Young Iranian Woman Artist, Zara Esmaeili, arrested for Singing in Public
New Age Islam News Bureau
05 Aug 2024
· Young Iranian Woman Artist, Zara Esmaeili, arrested for Singing in Public
· Palestinian Artist Salma Dib Displays Work at Etihad Modern Art Gallery
· Egyptian Beach Volleyball Team Blast French Hijab Ban
· Global Sports Company PUMA Ties Up with Eastern Flames, Saudi Arabia’s First All-Women’s Football Club
· Jordanian Industry Ministry Launches Group to Empower Women-Owned Enterprises
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Young Iranian Woman Artist, Zara Esmaeili, arrested for Singing in Public
05-08-24
Iranian singer Zara Esmaeili
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In the latest crackdown on artistic expression, Iranian security forces have arrested Zara Esmaeili, a young artist whose videos singing in public without hijab, in defiance of the Islamic Republic's rules, went viral.
Esmaeili, known for performing without the mandatory hijab in public spaces like the metro and parks, has been taken into custody, with no information available about her whereabouts or condition. The arrest has left her family in despair as they struggle to ascertain her fate.
A source close to the situation confirmed that “Zara's family has been unable to locate her".
The Islamic Republic prohibits women from singing or dancing in public, reflecting a broader repression against women's rights. These moves, enforced since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, are rooted in conservative interpretations of Islamic law that deem the female singing voice provocative and sexually suggestive.
Despite these restrictions, many women in Iran continue to resist, using social media to share their performances. However, such acts of defiance come with risks.
FaravazFarvardin, the founder of the Berlin-based Right to Sing Campaign, condemned the arrest of Esmaeili, noting that “Iranian authorities often fabricate charges to justify their crackdown on female singers.”
In an interview with Iran International, Farvardin emphasized that “there is no legal basis for banning female singers,” indicating the Islamic Republic's broader strategy to suppress dissent and enforce gender segregation.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of escalating repression in Iran, particularly targeting women and artists.
Recent cases, such as the arrest of dissident rapper ToomajSalehi and the imprisonment of Grammy Award-winning singer ShervinHajipour, underscore the penalties faced by artists who challenge the Islamic system's strictures.
Salehi was initially arrested on September 13, 2021, following the release of his track Rat Hole. He faced arbitrary detention again on October 30, 2022, during the nationwide Women, Life, Freedom protests, accused of "corruption on earth," a charge for which he was sentenced to death in April 2024.
Despite being granted bail on November 18, 2023, Salehi was re-arrested within two weeks on new charges of "publishing falsehoods" and "propaganda against the state." These charges were related to a video he released detailing the torture he endured while in custody. He received a one-year prison sentence for the allegations.
Currently, Salehi is held at Dastgerd Prison in Esfahan, serving this sentence while awaiting the final legal resolution of the 2022 case, especially after his death sentence was overturned. However, with the new charges and the pending outcome of the 2022 case, his future remains uncertain, as he has been in prison for almost two years since his arrest in October 2022.
Hajipour, whose song "Baraye" became an anthem for the Women, Life, Freedom protests, has had his sentence upheld.
Source: iranintl.com
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202408038550
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Palestinian artist Salma Dib displays work at Etihad Modern Art Gallery
August 04, 2024
Palestinian artist Salma Dib already has
a remarkable story to tell. (Supplied)
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DUBAI: She might be just 24 years old, but Palestinian artist Salma Dib already has a remarkable story to tell.
The young UAE-based artist is displaying one of her wall pieces at an exhibition called “Summer and Women” at Etihad Modern Art Gallery in Abu Dhabi.
Dib has been working on an ongoing, powerful and labor-intensive series of works which she calls “generational walls.” She mounts a mix of building materials — including cement, gravel and sand — on wooden panels featuring obscure Arabic writings. The result is visually intense, stopping viewers in their tracks.
The inspiration behind the politically charged, grey-toned imagery is the graffiti found on the walls of Syria, Jordan and Palestine.
“People can anonymously say anything on them,” said Dib, referring to the protest nature of her work. “I think I found a part of myself in those walls, because I (have always been) reserved in what I had to say . . . A lot of it is about healing because I get to say what I want.”
Born in a Syrian refugee camp, Dib’s journey has taken her to the UAE and Chicago, where she studied art and exhibited some of her works. But it hasn't all been smooth sailing.
“You know how they say you face in your life a lot of your biggest fears? I think my biggest fear has always been uncertainty — familywise, country-wise, passport situations and my schooling. There was always that feeling of ‘Where is home?’ which I feel a lot of us really deal with,” Dib told Arab News in Dubai, where she now lives.
The artist is the descendent of a displaced Palestinian family who were forced out of their homes in 1948 as a result of the Israeli occupation. Her grandfather, then a child, reached Syria — mostly by walking — and settled there.
“There was always this inherited pain passed down to us,” she said.
Dib was born in the refugee camp of Khan al-Shih, in southern Syria, 27 kilometers from Damascus. She lived with her family on a farm, a place of which she has many happy memories and where she says her love of art began. Her grandfather built a treehouse for her and her cousins, and her aunt and uncle were artists and had a studio at the camp.
“When we were kids, we would just play with paint in their studio,” Dib recalled. “As a child, art was something for fun. In the farm, we used to always paint on furniture.”
When Dib was five, her father had the chance of a job in the UAE, and the family initially settled in Abu Dhabi.
During her mid-teens, Dib began to take art more seriously. After losing her mother at 15, art became her “alone time.”
“It was an outlet, but there were no thoughts — just doing. Making something was always part of my life,” she said.
