Women In Pakistan: Education does not provide security when you live in Hell
New Age Islam News Bureau
03 November 2024
• Iran student strips to underwear at university to ‘protest’ against hijab
• Banned, ignored and still in exile: The story of the Afghanistan women's cricket team who fled for safety
• Situation of Afghan women - Summary of Countrywide Consultations with Afghan Women
• 'Made me who I am today': Kamala Harris draws strength from mother's journey from India
• Trump is anxious, asking aides more questions: 'Why women don't like me?'
• Stabbed girl, 13, 'critical but stable' - police
• Woman killed, Arab man airlifted after head-on collision in Blount Coun
• Women of America v Donald Trump: Liberals triggered by MAGA leader's 'execution fantasy'
• Afghan woman to be extradited from US to Sweden on murder charges
• Trader who beat pregnant wife until she went into coma misses court decision on attack
• Britain’s Conservative Party picks first Black woman, Kemi Badenoch, to lead party
• Book Review: ‘Gulf Women’s Lives’
• Homegrown dreams: Malaysian author Hanna Alkaf on her latest book, film adaptations, publishing scene and tips for aspiring writers
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/women-pakistan-education-provide-security-hell/d/133611
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Women In Pakistan: Education does not provide security when you live in Hell
By Dimitra Staikou
November 3, 2024
photo: Unsplash
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A BBC investigation reveals that women working in hospitals in Pakistan say that they regularly face sexual harassment, violence, and verbal abuse from male colleagues, patients, and their families.The abuse largely remains hidden, as many are too afraid to come forward to report the crimes fearing of losing their jobs, their “honor and respect.”
In a hospital in Karachi, a few months ago, a young doctor came to Dr. Nusrat, the head of the hospital (not her real name), crying. The young doctor fell victim to illegal filming while using the bathroom as a male colleague recorded her and then blackmailed her using the footage.
“I suggested she filed a complaint with the FIA [Federal Investigation Agency, which deals with cybercrimes], but she refused.” She said she didn’t want it to leak and reach her family or her in-laws,” Dr. explained. Nusrat, adding that she is aware of at least three other cases where female doctors have been recorded secretly and blackmailed.
Dr. Nusrat knew a senior police officer who spoke with the blackmailer, warning him that he could be arrested for what he had done. The police officer made sure the video was deleted.But how can this be enough since he didn’t get any punishment ?
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t take further measures, but we covered the hole so that no one can do it again,” says Dr. Nusrat.Other women shared experiences of sexual harassment, including Dr. Aamna (not her real name), who was a medical intern at a public hospital five years ago when she was a victim of harassment by her superior, a powerful man.
“When he saw me with a file in my hand, he would try to lean over it, make inappropriate comments, and touch me,” she says. She filed a complaint with the hospital administration, but says she was met with indifference. “They told me that I had only been there for a short time and asked what proof I had of this harassment.” “It seems, therefore, that even educated women in Pakistan are treated like children whose words are not taken seriously by anyone.No matter how many accusations are made against a male doctor or male nurse, the harasser is simply transferred to another ward for a few months and then returns.
It is pointless to discuss whether women in Pakistan are subjected to a continuous abuse of their individual rights. Girls and women face regular violence for various reasons in Pakistan, which ranks the country three places above the last position in the Global Gender Gap Index of the World Economic Forum for 2024.
Women in Pakistan are vulnerable to sexual harassment everywhere. Pink buses exclusively for women have started being used since 2021, where they can travel undisturbed away from unappropriate act of men.In Pakistan, women provoke harassment just by their existence, which is why their natural habitat was considered to be the home until now. Hadia Majid, an associate professor at the University of Lahore, considers that the pink buses are a positive step towards encouraging more women to work, as the risk of commuting has contributed to the low percentage of women in Pakistan’s workforce.Indicative of the situation is that in 2024, women constituted 20.6% of the country’s workforce. “If there is no absolute necessity, it is easier and preferable for women to stay at home,” Majid said.
Unfortunately, Pakistan is not the only country creating difficult living conditions for women. While China is following a frenzied pace of industrial growth, it is culturally bringing patriarchy out of the closet.Xi Jinping spoke about fertility and family. “We should actively promote a new type of marriage and childbearing culture,” he said, encouraging representatives to “tell good stories about family traditions.” This is in line with his conservative view of society. In the past, he had spoken about the importance of “good wives and mothers” and promoted patriarchal social norms.
