New
Age Islam News Bureau
13
February 2021
•
Female Referees Edina Alves Batista and Neuza Back Reportedly Approached the
Sheikh at FIFA Club World Cup Ceremony but Were Denied A Handshake
•
18 Women Arrested For Violating Public Morals in Muscat
•
Turkish Scientist Urges Girls to ‘Never Give Up’
•
First Woman, First African: Nigeria's 'Troublemaker' On Track To Run WTO
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/women-kuwait-defying-conservative-norms/d/124299
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Women in Kuwait Are Defying Conservative Norms and A Culture Of “Shame” To Speak Out Against Harassment
In
Kuwait, women launch their own #MeToo movement
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10
FEB, 2021
Women
in Kuwait are defying conservative norms and a culture of “shame” to speak out
against harassment for the first time, in a social media campaign sparked by a
popular fashion blogger. Dozens of testimonies about being stalked, harassed or
assaulted have emerged online, focused on the Instagram account “Lan Asket”,
Arabic for “I will not be silent”.
Kuwaiti
fashion blogger Ascia Al Faraj, who has more than 2.5 million social media
followers, said in an explosive video uploaded last week that there is a “problem”
in the country.
“Every
time I go out, there is someone who harasses me or harasses another woman in
the street,” she said in the emotionally charged video uploaded after a vehicle
sped up to “scare” her while she was walking to her car.
“Do
you have no shame? We have a problem of harassment in this country, and I have
had enough.” Faraj's video sparked a nationwide movement in a country where the
#MeToo campaign that took off in the United States in 2017 did not make much of
an impact.
Radio
and TV shows have hosted activists, lawyers and academics to discuss the issue
of harassment, and the US embassy in Kuwait also threw its weight behind the
women.
“A
campaign worth supporting. We can all do more to prevent harassment against
women, whether in the US or in Kuwait. #Lan_asket,” it said in a tweet last
week.
The
embassy also tweeted a striking graphic that illustrates the campaign — images
of three women, one unveiled, one with a headscarf, and another with her face
covered — and bearing the slogan “Don't harass her”.
Activists
have also emphasised that foreign women who make up a large portion of the
Kuwaiti population, many in menial roles, are among the most vulnerable to
assault and abuse.
'Silence
not an option'
Shayma
Shamo, a 27-year-old doctor who studied abroad and moved back to Kuwait last
year, launched the “Lan Asket” platform after seeing Faraj's video.
“As
soon as I opened the account, the messages started to pour in... from women and
girls that have experienced verbal, physical and sexual harassment,” she told
AFP.
Faraj
said in another video uploaded later that week that she had also received
“intense stories” by Indian, Pakistani and Filipina women working in Kuwait.
“The
expat community here is incredibly vulnerable and are sometimes harassed at a
level that Kuwaiti women will never understand,” she said. While there has been
tremendous support online, the movement has also faced a backlash from
conservative voices who say women should simply dress conservatively to avoid
harassment.
“Silence
is no longer an option. We must speak up, unite and defend each other because
what is happening is unacceptable,” Shamo told AFP.
Rothna
Begum, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said women were taking the
fore in a society where, like many in the Middle East, police often do not take
such abuses seriously, and the fear of bringing shame to families silences
many.
“These
accounts being published are incredibly important to give Kuwaitis a sense of
what harassment actually looks like and the terrible harm it causes,” she told
AFP.
'Shame'
culture
The
Arabic word “ayb”, or shame in English, is a term that most girls growing up in
the region learn at a very early age.
“Going
to the police station is 'ayb' and talking about harassment is 'ayb',” said
Shamo.
“As
soon as a woman starts to speak about being harassed, the questions from family
members start: What were you wearing? Who were you with? What time was it?” But
Kuwaiti women are pushing the boundaries of their society, considered one of the
most open in the Gulf region, and where a law against harassment exists on the
books, but where discussions about gender-based violence remain taboo.
Lulu
Al-Aslawi, a Kuwait media personality whose Instagram feed features her in
glossy fashion shoots, said she has been bullied online for the way she
dresses.
“Girls
don't speak up over fears of being stigmatised, but we will not stop until we
overcome this cancer in society,” she told AFP.
https://images.dawn.com/news/1186528/in-kuwait-women-launch-their-own-metoo-movement
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Female
Referees Edina Alves Batista and Neuza Back Reportedly Approached the Sheikh at
FIFA Club World Cup Ceremony but Were Denied A Handshake
The
Sheikh reportedly didn't shake hands with female referees after the match
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Feb
13, 2021
Bayern
Munich defeated Tigres 1-0 in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup to complete
the 'sextuple' of titles. Having won practically everything that was to offer,
Bayern expectedly made headlines in world media. However, an off-field incident
during the FIFA Club World Cup final has triggered a huge debate on social
media.