In 2018, Dib wanted to experience life on her own and was able to travel to the US to study art. She enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and found her artistic voice, experimenting with textile art, ceramic, and neon signage. One of her teachers encouraged her to get out of her “reserved” self: “She kept pushing me and telling me, ‘There is more to your story that you need to be showing through your art’.”
Summer and Women continues throughout the summer and open daily at the Etihad Modern Art Gallery.
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2562381/lifestyle
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Egyptian beach volleyball team blast French hijab ban
08/04/24
The Egyptian women’s beach volleyball team called out France’s hijab ban for its country’s athletes after their match in the 2024 Paris Olympics last week.
MarwaAbdelhady and DoaaElghobashy, who are both representing Egypt at the 2024 Paris Olympics, wore hijabs, black leggings and long-sleeve t-shirts while facing off against Spain in a women’s beach volleyball match. Spain’s team members wore bikinis during the Aug. 1 match.
“I want to play in my hijab, she wants to play in a bikini,” Elghobashy told Expressen last week. “Everything is OK, if you want to be naked or wear a hijab. Just respect all different cultures and religions.”
“I don’t tell you to wear a hijab and you don’t tell me to wear a bikini. No one can tell me how to dress. It’s a free country, everyone should be allowed to do what they want,” she continued, per Expressen.
Elghobashy made history in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics, becoming the first athlete to play volleyball in a hijab at the Olympics.
If Elghobashy and Abdelhady were playing for France this year, they would not have been permitted to wear their hijabs over the country’s rule prohibiting female Muslim athletes from wearing a sports hijab or headscarves during the Olympics. The hijab bans apply to athletes at all levels of French sports, including amateur and youth levels outside of the Olympics, according to Amnesty International.
In January 2022, the French senate voted to ban hijab in sports competitions and other “ostensible religious symbols.” In September of last year, it was confirmed the ban would also apply to the French athletes participating in the Paris Olympics, CNN reported.
Days ahead of the Olympics, French Olympic sprinter SounkambaSylla said she would not be permitted to participate in the opening ceremony because of her hijab.
“You are selected for the Olympics, organized in your country, but you can’t participate in the opening ceremony because you wear a headscarf,” Sylla said on her private Instagram, according to The Associated Press.
Source: thehill.com
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/4810880-egyptian-beach-volleyball-team-blast-french-hijab-ban/
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Global Sports Company PUMA Ties Up with Eastern Flames, Saudi Arabia’s First All-Women’s Football Club
August 04, 2024
Global sports company PUMA proudly announces a groundbreaking three-year partnership with Eastern Flames FC, Saudi Arabia’s first and pioneering all-women’s football team. This three-year partnership represents PUMA’s commitment to empowering women and advancing football culture in the region.
Founded in 2006 in the Kingdom’s Eastern Province, Eastern Flames FC is where women’s football began in Saudi Arabia and continues to thrive. The club, owned and operated entirely by women, is currently one of ten clubs competing in the Women’s Premier League. As the first official private club for women in the region, Eastern Flames FC embodies the spirit of perseverance, progress, and breaking barriers.
As the official partner of Eastern Flames FC, PUMA will design the team’s athletic gear for home, away, and third kits, reflecting the club’s unique brand identity and cultural impact.
This partnership underscores PUMA’s mission to push sports culture forward in the region and expand its football portfolio in collaboration with strategic partners who are trailblazers, pioneers, and disruptors.
MaramAlButairi, Eastern Flames chairwoman and CEO, said: “We are thrilled to share that we’ve teamed up with the world-famous sports brand PUMA to take women’s football to new heights. This exciting partnership is all about empowering women in football on a global scale. With PUMA’s incredible 76-year legacy and widespread presence in over 120 countries, it’s a perfect match for our club’s mission to elevate women’s football worldwide.”
TanerSeyis, managing director of PUMA Middle East, commented on the partnership: “We are excited to partner with Eastern Flames FC, Saudi’s trailblazing all-female team that embodies the spirit of perseverance and progress.”
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2562621/corporate-news
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Jordanian Industry Ministry launches group to empower women-owned enterprises
August 04, 2024
AMMAN: Jordan’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply on Sunday held the first meeting of a new working group aimed at empowering women-owned businesses, Jordan Press Agency reported.
The gathering included prominent female entrepreneurs, representatives from organizations focused on women’s empowerment, and officials from various industry and commerce chambers.
Dana Al-Zoubi, the ministry’s secretary-general, spoke about the importance of the working group in achieving the ministry’s objectives and highlighted the ministry’s dedication to increasing women’s participation in the economy in various sectors.
Al-Zoubi praised the efforts of the Ministerial Committee for Women’s Empowerment and the Jordanian National Committee for Women’s Affairs for tackling the challenges faced by women.
She also reviewed the ministry’s major accomplishments in 2023 and the first half of the current year, as well as ongoing plans and strategies.
Al-Zoubi acknowledged the role of the newly established Women’s Empowerment Unit in improving access to economic opportunities for women.
Participants at the meeting discussed the working group’s goals, which include consulting on future strategies for women’s empowerment, addressing the challenges women encounter, expanding access to opportunities and resources for women-owned businesses, and creating a supportive business environment.
The group agreed that the WEU would draft a work charter outlining the group’s objectives, structure, meeting frequency and responsibilities.
Members were encouraged to provide feedback on the charter and suggest additional topics for discussion. The proposal to form special technical teams to focus on improving women’s access to economic opportunities was well received, with several suggestions made for future areas of focus.
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2562406/middle-east
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/young-iranian-woman-zara-esmaeili/d/132868