There is something quite cynical about Xi Jinping’s vision, says Olivia Cheung from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.”Basically, Xi Jinping sees women like everyone else in China: primarily as a risk to be controlled and as a resource to be harnessed for the achievement of China’s dream.”
Intense discussion and reactions have been stirred up by an unacceptable lesson on sexual harassment at a middle school in southern China. Among other things, there was a strong categorization of the victims.
The school, located in the city of Zhaoqing in Guangdong province, had conducted the “mental health education” class last year – equivalent to sex education – according to Chinese state media People’s Daily. But the photos of the teaching material only began circulating this month.
In the material given to the students, it appears they write that victims of sexual harassment “suffer because they dress provocatively and flirt.” It is added that “girls should not wear transparent or provocative clothes and should avoid frivolous behavior.”
What is happening with women in 2024 as the entire planet seems to increasingly recognize the rights of the LGBTQ community? Instagram is increasingly filled with western unbelievably good looking women who teach people all over the world the value of staying at home and becoming a trad wife.
The current situation in Pakistan ,the current situation in China, what is happening with women in South Sudan who beg soldiers “rape me instead of my daughter” should concern us because if they don’t concern us, the next ones who will be afraid to speak ,afraid to work and afraid to exist will be us Europeans. Perhaps the only accepted role of women in the global collective unconscious is that of a mother, sufficiently lobotomized so that she cannot teach her children to think.
In his book “Prisoners of Geography,” Tim Marshall says the following: “The land we walk on has always defined us.” It determined wars, power, and the political evolution of peoples who now occupy almost every corner of the planet. It may seem that technology has overcome the distances that separate us, both mental and physical, but it is easy to forget that the ground on which we live, work, and raise our children is of immense importance.”We must all together ensure the right of women, the mothers of our children, to think, to hope, and above all, to dignity.
Source: Moderndiplomacy.Eu
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Iran student strips to underwear at university to ‘protest’ against hijab
Nov 03, 2024
Iranian student 'protests' dress code, detained after stripping to underwear.(X)
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A young woman, in alleged protest against Iran's dress code, stripped to her underwear at Islamic Azad University, leading to her arrest.
The footage, initially posted by Iranian student outlet Amir Kabir Newsletter, shows security guards detaining the woman at Islamic Azad University.
University spokesperson Amir Mahjob said on X that “at the police station... it was found that she was under severe mental pressure and had a mental disorder.”
The woman’s current condition remains unclear, but according to Hamshahri daily, “an informed source” indicated she may be transferred to a mental hospital following further investigation.
Amnesty International condemned the arrest, stating, “Iran's authorities must immediately and unconditionally release the university student... Pending her release, authorities must protect her from torture and ensure access to her family and lawyer.”
Q. Will the November 5 US election be a close contest between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, or are voters likely to deliver a decisive outcome?
The rights group has documented alleged mistreatment of women in Iranian prisons, calling for her protection.
In 2022, near-nationwide protests broke out in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurdish woman arrested for allegedly violating hijab rules.
Women protesters across Iran defied authorities by removing and, in some cases, burning their headscarves. The protests led to a crackdown in which 551 protesters were reportedly killed, and thousands were arrested.
Source: Hindustan Times.Com
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Banned, ignored and still in exile: The story of the Afghanistan women's cricket team who fled for safety
Um-E-Aymen Babar
2 November 2024
The Afghanistan women's cricket team fled the country in August 2021 and most of them currently reside in Australia
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It has been over three years since the Afghanistan women's team have been banned from playing cricket.
When the Taliban regained control in August 2021, they barred women from universities, parks, sports and raided the homes of female athletes, some of whom were forced to burn their kits to avoid being identified.
The women's cricket team fled the country, seeking refuge in Pakistan before they were granted emergency visas for Australia, where most of them currently reside.
Under Taliban rule, payments to the women's side were cut off and the team has received no contact from the International Cricket Council (ICC) or Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) despite multiple attempts.
More recently, and perhaps most frighteningly, the Taliban introduced a new law which prohibits women from speaking in public and states they must not be heard singing or reading aloud, even from inside their homes.
The ban comes just months after the Taliban ordered women to cover their entire bodies, including their faces, when they leave the house.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International has called on the ICC to stop ignoring the Afghanistan women's team and provide them with support.
