Muslim American Woman, Rolla Abdeljawad, 'Shocked' By FBI Interrogation Over Social Media Posts
New Age Islam News Bureau
02 April 2024
·
Muslim American Woman, Rolla
Abdeljawad, 'Shocked' By FBI Interrogation Over Social Media Posts
·
Iran’s Ice Hockey Player Heydari
On Cloud Nine After Winning 2024 IIHF Women's Asia And Oceania Cup
·
Bangladeshi Women In The UK Left
'Suicidal' By TikTok Troll
·
UP Police Announce Reward On Atiq
Ahmed’s SisterAyesha Noori & Sister-In-LawZainab Fatima
·
Iranian Commentator Warns Of
Renewed Hijab Unrest On Eve Of New Bill
·
Unemployment Among Saudi Women
Drops Significantly In Q4
Compiled by New Age Islam News
Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/muslim-american-woman-rolla/d/132063
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Muslim
American Woman, Rolla Abdeljawad, 'Shocked' By FBI Interrogation Over Social
Media Posts
A
few examples of Rolla Abdeljawad's Facebook posts that led to this FBI visit .
-----
AlperenAktas
01.04.2024
Rolla
Abdeljawad, a Muslim American woman who was questioned by FBI agents over her
pro-Palestine posts on Facebook, has expressed shock over the last week's
incident, saying the agents should be pursuing actual criminals.
In
an interview with Anadolu, Abdeljawad, who resides in the US state of Oklahoma,
maintained that none of her posts violated freedom of expression.
"Honestly,
I'm very shocked. As a person that's traveled the world, what makes me unique
in any country that I go to is that I'm an American. In America, we uphold
freedom of speech. We can be individuals, we don't have thought policing. These
are things that are very innately American," she said.
"What
I thought, honestly, during the (...) action was what a misallocation of tax
dollars that could be going to better use. What a waste of time for the FBI
when there are actual criminals committing crimes, that they could be looking
into people that post manifestos and they're aware of them," said
Abdeljawad.
"It
is something that is very concerning. Freedom of speech is one thing that is
very uniquely American," she added.
She
said such an interaction with FBI can make Americans feel unsafe, which she
called "not okay in America".
"In
America, we are individuals that are known for our bravery, we don't back down,
especially when justice is on our side... It made me feel unsafe in my own home
in my own community, and no one should ever get to the point where they feel
unsafe in their home," Abdeljawad added.
Abdeljawad
pointed out that she uses social media to be the "voice of the
voiceless" and for educational purposes, referring to her posts about
Gaza: "I do utilize my platform to speak up for the voiceless. I do use it
as a means to educate individuals as to what is actually going on on the
ground".
Abdeljawad
recalled that children and innocent people are being killed every few minutes
in Gaza, adding that "this is just not right."
She
stressed that it is absolutely wrong for the FBI to use tax dollars for such
monitoring, and said the funding could go to infrastructure, water systems,
highways, and bridges.
"I
had one thing to advise my fellow Americans is do not be intimidated. We have a
constitution. We have free speech. You must be an advocate for yourself, and
those who can't be advocates for themselves. That's all," she added.
'Very
concerning'
Abdeljawad's
attorney, Hassan Shibly, said that according to the American legal system,
"you have no obligation to answer questions of the FBI, just like you
don't have an obligation to answer questions of any stranger that knocks on
your door and wants to question you".
Shibly
said that freedom of expression is protected by the Constitution, stating:
"If the FBI is targeting her because of her exercise of free speech, then
they are curtailing on her rights, and on the US Constitution, which they swore
to protect. So it is very concerning".
"And
I am very grateful to see that, as she knew her rights, she exercised her
rights. She refused to speak to them, she refused to speak to them without a
lawyer, she refused to allow them into her house without a warrant. We need
more people to understand and stand up for the rights, otherwise, these rights
are meaningless," he added.
Shibly
said the Muslim community in the US has statistically lower rates of crime and
lower rates of violence, but the FBI spends too much efforts and resources
targeting American Muslim community.
"And
frankly, I think it's just driven by the agency's own desire to appear to be
doing something and by the individual agents' desires to get promotions,"
he added.
"There
isn't actually a threat from the Muslim community that would justify this
targeting. So a lot of times what these agents do is they go, and they try to
use these as opportunities to recruit informants from within the Muslim
community," he added.
He
said when FBI recruit informants, they pressure them, either through legal
threats, or even try to buy them out.