A
member of the royal family, who was present at the final in Qatar, didn't shake
hands with the female referees after greeting the male referees with a
fistbump. The sheikh has been identified as Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, the
younger brother of Qatari ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and is also the
president of Qatar's Olympic Committee. He was standing next to FIFA president
Gianni Infantino during the award ceremony after the conclusion of the match.
It
has been reported that female referees Edina Alves Batista and Neuza Back
approached the Sheikh but were denied a handshake or fist bump. As per a report
in The Daily Mail, the female officials were instructed to walk straight past
the member of the royal family after the snub. The Sheikh's decision to snub
female referees entirely has triggered a debate on social media.
In
the post-match ceremony, Bayern Munich players Joshua Kimmich and Robert
Lewandowski were given trophies by the Sheikh. While the Sheikh only fist
bumped male officials, Infantino was spotted giving fist bumps to all,
including females.
Some
reports also claim that in Muslim cultures, physical contact with the opposite
sex, barring family members, is prohibited
Qatar,
which is also scheduled to host the FIFA World Cup next year, has several
restrictions in place when it comes to women's rights as well as homosexual
relationships.
FIFA
Club World Cup 2021 Final
With
the victory over Tigres, Bayern Munich became only the second team in the world
to complete the 'sixpack' of major titles in a single season. The German giants
had earlier won the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, German Super Cup, UEFA Champions
League and the UEFA Super Cup.
https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/football/article/no-handshake-from-sheikh-female-referees-snub-at-fifa-club-world-cup-ceremony-triggers-debate/719726
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18
Women Arrested For Violating Public Morals In Muscat
10/February/2021
Muscat:
More than 15 foreign women have been arrested by the Royal Oman Police (ROP), for
engaging in acts contrary to public morals.
A
statement issued online by ROP said: "South Al Batinah Governorate Police
Command arrests 18 foreign women on charges of engaging in acts contrary to
morals and public morals. The legal procedures are being completed against them
."
https://timesofoman.com/article/18-women-arrested-for-violating-public-morals-1
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Turkish
Scientist Urges Girls to ‘Never Give Up’
Zehra
Melek Cat
13.02.2021
A
female Turkish scientist at the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN)
and member of the Petroleum Environmental Cleanup Fund Award (PECFA) at a CERN
institution, has been a role model for Turkish women for 16 years.
Ayben
Karasu Uysal told Anadolu Agency she had an interest in physics since childhood
and went to Switzerland for her doctorate after studying physics at Istanbul's
Yildiz Technical University.
Uysal,
who received the professor title last year, is the leader of the ALICE
experiment Turkish team, which is research that has been conducted within CERN.
She
said since 2012, she has provided communication between the CERN-ALICE
experiment and Karatay University, which she is a member in central Konya
province, and participated in scientific research and trained students.
"We
are analyzing subatomic particles colliding at speeds very close to the speed
of light and trying to get information about the formation of the universe.
“At
the same time, as a team leader of the university, I also provide communication
between Turkey and the ALICE experiment. Karatay University is the only Turkish
university that is a full member of the ALICE experiment.
“In
this context, we have a wide range of responsibilities, such as conducting data
analysis, taking part in the installation and operation stages of detectors,”
said Uysal.
‘Few female scientists at CERN’
Uysal
stressed that the proportion of women scientists at CERN, compared to global
figures is 20%, and it is important to increase the number.
“The
number of women working in the fields of science and technology is trying to
increase all over the world,” she said.
“As
a scientist who has worked in basic science for 16 years, I positively
discriminate against female students. I also think that female students can be
much more detailed, especially in high energy physics studies. The personality
traits of women are very compatible, especially in the field of physics and
high energy physics. So I really want female students to be brought up,
especially in the field of high energy physics.
“In
experimental high energy physics studies, the most advanced hardware and
software technologies in the world are learned and used. Therefore, these
studies have applications in many areas, from artificial intelligence technologies
to medical diagnosis and treatment methods. The fact that Turkish scientists
and especially women have experience in these areas will increase the level of
prosperity and development of our country," she said.
Expressing
that there is positive discrimination against women in the field of science,
Uysal said that the level of development of countries will increase with the
participation of women in scientific studies, as in all areas of work life.
Uysal
stated that her activities at CERN are an example and morale for women who want
to do scientific work, and she said she is trying to pave the way for women.
