Can’t work, sing, travel, study: All the ways the Taliban are restricting lives of women in Afghanistan
New Age Islam News Bureau
05 Nov2024
· Can’t work, sing, travel, study: All the ways the Taliban are restricting lives of women in Afghanistan
· 117 women were victims of violence last month
· Sanjay Raut Didn't Say That Thackeray Will Pay Higher Remittance To Muslim Women
· Company creates disposable hijabs for Muslim women in health care
· Girl hacked to death in Narsingdi home
· Karachi woman found dead alongside unconscious brother-in-law in parked car
· House fire in Miri claims life of 13-year-old girl from China
· Woman beaten to death in N’ganj
· Women's Education Shapes Fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa
· UAE Rapid Intervention Brigade inaugurates women’s subdivision facility
· HabibaHuq passes away
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/taliban-women-afghanistan-travel-restricting/d/133626
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Can’t work, sing, travel, study: All the ways the Taliban are restricting lives of women in Afghanistan
05 November 2024
Women in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan are currently barred from most of the ordinary activities their counterparts elsewhere in the world see as their natural right – studying, working, going to a salon or the gym, and even speaking or praying in public.
The steadily increasing diktats on Afghanistan’s nearly 50 million women, imposed by the hardline Islamist regime which initially promised a progressive society, have been globally condemned as gender apartheid.
A female cat has more rights than a woman in Afghanistan, Hollywood star Meryl Streep said in September, speaking at an event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
"A cat may go sit on her front stoop and feel the sun on her face. She may chase a squirrel into the park. A squirrel has more rights than a girl in Afghanistan today, because the public parks have been closed to women and girls by the Taliban," Streep said, shining a light on the depleted rights of Afghan women.
When the Taliban were last in power from 1996-2001 girls were not allowed to attend school and women were banned from work and education. Their rule today, decades later, resembles the grim reality of their previous time in power, says Zahra Joya, the founder of Afghan news website Rukhshana who runs the news operations with her team of women in exile.
Here is a list of activities from which Afghan women are banned or restricted:
Education
Within a month of taking control of Kabul, the Taliban’s education ministry banned girls and women from schools. However, they announced the reopening of schools for all male teachers and students, leading to condemnation from the rest of the world. The Taliban leaders also announced that the girls were barred from studying beyond the sixth grade.
The ban was extended to colleges and universities in December 2022. Some of the female students were turned back from the doorstep of their universities at gunpoint by Taliban fighters when they attempted to return to their classrooms.
Taliban-ruled Afghanistan is the only country in the world with harsh restrictions on female education. Several local and senior officials, including chief spokesperson ZabiullahMujahid, have said the Taliban authorities will reopen the schools inevitably with adherence to Islamic Sharia laws but have not announced any step to invite girls and women back to educational institutions.
Work
The Taliban have banned women from government and private jobs, including working with NGOs, affecting international aid work.
Women workers under the Nato-led administration in Afghanistan were asked to go back to their homes in Kabul in September 2021, marking the first unofficial ban on women’s work. A senior Taliban leader told Reuters women would not be allowed to work alongside men in government ministries.
The Taliban’s Vice and Virtue Ministry, which replaced the Women’s Ministry, ordered on 7 May 2022 that women will be required to stay in unless they have important work outside of their houses. It also required them to travel in the company of mehram – a male chaperone.
With the exception of nurses and midwives in the healthcare sector, Afghan women are generally barred from other kinds of work by the Taliban. Healthcare workers say even women serving in hospitals face the risk of harassment by the Taliban’s morality police who monitor the dress code and gender segregation for female workers.
Travel
The Taliban order that a woman has to be covered from head to toe when stepping outside of her house accompanied by a male guardian has severely curtailed women’s freedom.
The diktat officially requires any woman travelling more than 75km (46 miles) or leaving the country to be chaperoned by a mehram. If women break the dress code restrictions, it is the male relatives who would face punishment.
Taxi drivers would also be punished if they agreed to drive a woman without a suitable male escort, according to the new set of rules.
Sports
The Taliban have banned all sports for girls and women and intimidated former female athletes into silence after taking over control.
In November 2022, the Taliban officially ordered women to be banned from entering gymnasiums and parks.