"When
they do that, they found that there isn't anything for them to inform on, there
isn't any threats that they can report so that they actually pay these guys
money to find mentally disturbed young kids in the community, and push them to
talk about doing some horrible thing that they never would have wanted to do or
thought of doing and certainly are not able to do," he said.
"And
then they arrest this mentally ill person and say, 'look, we caught another
terrorist, so keep sending us billions, give me that promotion'. It's all about
theatrics. It's about greed. It's about money. It's not about actually keeping
America safe," Shibly added.
Shibly
contacted the FBI's Oklahoma office regarding Abdeljawad's case and is awaiting
a response.
Kayla
McCleery, FBI Oklahoma City field office spokesperson, said: "Every day,
the FBI engages with members of the public in furtherance of our mission, which
is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United
States.
"We
can never open an investigation based solely on First Amendment protected
activity. The FBI is committed to ensuring our activities are conducted with a
valid law enforcement or national security purpose, while upholding the
constitutional rights of all Americans," said McCleery in a statement
provided to Anadolu.
What
happened?
Abdeljawad
recorded her dialogue with three FBI agents who visited her residence under the
pretext of discussing her social media posts.
The
Muslim woman, declining to answer the agents' questions and telling them
"talk to my lawyer," expressed her bewilderment, asking, "So we
no longer live in a free country?".
The
agents then told Abdeljawad that she did not have to speak to them and that she
should call the FBI office, and they left.
On
Meta's website, it is stated that the official policy regarding sharing
Facebook data is that relevant data is provided to US law enforcement in
response to court orders and emergencies involving "imminent risk of harm
to a child or death or serious physical injury to any person."
The
site further notes that during the first six months of 2023, there were 73,956
requests from US law enforcement, with approximately 88% of the data being
provided under these circumstances.
Source:
aa.com.tr
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/muslim-american-woman-shocked-by-fbi-interrogation-over-social-media-posts/3180808
---
Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf Leaders Sanam Javed, Aliyah Hamza Rearrested
Detained female workers of PTI Sanam Javed, Aliyah
Hamza
-----
April
01, 2024
Punjab
Police on Monday once again arrested Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders
Sanam Javaid Khan and Aliyah Hamza, Express News reported.
According
to details, Sanam and Aliyah were apprehended by the Mianwali police and
presented before an anti-terrorism court in Lahore.
ATC
judge Arshad Javaid heard the police's request, seeking a remand for the PTI
leaders. Upon which, the judge approved a one-day remand for Sanam and Aliyah,
handing them over to the police.
Aliyah,
speaking informally to journalists in court, expressed concerns over the rising
inflation and deteriorating law and order situation in the country.
She
criticized Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and provincial police for their
continuous efforts to arrest them for the past five days, saying police
officials have been waiting outside the jail day and night for their arrest.
"We
are so feared that your entire machinery is busy fixing our party. On February
8, you turned majority [vote] into minority and now preparations are underway
to rig the Senate elections,” she added.
"For
God's sake, rulers should come out of their delusions and think about the
people and Pakistan beyond their false ego."
Aliyah
further remarked, "The existence of PTI is because of the Pakistani people
and they have already made their decision on February 8."
Source:
tribune.com.pk
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2461279/ptis-sanam-javed-aliyah-hamza-rearrested
----
Iran’s
Ice Hockey Player Heydari On Cloud Nine After Winning 2024 IIHF Women's Asia
And Oceania Cup
Iran’s women’s ice hockey player Asal Heydari i
-----
April
2, 2024
TEHRAN
– Iran’s women’s ice hockey player Asal Heydari is very happy to win the 2024
IIHF Women's Asia and Oceania Cup.
Heydari
made history after signing with Swedish club Hammar by IF at the Nationella Damhockeyligan
(NDHL) last year. She became the first ever Iranian woman to play in a league
outside the country.
Heydari,
31, began playing inline hockey and started her ice hockey career in 2009.
Heydari
was a vital player of Team Melli, scoring eight goals in the tournament held in
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
She
was chosen the best goal scorer of the tournament.
“I
am very happy to win the title. We won a silver medal last year in Thailand and
earned a gold medal in this edition,” Heydari said.
“I
want to thanks my teammates for helping me to win the best goalscorer
accolade,” she added.
“We
defeated the UAE, Kyrgyzstan and India before playing the Philippines in our
last match. I have to say we did a great job, beating the Philippines in the
last match,” Heydari concluded.
