in
employment, social norms, particularly surrounding family life, are having to
adapt.
“There is a shift now in Saudi society where women
have gone from being primary caregivers at home or housewives, which are very
important jobs, to taking on responsibilities outside of the home within the
Kingdom’s workforce,” Norah Al-Yusuf, senior adviser at Vision 2030’s Quality
of Life Program Center, told Arab News.
“More Saudi women in the workforce is contributing to
the growth of the country economically and allowing women to be financially
independent. But on the other side, one must look at the social norms that are
changing as a result. For instance, women rely more on childcare services if
they want to have families.”
The Middle East and North Africa region has seen a
fall in birth rates over the last five to 10 years. According to the UN, the
birth rate in Saudi Arabia in 2022 was 16.166 births per 1,000 people.
This represented a 2.8 percent decline from 2021, when
there were 16.631 births per 1,000 people, and a 2.73 percent decline from 2020
when there were 17.097 births per 1,000 people.
“How are these numbers going to affect the long-term
curve of society and the demographic, particularly given the fact that a large
percentage of the Saudi population is young, within the ages of 15 to 24?” said
Al-Yusuf.
To be sure, Saudi Arabia, like many of the world’s
most developed economies, is still a long way off achieving full gender parity
in the workplace and in other facets of public life.
Nevertheless, Al-Yusuf says the Kingdom is working to
provide women with the support they need to achieve a work-life balance and
help them to realize their full potential.
“Women across the world, not just in Saudi Arabia, are
still faced with the challenge of how to balance both their personal and family
life and what is expected of them in their careers,” she said.
“In Saudi Arabia where change is happening at an
exponential rate, support and mentorship is crucial for women during this vital
moment when they are provided with numerous opportunities to thrive outside of
the home.”
Although she owes her career on the Saudi rail network
to these transformative reforms and professional development schemes, Taher
says acceptance among family and the wider community has been an essential
ingredient to her success.
“I received a lot of support from my family to become
a train driver,” said Taher. “It hasn’t affected me negatively. I received much
love and encouragement from my friends and family. They are all proud.”
Source: Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2264171/saudi-arabia
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Saudi women making their mark in the creative and
cultural fields
AFSHAN AZIZI
March 08, 2023
JEDDAH: Like all other domains, women in the Kingdom
have matched their ambitions and skills in enriching the arts and culture
sector. Their contributions are creating meaningful and innovative works with
their freedom and creativity.
In recent years, Saudi society has seen a boom in
culture and arts, with the Kingdom’s women being a significant part of the
growing landscape. The foreign perception of women lacking social capacity in
arenas beyond the home has changed drastically through the art and cultural
movement.
Ahead of International Women’s Day, which falls on
Wednesday, Arab News canvased several women from the art and cultural scenes to
acknowledge them and celebrate their participation in shaping the creative
prospects of the country.
“Being a female artist in Saudi Arabia at present is
very different from before,” said Saudi actress Helda Yassin, who won a Joy
Award for favorite rising star in a TV series.
“Whether it’s a woman or man, they are likely to be
the same at work, in social life and in media.”
She considers herself lucky to be part of the change
happening in the Kingdom and to be among the women in the media promoting Saudi
culture.
“The amount of support from family, friends and other
artists has helped me grow my talent and be more brilliant in my work,” she
said.
“Such unconditional support gives the best motivation
and helps me explore other talents in me.”
Saudi writer Hafsa Alkhudairi, whose work mostly
revolves around contemporary art, said: “In Saudi Arabia, women have always
been culturally recognized as artists and the constant support from the
community is also a privilege for the growth.
“Being in the art sector is an interesting experience
for me. I meet so many talented creatives and get to spend time picking their
brains. That in a way supports my own development.”
Alkhudairi said the changes were signs of a thriving
industry in which women’s skills and expertise were recognized by the community
and highly appreciated by the government.
“My biggest issue was the lack of faith in myself but
I was pushed by friends to share my voice. That opened my world up in an
unimaginable way.”
The creative art and cultural industries have
drastically changed with government support and offer career longevity more
than ever before.
“With the launch of the Saudi Music Commission, the
once shunned career has in a sense normalized music and become an integral part
of an ever thriving community,” said Fulana, a Saudi singer, songwriter and
producer.
“Support from the government and the community is seen
through the birth of new record labels in the country, especially like my own,
Wall of Sound,” she said.
“These individual labels allow for equal opportunities
for artists of many different genres and create spaces to truly grow. Moreover,
the growth of the music community with the establishment of venues and events
of different sizes and capacities happening all year long is the biggest
achievement.”
Fulana said she did not categorize herself as a female
artist but as a Saudi musician.
Another Saudi actress, Ida Al-Kusay, said the Kingdom
was gradually shedding light on artists and different art forms.
