Vogue France Says 'Yes To The Headscarf.' Some Muslim Women Are Not Happy
New
Age Islam News Bureau
01
February 2022
Credit:
Marc Piasecki/GC Images/Getty Image
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• Hijab
Popularity Budding Among Educated Women In Bangladesh
• In
Somalia, 100 Mothers Pledge Not To Subject Daughters To Female Genital
Mutilation
• Arab
League Hails Arab Women Achievements, Vital Role In Sustainable Development
• New
Zealand To Allow In Pregnant Reporter Who Sought Taliban Help
• Turkish
Hijab, Abaya Designs Attracting Women In Pakistan
• Albania:
Afghan Women Start Eatery To Help Refugees Feel At Home
• Iraqi
Women Defy Social Prejudice To Work In Oil Industry
• FIR
Against 4 For Sending Rape, Death Threats To Journalist Rana Ayyub
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/vogue-france-headscarf-muslim/d/126282
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Vogue
France Says 'Yes To The Headscarf.' Some Muslim Women Are Not Happy
Credit:
Marc Piasecki/GC Images/Getty Image
----
31st
January 2022
Vogue
France has been criticized after publishing a social media post that many users
branded as offensive to Muslim women amid a culture of increasingly public
Islamophobia in France.
Sharing
a photo on Instagram on Friday of actress and model Julia Fox wearing a piece
of fabric wrapped around her head, the outlet accompanied it with the caption
"yes to the headscarf."
The
caption has since been edited to remove this line, but Vogue France did not
acknowledge the change.
The
photo was posted as part of a montage featuring Fox and her boyfriend, rapper
Kanye West, at Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris. Two of the photos included
West wearing a balaclava through which only his eyes were visible.
"Yes
to the headscarf -- those few words were so simple," French-Moroccan model
and activist Hanan Houachmi told CNN via video call. "Yet we've been
begging and waiting and fantasizing about the day we will hear them, for us as
hijabi women."
Houachmi
said the hijab had been "reduced to just a simple accessory," with
Fox, who is White and non-Muslim, able to wear a headscarf as part of a
"trend," while the hijab, in Houachmi's view, is seen by the French
government as the "uniform of terrorists."
In
2011, France became the first country in Europe to ban all face-covering
garments in public spaces, including balaclavas, masks, burqas and niqabs.
Several other countries, including Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and
Denmark followed with their own bans, partials bans and local bans of face
coverings.
Last
week, the French senate also voted to ban hijabs for female athletes, although
the measure must now be voted on in France's lower house. President Emmanuel
Macron and his party oppose the ban. And last year, a move to ban anyone under
the age of 18 from wearing hijab in public was rejected by members of the national
assembly.
Many
users have cited Vogue's choice of words in these circumstances as being
particularly insensitive for the French edition, given politicians' efforts to
clamp down on the hijab, niqab and burqa.
CNN
has reached out to Vogue France for comment but did not immediately receive a
response.
"It's
almost funny, to be honest, because they make fun of us, insult us and reduce
us to objects," 18-year-old Chaïma Benaicha, who lives in the northeast of
France, told CNN via Twitter messages. "But when it's a White woman doing
it and not a Muslim it's trendy and something new in fashion even though
wearing the hijab isn't something we do to please people."
Benaicha,
who started wearing the hijab at the age of 14, said she received racist and
Islamophobic comments at the beginning, and told CNN she found it strange that
wearing the niqab is "perceived badly" while wearing a balaclava is
"stylish" and "aesthetically pleasing to people."
"People
have tried to remove my hijab in the street plenty of times. I find it
inhumane," Sarah, an 18-year-old French Muslim who did not want to give
her last name, told CNN via Twitter messages.
Sarah,
a convert to Islam who lives in the southeastern French commune of
Évian-les-Bains and began wearing the hijab four months ago, said the Vogue
France caption was "racist" and "shameful," adding,
"there's no other word for it."
The
furor that accompanied the proposed hijab ban for minors in France last year --
as well as for mothers accompanying children on school trips -- has also led to
international awareness of anti-Muslim sentiment in France.
"I
think it's very telling of the general kind of thinking in France when it comes
to headscarves and Islam," British writer and journalist Aisha Rimi told
CNN on a video call, adding she was irritated by Vogue France's lack of
"acknowledgement of the tone deafness of the post."
Citing
the example of Kim Kardashian's Met Gala outfit, which obscured her entire face
and was black from head to toe, Rimi said the reality star was
"praised" for her innovative look while "Muslim women out there
that wear burqas are constantly vilified and dehumanized."