Source:
tehrantimes.com
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/496596/Iran-s-Heydari-on-cloud-nine-after-winning-2024-IIHF-Women-s
----
Bangladeshi Women In The UK Left 'Suicidal' By TikTok Troll
Apr
2, 2024
Women
from the Bangladeshi community in the UK say their lives are being ruined by a
TikTok troll, a BBC investigation has found.
Despite
reporting threats and abuse to police forces in the UK and France as well as
social media companies, many said they have been left feeling suicidal and
desperate because no-one was taking any action to stop it.
“I
felt like the sky had fallen in on me. I was in tears. I could not eat, I
struggled to sleep.
"I
felt like I did not want to be here anymore.”
Sultana
(not her real name) lives in Yorkshire and used TikTok to speak out about
issues important to her like misogyny and toxic relationships.
She
said she became a victim of this troll on the social media platform in 2021
after she defended a friend on TikTok who was also targeted by him.
Warning
- this story contains details which readers may find distressing.
Sultana
was at work when some of her followers on TikTok messaged her and asked if she
had seen the videos that he had posted about her.
“People
were commenting on the post and laughing at me," she said.
The
abuse carried on sporadically for two years and she said it was something
"you never get over".
“I
have always struggled with my mental health and I have had intense therapy to
get over this but it triggered my PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder),"
Sultana said.
"I
felt that all of the hard work I had done to get better went down the drain.”
TikTok
is big among the Bangladeshi community in the UK, especially women.
Typically
a conservative community, the social media platform gives them a voice to speak
out.
But
it also appears to make them a target as those who have been abused said some
men in the community do not agree with women voicing their opinions online and
seek to silence them.
The
troll targeting Sultana and others - many of whom told the BBC they were afraid
of speaking out - is a man called Hasan Syed, a Bangladeshi national who lives
in the suburbs of Paris and has thousands of followers on TikTok.
He
torments and terrorises people by stealing personal photographs and information
from their social media feed and puts them on a "green screen" in
videos.
Mr
Syed then goes live on TikTok, sometimes makes fun of their appearance and
makes threats to rape and kill.
The
BBC has contacted him several times by email and attempted to call him but has
had no response.
Masuma
lives in Wales with her family, works in higher education and hosted live
cookery demonstrations on TikTok and ran a shop on the platform.
She
was live on it one day when Mr Syed appeared and asked to be invited on as a
guest but when she refused he threatened to "hang her".
Masuma
shared a video and urged others to report him but said she became a target.
“He
made videos of me saying that I was a sex worker,” she said.
Her
followers reported the video to TikTok and it was eventually taken down but
Masuma said it damaged her life.
“The
repercussions were severe, I had to remove all of my photos, my business phone
number and reduce my live sessions, due to my heightened anxiety," she
said.
"I
received inappropriate calls and faced embarrassing inquiries from students.”
“Despite
reporting the situation to the police with substantial evidence, their
inability to take effective action left me feeling helpless.”
Kamrul
Islam's first encounter with the TikTok troll was in January 2023 when he came
across Mr Syed's channel and said he was appalled by what he saw.
“At
first I thought the videos were fake but friends told me that Mr Syed had been
targeting people in the UK for a number of years," he said.
Mr
Islam, who lives in Staffordshire with his wife and two young children, said Mr
Syed had a large following on TikTok and "people think he is
untouchable".
“The
Bangladeshi community are very conservative and these videos bring great shame
to families, as well as fear. I knew I had to do something to try and stop
it," he said.
'I
was crying my eyes out'
Mr
Islam made contact with Mr Syed online to ask him to stop but it immediately
put him and his family in the firing line.
“He
started making videos about me, he got some pictures of my son [from when he
was a year old], my mum and my wife from my Instagram account and openly
threatened to rape them," he said.
Mr
Islam’s wife, Rukthan, was seven months pregnant at the time with their second
child and he told her everything and decided to call the police.
“It
was very stressful for me. I was crying my eyes out and I felt scared because
many of [Syed’s] followers live in the UK," his wife said.
"I
love walking and I used to drop my son off at school and go for a stroll. After
[his] followers said they were going to attack my family, I became too scared
to go out.
"I
can no longer work because of my mental health and I still have sleepless
nights.”
After
reporting Mr Syed to Staffordshire Police, the father-of-two got in touch with
TikTok to demand they take down the videos.
He
said he was shocked to be told they found "no violation" of their
community guidelines.
Undeterred,
Mr Islam contacted the British Embassy in Paris in February 2023 to ask for
their help and they put him in touch with an English-speaking French solicitor,
Mathieu Croizet.
