Afghan women still face arrests, threats, suppression: Human Rights Watch
New
Age Islam News Bureau
03
December 2023
•
Afghan women still face arrests, threats, suppression: Human Rights Watch
•
Queen of Malaysia visits General Women's Union
•
Islamic Jihad announces release of Israeli women, children held in Gaza
•
A Kentucky jail made a Muslim woman remove her hijab and televised her strip
search in its lobby, lawsuit alleges
•
Legal proceedings still pending against 13 Arab Israeli women released in Hamas
deal
•
Afghan women still face arrests, threats, suppression: Human Rights Watch
•
Pregnant Afghan women eligible for resettlement in UK stuck in Pakistan
•
German Human Rights Official Who Snubbed Iranian Dissident Is Pro-Hijab
•
Marjane Satrapi, illustrator and filmmaker: ‘Iran is experiencing the world’s
first feminist revolution’
•
Iran beaten by Germany at 2023 World Women's Handball C'ship
•
Fatima, Shawaal lead Pakistan to historic women’s T20I win over NZ
•
Palestinian toll crosses 15,200, 70% of them women, children: Hamas
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
-----
Afghan
women still face arrests, threats, suppression: Human Rights Watch
03
December, 2023
Kabul
[Afghanistan], December 2 (ANI): Human Rights Watch has said women in
Afghanistan still face arrests, threats and suppression, TOLO News reported.
The
international NGO that conducts research and advocacy on human rights,
expressed concern about the current situation of activist women in Afghanistan.
A
report published by the NGO showed the continued detention of female protesters,
including Julia Parsi, Manijeh Sediqi, Neda Parwani, and Parisa Azada.
“These
are four women’s rights activists arbitrarily detained by the Taliban right
now. Remember their names. But please also remember that there are many more in
custody who have not been named,” the report read.
“You
haven’t heard of most of the detained women. Families are terrified into
concealing their arrests, hoping silence might buy their release or reduce
abuses in custody,” it added.
The
Taliban, however, said that some women have been arrested to prevent the
implementation of foreign programs and to maintain public security.
“Seizure
does not mean that we silence someone’s voice or that someone is oppressed; It
is for the sake of maintaining public security and preventing external
conspiracies from happening in Afghanistan,” said Taliban spokesperson
Zabihullah Mujahid.
A
women rights activist Hwaida Hadis said: “The goal of women’s rights activists
and those who took to the streets was to be able to hear the voices of Afghan women
for the world.”
“The
women who were arrested did not have any anti-government and security
activities, they only wanted Afghan women and girls to study,” said Sonam
Latif, another women’s rights activist.
Meanwhile,
a recent survey conducted by the Afghanistan Women’s Journalist Association
(AWJA) uncovered significant challenges faced by female journalists in the
country, Khaama Press reported.
The
findings indicate that female journalists encounter obstacles such as job
insecurity, financial constraints, and limited access to information, impeding
their effective work.
Female
journalists have expressed frustration over difficulties in accessing vital
information and attending specific press conferences, hindering their reporting
efforts in a complex environment.
Source:
The Print.In
https://theprint.in/world/afghan-women-still-face-arrests-threats-suppression-human-rights-watch/1869114/
-----
Queen
of Malaysia visits General Women's Union
Dec
2, 2023
ABU
DHABI: Queen Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah of Malaysia, along with
her accompanying delegation, visited the headquarters of the General Women's
Union (GWU) in Abu Dhabi.
Al
Reem Abdullah Al Falasi, Secretary-General of GWU, received the Queen of
Malaysia and her accompanying delegation, followed by a celebratory event
coinciding with the GWU's celebrations of the UAE's 52nd Union Day.
During
her visit, the Queen of Malaysia met with a group of members of the Children's
Advisory Council, which is affiliated with the Office of the Secretary-General
of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and a number of UNICEF
youth ambassadors for the COP 28 Conference of the Parties.