"I
can think of other hijab-wearing Muslim women who are models as well that they
could have used that same caption for, but it never would have been the
case," Rimi told CNN of Vogue France's words.
Houachmi
-- who is among those models, having previously appeared on the cover of Grazia
Arabia wearing a hijab -- said she found it heartening that many of those
speaking out about the caption did not wear the hijab and were often not
Muslim, but that Vogue France still had "a long way to go" in terms
of representation of hijab-wearing women.
"When
you flip the pages of a Vogue France, it doesn't reflect the France of
today," she said. "That's my issue with it."
Source:
CNN
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Hijab
Popularity Budding Among Educated Women In Bangladesh
(Photo:aa.com)
-----
January
31, 2022
Using
the hijab among educated women is on a rapid rise in Bangladesh, according to
users of the Muslim head covering and scholars.
Combined
social, cultural and religious values are contributing to the growing
popularity of Islamic culture in the South Asian Muslim majority country of nearly
170 million.
On
the eve of World Hijab Day which is being celebrated Feb. 1, many top-educated
hijab users in Bangladesh are claiming that the hijab is not only a religious
obligation but millions of females across the world have realized that it beautifies
and dignifies women.
A
Bengali-born woman in the US, Nazma Khan, introduced World Hijab Day in 2013 to
put the hijab, at least for one day, as a counter to the discriminatory and
ridiculous attitudes against the hijab users because of Islamophobia.
A
senior executive at one of Bangladesh’s top book publishers told Anadolu Agency
that in the last decade there has been a tremendous change in Bangladeshis
attitude toward the hijab.
“Now,
the hijab is considered to be good culture. So it is not only important to me
religiously, but also socially and culturally,” said Sumiya Binta Karim.
“Since
my teenage years, I have been using hijab as a family tradition and still now
practice it as my honor and faith,” said the graduate from Bangladesh
pioneering academic facility, Dhaka University,
“Though
in my life I have occasionally faced ridiculous comments for hijab from
different quarters but in most cases my surrounding people and classmates have
always shown respect to me and I always feel comfortable with it,” she noted.
-
Changing minds
Due
to the massive spread of western culture and in the guise of removing
male-female disparity, misconceptions have grown about the hijab and some
people brand it as backdated, uncultured and discriminatory to females.
“Alhamdulillah,
(All praise is due to Allah) the situation has been changed a lot and even many
ultra-modern females are using the hijab as a part of their fashion and
beautiful dress code,” Nahiun Fairuz Nazifa, a medical student at Dhaka’s Sir
Salimullah Medical College told Anadolu Agency.
Nazifa
said it is a common trend worldwide that whenever anything seems to be
contradictory to the western culture, there is heavy propaganda against it.
“I
consider the hijab as a way for me that not only plays a role like a shield,
but it also helps to gain Allah’s satisfaction,” she said.
“Unfortunately,
still some teachers at different universities and medical colleges show
derogatory attitude to the students with the hijab,” said Nazifa, adding that
despite the barriers, the number of hijab users has been rising swiftly.
A
student of Islamic history and culture at Dhaka University, Khadizatul Kobra
said negative responses to hijab users by teachers are unexpected.
“We
always expect the best attitude from our teachers. But some of them compare the
hijab as contradictory to the progressive world,” she said, adding that the
hijab is currently one of the most popular styles and fashions in Bangladesh.
-
Mostly unwelcomed in news media
Jabalun
Noor, a former newsroom editor at private television channel, Diganta
Television, which was closed in 2013, said the hijab is not welcomed at almost
all television channels in Bangladesh -- a country with a population that
identifies with more than 90% as Muslim.
“After
shutting Diganta Television, I tried for a job at nearly two dozen private
television channels in Bangladesh but failed to manage due to my hijab,” Noor
told Anadolu Agency, adding that during that time new staff without the hijab
were recruited.
“Females
with all types of dresses are allowed in the television channels but
unfortunately the hijab is not appreciated,” said Noor, who currently works as
a freelancer.
Assistant
professor in the department of world religions and culture in Dhaka University,
Md. Abdullah Al Mahmud, said secularists in different sectors in Bangladesh try
to discourage the hijab very tactfully.
“Most
of the people in Bangladesh are very pious by birth. So those secularists are
not courageous enough to directly say anything against the hijab and they disturb
hijab users through different tricks,” Mahmud told Anadolu Agency.
