Why The World Can't Save The Women Of Afghanistan
New Age Islam News Bureau
8 February 2025
· Why The World Can't Save The Women Of Afghanistan
· Africa observes Pan African Women’s Day
· UN rapporteur urges Iran to halt imminent execution of Kurdish woman
· Revival of Kantha gives livelihood, dignity to poor Muslim women
· Balochistan MPAs protest girl’s abduction in Khuzdar
· Syrian jailed over death of migrant girl
· IHC seeks govt response on ‘Aafia-Afridi swap’
· Iran’s Supreme Court Rejects Retrial for PakhshanAzizi
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/world-women-afghanistan-supreme-court/d/134559
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Why The World Can't Save The Women Of Afghanistan
February 07, 2025
People in Afghanistan, especially im the capital of Kabul, are experiencing life under Taliban government Source: wikimedia/Tasnim News Agency
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PARIS — This week, the Taliban closed one of the last remaining windows of freedom for Afghan women: a radio station broadcasting from Kabul and aimed at women.
Radio Begum was launched on March 8, 2021, before the Taliban's return to power. But after the Islamist movement's take over of Kabul five months later, it had become indispensable. Radio Begum provided educational support for girls deprived of schooling. It offered an interactive antenna open to Afghan women to talk about their joys and sorrows. It provided a virtual living space for those deprived of it in the real world.
On Tuesday, the Taliban raided the radio station's studio in Kabul, arresting two male employees, who have remained in custody, and suspending their right to broadcast. Officially, the radio station is accused of supplying programs to a television station that has been broadcasting by satellite from Paris for the past year, Télé Begum, which is more threating to the Taliban because it is based abroad.
The radio station is being held hostage in order to put pressure on the television station, according to the presenters of both media. In any case, this is yet another act in the isolation of Afghan women, which is unprecedented in the world.
"Protected" from temptation
For a little more than three years, the Taliban have been gradually eliminating women's visibility in society. It began with a ban on girls going to high school, and is regularly followed by new decrees restricting women's freedoms.
At the end of 2024, a decree signed by the Taliban leader obliged owners of houses to reduce the size of windows in rooms where women might be present. “To protect neighbors from temptation,” according to the text, but also to make women even less visible.
Another decree had already banned them from singing or reciting poetry. That ban had already hit Radio Begum before it was suspended, allowing not even the slightest musical jingle or poetry, an important genre in Afghanistan.
Ties with China
The world is not turning a blind eye to this situation, but the problem is that it lacks the means to put pressure on the Taliban. Since the fall of Kabul, Westerners have had virtually no diplomatic representation in the Afghan capital, and few exchanges with the Taliban.
The Afghan regime is also breaking out of its initial isolation by forging ties with China and the Gulf states: Those countries are doing so for geopolitical or economic reasons, and have no intention of addressing the plight of women.
The United Nations has taken up the issue, with the High Commissioner for Human Rights reminding us that “no country can progress by excluding half its population from public life.”
The concept of “gender apartheid,” a spin on South Africa's system of racial discrimination, is gaining ground. It's a good way of putting it, and an effective way of understanding what Afghan women are going through in the name of a destructive ideology. But it does nothing to change their fate, and their imprisonment, which has been accentuated by the end of the ray of hope that was Radio Begum.
Source:worldcrunch.com
https://worldcrunch.com/world-affairs/radio-begum-women-afghanistan
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Iran’s Supreme Court Rejects Retrial for Pakhshan Azizi
FEBRUARY 7, 2025
Azizi was sentenced to death for “rebellion” in June 2024, with an additional six-month term for alleged prison unrest
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Iran’s Supreme Court has denied a retrial request for Kurdish activist PakhshanAzizi, moving her case to the Sentence Enforcement Office and bringing her closer to execution, according to her lawyer and human rights organizations.
Amir Raeisian, Azizi’s lawyer, said that Branch 9 of the Supreme Court rejected the retrial petition on February 1, stating that objections to the verdict and trial proceedings were “substantive in nature.”
Raeisian plans to file a new request, citing a March 2024 Supreme Court criminal branches’ working group opinion that supports examining non-criminal aspects of cases during retrials.
Azizi was sentenced to death for “rebellion” in June 2024, with an additional six-month term for alleged prison unrest.