Uysal
emphasized that the number of women in her study team is higher than men, and
explained that she worked with only four women in one of two separate projects
she conducted at CERN, and one man and two women in another.
Calling
on all young people, especially girls, to "never give up" their
goals, Uysal said, "it is very important not to give up, to work
persistently, to learn something from mistakes.”
She
added that “Mistakes are the first step in learning. Therefore, being able to
work in any field without giving up is a guarantor of success. That's why it's
so important that people do the work they love.”
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/life/turkish-scientist-urges-girls-to-never-give-up-/2143374
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First
Woman, First African: Nigeria's 'Troublemaker' On Track To Run WTO
FEBRUARY
13, 2021
ABUJA
(Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala – an elite
economist who has confronted corruption and kidnappers at home and risen to the
top ranks of the World Bank, is poised to become the first woman and first
African in charge of policing global trade.
Backed
by U.S. President Joe Biden to lead the World Trade Organization (WTO), the
66-year-old Harvard graduate was dubbed “troublemaker” by friends and foes
alike in Nigeria for her vigour in championing the poor and fighting the good
fight.
It
is a nickname the former finance minister was fond of.
“It
was a badge of honour. If I was regarded as ... trouble to the establishment
because of my desire to clean up our public finances and work for a better life
for Nigerians, then so be it,” she wrote in her book “Reforming the
Unreformable”.
Daughter
of a traditional king, Okonjo-Iweala saw her mother kidnapped - she had dared
to call out corruption in the Nigerian oil industry - then stared down her
captors. They blinked first, though full details of the release never emerged.
Okonjo-Iweala
also received threatening phone calls and ably outmanoeuvred political foes
seeking her downfall.
All
good credentials for a woman charged with steering global trade back on track
and closing the widening chasms - be it between China and the United States or
rich and poor nations - at a time when economic ground rules are up for grabs.
Okonjo-Iweala
won White House backing to lead the embattled WTO last week, lifting a block
imposed by former President Donald Trump after a WTO selection panel
recommended her as chief in October.
‘WE
HAD TO FIX EVERYTHING’
Born
in the southern Nigeria town of Ogwashi-Ukwu, Okonjo-Iweala spent most of her
childhood with her grandmother while her parents were studying in the United
States, and sometimes recalls the hardships she experienced during her early
years.
She
left home as a teenager in 1973 to study economics at Harvard and in 1981
earned her PhD in regional economics and development from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, eventually becoming a U.S. citizen in 2019.
In
2007, she founded NOI Polls, Nigeria’s first indigenous opinion-research group,
which partners with Gallup.
Following
in her footsteps at Harvard, her daughter and three sons all graduated from the
Ivy League school. Her husband is a neurosurgeon based in Washington.
Much
of Okonjo-Iweala’s career has been spent at the World Bank, where she rose to
the No. 2 spot after returning to Nigeria to serve as the country’s first
female finance minister under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“It
seemed in those days as if we had to fix everything at once,” Okonjo-Iweala
wrote in her book about her 2003-2006 spell as Obasanjo’s finance chief.
“We
needed to redress fundamental inequality, pervasive corruption, and power
struggles that were undermining the Nigerian society,” she said.
Aides
recall her endless energy and dedication.
“Her
sense of duty is astonishing,” said Chiogor Constance Ikokwu, a media adviser
to Okonjo-Iweala during her second stint as finance minister, under former
President Goodluck Jonathan from 2011 to 2015.
“Once,
we travelled outside the country for an assignment. She was unwell. She was in
pain at the hotel.
“To
my amazement, Madame Minister pulled through. Not only did she make it to the
function, her performance was dazzling. No one at the event had an inkling that
she was ill an hour prior,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Supporters
hope Okonjo-Iweala can reinvigorate the leaderless 164-member WTO, which
observers say is facing the deepest crisis in its 25-year history.
It
has not clinched a major multilateral trade deal in years and failed to hit a
2020 deadline on ending subsidies for overfishing.
Okonjo-Iweala,
who said last week she was looking forward to the conclusion of the leadership
race and moving ahead with needed reforms, has previously stressed the need for
the WTO to play a role in helping poorer countries with COVID-19 vaccines.
“Trade
can contribute to public health - seeing that connection, invoking those (WTO)
rules, actively discussing COVID-19 issues and how the WTO can help ... For me,
that would be a priority,” she told Reuters in September.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trade-wto-nigeria-women-trfn/first-woman-first-african-nigerias-troublemaker-on-track-to-run-wto-idUSKBN2AC2DD
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/women-kuwait-defying-conservative-norms/d/124299
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