Concluding
her visit, the Queen toured the Union's building and viewed the nursery
facilities. She also participated in planting a memorial tree in the presence
of Al Reem Al Falasi and the accompanying delegation.
Source:
Times Of India
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/queen-of-malaysia-visits-general-womens-union/articleshowprint/105684330.cms?val=3728
-----
Islamic
Jihad announces release of Israeli women, children held in Gaza
Ahmed
Gouda
29.11.2023
The
Palestinian Islamic Jihad group issued a statement late Tuesday confirming the
release of Israeli women and children it had been holding in the Gaza Strip.
The
Deputy Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement, Muhammad al-Hindi,
confirmed that the group’s armed wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, handed over the
civilian hostages.
"We
can accept the all-for-all equation regarding the detainees. If Israel is ready
to release all our prisoners, then we are ready," Al-Hindi said in an
interview with the Al Jazeera Media Network.
"The
enemy's choices are difficult regarding the hostages because it failed to
recover them militarily. Israel's tone of preparing for war is to influence the
course of the negotiations," he said.
"The
performance of the resistance and the steadfastness of our people is what will
decide the fate of the battle," he said, pointing out that "Israel
may be forced to end the aggression in light of the increasing losses."
Qatar
announced an agreement late Monday to extend an initial four-day humanitarian
pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas for an additional two days, under
which further prisoner exchanges will be carried out.
Israel
launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border
attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
It
has since killed over 15,000 people, including 6,150 children and 4,000 women,
according to health authorities in the enclave.
Source:
Www.aa.com.tr
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/islamic-jihad-announces-release-of-israeli-women-children-held-in-gaza/3067452
-----
A
Kentucky jail made a Muslim woman remove her hijab and televised her strip
search in its lobby, lawsuit alleges
Alisha
Ebrahimji
2
December 2023
A
Muslim mother of two, who was detained at a Kentucky jail earlier this year,
says she was forced to remove her hijab and underwent “an unnecessary full body
strip search,” which was “filmed and projected” on a TV screen for men and
women in the jail’s lobby to see, according to a lawsuit she has filed.
The
woman, identified as Jane Doe in court documents, says in the lawsuit the
search violated Warren County Regional Jail’s own procedures and also alleges
her booking photo, which shows her without the hijab, remains online in a
public inmate database, seven months after her arrest.
The
lawsuit alleges officers violated Doe’s constitutional rights to religious
freedom, subjected her to unreasonable search and seizure and deprived her of
equal protection under the law. It seeks a jury trial, changes in jail
procedures and unspecified damages.
“Appearing
in public without hijab or being photographed without wearing hijab and having
that photo available to the public is a serious breach of Mrs. Doe’s faith and
a deeply humiliating and defiling experience in conflict with her sincerely
held religious beliefs,” the suit, filed by the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR) Legal Defense Fund, says. They did not specify the charges or
say how they were resolved.
The
woman has been wearing a hijab since July 2013, and like many Muslim women,
also wears an abaya, a long-sleeved, loose, robe-like dress, the lawsuit
states.
The
suit singles out four Warren County officials by name for their roles in the
detention, which occurred in April, and alleges violations of the woman’s
first, fourth and 14th amendment rights.
Doe
was detained in April over a domestic dispute that has since been resolved,
Doe’s legal representatives, CAIR Trial Attorney Saad Gul and CAIR Legal Fellow
Aya Beydoun told CNN Thursday.
Warren
County Judge Executive Doug Gorman and Stephen Harmon, the chief jailer at
Warren County Regional Jail are named in the suit, along with the deputy
jailer, Brook Lindsey Harp; and Benjamin Carroll, an officer at Bowling Green
Police Department. Two other jail officers are identified as females but not
named.
Nearly
identical statements from Gorman and Harmon on behalf of all accused employees
acknowledged the lawsuit to CNN Thursday: “Warren County admits there was an
incident involving Jane Doe during intake at the Warren County Regional Jail.”