Her lawyer has criticized the court’s handling of evidence, particularly regarding Azizi’s humanitarian work in northern Syria.
“Her activities in the Sinjar refugee camp and other camps for ISIS war-displaced persons were entirely humanitarian, with no political dimension,” Raeisian said.
The case dates back to Azizi’s initial arrest during a 2009 University of Tehran student protest against the executions of Kurdish political prisoners.
After her release in 2010, she left Iran due to pressure from security forces and worked on women’s issues in Iraqi and Syrian Kurdistan.
Iranian intelligence authorities arrested Azizi in Tehran’s Kharazineighborhood in August 2023. She was initially held in Evin Prison’s Intelligence Ministry detention facility before being transferred to the women’s ward in December 2023.
Source:iranwire.com
https://iranwire.com/en/women/138852-irans-supreme-court-rejects-retrial-for-pakhshan-azizi/
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Africa observes Pan African Women’s Day
February 08, 2025
31 July is Pan African Women’s Day and 2019 marked the 57th anniversary of the Pan-African Women’s Organization (PAWO), the Specialised Agency of the AU dedicated to gender equality and women’s empowerment
In his statement to commemorate the day, the AU Commission Chairperson Moussa FakiMahamat noted amongst other things the import of the day pointing out that Pan African Women’s Day is a day to celebrate and acknowledge the Foremothers of Africa who gallantly fought for the liberation and development of this continent. He also reiterated the important role of African women who continue to be the backbone of our economies as farmers, entrepreneurs, traders, scientists and leaders in many other sectors.
The Chairperson noted that one of his priorities remains the full implementation of the policy organs’ call to have gender parity in the workforce of the AU by 2025 and committee that he will continue to demand dignity and protection for all women and girls who have been forcibly displaced in Africa; remarking that it is the collective responsibility of Africans to hold themselves and their leaders accountable to deliver on the gender equality and women’s empowerment commitments.
Source:au.int
https://au.int/en/articles/africa-observes-pan-african-womens-day
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UN rapporteur urges Iran to halt imminent execution of Kurdish woman
07 Feb 2025
The UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, Mai Sato, has sounded the alarm after Iran’s Supreme Court denied a judicial review for PakhshanAzizi, a Kurdish political prisoner and humanitarian worker facing a death sentence.
“Her imminent execution would violate international human rights law,” Sato wrote on Friday on X, urging Iranian authorities to “immediately halt her execution.”
Azizi was arrested in August 2023 and sentenced to death for armed rebellion against the state after an Islamic Revolutionary Court trial in Tehran last July.
Rights groups say the charges are politically motivated and linked to her humanitarian work helping women and children displaced by Islamic State attacks in northeast Syria.
Azizi's lawyer, Amir Raisian, wrote on X that they will file another retrial request and appeal to Iran's judiciary chief in a last-ditch effort to stop the execution.
Amnesty International also slammed the decision, saying, “The Iranian authorities must halt the execution of arbitrarily detained humanitarian aid worker PakhshanAzizi, who was sentenced to death following a grossly unfair trial,”
The organization's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa Diana Eltahawy also pointed to reports that Azizi was tortured by authorities and faced gender-based violence in detention.
Other rights groups have warned that Azizi’s case reflects a broader pattern of the Iranian state arbitrarily wielding the death penalty to suppress dissent—especially in the wake of the nationwide 2022 protests demanding the government's downfall.
Source:iranintl.com
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202502079490
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Revival of Kantha gives livelihood, dignity to poor Muslim women
08-02-2025
Kantha is traditional embroidery that was on the verge of going extinct until recently. The reason: Kantha embroidery was not commercialized, and the advent of embroidery machines imitated the handcrafted delicate designs and sold at cheaper rates.
Time has taken a turn as the women of Char Chapori, a locality on the banks of the Brahmaputra River in Assam, have vowed to save this art form as it has become their source of livelihood.
This flood-prone zone comprises 4.6 percent of Assam’s total area. Most of the people living here are below the poverty line. Even amidst this bleak scenario, the women are struggling to revive and popularize this Indian art form and to become financially independent.
Assam shares a 127 km border with West Bengal and this embroidery, along with other elements is part of the cross-cultural connections.