MrCroizet
filed a complaint with the Paris Prosecutor's Office alleging Mr Syed had
committed three serious offences under French law - repeated threats of
violence and rape against an adult and child, child pornography and
cyber-bullying.
However
Mr Islam said he has had no real updates on how the case is going and his
solicitor, MrCroizet, said it could take a long time to reach a conclusion.
"The
French justice system is understaffed and has a limited budget," he added.
“Protecting
minors is something the French justice system has promised to do but in France
it is almost impossible to get abusive posts online taken down, even if they
are making violent threats.”
He
also told the BBC that “there is a lot of Islamophobia in France and Kamrul’s
surname being Islam could be blocking the case".
The
BBC contacted the central police station in Paris and the courts in Versailles
about updates on the case but have had no reply.
Mr
Islam said he had similar frustrations with delays in Staffordshire as, after
his report to police, it took two-and-a-half months before they confirmed his
complaint was passed to Interpol.
The
force’s professional standards unit reviewed how they dealt with the case after
he complained but decided no further action would be taken.
During
all this time, Mr Syed kept posting videos about Mr Islam's family on YouTube,
Facebook and TikTok.
The
father-of-two’s demands for the posts to be taken down went unanswered but Mr
Islam refused to give up.
In
April 2023 he contacted the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and they
took action.
After
viewing and translating the videos, the ICO told Mr Islam it was “deeply
concerned” about their content and disagreed with the social media companies'
refusals to remove or block the videos.
They
highlighted the use of his child’s personal data and ordered TikTok, Facebook
and YouTube to remove the content within seven days.
“They
have been brilliant,” Mr Islam said. “They are the ones who have helped me the
most.”
A
spokesperson for the ICO said if concerns were raised about the use of personal
data "we expected organisations to take these complaints seriously and
investigate".
In
a statement, TikTok said it removed video and banned accounts which broke its
community guidelines in this case and "continues to improve our
enforcement against this kind of behaviour”.
A
YouTube spokesperson said they did not allow harassment and cyber-bullying and
on reviewing the channel used by Mr Syed they had "terminated" it.
The
Facebook page was disabled and content posted by Mr Syed removed after an
investigation, a spokesperson for Meta, which owns Facebook, said.
"Our
enforcement is not perfect and sometimes both machines and humans make
mistakes. That is why we are constantly working to improve our ability to
detect and remove violating content from our platforms," they added.
'They
try and silence us'
Mr
Islam now uses his social media accounts to expose Mr Syed and support other
victims and he said scores of other Bangladeshi women in the UK have contacted
him asking for help.
“I
get so many messages from sisters across the country who have been seriously
bullied on TikTok," he said.
Many
told him they felt like they wanted to take their own life "because they
do not get any help or support from the social media platform”, he added.
Sultana
said a lot of men in Bangladesh did not agree with women having their voice on
social media "so they try and silence us by bullying and harassing us".
"Nothing
is ever done about it so they get away with it over and over again and have
been for ages," she added.
"The
authorities need to take these things more seriously, as it is very damaging.”
Mr
Islam said he was contacting TikTok almost daily, asking them to take down new
accounts Mr Syed has opened up, making threats against him and his family and
said action was not always taken promptly.
He
urged women in the community to speak up as "if you just stay quiet, these
monsters will carry on damaging people.”
After
years of debate, the government’s Online Safety Bill - which ministers said
aims to make the internet safer for children - became law on 26 October.
People
should report any threats they receive to police as social media firms were now
responsible for tackling illegal content, a spokesman from the Department for
Science, Innovation and Technology said.
"If
they do not identify and take down criminal threats promptly and effectively,
they could face eye-watering fines that could reach billions of pounds,
regardless of whether those posting content are based in the UK," he
added.
Ofcom,
the communications regulator, now has extra enforcement powers and platforms
must show they are committed to removing illegal content, including child
sexual abuse, controlling and coercive behaviour and extreme sexual violence.
But
the watchdog is still consulting on how the act will be implemented and
enforcement action will not be taken for many months.
Source:
bbc.com
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c03r8p51gvzo
----
UP
Police Announce Reward On Atiq Ahmed’s SisterAyesha Noori &
Sister-In-LawZainab Fatima
2nd
April 2024
Neha
Khan
Prayagraj:
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday announced a reward on mafia don Atiq Ahmed’s
sister Ayesha Noori and Zainab Fatima, wife of his brother Ashraf.