But
the statement continues, “The Complaint contains exaggerations and inaccuracies
as to the events that took place. Warren County and its employees deny
violating Jane Doe’s constitutional rights and state that they acted to
safeguard employees and other persons at the jail in a non-discriminatory
manner.”
The
Bowling Green Police Department declined to comment on pending litigation. CNN has
reached out to an attorney representing the city, but has not heard back.
On
April 6, Bowling Green officers, including Carroll, responded to a call at
Doe’s home, where she was wearing both her hijab and abaya, according to the
lawsuit.
Officers
questioned her outside her home and a female officer handcuffed her and placed
her in a police vehicle before taking her to the Warren County Regional Jail,
the suit states.
During
the drive, she informed Carroll that she needed to keep her hijab on in
accordance with her religious beliefs, the lawsuit states, adding that she
worried jail attire would conflict with her headscarf. It says Carroll didn’t
answer her questions about jail attire.
Because
Doe’s arrest happened during the Ramadan religious holiday, when she arrived at
the jail and began the booking process, she was offered an Iftar meal at sunset
when she would break her fast, to which she agreed, documents show.
After
the booking process, Doe received a pat down search with her clothes on from an
unidentified female officer, was questioned and her handcuffs were removed, the
lawsuit states. Then Doe was told by the officer that “a more thorough search
of her person which would involve removing her clothes” would need to happen,
and that it “would occur in a private room and the jail would provide her with
a uniform to put on afterward.”
“Believing
this was standard procedure, and with the understanding that it would be done
in a private room with only one female officer present, Mrs. Doe did not argue
and agreed to the search,” according to the lawsuit.
Warren
County Jail policy states strip searches will only be done by a person of the
same sex as the detained person and only when authorized by the sheriff and
after a court order from a judge, according to the Warren County Sheriff’s
Department.
The
policy further states no fewer than two officers should be present during a
search and that it is to be conducted in an area where others cannot see it.
The lawsuit alleges only one female officer was present during the search and
that others were able to see it.
After
the search, Doe donned her hijab again and had to push to be given a
long-sleeved shirt to wear under the jail-issued uniform, instead of short
sleeves, which violated her religious requirement to be fully clothed, the
lawsuit states.
While
Doe waited to have her booking photo taken, she was asked to wait on a bench in
the jail’s lobby. The lawsuit states that’s when she realized there was a TV
screen “hung right above the door where she had been strip searched” and it was
streaming footage from inside the room and facing the lobby, for all in the
room to see.
The
suit contends she “felt mortified, degraded, violated, and humiliated,” to
think individuals in the hallway and lobby might have seen her nude during the
strip search, a violation of her religious beliefs, which require her to wear
clothes that cover her body in front of anyone she doesn’t know.
Before
Doe was taken for her booking photo, she was told policy required her to remove
her hijab in the facility. Despite her pleas and visible sobbing, she was told
by officers she would need to remove it, the lawsuit alleges.
An
officer took Doe’s photo without her hijab on and per the jail’s policy
uploaded the photo to the public online jail management database, the lawsuit
states, where it remains. CNN has not been able to independently verify that
claim.
“Every
moment that photo remains on Warren County Regional Jail’s website perpetuates
the harm and anguish suffered by Mrs. Doe,” Beydoun said in a news release
about the lawsuit. “It is a permanent record and consistent reminder of the
violations to Mrs. Doe’s privacy and religious beliefs.”
“WCRJ
has no written policy forbidding its employees from removing detainees’
religious head coverings or describing scenarios when detainees would be
permitted to wear religious headwear or other clothing,” the suit states.
But
around 150 miles north of Warren County, the Lexington-Fayette County Detention
Center changed its policy regarding religious clothing after a Muslim woman was
forced to take off her hijab during her booking process in July, CNN affiliate
WLEX reported at the time.
The
chief of corrections told WLEX that CAIR was instrumental in policy revisions
there that allow religious head coverings, including Islamic hijabs, Jewish
kippas and Sikh turbans. When religious clothing must be removed for security,
it will occur in a private setting in the presence of a corrections officer who
is the same sex as the detained person. Booking photos will now be taken of
those detained with head coverings, provided the person’s face can remain fully
visible.