He
added that even secular teachers at Dhaka University, as well as other
universities, give poor marks to hijab users intentionally. “It’s like killing
in different ways without using hands,” he said.
Mahmud
noted that Turkish mega series have played a vital role in the rapid spread of
hijab culture in Bangladesh.
“The
hijab used by female actresses in different Turkish mega serials has a very
positive impact among tens of thousands of educated Bangladeshi females,” he
said, adding that the issue has turned into “a spiritual infection.”
“When
one looks nice in a hijab, others are rapidly infected with it and I have
positively termed it as 'spiritual infection'.”
“When
a female observes that after using the hijab people look at her with respect
instead of usual sensual eyeing, she feels a spiritual peace along with
safety,” according to Mahmud.
Source:
Yenisafak
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In
Somalia, 100 mothers pledge not to subject daughters to female genital
mutilation
January
31st 2022
When
Halima* was eight, she underwent female genital mutilation under the blade of
her mother, a traditional birth attendant (TBA). “The procedure was painful,
with no anaesthesia. I bled for days,” she recalled. “I was in bed for more
than three months and urinating was a problem.” When she reached adolescence,
passing menstrual blood was difficult. As a newlywed, sex with her husband was
painful. And as an expectant mother, childbirth was excruciating with labour
dangerously lasting for days.
Despite
her suffering, she allowed her first daughter to be cut. “My daughter underwent
the sunna type of FGM [removal of part or all of the clitoris], and she felt
the pain I have been through,” Halima said. But because it was not the more
severe pharaonic type (stitching the opening closed), people insulted them,
saying her daughter was unclean.
Halima,
50, a mother of five daughters and five sons, now lives at an internally
displaced persons (IDP) camp on the outskirts of the capital, home to 280
households that fled Danunay village nearly 250 kilometres away because of
insurgent violence. She is also a camp gatekeeper, or a community member with
influence. Which made her the ideal person to help end the harmful practice she
and her daughter endured.
By
the numbers
According
to the 2020 Somali Health and Demographic Survey 99 per cent of women 15 – 49
in Somalia have been subjected to female genital mutilation, the majority
between ages five and nine. The survey also reports that 72 per cent of women
believe it is an Islamic requirement, though some religious leaders have said
Islam condemns it. COVID-19 has raised the risk for girls to undergo the
practice by disrupting preventive programmes or with school closures that
parents can use to give their daughters more time to heal.
In
2020, UNFPA provided 52,225 Somali women and girls protection, prevention or
care services related to female genital mutilation. While there is no national
legislation outlawing the practice, Puntland state passed a FGM Zero Tolerance Bill
last year.
A new
way forward
As
part of UNFPA and the Ifrah Foundation’s Dear Daughter campaign, Halima and
other influential women in the camp learned about the harmful effects of female
genital mutilation, and she shared her personal experience at workshops.
“Throughout the training course, I had flashback memories of how FGM has badly
impacted my life,” she said.
Three
years ago, a young girl in the camp died as a result of female genital
mutilation. Now Halima is galvanizing the community so that tragedy is never
repeated. And the foundation with the Global Media Campaign to End FGM
distributed UNFPA-supplied radio transmitters to 100 households so residents
could listen to awareness campaigns. “It has been a long-standing dream of mine
to work to save girls from the unnecessary pain and suffering I endured as a
result of FGM,” said survivor Ifrah Ahmed, founder of her namesake foundation.
“Halima is an example of how we can change the future for all Somali girls.”
The
campaign, launched last fall, “is accelerating the voices of women and men
alike to end FGM in Somalia,” said Nkiru I. Igbokwe, gender-based violence
specialist at UNFPA in Somalia. “It targets rural and urban individuals and
communities that are undertaking extraordinary actions within their sphere of
influence to change the FGM narrative.”
Halima’s
advocacy has expanded beyond female genital mutilation. She encourages pregnant
and lactating mothers to visit health centres and raises awareness on sexual
and gender-based violence cases. She notes that community members used to stay
silent about rape due to fear of stigmatization but now they seek help.
Because
of her leadership, almost 100 mothers including Halima’s own and other TBAs
have pledged not to practice female genital mutilation, sparing about 200 girls
in the settlement. “I don’t want my other daughters and other young girls to go
through the pain we have gone through,” she said.