"The Afghan women's cricket team are emblematic of the women of Afghanistan and the international cricketing community owes these trailblazing athletes their support, to send a clear message about the consensus of international outrage over their appalling treatment," Stephen Cockburn, Amnesty International's head of economic and social justice, said.
"It has been a full three years since the Taliban returned to power and set about an aggressive programme of dismantling women's rights and freedoms.
"It's horrendous that the cricket team had to flee for their safety, but it's also extremely concerning that Afghan women cricketers feel so let down by the ICC and the international cricketing community.
"Having rightly pledged to uphold anti-discrimination values, the ICC needs to stop ignoring Afghanistan's brave women's team and set about providing them with proper recognition and support."
Source: Skysports.Com
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Situation of Afghan women - Summary of Countrywide Consultations with Afghan Women
3 Nov 2024
This report captures the voices and concerns of women across Afghanistan as they navigate an increasingly restrictive environment for women’s rights. Since its military takeover in August 2021, the Taliban (the de facto authorities (DFA)) has implemented a series of decrees, directives and practices aimed at systematically removing women from Afghan public life and decision-making positions – across almost all sectors. This stream of edicts has also included a ban on girls and young women pursuing secondary and university-level education in Afghanistan.
The near wholesale exclusion of women and girls from broader society, coupled with the overlapping economic and humanitarian crises causing marked deterioration in the living conditions for the overwhelming majority of Afghans, is resulting in shifts in community attitudes towards gender norms and a mental health crisis within families across Afghanistan. On 22 August 2024, the de facto authorities enacted a new decree adopting a law (“On the enforcement of the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice”) containing 35 articles detailing significant restrictions on the Afghan population, particularly women and girls, including banning women’s faces and voices in public, with potentially arbitrary and severe enforcement mechanisms. This research and report capture the situation immediately prior to this newest law, and as such, the situation since has already become more dire for Afghan women and men across the country, at least from an internal normative point of view.
Since August 2022, the United Nations Entity for Women and Gender Equality (UN Women), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) have jointly undertaken quarterly consultations with a wide spectrum of Afghan women, and, more recently, also with Afghan men, inviting respondents to share their opinion on the issues impacting their lives. These consultations articulate women’s priorities and requests to the DFA and international community, while contributing to internationally mandated requirements to ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation of Afghan women in any discussions concerning the future of their society and state. The quarterly consultations provide critical insights for both national and international policymakers, shedding light on the lived experiences and perspectives of women across Afghanistan.
Source: Reliefweb.Int
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'Made me who I am today': Kamala Harris draws strength from mother's journey from India
Nov 3, 2024
US vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris paid tribute to her late mother, Dr Shyamala Gopalan Harris, an Indian immigrant whose courage and dedication to her family continue to inspire her just days ahead of the November 5 elections. Harris reflected on the values her mother instilled in her, from honoring her heritage to championing causes that make a difference—a legacy she says drives her vision for America today.
“My mother, Dr Shyamala Gopalan Harris, came to the United States from India alone at the age of 19,” Harris wrote in a post, sharing a cherished photo of her younger self alongside her mother. “Her courage and determination made me who I am today.”
Through an op-ed in South Asian publication The Juggernaut, Harris recounted her family’s journey from India to America and the legacy of courage, sacrifice, and ambition that her mother instilled in her. The story of Shyamala, who arrived in the United States alone at 19 to pursue a graduate degree in California, is central to Harris’s own life and career.
Growing up, Harris says she and her sister Maya were raised with a deep appreciation for their Indian heritage. Their mother made it a point to take them to India nearly every other year, especially during Diwali, a time filled with family gatherings and rituals. “Growing up, my mother raised my sister and me to appreciate and honor our heritage. Nearly every other year, we would go to India for Diwali. We would spend time with our grandparents, our uncles, and our chitthis,” Harris shared.
She added, "And as Vice President, it has been my honor to host Diwali celebrations in my home - the Vice President's Residence. Not only to celebrate the holiday, but to celebrate the rich history, culture, and heritage of the South Asian American diaspora, which is bound together by a shared sense of possibility and belief in the promise of America,"
In her op-ed, Harris detailed the ambitions that drove her mother: to raise her daughters with integrity and to make strides in the fight against breast cancer. “My mother had two goals in her life: to raise her two daughters, my sister Maya and me, and to cure breast cancer,” Harris wrote.