Doe’s
suit encourages Warren County to follow the same guidance, and calls for any
images and video footage of the incident to be destroyed.
Source:
Uk.news.yahoo.com
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/kentucky-jail-made-muslim-woman-211056237.html
-----
Legal
proceedings still pending against 13 Arab Israeli women released in Hamas deal
By
JEREMY SHARON
2
December 2023
Legal
proceedings against 13 Arab Israeli women who were released from prison under
the terms of the hostage release deal with Hamas are still pending, the Adalah
legal aid organization has said.
It
remained unclear whether justice officials intend to move forward with
prosecuting the women or whether proceedings would be dropped.
At
least five of these women had explicitly requested not to be included on the
list of those freed under the deal, and said neither they nor their legal
representatives had been informed that this would happen.
All
13 women in question were arrested after Hamas’s October 7 atrocities for
comments they posted on social media that allegedly violated laws against
incitement to violence and supporting or identifying with a terrorist
organization.
Some
of the women have not been indicted yet, and none have actually been put on
trial yet, although court proceedings are underway for several of them.
Adalah
said the fact they were released without their consent or the ability to clear
their names in court, and that upon their release the attorney general had not
declared their innocence or immediately dismissed their indictments,
constituted “a severe violation of their presumption of innocence, absurdly
marks them as ‘terrorists,’ and may significantly stain their future.”
Israeli
security forces in front of the entrance to Ofer Prison, outside of Jerusalem,
from where Palestinian terror convicts were released as part of a deal between
Israel and Hamas, November 26, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The
State Attorney’s Office has indicted more than 80 Arab Israeli citizens since
October 7 on charges of incitement to terrorism, or identifying with or
supporting a terrorist organization, for social media comments they’ve made.
Overnight
on Tuesday, 50 Arab Israeli citizens, women and minors, were added to the list
of potential candidates for release from prison within the framework of the
hostage release agreement with Hamas, 16 of whom had been arrested for social
media posts after October 7.
Some
organizations, including Adalah, have alleged that many of these allegations
were based on comments that are protected under freedom of expression laws, and
that the arrests are politically motivated.
At
least five of the women opposed being placed on the list of those eligible for
release under the deal with Hamas, and either appealed to district courts
against the decision or wrote letters to the State Attorney’s Office or the
Attorney General’s Office protesting the step.
In
those communications, attorneys for the women also demanded urgent
clarifications regarding the legal ramifications of their release, including
whether criminal proceedings against them would remain pending, whether they
would face re-arrest, or whether the charges had been or would be dismissed.
The
lawyers and their clients are yet to receive responses, and the legal situation
regarding their criminal status remains uncertain.
“These
women, arrested as part of a politically motivated crackdown led by the
far-right extremist [National Security] Minister [Itamar] Ben Gvir, are being
used as bargaining chips and are part of a process imposed on them that might
have significant ramifications and fuels incitement against them,” said Adalah.
“At
the same time, these women did not receive any assurance that the cases against
them will be dropped. The criminal proceedings initiated against these
Palestinian women are groundless from the outset, and therefore, they must be
promptly released outside of any political agreement, with all charges
dropped.”
Are
you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage right now?
If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month,
you will:
Protesters
attend a demonstration for the release of hostages held in Gaza since the
October 7 attack, in Tel Aviv on December 2, 2023. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)2
Source:
Times Of Israel.com
https://www.timesofisrael.com/legal-proceedings-still-pending-against-13-arab-israeli-women-released-in-hamas-deal/
-----
Afghan
women still face arrests, threats, suppression: Human Rights Watch
03
December, 2023
Kabul
[Afghanistan], December 2 (ANI): Human Rights Watch has said women in
Afghanistan still face arrests, threats and suppression, TOLO News reported.
The
international NGO that conducts research and advocacy on human rights,
expressed concern about the current situation of activist women in Afghanistan.