The
Prayagraj Commissionerate Police placed the reward of Rs 25,000 each on both of
them.
Both
of them are accused in the Umesh Pal murder case that took place in February
2023 in Prayagraj.
A
reward of Rs 50,000 has already been placed on Atiq’s wife Shaista Parveen.
All
three are absconding after the murder.
Atiq
Ahmed and Ashraf were shot dead in Prayagraj and the police had arrested three
accused from the spot.
Recently,
Atiq Ahmed’s henchman Balli Pandit was arrested from Chakia. Balli Pandit has
been a sharp shooter of Atiq gang. Prior to the Umesh Pal murder, Atiq’s wife
Shaista had met Balli Pandit, said police.
Source:
siasat.com
https://www.siasat.com/up-police-announce-reward-on-atiq-ahmeds-sister-sister-in-law-3002506/
------
Iranian
Commentator Warns Of Renewed Hijab Unrest On Eve Of New Bill
April
01, 2024
A
political commentor in Iran has warned of heightened social tensions on the eve
of the Iranian parliament's next review of a new and more hardline hijab law.
Ahmad
Zeidabadi said, "This year is full of challenges... From fundamental and
vital issues such as water scarcity, land subsidence, and environmental
degradation, to economic issues, wage levels, continued recession and
inflation, and social issues such as polarization over mandatory hijab and its
potential for social tensions."
His
warnings come amid heated debates over a proposed bill aimed at even stricter
enforcement of compulsory hijab laws. Public outrage ignited since the death in
morality-police custody of Mahsa Amini in 2022, has intensified opposition to
the mandatory Islamic dress code. It has seen the biggest uprising since the
founding of the Islamic Republic, branded the Women, Life, Freedom movement.
In
response to mounting public resistance, the clerical regime has resorted to
various measures to enforce hijab laws, ranging from public humiliation tactics
to the use of traffic cameras for identification.
If
passed, various penalties of the "Protection of Family Through Promotion
of Hijab and Chastity Culture" bill include heavy cash fines for women who
do not abide by the prescribed dress code consisting of a headscarf covering
all hair and the shoulders, a loose long tunic with long sleeves, and trousers
that cover the legs to below the ankles.
However,
Zeidabadi reiterated warning by many others, including some clerics, that such
heavy-handed approaches risk further alienating the populace. He emphasized
that addressing such issues requires a fundamental shift in political
perspectives, both domestically and internationally.
Source:
iranintl.com
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202404010277
---
Unemployment
among Saudi women drops significantly in Q4
April
01, 2024
Khitam
Al Amir
Dubai:
Saudi Arabia has reported a significant reduction in the unemployment rate
among Saudi women, with figures dropping to 13.7 per cent in the fourth quarter
of 2023, marking a decrease of 2.6 per cent from 16.3 per cent in the third
quarter.
However,
the unemployment rate among Saudi men remained stable at 4.6 per cent during
the same period.
These
findings were revealed as part of the Labour Market Publication for the fourth
quarter of 2023, published by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).
Overall,
the unemployment rate across the kingdom (including Saudis and non-Saudis) saw
a decrease to 4.4 per cent, down from 5.1 per cent in the third quarter.
Specifically,
the unemployment rate for Saudis fell to 7.7 per cent in the fourth quarter
from 8.6 per cent in the preceding quarter.
Declined
The
labour force participation rate slightly declined in the fourth quarter to 60.4
per cent, from 60.9 per cent in the third quarter.
For
Saudis alone, the labour force participation rate saw a minor adjustment to
51.3 per cent in the fourth quarter from 51.6 per cent in the third quarter.
These
improvements are attributed to the concerted efforts of the human resources and
social development system, leading to a historic decline in the unemployment
rate for Saudis to 7.7 per cent in the fourth quarter, a decrease of 0.9 per
cent from the previous quarter. Additionally, the overall unemployment rate
dipped to 4.4 per cent in the fourth quarter, a reduction of 0.7 per cent from
the third quarter.
Throughout
2023, approximately 1.9 million Saudi men and women benefited from the Human
Resources Development Fund (HADAF) programs aimed at training, employment, and
empowerment, with support expenses exceeding SR8.7 billion.
Saudization
initiatives and support for private sector establishments by the human
resources and social development system have also played a crucial role,
resulting in a record 2,325,814 Saudi employees in the private sector.
Source:
gulfnews.com
https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/unemployment-among-saudi-women-drops-significantly-in-q4-1.101968909
---
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/muslim-american-woman-rolla/d/132063