Source:
African Business
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Arab
League hails Arab women achievements, vital role in sustainable development
January
31, 2022
CAIRO
— The Arab League praised on Monday the achievements made by Arab women at all
political, economic, social, and environmental levels and their great role in
working to achieve sustainable development and building community peace.
The
remarks came in a speech by the League’s Assistant Secretary-General and Head
of the Social Affairs Affaires, Ambassador Haifa Abu Ghazaleh at the opening of
the 41st session of the Arab Women’s Committee (via a digital platform).
Abu-Ghazaleh
noted that the agenda of this session includes several topics, issues and new
initiatives presented by the League’s General Secretariat in coordination with
member states in order to advance and protect the conditions of women in the
Arab region.
The
Ambassador underlined the importance of advancing the status of women in the
Arab region, “especially in light of developments at the international level on
the issues of climate change and the extended effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
She
also noted that the agenda is full of topics that “shape the priorities of the
Arab region, including the flexible handling of women in the Arab region in
light of climate changes and responding to disasters.”
Abu-Ghazaleh
indicated that the Arab League adopted a joint regional initiative with the
United Nations Women’s Authority on empowering women’s participation in green
and blue economies to develop the work of the Khadija Network for Economic
Empowerment of Women in the Arab Region.
She
also referred to the preparation of the first regional review of the document
(Cairo Declaration for Women: The Development Agenda for Women in the Arab
Region 2030) after five years to keep pace with developments on the
international agenda, including the topic of “Women and the Environment”, in
light of the implementation of a decision of the Arab Summit in this regard.
Abu-Ghazaleh
reviewed the efforts of the Arab League to implement the recommendations of the
40th session of the Arab Women’s Committee in coordination with member states
and cooperation with the concerned authorities.
Abu-Ghazaleh
expressed her hope that the recommendations would be adopted by consensus of
all member states, as part of supporting the General Secretariat’s action plan
next year to support women’s empowerment in the Arab region. — KUNA
Source:
Saudi Gazette
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New
Zealand to allow in pregnant reporter who sought Taliban help
February
01, 2022
WELLINGTON
— A pregnant New Zealand journalist who said she turned to the Taliban for help
after being unable to return home has been granted re-entry after an outcry.
Charlotte
Bellis said she had flown to Afghanistan after being unable to get an entry
spot under New Zealand's strict Covid border rules.
Her
story highlighted Wellington's tough border measures which are designed to keep
out the coronavirus.
But
others took issue with her privileged connections to the Taliban.
The
Taliban has been regularly criticised for brutally clamping down on women's
rights in recent months. They have been accused of arresting, torturing and
even killing activists and campaigners.
On
Tuesday, following significant public attention around the case, the New
Zealand government said they had offered a quarantine spot to Ms Bellis and set
up flight arrangements.
"There
is a place in managed isolation and quarantine for Ms Bellis and I urge her to
take it up," Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson told reporters at a
daily Covid briefing.
He
denied that the action had come as a result of the attention on her case,
saying staff dealt daily with emergency applications.
"They
always try to make contact with people and try to make arrangements work."
The
New Zealand government had previously said it had twice offered consular assistance
to Ms Bellis, who wrote about her experience in a national newspaper on
Saturday.
In
her column for the New Zealand Herald, Ms Bellis said the government had last
week rejected her application to return home to give birth.
Currently,
Wellington allows citizens and permanent residents to enter, but only if they
spend 10 days isolating in quarantine hotels.
As
there is high demand for such facilities and a limited number of spots, many
New Zealanders wishing to return have effectively been shut out of their
country for about two years now.
She
compared that experience to the way she was treated by the Taliban, whom she
had contacted to ask if she would be welcome in Afghanistan as an unmarried
pregnant woman.
When
she spoke to senior Taliban officials, Ms Bellis was in Belgium with her
partner, a Belgian photojournalist. However, the time on her visa was running
out as she was not a resident there.
Afghanistan
was the only place she and her partner had visas for, as they had been in
Afghanistan last year covering the withdrawal of US troops.
"You
can come and you won't have a problem. Just tell people you're married and if
it escalates, call us," Ms Bellis quoted the unnamed officials as saying
in response to her request.
"When
the Taliban offers you - a pregnant, unmarried woman - safe haven, you know
your situation is messed up," she wrote.
Single
Afghan mothers have reported being frequently harassed by Taliban officials,
pressured to give up their children, and having their custodial rights
threatened.
After
Ms Bellis' letter was published, there were calls for New Zealand authorities
to adjust the emergency quarantine allocation criteria to specifically cater
for pregnant women.