She fondly recalled trips to India as a child, particularly to visit her grandfather, PV Gopalan, a retired civil servant in Chennai (then Madras). Harris often joined him on long morning walks along the beach, where he spoke passionately about democracy, justice, and the importance of standing up for one’s beliefs. “Those lessons first inspired my interest in public service,” she wrote, noting that her grandfather’s influence continues to guide her today as both Vice President and presidential candidate.
As Election Day came closer, Harris highlighted her commitment to ensuring healthcare equity for all Americans—a mission closely tied to her mother’s legacy as a cancer researcher and the struggles she endured battling cancer herself. “South Asian Americans are often overlooked by our healthcare system, especially with conditions like heart disease and diabetes,” Harris wrote.
Addressing the issue of immigration, Harris articulated a vision for an immigration system that balances security with compassion. “I reject the false choice between securing our border and creating a system of immigration that is orderly and humane,” she wrote. Harris voiced support for a bipartisan border security bill aimed at curbing illegal crossings while also protecting immigrants, many of whom, she noted, come from communities like hers.
On foreign policy, Harris drew a sharp contrast with her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, critiquing his record on diplomacy and commitment to US alliances. “As Vice President, I have expanded our relationships with key South Asian partners, including India,” she said. Unlike Trump, whom she described as “unfit” due to his connections with authoritarian leaders, Harris pledged to reinforce America’s alliances and uphold its leadership on the world stage.
Harris’s mother Shyamala Gopalan arrived in California in the early 1960s, where she met Jamaican economist Donald Harris during the fervent days of the civil rights movement.
Born in 1964, Kamala Harris grew up amid a climate of activism and social change, often attending marches with her mother. After her parents’ divorce, she was primarily raised by her mother, who worked long hours and kept a tight budget.
Harris often recalls how her mother would sit late at night with a cup of tea, sorting through bills and ensuring that her daughters would have a future that was stable and fulfilling.
Source: Times Of India
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Trump is anxious, asking aides more questions: 'Why women don't like me?'
Nov 3, 2024
Despite the projected confidence, former president Donald Trump is anxious as Election Day is approaching and reports said he is asking more questions to his aides about his status; he's also demanding more work from his aides. In a nutshell, he's quite restless these days. On Thursday Trump received an internal memo from chief pollster for all his three presidential campaigns Tony Fabrizio that Trump is in a better position to win this election than he was at this time in 2020.
Trump's calls to his aides come late at night and early morning. He asks them their opinion on whether they think he will win. A CNN report revealed that Trump asked his close allies why women don't like him. The former president "thinks women want someone who will keep them safe, keep their children safe," CNN reported citing sources.
Axios reported that gender parity in early voting is also a cause of concern for the Trump campaign. It is believed that men are voting for Trump and women for Kamala Harris. Early voters have mostly been women. "This is a concern and we encourage men to vote early if they can and on Election Day if they can't," Gavin Wax, president of the New York Young Republican Club told Axios over text. "... Men need to swamp the polls on Election Day and prior" to help Trump win.
National polls indicate Kamala Harris is winning more women than Trump. Several MAGA women, including Tulsi Gabbard, Elon Musk's mother Maye Musk, condemned billionaire Mark Cuban's comment that Trump does not surround himself with strong, intelligent women -- a comment for which he apologized as well.
Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told The Independent that the media portrayed Trump's treatment of women in a negative way. The former president is "loved by millions of women across the country, and those who know him personally, myself included, will tell you he’s supportive, generous, and kind," Leavitt said.
Source: Times Of India
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Stabbed girl, 13, 'critical but stable' - police
03-11-2024
A 13-year-old girl who was found stabbed by the side of a busy road in East Yorkshire remains in a "critical but stable" condition in hospital, police have said.
The teenager was discovered with stab wounds and lacerations to her neck, abdomen, chest and back by the A63 in Hessle at about 06:50 GMT on Friday.
Four boys, aged 14, 15, 16 and 17, and two girls, aged 14 and 15, who were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder near where the teenager was found remained in custody, he said.
Det Supt Vickers said: “Over the course of the last 24 hours, my team have been conducting extensive lines of inquiry to ascertain exactly why this incident happened and to understand the circumstances that led to the attack on the 13-year-old girl."
He added that he would like to again thank members of the public who had gone to the girl's aid, and those who had contacted police with information about what had happened.
"Officers remain in and around the area throughout today and the weekend, should anybody wish to speak with them regarding any concerns they have," Det Supt Vickers said.