Interestingly, the Char Chapori area is mostly inhabited by Bengali-speaking Muslims, though some people are also from other religious denominations.
The living conditions here are pretty bad. Most of the people are uneducated and unskilled and they are into low-paying jobs like farming, animal husbandry, and physical labour.
Most of the houses in Char Chopri are shanties. They have to rebuild their bamboo and mud houses each time floods destroy their dwellings, adding to the cost of living.
However, the women of this area have taken charge to break the cycle of poverty and lack of resources. The women and young girls of Char Chapori have always been adept at creating motifs of Kantha. Women of the families have been making Kantha designs for generations.
The women are experts in stitching colourful thematic Kantha designs on rugs, baby bedding, bed sheets, blankets, sarees, suits, and dupattas at home using old or new clothes.
Besides they also make pillow covers, table covers, wall hangings, etc. to decorate the house.
Hindu women create religious stories that are direct depictions of mythology. Yes, all of them are extremely beautiful and unbelievable to look at, especially in today's age of machinery and AI.
Now, this dying art has started to come alive again and the contribution of Muslim women is important. Its impact is proving to be effective in changing the thinking of the town and society. Amarapari NGO has brought a ray of hope into their lives.
Mulla, the founder of the NGO, has seen their situation closely. He started making masks during the Covid-19 lockdown. He made thousands of masks, which resulted in good income. Gradually orders for masks with matching dresses started coming in, and the number of orders kept increasing.
Orders for various items made from Kantha art kept increasing. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram played a very important role in making it popular, due to which a large number of orders come from the country and abroad.
You can check out the Amrapari page. Realizing the mastery of this art, the women thought of bringing it to the market. This idea was like a lifesaver. Today, thousands of women are involved, and some have become famous as artists. Many have taken steps towards becoming entrepreneurs.
The revival of Kanatha has changed the lives of women. Muslim women are victims of additional restrictions because of their religion. The men of the community are patriarchal and domestic violence is rampant.
Physical torture, beatings, domestic quarrels, mental abuse, financial deprivations, early marriage, and early child-bearing are common. Most girls become mothers before the age of 20.
However, Amarpari NGO has brought a ray of hope into the lives of these women who are troubled by poverty and patriarchy.
NGO founder ManjuwaraMulla has seen their situation from close quarters. During the Covid-19 lockdown, she understood the importance of this art of women and thought of bringing it to the market. Today thousands of women are associated with it, some have become famous as artists. Many have taken the step of becoming entrepreneurs.
By joining the Amarpori NGO, women and girls earn 5-10 thousand or more. This amount may seem small but it was enough to make them financially strong.
Also, a steady decline is visible in domestic violence. Due to regular fights, homes had turned into places full of negativity. There has been a significant decline in this. Women have also started contributing financially to the family. The men who had not allowed their wives to join this work are now ferrying their wives to the factory.
The interesting thing is that many men have started helping with household chores. They have started happily taking the responsibility of taking care of the children when their wives go to work. This is a positive thing.
Source:awazthevoice.in
https://www.awazthevoice.in/women-news/revival-of-kantha-gives-livelihood-dignity-to-poor-muslim-women-34154.html
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Balochistan MPAs protest girl’s abduction in Khuzdar
SaleemShahid
February 8, 2025
QUETTA: Opposition lawmakers of the Balochistan Assembly staged a walkout from the assembly session on Friday against the kidnapping of a 17-year-old girl, Bibi Asma, in Khuzdar.
The BalochistanAwami Party leader and MPA, Agha Umar Ahmedzai, took up the issue on a point of order and said unidentified armed men barged into Asma’s house and kidnapped her.
He condemned the incident and said the girl was kidnapped after her family rejected a marriage proposal by a man. Mr Ahmedzai said the family members have informed tribal elders about the incident.
“The girl was subjected to violence before being forcibly taken away”, the MPA said while quoting family members.
Members of other political parties and provincial ministers also condemned the kidnapping and said the government should protect people.
The former chief minister of Balochistan, Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, who also heads the National Party, also condemned the incident.
Following the speeches, opposition members from various political parties staged a walkout in protest against the incident.
However, the opposition members later returned at the request of ministers and MPAs.
Provincial Finance Minister Mir ShoaibNosherwani condemned the kidnapping and assured the lawmakers that the government would address the matter.