Even before the Taliban took control, women’s sports faced opposition in Afghanistan’s deeply conservative society that viewed it as a violation of women’s modesty and of their role in society. However, sports was not banned and Afghan women athletes trained in the country and competed in international championships. Most of them are now part of refugee teams and training in exile.
Cultural activities
Afghan women can no longer visit national parks and public parks. In November 2022, Taliban spokesperson Mohammed AkefMohajer claimed the group “tried its best” not to shut down parks and gyms for women and allocated separate days of the week for male and female access. They later claimed the Taliban’s hardline rules were flouted and authorities had to order a complete shutdown of parks – but the rule applied only to women.
In August 2023, the Taliban government banned women from visiting the Band-e-Amir national park in Bamiyan province, citing improperly worn hijab or head covering by women visitors.
Afghanistan’s acting minister of virtue and vice, Mohammad Khaled Hanafi, said going to the park for sightseeing "was not obligatory”.
In August this year, clothes shops in Kabul were ordered to hide the faces of mannequins by order of the Taliban.
Personal care
In July 2023, the Taliban banned women’s salons and parlours, shutting down their last places of recreation and relaxation. The Taliban said beauty salons had to be shut down because they offered services forbidden by Islam and inflicted economic hardship for the grooms’ families in wedding festivities.
For days, the Taliban’s fighters on the streets monitored the shutdown of salon and beauty parlour services.
Clothing restrictions
Afghan women must completely veil their bodies, including their faces, in thick clothing in public spaces to prevent men from committing vice, according to the new “vice and virtue” laws by the Taliban last month.
This is an extension of the Taliban’s previous ban from May 2022 when it ordered all women TV news anchors in Afghanistan to wear face coverings while on air.
Women’s voices
Afghan women are also banned from reading, singing, or speaking in public by the Taliban in their so-called bid to discourage vice and promote virtue. Women’s voices are deemed to be a source of temptation, according to the Taliban’s interpretation of Sharia law. If a woman is heard singing, even from within her own home, she will be punished for violating the law.
“Whenever an adult woman leaves her home out of necessity, she is obliged to conceal her voice, face, and body,” according to the new rules.
Women are also forbidden from looking directly at a man who is not their husband or blood relative.
Source:independent.co.uk
https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/south-asia/afghanistan-taliban-bans-women-voices-education-b2641453.html
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117 women were victims of violence last month
05 Nov 2024
Illustration: Biplob Chakroborty
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At least 117 women and girls across the country were victims of violence in October, according to the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS).
Meanwhile, eight women and girls were victims of gang rape, while seven were killed after rape.
Additionally, 11 women and girls were victims of sexual harassment, while two women were killed over dowry-related issues. A total of 37 women were killed in family disputes; two were injured; and 10 died by suicide.
In a media release issued yesterday, the rights group said that, as per its monthly human rights analysis report, 55 females were victims of rape last month. Of them, 27 were aged under 18.
In the release, the HRSS said it is worrying that 76 children faced violence last month, of whom 36 were killed and 40 were subjected to physical and mental torture.
The monthly report was prepared based on media reports and HRSS's own documentations, reads the release.
It added that at least nine people were killed and 400 were injured in 68 incidents of political violence last month -- 26 were between BNP and Awami League; 25 BNP intra-party clashes; three between BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami; one AL intra-party clash; and 13 among different political parties.
Besides, 12 people involved in politics were killed in clashes over establishing supremacy and criminal attacks.
Last month, 45 journalists were subjected to 21 violent and other incidents. Of them, two were killed, 22 injured, three were harassed, two received threats, and seven were detained.
Nine journalists were accused in four cases.
Meanwhile, a journalist died when an earth-laden tractor hit him while he was on duty in Jamalpur and another journalist's hanging body was recovered by police in the capital.
Also last month, four journalists were detained in three cases filed under the Cyber Security Act-2023, while three people died either in clashes with law enforcement agencies or in their custody.
Besides, three Bangladeshis were killed in border incidents -- two along the Bangladesh-India border and another along Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
At least 10 incidents of attacks on minority communities and their establishments also took place in October.
Besides, 19 people were killed and five others injured in 19 incidents of "mob violence", while 26 workers were killed and at least 59 others injured in 38 incidents of violence against workers.
Meanwhile, 29 workers died in workplace accidents.