Cordons around a wooded area on the A63 and Ferriby High Road where the girl was assisted by members of the public had been lifted, according to police.
Officers appealed for anyone with information, particularly those who had dash cam or CCTV footage from the area, to get in touch with the Humberside force.
Source: Www.bbc.com
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c789jdz6nj5o
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Woman killed, Arab man airlifted after head-on collision in Blount Coun
by: Rebecca Teutsch
Nov 2, 2024
BLOUNT COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — A Blount County woman was killed and an Arab man was injured in a head-on collision Friday.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said around 7:33 p.m. Friday, 31-year-old Kali M. Heaton was killed in a head-on collision.
ALEA said Heaton was driving her car when she collided head-on with 44-year-old Joshua Cory Dean Carr from Arab.
The agency said Carr was injured in the accident and airlifted to UAB Hospital in Birmingham for treatment.
ALEA said the crash happened on Alabama 79 near the 26-mile marker in Blount County.
Troopers with ALEA’s Highway Patrol Division will continue to investigate this incident.
Source: whnt.com
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Women of America v Donald Trump: Liberals triggered by MAGA leader's 'execution fantasy'
Nov 3, 2024
TOI CORRESPONDENT FROM WASHINGTON: Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a female Democrat, has opened an investigation into comments by MAGA supremo Donald Trump wondering how "war hawk" Liz Cheney would feel if guns were "trained on her face" as a potentially prosecutable offense, amid a raging gender clash in the US Presidential election.
"I have already asked my criminal division chief to start looking at that statement, analyzing it for whether it qualifies as a death threat under Arizona's laws," Mayes said in a TV interview even as Kamala Harris said such violent rhetoric should be disqualifying. Her campaign managers added that it was tantamount to suggesting Cheney be put before a firing squad.
"Think about the contrast. You have Trump talking about sending a prominent Republican to the firing squad... Vice president Harris is talking about sending one to her Cabinet," Harris' senior advisor Ian Sams said.
Political pundits and gun experts are still trying to figure out what liberal critics say is Trump's purported "execution fantasy" in which he wanted Cheney to face "nine barrels." A firing squad can vary in number. Most states have outlawed firing squads. The last death by firing squad took place in Utah in 2010. But the comment has triggered outrage in Democratic ranks, particularly women, and Harris supporters hope it will rouse at least some female Trump supporters who appear to have no problems with his rhetoric.
Polls show Harris leading by an average of 11 points among women while Trump leads by 10 points among men — a 21-point gap in the vote margin. Women make up a larger share of the US electorate than men. Early voting data in the current election, where almost 70 million voters have already cast ballots, shows women making up about 55 percent of early voters in battleground states. This is offset by Trump running about five points ahead among men than he did against Biden in 2020.
Although Kamala Harris has been careful not to emphasize gender (or race and ethnicity for that matter) contours of a women v men battle has taken shape with Harris surrogates suggesting MAGA women should voter for her in defiance of their domineering spouses.
The 2024 campaign continues to plumb new depths with ugly sexist memes and doctored or misrepresented video clips having a free run on untethered social media. While Trump supporters have circulated images purporting to show Harris having loose morals, her supporters in turn have plied clips showing Trump as a degenerate. On Friday, liberal trolls shared a clip of Trump expressing frustration over a faulty mike at a rally in Milwaukee, alleging he was simulating a fellatio.
Trump also flew into a rage after he was taunted by a former billionaire fanboy, Mark Cuban, who told a TV show that the MAGA supremo is intimidated by strong, intelligent women. He unloaded on Cuban, calling him a "dumb guy" "weak" "insecure" "a major loser" "unattractive" etc., in an extraordinarily tetchy social media rant.
The Trump campaign later released testimonials from several women, including his former senior counselor Kellyanne Conway and Arkansas Governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, his former spokesperson, sharing why women support Trump and how he has empowered them. “He (Cuban) is very wrong, I surround myself with the strongest of women — With the understanding that ALL women are great, whether strong or not strong,” Trump wrote. There was no word from his wife Melania Trump or his daughter Ivanka, who have both been very scarce on the campaign trail.
Source: Times Of India
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshowprint/114887470.cms
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Afghan woman to be extradited from US to Sweden on murder charges
By Fidel Rahmati
November 2, 2024
International media reports state that a 25-year-old Afghan woman named Wajiha Qureshi has been accused of killing her secret lover in Sweden. She is set to be extradited from the United States to Sweden for trial.