Highway blocked
Meanwhile, the Quetta-Karachi National Highway remained blocked for the second consecutive day as protesters continued their sit-in to protest the abduction.
The victim’s family and locals have blocked the N-25 Highway at two key locations, JhalawanSabzalMandi and Zero Point, bringing traffic to a standstill.
They have vowed to continue the protest until Asma’s recovery.
Khuzdar SSP JavedZehri led multiple rounds of negotiations with protesters but to no avail.
The victim’s family has accused some influential people of backing the kidnappers, claiming that despite the identification of suspects, law-enforcement agencies have taken no action against them.
Source:dawn.com
https://www.dawn.com/news/1890551/balochistan-mpas-protest-girls-abduction-in-khuzdar
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Syrian jailed over death of migrant girl
February 07, 2025
NICOSIA: A Cypriot court sentenced a Syrian man who captained a migrant boat from Lebanon to three years in prison over causing the death of a young girl from dehydration, authorities said on Friday.
A statement by the Cypriot prosecution service said the Famagusta Criminal Court sentenced the Syrian national, 47, after finding him guilty of negligence resulting in the death of a three-year-old Syrian girl, who died from dehydration.
The young girl was among 60 “distressed and dehydrated” Syrians rescued from a crowded wooden boat off the coast of the Mediterranean island on Jan. 24, 2024.
According to the prosecution service, which did not name either the victim or the perpetrator, the “convicted individual had taken on the role of captain of the wooden boat that transported the Syrian migrants.”
Under Cypriot law, the maximum penalty provided for causing death through negligence is four years in prison.
The child, accompanied by her mother, was one of three girls aged three to five who were airlifted to a hospital in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, after being found unconscious during a major rescue operation. She died the following day.
The court said the accused failed to ensure the vessel’s safe navigation and take necessary safety measures for the passengers against potential dangers at sea.
It added that he lacked the qualifications for such a journey, as he attempted to navigate an overloaded boat that did not meet the minimum technical and structural specifications.
“When the boat’s engine broke down, it drifted for six days in open waters, exposed to harsh weather conditions, lacking direction, food, and drinking water.
There were 15 children on the boat, including five unaccompanied minors.
The migrants took off from Lebanon — about 168 km from Cyprus — on Jan. 18, 2024.
Cyprus had for years said it had the highest number of asylum seekers per capita in the EU, but the government has recently reported a drastic drop in migrant arrivals.
Source:arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2589400/middle-east
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IHC seeks govt response on ‘Aafia-Afridi swap’
Malik Asad
February 8, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sought a response from the federal government regarding a proposed prisoner exchange between Dr Aafia Siddiqui and Dr Shakeel Afridi.
The petition, seeking Dr Aafia’s release from US imprisonment and repatriation to Pakistan, was heard by Justice SardarEjazIshaq Khan.
Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist, has been serving an 86-year prison sentence in the US since 2010 on charges of attempting to kill US personnel in Afghanistan.
Dr Shakeel Afridi, on the other hand, is a Pakistani doctor who allegedly helped CIA locate Osama bin Laden in 2011. He has been imprisoned in Pakistan on charges of aiding a banned militant organisation. The US has previously called for Dr Shakeel Afridi’s release.
During the hearing, Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s American lawyer, Clive Smith, submitted a new declaration to the court, proposing that Dr Shakeel Afridi be extradited to the US in exchange for Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s return to Pakistan.
Smith emphasised that such an exchange could facilitate Dr Aafia’s repatriation to Pakistan.
The court inquired about the government’s stance on handing over Dr Afridi to the US in return for Dr Aafia’s release.
Justice Khan also referenced a letter written by the prime minister of Pakistan to former US president Joe Biden, questioning what response, if any, was received.
A representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the court that the additional secretary of the Ministry of Interior had recently met the acting US ambassador to discuss the matter. However, further details on the meeting’s outcome were not disclosed.
The court directed the federal government to provide a comprehensive response to Smith’s declaration and address all concerns raised. The court adjourned the hearing till Feb 21.
Source:dawn.com
https://www.dawn.com/news/1890555/ihc-seeks-govt-response-on-aafia-afridi-swap
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/world-women-afghanistan-supreme-court/d/134559