Source:thedailystar.net/
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/rights/news/117-women-were-victims-violence-last-month-3744631
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Sanjay Raut Didn't Say That Thackeray Will Pay Higher Remittance To Muslim Women
RUJUTA THETE
05 Nov 2024
An image showing a bulletin of Marathi news channel, Pudhari News, is going viral online.
The claim mentions that Shiv Sena (UddhavBalasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut made a remark about former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray paying higher remittances to Muslim women.
How did we find out the truth?: We performed a relevant keyword search on Google but did not find any relevant reports about Thackeray making any such statement.
WebQoof team then reached out Raut who confirmed to us that this viral claim is false.
We also reached out to TulasidasBhoite, Senior Executive Editor at Pudhari News, who also confirmed to us that this viral image is fake.
Conclusion: A false statement about Uddhav Thackeray’s party paying more to Muslim women if elected is going viral as real.
Source:thequint.com
https://www.thequint.com/news/webqoof/sanjay-raut-uddhav-thackeray-to-give-more-remittance-to-muslim-woman-fact-check#read-more
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Company creates disposable hijabs for Muslim women in health care
05 Nov 2024
Two respiratory therapists had a problem. Both wearers of the hijab, they struggledto keep their patients safe from outside germs while also covering their heads.
Many nurses would bring multiple coverings to work to change between patients. With no personal protective equipment available for Muslim health care workers, they had little choice.
Knowing something had to change, Firaoli Adam and Yasmin Samatar created a product that will support Muslim women in medicine for years to come.
They launched Mawadda in 2022, creating the “Hygienic Hijab” with a patented and FDA-compliant design. Manufactured in the United States, the product clears safety and Hijabi religious standards. According to the product website, it is breathable with a snug fit and slips right on.
First meeting while studying respiratory care at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota, Adam told CBS News that Samatar “didn’t know it yet, but she was going to be my best friend.”
Both first-generation students, the two women had similar goals and experienced similar struggles in their chosen field, they told CBS News, especially as travel nurses across the country.
Hospitals “had a beard cover. We looked at each other like, ‘They have a beard cover even? Why not a hijab cover? Something has to be out there,’” Adam told CBS.
Samatar’s and Adam’s main goal in creating Mawadda was to increase diversity, equity and inclusion in hospitals around the country, allowing more Muslim women to work in these fields comfortably.
“Bringing to market work attire that meets both safety and cultural requirements,” the product website states, “will dramatically improve workplace conditions, productivity, and health outcomes.”
The Hygienic Hijab comes in two styles, pullover or wrap, both in packs of 10.
In the future, Mawadda plans to launch a line of scrubs with modesty in mind, including skirts and dresses, Samatar and Adam told CBS.
“Having the hijab there, you are telling a Muslim woman you are supported in this hospital and your voice and presence is valued, that sort of empowers you,” Samatar said.
Source:ajc.com
https://www.ajc.com/pulse/company-creates-disposable-hijabs-for-muslim-women-in-health-care/IVDNHQJGOBFG5J3SLLRQSMIWFU/
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Girl hacked to death in Narsingdi home
Nov 4, 2024
A school girl was hacked to death by miscreants at her home in Monohordiupazila of Narsingdi this afternoon.
Her aunt was also injured in the incident.
The deceased was identified as Anika, 16, daughter of ShahzadaNooreAlam of PaschimPoradia under Belaboupazila of the district.
The injured is Papia Akhter, 37. She was sent to Dhaka for better treatment.
The incident took place around 4:00pm, said Md Jewel Hossain, officer-in-charge of Manohardi Police Station.
Police and locals said Anika, a 10th grader at a local school, used to live with her aunt.
The OC said some miscreants entered the house stabbed Anika with sharp weapons. When Papia tried to stop them, they also attacked her.
He said they are looking into the incident.
No case was filed over the incident till filing of this report at 9:00pm.
Source:thedailystar.net
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/girl-hacked-death-narsingdi-home-3744726
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Karachi woman found dead alongside unconscious brother-in-law in parked car
November 5, 2024
KARACHI: A young woman was found dead while a man unconscious inside a car parked at an auto shop in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) on Monday, police said.
The woman was identified as Javeria, 25, a gym instructor, the police said, adding that the unconscious man was identified as Kashif Iqbal, brother-in-law of the deceased and the owner of the auto shop in Phase II.