The Daily Mail reported early Friday, November 1, that Qureshi, along with her husband Farid Waziri, allegedly killed a 37-year-old Afghan refugee named Abbas Hamid in March of this year.
According to the report, Qureshi had a secret relationship with Abbas Hamid, and when this affair was exposed, she accused Hamid of “sexual assault,” which was investigated by Swedish police.
Following the investigation, Swedish police released Abbas Hamid without any charges. His body was discovered in the forests near Stockholm in March, with his throat slit.
One day before the body was found, Wajiha Qureshi left her home in Sweden and traveled to the United States with her two children, using “fake” documents.
Swedish police have stated that they have obtained substantial evidence implicating Wajiha Qureshi and her husband Farid Waziri in this murder.
Farid Waziri is considered a dangerous individual and is wanted across Europe, though his current location remains unknown.
The case highlights the complexity of cross-border criminal investigations, especially when suspects flee to other countries using falsified documents. It underscores the challenges faced by international law enforcement in tracking and extraditing suspects.
Source: Www.khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-woman-to-be-extradited-from-us-to-sweden-on-murder-charges/
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Trader who beat pregnant wife until she went into coma misses court decision on attack
03 Nov 2024
JOHOR BARU, Nov 3 — The Sessions Court here postponed to Dec 9 the verdict in the case of a trader charged with causing severe injuries to his then-pregnant wife, leaving her in a coma three years ago, after he failed to appear in court today.
Judge Fatimah Zahari set the new date after the defence informed the court that Rosmaini Abd Raof, 41, the victim’s ex-husband could not be present due to being hospitalised.
Rosmaini is accused of assaulting JahidahNordin@Sylvester, 46, by striking her head, face, and hands and stomping on the back of her hand on June 17, 2021, when she was still his third wife, causing severe injuries leading to a coma.
Rosmaini’s lawyer, Mohd Salleh Togimin, told the court that his client’s wife had informed them of the hospitalisation the previous evening.
“He was admitted to Pendang Hospital, Kedah, yesterday afternoon after experiencing shortness of breath and losing consciousness after a football practice,” said Mohd Salleh.
Deputy public prosecutor Siti Fatimah Mamu led the prosecution, while the defence team comprised lawyers Mohd Salleh, Kamal Hisham Ja’afar, and Aina Kamilah Zalizan.
Also present at the proceedings were observing lawyers Syufri A Samad and Muhammad Hazeem Mohd Norizan, along with the victim’s siblings.
He was charged under Section 325 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum prison sentence of seven years and a fine, and read with Section 326A, which allows for double the maximum prison term based on the offence.
The case has drawn public attention as the victim, a civil servant, had to undergo a caesarean section while in a coma to deliver her baby boy on Nov 30, 2021.
Meanwhile, Jahidah’s sister, Fauziah Nordin@Sylvester, 43, told reporters outside the court that her nephew, Eshan Nufail, now two years and 11 months old, holds a disabled person’s card (OKU) due to developmental delays.
“He will turn three on Nov 30, but he still cannot walk. His development is slow, and he weighs only 9.5 kg. Doctors have assessed his condition to be that of a one-year-old,” she said, adding that Jahidah remains in a coma.
On March 15 last year, the Seremban Lower Syariah Court granted the fasakh (annulment) application filed by Jahidah’s family on Feb 1, 2023.
Source: Malaymail
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Britain’s Conservative Party picks first Black woman, Kemi Badenoch, to lead party
Jill Lawless
03.11.24
Britain’s Conservative Party on Saturday elected Kemi Badenoch as its new leader as it tries to rebound from a crushing election defeat that ended 14 years in power.
The first Black woman to lead a major British political party, Badenoch (pronounced BADE-enock) defeated rival lawmaker Robert Jenrick in a vote of almost 100,000 members of the Right-of-Centre Conservatives. She got 53,806 votes in the online and postal ballot of party members, to Jenrick’s 41,388.
The new leader’s daunting task is to try to restore the party’s reputation after years of division, scandal and economic tumult, hammer Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s policies on key issues including the economy and immigration, and return the Conservatives to power at the next election, due by 2029.
“The task that stands before us is tough but simple,” Badenoch said in a victory speech to a roomful of Conservative lawmakers, staff and journalists in London. She said the party’s job was to hold the Labour government to account, and to craft pledges and a plan for government.