A
report published by the NGO showed the continued detention of female
protesters, including Julia Parsi, Manijeh Sediqi, Neda Parwani, and Parisa
Azada.
“These
are four women’s rights activists arbitrarily detained by the Taliban right
now. Remember their names. But please also remember that there are many more in
custody who have not been named,” the report read.
“You
haven’t heard of most of the detained women. Families are terrified into
concealing their arrests, hoping silence might buy their release or reduce
abuses in custody,” it added.
The
Taliban, however, said that some women have been arrested to prevent the
implementation of foreign programs and to maintain public security.
“Seizure
does not mean that we silence someone’s voice or that someone is oppressed; It
is for the sake of maintaining public security and preventing external
conspiracies from happening in Afghanistan,” said Taliban spokesperson
Zabihullah Mujahid.
A
women rights activist Hwaida Hadis said: “The goal of women’s rights activists
and those who took to the streets was to be able to hear the voices of Afghan
women for the world.”
“The
women who were arrested did not have any anti-government and security
activities, they only wanted Afghan women and girls to study,” said Sonam
Latif, another women’s rights activist.
Meanwhile,
a recent survey conducted by the Afghanistan Women’s Journalist Association
(AWJA) uncovered significant challenges faced by female journalists in the
country, Khaama Press reported.
The
findings indicate that female journalists encounter obstacles such as job
insecurity, financial constraints, and limited access to information, impeding
their effective work.
Female
journalists have expressed frustration over difficulties in accessing vital
information and attending specific press conferences, hindering their reporting
efforts in a complex environment.
Source:
The Print.In
https://theprint.in/world/afghan-women-still-face-arrests-threats-suppression-human-rights-watch/1869114/
-----
Pregnant
Afghan women eligible for resettlement in UK stuck in Pakistan
Dec
3, 2023
NEW
DELHI: Pregnant Afghan women, eligible for resettlement in the UK under the
Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), have been cautioned that the
survival chances of their babies may be at risk unless urgent evacuation takes
place, reported The Guardian.
However,
despite directives from the Foreign Office and Home Office instructing them to
move to Pakistan and await the relocation process, they find themselves
stranded in hotels with restricted access to medical care, nearly two years
after the scheme's launch.Meanwhile, on 1 November, Pakistan began deporting
undocumented people back to Afghanistan, with 1.7 million thought to be at risk
of removal. The former British Council teachers are among them, with many
having spent up to £5,000 on passports and visas to reach Islamabad. While
waiting for a response from the British government, their three-month visas
have expired, meaning they could be arrested and deported back to Afghanistan.
One
of those at risk is Mina, whose husband, Batoor, spoke to the Observer last
year after their two-year-old daughter Najwa died of cardiac arrest, liver
failure and acute septicaemia due to a lack of access to medical care. Mina,
due to give birth in the next six weeks, has now discovered her unborn child
has potentially fatal medical complications.
On
November 1, Pakistan initiated the deportation of undocumented individuals back
to Afghanistan, putting an estimated 1.7 million people at risk of removal.
Among those facing this peril are former British Council teachers who, having
spent considerable amounts, up to £5,000, on passports and visas to reach
Islamabad, now find themselves in a vulnerable position.
According
to The Guardian, despite awaiting a response from the British government, their
three-month visas have expired, leaving them susceptible to arrest and
potential deportation to Afghanistan.
The
healthcare of individuals eligible for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme
(ACRS) and awaiting relocation to the UK falls under the purview of the
International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Pakistan. However, Afghans
assert that communication has been lacking, with urgent requests remaining
unanswered for as long as a month.
“IOM,
they tell us to take care of issues ourselves, but how can we when we have
money problems?” Abdulaziz, a former British Council teacher whose wife is in
her third trimester, told The Guardian.
“I
have not worked for two years and have been living in hiding from the Taliban.
I spent thousands of dollars on visas. We cannot go outside to get medicines,
or even pay for them if we do,” Abdulaziz said.