DIG-South Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the woman was found dead in a Suzuki Mehran car. The body and the unconscious man were shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.
After regaining some consciousness, Kashif told the police that the car engine and its air-conditioner were running and he and Javeria were talking in the parked car inside the auto shop.
He said that the shop was filled with smoke and he lost consciousness after facing breathing problems.
The police said the family was reluctant to pursue the case legally, but the police ensured the post-mortem examination of Javeria.
The investigators were waiting for doctors’ final report to ascertain the exact cause of her death.
The DIG said the police had detained three workers of the shop for interrogation while CCTV footage was being collected.
Rs200,000 looted
A factory employee who along with others brought cash for depositing at a private bank in the Site area was shot at and wounded by robbers who took away Rs200,000 cash on Monday morning.
SITE-A SHO Javed Akhtar said IrshadRiffat, 30, was shot and wounded at Metroville near a bank.
He said that the staff of a marble factory arrived at 8:45am to deposit Rs1.5 million cash in the bank. As they parked the van and the staff proceeded further, two suspects riding a motorcycle arrived there and attempted to snatch the plastic bag containing the cash. Consequently, the bag broke down and the money fell on the road.
The suspects took away Rs200,000 cash. On resistance by the victims, they opened fired and one bullet hit Irshad, an employee of the factory, on his thigh.
Source:dawn.com
https://www.dawn.com/news/1869870/karachi-woman-found-dead-alongside-unconscious-brother-in-law-in-parked-car
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House fire in Miri claims life of 13-year-old girl from China
05 Nov 2024
MIRI, Nov 5 — A 13-year-old girl of Chinese nationality was found dead in a fire which damaged 70 per cent of a single-storey semi-detached house in Jalan Grand Park, here early yesterday.
A spokesperson for the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department’s (JBPM) Operations Centre in Sarawak said the charred remains of the girl, identified as Yuan Ruohan, after inspecting the house.
The body has been handed over to the police for further action, he said.
He said 12 firemen in two machines from the Lopeng and Miri fire and rescue stations were mobilised to the scene after receiving a distress call at 3.16 am and they managed to control the fire about two hours later. — Bernama
Source:malaymail.com
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/11/05/house-fire-in-miri-claims-life-of-13-year-old-girl-from-china/155869
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Woman beaten to death in N’ganj
Nov 5, 2024
A 55-year-old woman was beaten to death early yesterday while cooking her meal at home in Narayanganj'sFatullah area.
The victim, Nilufa Begum, a garment worker residing in Gabtali under Fatullah Police Station, was attacked around 5:00am, police said.
Police arrested the suspect, MdShanto, 25, hailing from Cumilla, but found no clear motive behind the attack.
Locals and police reported that Shanto, wielding a stick, attempted to break the window of Nilufa's one-storey residence. When Nilufa intervened, Shanto began beating her brutally without provocation.
Upon hearing her screams, neighbours rushed to her aid and took her to Narayanganj General Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead, said OC Shariful Islam of Fatullah Police Station.
"This was an unprovoked incident, and we found no prior connection between the suspect and the victim," OC Shariful said.
Shanto is reportedly an employee at Central Dewanbag Sharif in Dhaka. Authorities there said Shanto is 'intellectually challenged', he said.
The deceased's son, Md Nasir, said the family did not know the suspect. Following the incident, locals detained Shanto, beat him, and handed him over to police. A murder case has been filed, and Shanto has been sent to jail.
Source:thedailystar.net
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/woman-beaten-death-nganj-3744766
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Women's Education Shapes Fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa
05 NOV 2024
New research reveals a strong link between higher female education and lower fertility rates in sub-Saharan Africa. Educated women are driving a shift toward smaller families and even influencing less educated peers. This new forecasting model offers policymakers valuable insights into how women's education shapes population trends, aiding sustainable development efforts.
How does education affect women's desire to have children? In a new study, researchers from IIASA, the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR), the University of Vienna and the Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, examined how women's education affects fertility rates in sub-Saharan Africa.
The researchers developed a new method for forecasting education-specific fertility trends. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), finds a strong empirical correlation between higher levels of female education and lower fertility rates.