Addressing the party’s election drubbing, she said “we have to be honest — honest about the fact that we made mistakes, honest about the fact that we let standards slip”.
Source: Www.telegraphindia.com
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Book Review: ‘Gulf Women’s Lives’
Jasmine Bager
November 03, 2024
“Gulf Women’s Lives: Voice, Space, Place,” edited by Emanuela Buscemi, Shahd Al-Shammari and Ildiko Kaposi, explores the experiences of Gulf women through three themes: voice, space and place.
“This timely volume fills in a serious gap in research and contributes to countering stereotypes and prejudices about Muslim and Arab women, specifically those located in the Arabian Gulf,” the 2024 anthology’s blurb promises.
Through a mix of essays, literary analyses and personal narratives written by scholars and practitioners, the majority of whom are from the Gulf, “Gulf Women’s Lives” highlights how the women of the region have carved out their own path, navigating complex gender roles and expectations within public and private spaces, and often challenging traditional stereotypes that depict them as submissive or powerless.
Many stories written in the West about Gulf women paint us all with the same broad brush: we are either sad or mad. This book offers a nuanced view of how Gulf women exercise agency and construct their identities. Its interdisciplinary approach combines sociology, literature, media, law and disability studies. Each chapter is grounded in theoretical discussions about gender and the agency of women within Gulf societies. Kuwaiti artist Thuraya Al-Baqsami’s 1987 artwork, “Waiting,” is featured on the cover.
The first part, “Voices,” features three pieces rich with anecdotes: Al-Shammari’s “From Stigma to Speech: An Autoethnography of Bedouin Culture, Writing and Illness,” Kaposi’s “Women Talking Back: In Conversation with Sekka Magazine’s ‘Managing Storyteller’ Sharifah Alhinai,” and Buscemi’s “Bodies on the Margins: Nonconforming Subjectivities in Gulf Women’s Literature.”
Part two, “Spaces,” features Emirati Noura Al-Obeidli on the challenges facing female Emirati journalists in the newsroom; Nora Jaber’s critical analysis of women’s petitions and gender reforms in Saudi Arabia; and Maryam Al-Muhanadi on divorce among Qatari women.
The women who contributed to this volume dedicated each page to how women in the Gulf have been asserting themselves — within traditional and modern contexts — and address issues such as activism, mobility and societal expectations.
The book has a slightly academic format but is simple enough to read. The theoretical reflections and conversations challenge us all to go beyond narratives of submissiveness, powerlessness and victimization.
Source: Www.Arabnews.Com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2577830/books
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Homegrown dreams: Malaysian author Hanna Alkaf on her latest book, film adaptations, publishing scene and tips for aspiring writers
By Ian Jeremiah Patrick
03 Nov 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 — Malaysian author Hanna Alkaf, 39, continues to make waves in the literary world, captivating readers with her distinctive voice and powerful storytelling.
A former journalist, she has since shifted gears to focus on writing fiction and has six books to her name, with her latest release, The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s, generating buzz after hitting shelves last September.
It has garnered praise from publications such as Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and the Bulletin of the Centre for Children’s Books, all awarding it three-star reviews.
In the book, she wants to show that girls who speak out-regardless of whether they meet society’s expectations-deserve to be heard.
The novel also explores themes of friendship and sisterhood, as young girls grapple with a world that punishes them for being too loud, too soft, too hard, or too gentle.
Hanna believes that society often places girls in conflicting boxes, expecting them to be one extreme or the other, and that these expectations lead to silencing their voices.
“There are so many of our legends that aren’t written in a way that’s accessible or enjoyable for young readers to understand and appreciate.”
It’s become a dream for many authors to see their books adapted into films, and Hanna shares that vision, particularly for her novel The Girl and the Ghost (2020).
She’d love to see it adapted into an animated film in the enchanting style of Studio Ghibli, with its magical, Hayao Miyazaki-esque charm.
Though she’s expressed that she doesn’t write with movie adaptations in mind, she views any such opportunity as a bonus if it ever happens.
Looking ahead, she hopes to see more Malaysian literature gain global recognition, with local works translated and made available to readers outside the country.
Hanna points out that while horror and romance remain staple genres, there’s currently a surge in quieter, slice-of-life magical realism.
Source: Malaymail
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/women-pakistan-education-provide-security-hell/d/133611