Authorities
defended the policy on Monday, saying the system had "served New Zealand
exceptionally well, saved lives and hospital admissions and kept our health
system from being swamped".
The
government also said Ms Bellis had been advised to apply for a visa again under
a separate emergency category.
It's
unclear if that took place, or if she has now been granted entry under her
original application.
Ms
Bellis had said that she had also been offered asylum in another unnamed
country since going public with her struggle.
However,
her story has been criticised by some observers, rights activists and Afghans
themselves.
"The
story is just a continuation of how non-Afghans are treated differently by the
Taliban ... than Afghans," tweeted Austrian-Afghan journalist Emran Feroz.
"Journalists
who were seen as Afghans often faced threats, beatings, torture and murder
while non-Afghans ... had tons of privileges and were welcomed and treated
softly by all sides," he added.
Most
recently, there have been calls for the Taliban to release a number of women's
rights activists who have not been seen after their homes were raided and they
were arrested. — BBC
Source:
Saudi Gazette
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/616558
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Turkish
hijab, abaya designs attracting women in Pakistan
January
31, 2022
LAHORE:
The
latest designs of Turkish abayas and hijabs are gaining popularity in Pakistan.
The
abaya look like a jacket or a formal coat and the hijab covers the head. They
are making it easy and modern to adapt.
On
World Hijab Day that falls on Feb. 1, Karachi-based abaya and hijab designer
Nida Imran launched her latest collection of Turkish designs.
“Most
of my customers are young girls who go to school, college or the office. They
are now preferring the Turkish style abaya and hijab as they are more
comfortable and easy to carry,” the 34-year-old designer told Anadolu Agency.
Due
to demand and the latest trends, the designer has to launch a new collection
every few months.
“In
Pakistan, due to weather conditions, we have to launch a new collection after
four to five months. And as the wedding season starts in winter, we get lots of
orders for the festive collection. In that collection we create fancy abayas
with their matching hijab, again taking inspiration from Turkish styles,” said
Imran.
According
to research by Pulse Consultant, a private marketing firm, the “hijab” trend --
a trend from the Arab world -- has nearly tripled among young urban females
from ages 16 to 28 in Pakistan.
Ten
years of research show that 9% of young urban girls prefer wearing hijabs
outside their homes in 2008. That figure soars in 2018 to 25%. The report was
released in 2019.
“The
study was conducted in 14 top cities of the country and the latest data is also
being ready at the moment which will be released in coming months. The data
shows that numbers have increased more than double again,” Pulse Consultant CEO
Kashif Hafeez told Anadolu Agency.
Sustainable
fashion with budget
By
carrying hijabs and abayas, women are choosing sustainable fashion that is also
in their budgets.
“One
casual abaya with hijab starts from 2,000 rupees ($12) and the festive
collection goes to a maximum of 8,000 rupees to 9,000 rupees ($40 to $50) and
the customer wears the casual abaya eight to nine hours daily and the fancy
abaya four to five hours depending on the function they are attending,” said
Imran.
With
trends in the different Muslim countries, options and styles have expanded from
the basics.
“Just
four to five years ago, we only used to make abayas and hijab in black colour
but now after the Turkish and Malaysian trends, we have launched a range of
colours because those style of hijabs look better in different colours and
black absorbs more heat. That is why people are now preferring nude, white or
light colour hijabs,” according to Imran.
Pulse
Consultant data showed almost 40% of young Pakistani urban females prefer to
carry the chaddar -- a big piece of cloth to cover themselves -- when they go
outside of their houses.
“The
trend of hijab has come to the sub-continent from the Middle East and Arab
countries. Chaddar or Dupatta was the tradition of the sub-continent but with
globalization, this trend has come to our country and that is easier to carry
for women in outdoor spaces,” said Hafeez.
Saba
Warraich, 25, who wears the abaya and hijab, said it is very easy to carry,
gives a sense of security and makes her feel empowered.
“I
started wearing the abaya in college. Before that, I only used to take the
hijab. I have completed my MPhil in mass communication and even on outdoor
projects and shootings I have always felt empowered and secure in my attire,”
she said.
Source:
Tribune
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2341286/turkish-hijab-abaya-designs-attracting-women-in-pakistan
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Albania:
Afghan women start eatery to help refugees feel at home
By
Ruchi Kumar
31
Jan 2022
Shengjin
city, Albania – The smell of freshly baked bread wafts from the kitchen of a
small pizzeria in Shengjin city – a small coastal town in Albania. The bread,
however, is not part of the usual offerings on the menu of Bella Vita Pizzeria,
but in fact, a version of the Afghan naan, a quintessential traditional bread
from Afghanistan that embodies much of the war-torn nation’s food culture.