"We developed a fertility forecasting model based on education levels that supports population planning and social development strategies. It gives a clear picture of fertility trends and enables more accurate predictions," says IIASA alumna SarojaAdhikari, study lead author and postdoctoral researcher at MPIDR.
The specific innovation of this paper is to show that it is not only the education of the individual women that matters, but also the average education of the environment in which the women live. Higher average educational attainment is significantly correlated with lower ideal family size and lower actual fertility for women in each separate education category. This holds across a wide range of geographical and temporal contexts.
"Our study shows that educated women are leading the shift towards smaller family sizes in high-fertility communities, even influencing the choices of women with less education around them. This insight is now part of a new population forecasting model, giving policymakers better tools to understand how women's education can shape future population trends and drive sustainable development across Africa," says IIASA alumnus EndaleKebede, a postdoctoral teaching and research associate at the University of Vienna and the Wittgenstein Centre, who is one of the study coauthors.
The research team used data from 138 demographic and health surveys conducted in 39 sub-Saharan African countries between 1986 and 2022. The model explicitly takes into account individual educational attainment and general educational background, without relying on subjective assumptions. The results are also highly relevant to climate change research, as forecasts based on education levels are increasingly used to assess societies' capacity to adapt to climate change.
Results reveal that education programs for women can play a key role in reducing fertility rates and thus helping to cope with rapid population growth in Africa. Improving women's education levels could therefore accelerate fertility decline and thus contribute to better population control and socio-economic development.
"While it's well known that educating women helps drive demographic change, this paper shows an added effect: women with less education often follow the behaviors and norms of more educated women in their community. The paper also uses this effect to create the first model for predicting fertility trends based on education levels," emphasizes Wolfgang Lutz, study coauthor and IIASA Distinguished Emeritus Research Scholar.
Adhikari reiterates that their results could significantly contribute to designing family planning programs and policies.
Adapted from a press release prepared by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research.
Source:miragenews.com
https://www.miragenews.com/womens-education-shapes-fertility-in-sub-1350688/
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UAE Rapid Intervention Brigade inaugurates women’s subdivision facility
Nov 04,2024
AMMAN — A new women's platoon facility at the headquarters of the Sheikh Mohammed bin ZayedNahyan’s Rapid Intervention Brigade was inaugurated on Monday.
Built in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration and the government of Canada, the facility is designed to provide high quality accommodation and support for its personnel, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.
The opening ceremony featured the presence of the brigade, the Commander of Canadian Forces in the Middle East, and an accompanying Canadian delegation.
In his speech, the Canadian Commander emphasised the strong and long-standing partnership between Jordan and Canada, which has fostered cooperation between their armed forces in various fields.
He reaffirmed Canada's commitment to supporting the Jordanian Armed Forces through continued operational and logistical support.
The Commander of the Rapid Intervention Brigade expressed his gratitude to the Canadian Armed Forces for their continued support, especially in the establishment of the new women's accommodation.
He emphasised the importance of this addition in enabling female personnel within the Jordanian Armed Forces to perform their duties more effectively and efficiently.
The newly constructed facility includes dormitories and administrative space built to modern standards, ensuring maximum comfort for personnel and enhancing their ability to perform their duties.
This project is in line with the Jordanian broader strategy of continuous development and modernisation, aimed at upgrading the facilities and resources of its units and formations.
Source:jordantimes.com
https://jordantimes.com/news/local/uae-rapid-intervention-brigade-inaugurates-womens-subdivision-facility
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HabibaHuq passes away
Nov 5, 2024
HabibaHuq passed away at her Dhaka residence on Sunday.
Born on July 11, 1931, Habiba, nominated by the Muslim League, participated in the 1954 general election. She lost the contest by some votes to RaziaBanu, granddaughter of Sher-e-Bangla AK FazlulHuq.
Huq published two volumes of poetry in Bangla. She was also known for her social works.
She is survived by her children SharminHuq, Yasmin Huq, NazmeenHuq, FarzeenHuq, and EjazHuq. She also left behind seven grandchildren.
Her namaz-e-janaza will be held after Johr prayers at Masjid-Ut-Taqwa in Dhanmondi on November 5.
Source:thedailystar.net
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/habiba-huq-passes-away-3744791
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/taliban-women-afghanistan-travel-restricting/d/133626