“The
prime minister has tried every trick in the book to wriggle his way out of his
government’s longstanding commitment to all those Afghans who served British
efforts in Afghanistan. It is only because the Pakistani government has
threatened to send these vulnerable people back over the border into the hands
of the Taliban that he has now been forced into this humiliating U-turn,"
Shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock told the news outlet.
Source:
Times Of India
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/pregnant-afghan-women-eligible-for-resettlement-in-uk-stuck-in-pakistan/articleshowprint/105700989.cms?val=3728
-----
German
Human Rights Official Who Snubbed Iranian Dissident Is Pro-Hijab
Benjamin
Weinthal
03-12-2023
The
German human rights commissioner who rebuffed Iranian female dissidents on
Thursday, reportedly views the hijab as a form of emancipation for women.
The
Iranian dissident, Masih Alinejad, pulled the plug on a meeting with the
federal human rights commissioner, Luise Amtsberg, because Amtsberg did not
wish to publicize the substance of the discussion.
The
German magazine Stern reported in 2017 that the Green party politician had said
she learned the head scarf can be a sign of emancipation, adding “We forget
that sometimes.”
Lawdan
Bazargan, a California-based Iranian-American political and human rights
activist, told Iran International, “The hijab is an ideology, and like any
ideological belief, it is linked to 'interests' and 'power.’ The hijab serves a
dual function; it privileges veiled women in Islamic societies while also
helping to reproduce the system's inherent patriarchy."
Bazargan,
who is currently campaigning to secure the dismissal of Oberlin College’s
Mohammad Jafar Mahallati, Iran’s former ambassador to the UN, added,
“Ultimately, the hijab humiliates and disempowers women in society. It is
shameful for a European woman, born and raised in a democratic country with
liberal values, to idolize a symbol that oppresses millions of women, acting
like a chain around their necks, suffocating them.”
Alinejad
has long campaigned against the hijab. The Islamic Republic of Iran imposed the
mandatory hijab on women after the 1979 revolution in 1981.
Iran
International reported last week that the clerical regime has impounded the
cars of people who violate the rules of the mandatory Hijab. In 2022, after
dozens of Iranian women unveiled in public and sent their videos to Alinejad in
New York, the clerical regime said women can be sentenced up to 10 years in
jail for sending Alinjead the footage.
The
outrage over Amtsberg’s attempt to silence the Iranian dissidents in Berlin has
shined a new spotlight on the Green party’s overly cordial relationship with
the Islamic Republic.
Amtsberg’s
Green party has a long tradition of holding public meetings with Iranian regime
officials and politicians who have denied the Holocaust, defended the use of
stoning for adultery, and engaged in killing Iranians.
In
2019, Germany’s best-selling newspaper, Bild, published a series of news
articles and an editorial titled “Shame on the Bundestag” that exposed the
then-Green party Bundestag vice president Claudia Roth’s enthusiastic greeting
of the former speaker of the Iran’s ersatz parliament, Ali Larijani.
Roth
is currently Germany’s cultural minister and, in 2010, met in Tehran with the
former speaker's brother, Mohammad-Javad Larijani, who defended the stoning of
people who committed adultery. Mohammad-Javad Larijani served as the head of
the Iranian Human Rights Council. A year before Roth’s meeting, he denied the
Holocaust at a German foreign ministry-sponsored event in Berlin held close to
the Holocaust memorial.
Roth
courted Manouchehr Mottaki who, while foreign minister, delivered a key speech
at Tehran’s 2006 Holocaust denial conference.
The
largely pro-Iran politician, Roth, also high-fived then-Iran ambassador to
Germany, Reza Sheikh Attar, at the 2013 Munich Security Conference. Iranian
Kurdish dissidents accused Attar of carrying out a massacre of Kurds during his
tenure as governor of Kurdistan and West Azerbaijan provinces between 1980-1985.