The
naan is only one of the five new dishes that are now being prepared in the
kitchen of this Albanian pizzeria that has agreed to share its space with a
makeshift Afghan restaurant started by two Afghan refugee women – Hasiba
Atakpal, a renowned journalist, and Negina Khalil, the first female prosecutor
in the remote province of Ghor in Afghanistan.
“We
have lobia (red bean curry), qabili pulaw (Afghan meat and rice delicacy),
bolanis (stuffed fried bread), banjan borani (eggplant in tomato sauce),” said
Khalil, who was a prominent member of Afghanistan’s legal fraternity,
investigating cases of children recruited by Afghan armed groups such as
Taliban, ISIL (ISIS) affiliates. “And just like in Afghanistan, every meal is
served with the naan,” she added.
The
familiar aromas of bread and spices invite the roughly 1,200 Afghan refugees in
Shengjin to indulge in a nostalgia-evoking culinary experience, more than
5,500km (3,400 miles) away from the homes they left escaping persecution after
Taliban seized the country in August last year. In all, nearly 3,000 Afghans
have found refuge in Albania, most of them rescued by international aid
agencies.
While
it was Khalil’s work prosecuting armed groups and criminals that put her at
extreme risk, Atakpal’s bold, front-line reporting as a correspondent for the
TOLOnews – Afghanistan’s biggest news channel – earned her threats from Taliban
fighters who disapproved of her work.
Both
women were forced to leave Kabul, but continue to dedicate their energies to
serving their Afghan compatriots.
Atakpal
and Khalil’s restaurant, called Ghezaye Afghani (which means Afghan cuisines in
Dari, one of the Afghan languages), does not have a business address – it
exists within the local pizzeria that offered their space to the two
enterprising women.
“We
started this restaurant three months ago when we saw how much Afghans who
escaped to Albania missed the food from home. Everyone here [at the refugee
centre] is dealing with trauma, and we wanted to do something to bring smiles
to their faces,” explained Atakpal.
The
two women, who first met at the refugee processing centre in the Middle Eastern
nation of Qatar, approached the local restaurant outside the Rafelo resort in
Shengjin where they were being housed. All Afghans have been accommodated at
designated refugee centres.
Thousands
of Afghans were brought to Qatar after they were airlifted out of Afghanistan
in the wake of the Taliban’s return to power in August, and as the US-led
foreign troops prepared to exit the country after 20 years of war.
“We
shared our problem with them; about how the Afghan community missed the local
food. We explained the idea we had about starting an Afghan kitchen, and they
readily gave us permission to use their restaurant space to cook and serve, at
no cost,” Atakpal said.
With
a place secured, the two women, who are now good friends, sought out finding
produce to prepare affordable authentic meals, and at times had to substitute
them with the closest available ingredients. “It is not that hard to find
ingredients.
“But
our focus has been to prepare food that isn’t expensive so the people can
afford them because nearly all our customers are refugees here, like us,”
Khalil added.
They
also hired another Afghan woman to prepare the dishes, since both women had
limited cooking experience. “Back home, I was always so busy, I hardly spent
time in the kitchen. But now my family find it very interesting that now I
spend at least three days a week in the kitchen,” Atakpal quipped.
The
restaurant has also gained a significant following among the local residents in
Shengjin – home to about 8,000 people.
“It
is so joyful when Albanian people come to us asking for our qabili pulaw and
lobia. I feel this space helps us build a relationship with the Albanians who
have been so nice to Afghans and welcomed us with open arms,” Atakpal said,
adding that she hoped their little restaurant-within-a-restaurant leaves a
positive legacy of Afghans who passed through Albania in their time of crisis.
They
have applied for asylum in the United States and Canada, but it could take as
long as a year to be accepted.
For
Afghans, the small space has become a conduit to another world, where they
gather over familiar flavours to discuss the news from back home.
“We
get customers, Afghans from all walks of life, from across tribes and
provinces, sharing a common loss and sorrow. It helps bring the community
together,” Atakpal said. “It has been such a positive space, that sometimes
when the restaurant is close, people come seeking us to ask when we will open,”
she added.