She thinks it will take people time to fully
understand the importance of media, but the immense support from the government
will help it flourish.
“As a child, I would always watch movies and feel so
affected by the stories. The day I got the support of my family to go ahead and
give it a shot was music to my ears because I’d finally get the chance to play
the demographic I didn’t see much growing up. Being a Saudi actress and
representing my country is one of my biggest achievements,” she said.
As for her advice to aspiring artists, Al-Kusay added:
“Although I happened to be given this opportunity I never took that lightly.
When starting this path a lot of us will have tough days, due to many elements
but managing to stay together and strong and helping one another will always be
a priority.
“I think we are on our way to having a global
breakthrough in the film industry. As an artist, we know what it is like to be
rejected and it is time for our stories to be told by us.”
Saudi women have also played roles in bridging the gap
between the Kingdom and the global art and cultural world, mainly through
events such as Saudi Design Week, the Islamic Arts Biennale, and creative
collaborative projects that attract local and international artists.
Lujain Ibrahim, an interior designer and artist, said:
“Women are better at multi-tasking and can create new things and hone their
skills to make a difference.
“I believe we have a different sense and touch when
involved in any task or work. We can call it a woman’s touch. I always find
myself getting inspired and motivated by women who create art their own way and
pursue dreams on their terms.”
Academic researcher Asmaa Alfageeh said Saudi women
were developing in art and culture through their artistic and intellectual
productions, by voicing their stories and letting the world see who they were.
“As a Saudi woman who is heavily involved in academia,
I explore Saudi art through reading and decoding it, exploring the
philosophies, aesthetics, values and the stories Saudi arts depict,” she said.
“I see it as my responsibility to respond to these art
productions in every way possible, as both an academic and art connoisseur.”
Alfageeh thinks Saudi women are not only embracing
their cultural identity but also celebrating it by engaging with the country’s
history and heritage, manifesting the aesthetics of the old and authentic.
Source: Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2264206/saudi-arabia
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Campaign calls for gender apartheid to be crime under
international law
Patrick Wintour
Wed 8 Mar 2023 0
A prominent group of Afghan and Iranian women are backing
a campaign calling for gender apartheid to be recognised as a crime under
international law.
The campaign, launched on International Women’s Day,
reflects a belief that the current laws covering discrimination against women
do not capture the systematic nature of the policies imposed in Afghanistan and
Iran to downgrade the status of women in society.
Signatories of the open letter include the Iranian
Nobel peace prize laureate Shirin Ebadi; the first female deputy speaker of the
Afghan parliament, Fawzia Koofi; a commissioner of the Afghan Independent Human
Rights Commission, Benafsha Yaqoobi; as well as many activists still fighting
for their rights in Afghanistan and Iran.
While there is a crime of apartheid in international
law, it applies only to racial groups, not to gender.
The word apartheid comes from the Afrikaans word for
“apart” and was first used to describe the treatment of black people in South
Africa under white minority rule from 1948 to the early 1990s.
The authors of the open letter, including
international lawyers, argue that the legal definition of apartheid as a crime
against humanity, adopted by the UN in 1973 and supported by the 1998 Rome
Statute, does not fit the case of Afghanistan and Iran, even if the descriptive
term does.
“It is paramount to understand that gender apartheid
currently only has power as a descriptive term,” said Gissou Nia, one of the
human rights lawyers backing the campaign. “Under international law, the crime
of apartheid only applies to racial hierarchies, not hierarchies based on
gender. This campaign will seek to expand the set of moral, political and legal
tools available to mobilise international action against and ultimately end
systems of gender apartheid.”
The letter argues that under the Taliban, women in
Afghanistan are banned from education, employment in NGOs and in government,
and from travelling long distances without a male guardian, all while having to
abide by a severe dress code.
It says: “In the Islamic Republic of Iran, women are
banned from many fields of study, sporting events, from traveling without a
male guardian, are worth half a man under the law and are forced to wear
compulsory hijab. These bans, and the broader legal systems they belong to,
seek to establish and maintain women’s subjugation to men and the state.
Violation of these laws can lead to violence, imprisonment and death.”
The authors of the letter say they are not being
discriminatory against the norms of Muslim societies, or seeking to impose
western cultural values, but are instead addressing systematic attempts to
subjugate women that have no place in any society, regardless of religion.
The Rome Statute defines apartheid in Article 7,
paragraph 2 (h), as “inhumane acts … committed in the context of an
institutionalised regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial
group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of
maintaining that regime”.
Increasingly, leading Muslim politicians and clerics
in Gulf states and populous Muslim states such as Indonesia are willing to
criticise the Taliban’s refusal to allow girls above secondary school age to be
educated, saying there is nothing in the Qur’an or Muslim religious teaching
that permits women to be held back in this way.
Source: The Guardian
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/taliban-decree-pok-hijab/d/129275
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