The
German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, has also faced intense criticism
from German opposition politicians and Iranian dissidents for her dovish
posture toward Tehran. Baerbock refuses to sanction the IRGC as a terrorist
organization. She claims to practice a “feminist foreign policy” but her
inaction toward the IRGC—a US-designated terrorist organization dedicated to
enforcing the mandatory hijab—has sparked criticism from Alinejad and other
Iranian dissidents.
Source:
Iranintl.Com
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202312020244
-----
Marjane
Satrapi, illustrator and filmmaker: ‘Iran is experiencing the world’s first
feminist revolution’
MARC
BASSETS
DEC
03, 2023
Marjane
Satrapi returns. After years away from comics — the art that brought her
massive praise from both critics and the public — the author of the acclaimed
Persepolis has returned to drawing and writing. “There was something important
to say,” Satrapi explains, in the living room of her home in Paris. The
54-year-old Iranian-born graphic novelist hosted EL PAÍS on Tuesday, November
28. “Drawing is the human being’s first [artistic] expression, before writing.”
The
cartoonist and filmmaker wanted to narrate the death of Mahsa Amini, the
22-year-old woman who was detained by Iran’s morality police for not wearing
her veil correctly. Head coverings are mandatory for women in Iran. Satrapi
wanted to say something about this and about what came afterwards: a wave of
protests and brutal repression. “Mahsa Amini will forever be the symbol of the
fight for freedom. She died [because she wore] the veil incorrectly,” Satrapi
notes, before adding that “Iran is experiencing the world’s first feminist
revolution.”
At
the initiative of the late French editor Sophie de Sivry, Satrapi brought
together three specialists — political scientist Farid Vahid and historian
Abbas Milani, both Iranians, as well as veteran French reporter Jean-Pierre
Perrin — and a dream team of 17 comic authors, including several Iranians and
Spaniards. The result is Woman, Life, Freedom, title of the publication, which
takes its name from the motto of the revolution.
“Signing
manifestos is great, but it has little mileage,” she explains. “But a book
lasts.” However, at another point in the conversation, she clarifies: “You have
to be humble about the influence of a book, a song, or a movie. I sold millions
of copies of Persepolis (which can be purchased in two volumes, or as a
complete book) and I don’t know how many hundreds of conferences I gave. Did I
change anything? How would I know? Did I arouse people’s curiosity? Yes. I
contributed a little. Just a little bit… but that’s the only way to change the
world.”
From
interviews with Marjane Satrapi, we always come away with the same feeling:
that the character who appears in her comics is, in fact, the creator. She has
the same whirlwind of ideas, the same clarity of principles… and the same iron
character. As soon as Satrapi enters her apartment — and upon seeing the
photographer from EL PAÍS — she announces that she refuses to be photographed.
“It’s not to act interesting,” she clarifies. “Every time someone takes a photo
of me, I feel a little like the [Indigenous people] of the 19th century… I have
the impression that [the cameras] are stealing my soul. I don’t even let my
friends take photos of me. And, if they do, I take away their phone and I
delete it.”
Three
years ago, during her last interview with EL PAÍS — in which she allowed
herself to be photographed — she said: “I no longer feel like making comics.
And, if you don’t feel like doing something, it’s better not to do it.”
“Actually,
even now, I haven’t done any comics,” the author clarifies “I’ve done a
double-page illustration and the cover art. That’s it.” It’s not a little. In
all the pages of Woman, Life, Freedom, which is much more than a protest book
or a non-fiction comic, you can feel the strength of this indomitable artist,
who came to France to study and created a classic graphic novel. On the cover
of the new book, you can see a group of faces: women with their hair in the
air, as if it were a bonfire. And there are men next to them. “A big difference
is that, this time around, the Woman, Life, Freedom movement is supported by
men, because women’s rights are the rights of society.”
Satrapi
illustrates the chapter Feared and Hated, about the Guardians of the
Revolution. “They’re not called the Guardians of Iran,” she observes. “This
regime doesn’t love Iran. They don’t dress like Iranians or talk like Iranians.
Iran, to them, doesn’t mean a damn thing.”