Despite
its popularity, the four-month-old business has not yet made much profit. In
fact, there are days when they barely meet costs. But the women insist that the
idea of this venture was never to make profits, rather to help Afghans in exile
cope with the trauma they face. “Our best profit is that our people come and
enjoy their time here and have their food.
For
instance, many Afghan kids are used to eating only Afghan food, and when they
visit us, the happiness on their face while devouring one of our delicacies, is
everything for me,” Atakpal said.
But,
there is another group of Afghan children that Atakpal hopes to serve through
the restaurant – a group of 45 young girls, who are child labourers, enrolled
in a small private school that Atakpal founded last year, in Kabul.
“We
had to shut the school when the Taliban took over, but restarted four months
ago. However, we have been forced underground and all activities are now held
discreetly,” Atakpal said, speaking passionately about wanting to keep the
school afloat even as the future of girls’ education remains uncertain in
Afghanistan. She has managed to partly fund the school with the extra income
she earns by working as a freelance journalist and editor.
Despite
international pressure, higher education and public universities for Afghan
women have remained closed since the Taliban takeover last year. While the
Taliban recently announced that schools and universities for Afghan girls would
resume in March, many educationists remain sceptical.
Meanwhile,
underground schools like Atakpal’s have cropped up across the country,
operating despite pressure from local Taliban fighters.
“We
have students from grade five to 10, and cover all subjects in that syllabus.
All teachers are currently working as volunteers, and many are my university
friends. However, there are expenses for schools supplies, and also we
compensate the students for their time since they are losing working hours when
they attend the school,” Atakpal explained.
“Currently,
the restaurant doesn’t make any profits to help support the school, and I am
working another job as a journalist to pay for the costs to fund the school,”
she said, adding that she hoped she can expand her business to eventually
support the school in Afghanistan.
Neither
Atakpal nor Khalil knows what their future hold, as they wait for asylum
confirmation.
“We
lost everything, and are back to how things were 20 years ago, where women
don’t have rights, access to education, there is no justice system, there
hardly any Afghan journalists left, and people are miserable,” Atakpal said.
Khalil’s
mother was assassinated by the Taliban in 2020, while she and her brother were
attacked during a visit to her mum’s grave. Atakpal’s family members are still
based in Kabul.
“But
even now if things change, even a little bit, we will both go back in a
heartbeat. If not, we will continue to work for Afghanistan no matter which
part of the world we are in. We will continue our fight and hope to bring
change,” Atakpal said.
Meanwhile,
both women hope that their restaurant will continue even long after they are
gone, kept alive by Afghans who might choose to stay.
“If
nothing else, we will request the owner to continue to keep some of the Afghan
delicacies on the menu, as a token to our shared experiences,” Atakpal said.
Source:
Al Jazeera
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/31/afghan-women-in-exile-start-restaurant-in-refugee-camp
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Iraqi
women defy social prejudice to work in oil industry
Jan
31, 2022
Each
working morning, oil engineer Safa Al Saeedi dons a safety helmet and heads
into a gas complex for another day of challenging conservative prejudices by
being a professional woman in Iraq.
One
of only 180 women among the 5,000 employees of the Basrah Gas Company, she sees
herself as a trailblazer and is encouraging other women to join the industry.
"Society
does not accept that a girl can live outside the family home," said Ms
Saeedi, 29, who works in Iraq's southern oil and gas fields around Basra.
For
many, a single woman working outside the household in a male-dominated sector
is frowned upon and it is a hard task for women to break out of the role of
wife and mother traditionally assigned to them.
"I
often hear them say to me: 'You are almost 30, you will miss the boat! You will
end up single,'" Ms Al Saeedi said. "It makes me laugh but I do not
answer."
Female
participation in Iraq's labour force is "one of the lowest in the
world" at 13 per cent, said a report last year by UN Women, the agency
working for gender equality, and the UN Economic and Social Commission for West
Asia.
The
report said surveys had found that "most Iraqis agree that university
education is equally important for both sexes" but "attitudes towards
equal rights in employment are discriminatory against women".
The
World Economic Forum ranked Iraq bottom in women's economic participation and
opportunity and put it 152nd out of the 153 nations assessed in its 2020 Global
Gender Gap Index.
Ms Al
Saeedi, who graduated in 2014 after studying engineering in Basra, was
immediately employed by Shell for a job that "required spending some nights
away from home".
Her
mother opposed the role because she was "afraid of what people will say
and that it will affect my reputation and my chances of getting married",
Ms Al Saeedi said. "It was a challenge."
But
she pressed on, rising through the ranks to become a team leader in the Basrah
Gas Company, a joint venture majority-owned by the Iraqi government, with Shell
and Mitsubishi.
Her
job requires her to live on site for a month at a time, in company
accommodation. After work, she plays sports or jogs around the vast gas storage
tanks.
On
leave, she returns home to Basra – if she is not indulging in her passion for
travel, which has taken her to about 30 countries so far.
"I
hope to reach a management position, because you rarely see women in these positions,
even though Iraq has many powerful and brilliant women," she said.
It is
a tough path to follow.
"I
was initially overwhelmed with fear, because I was in a purely male
environment," said Dalal Abdelamir, 24, a chemical engineer who works on
the same site as Ms Al Saeedi.
"At
the beginning, I thought that I was inferior, that I would never have the
required level. I was even worried to ask questions," she said.
"But
this job and this position has taught me not to be afraid, not to hesitate and
not to fear that I cannot do it but to believe that I can."
Ms
Abdelamir joined the company through a graduate programme which hired 20 men
and 10 women.
"We
didn't go to Basra University saying we wanted to recruit women," said
Malcolm Mayes, managing director of Basrah Gas Company.
"We
went there saying we wanted the brightest students."
Source:
The National News
--------
FIR
against 4 for sending rape, death threats to journalist Rana Ayyub
Jan
31, 2022
Mumbai:
A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against unidentified persons
for sending rape and death threats to independent journalist Rana Ayyub on
Twitter and Instagram.
Ayyub
told the cyber cell of Mumbai police that over 26,000 abusive, objectionable
tweets were posted on her Twitter handle and other platforms over the past few
days.
“The
accused posted fake news about Ayyub saying that she has been banned from Saudi
Arabia and the user also gave her rape threats and abused her. The offence has
been registered against four Twitter and two Instagram account users on
Friday,” a deputy commissioner of police rank officer said.
On
January 25, Ayyub had tweeted, “26.4 thousand tweets, most are abusive, rape
and death threats, calling me a terror sympathiser. Most tweets are by the
Indian right wing & Saudi nationalists who are attacking me after i posted
a tweet in solidarity with Yemen and calling out the Saudis. Hello
@TwitterIndia.”
Ayyub,
who has over 1.5 million followers on Twitter and 320K followers on Instagram,
has been a staunch critic of the BJP-led union government and right-wing
organisations.
The
next day, on January 26, a Twitter user by name @thescoopbeats claiming to be
an Indian News Media Organisation, posted a YouTube video link with a message,
“Saudi Arab Banned Rana Ayyub #RanaAyyub #SaudiArabian #banned @RanaAyyub
@KingSalman Anchor @Mannusahu1319, @Vidyanshi6 Editor @Patrakar_Ayush.”
In
the 10-minute video, two young women presented a news bulletin with memes under
the title, ‘Saudi Banned Rana Ayyub?’. The video received over 4,000 views.
In a
tweet, Ayyub claimed that the portal spread fake news by using a photoshopped
tweet image of Ayyub saying she hates India and she hates all Indians. In
response, the portal uploaded another video claiming that the facts presented
in their news were all correct and authentic.
Mumbai
police sources said that they are looking into the YouTube video.
Dr
Rashmi Karandikar, DCP, Cyber Cell, on Monday said that the complainant has
received many obscene comments and death threats.
Based
on her complaint an offence has been registered by the West Region Cyber Police
Station under sections 354A (Sexual Harassment), 506-2 (death threats), 509
(outraging modesty of women), 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code and 66c
(Punishment for identity theft) and 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene
material in electronic form) of Information Technology Act, she said.
“Mumbai
Police has registered an FIR against those who disseminated fake news, morphed
tweets and death and rape threats against me. About time these brazen and consolidated
acts of online violence are stopped and the perpetrators brought to book,”
Ayyub tweeted on Monday.
“Impressed
with the alacrity and co-operation of @CPMumbaiPolice @Dwalsepatil
@supriya_sule @satejp @CMOMaharashtra. This bullying and assault on women needs
to stop. Hope the accused are brought to book soon,” she added.
The
police has sought information on the six Twitter and Instagram accounts from
the service providers. The cyber cell is also investigating whether the accused
have targeted other journalists or individuals on social media.
Source:
Hindustan Times
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/fir-against-4-for-sending-rape-death-threats-to-journalist-rana-ayyub-101643643090742.html
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/vogue-france-headscarf-muslim/d/126282