She
insists that, in Iran, a minority has held the majority hostage for almost
half-a-century. The country has advanced and modernized, while the regime has
remained frozen in time, or gone backwards. She says that women – protagonists
of the recent revolt – got educated and fought to achieve basic freedoms in the
face of misogynistic and corrupt religious authorities and bureaucrats.
“They’re a minority and don’t represent even 15% [of the population]. Among
them are the religious lunatics, but also a large part of people with economic
interests,” Satrapi affirms. “And these people, are they interested in making
changes? And, if they did go, [what would be their model]? They would look to
China, Venezuela, Russia... they violently cling to power and that’s how it
works.”
As
in Persepolis, the veil is almost a protagonist in Woman, Life, Freedom. “In
March of 1979 [the year of the Iranian Revolution], women were already in the
streets to say: ‘We don’t want to wear a veil.’ But there weren’t many men
[participating] then. The revolutionary left said: ‘The veil isn’t our problem,
because we’re facing a problem of social classes.’” But she’s quite clear on
this point: “The veil is a symbol of women’s submission. It means saying: ‘I am
a sexual object, I must cover myself up because, if not, a man will get an
erection.’ And it starts at six years old, because at that age, you can already
excite a man. You see the perversity of the thing…” For Satrapi, “removing the
veil is important” and she regrets that “neither the left nor the feminists in
the West support us, because they’ve gotten it into their heads that Islamism
and Muslims are the same: if they attack the [the Islamist ideology], they’re
attacking Muslims.”
The
director of films such as Radioactive (2019) isn’t happy with a part of
feminism. “I’m a factual feminist, not a castrator,” she shrugs. “I’ve always
refused to go to women’s literature or film festivals. Both the films and the
books,” she adds, pointing to her head, “I make them with this part of my body.
My tits and my vagina have nothing to do with this [artistic production]. If
I’m appreciated, I want it to be as a filmmaker, not as a man, woman, or
hermaphrodite. If there are festivals for men and women, let’s make them for
Blacks and whites. Or for the short and tall, because, I assure you, if you’re
[five feet tall] or [six feet tall], you won’t have the same vision of the
world. These are ghettos! This kind of feminism doesn’t interest me at all.”
In
the final chapter of Woman, Life, Freedom, Satrapi talks with co-authors Vahd,
Perrin and Milani. Joann Sfar illustrates and narrates the scene. At one point,
Satrapi makes a comment about the protests in Iran: “It’s like an avalanche.
The snowball is too big. It can’t be stopped.” Then, she predicts that the
regime will fall: “They’ve celebrated their 45 years… they won’t reach 50.”
“When
I say that the regime is dead,” she clarifies, in her conversation with EL
PAÍS, “it’s not because I have a fantasy or am hoping that my wishes become
reality, or because I’m optimistic. How can we be optimistic if we’re all going
to die? But really, if you see the cultural revolution that has already taken
place, this youth that aspires to freedom — this [group of youngsters] that has
always been the most pro-democratic and pro-Western in the region — the
position of women and the consideration that women have for the [Iranian] men…
you put it all together and you conclude that the regime cannot stand.”
The
events of the last year and what may come have altered her expectations. Until
the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the regime — and after 23 years
without setting foot in Iran — Satrapi doubted that she would ever return. She
even made a will stating that she should be buried there. But everything has
changed: “Now, I know I will go back.”
Source:
English.Elpais.Com
https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-12-03/marjane-satrapi-illustrator-and-filmmaker-iran-is-experiencing-the-worlds-first-feminist-revolution.html
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Iran
beaten by Germany at 2023 World Women's Handball C'ship
Dec
3, 2023
The
European side also tied the record for the number of goals scored in a single
match at the IHF Women’s World Championship, set 16 years ago against Paraguay,
when they took a 45:12 win, which is still the largest-ever in their history in
the world handball flagship competition.
On
the other hand, Iran conceded their eighth loss in nine matches at the IHF
Women’s World Championship and their hopes of progression hang by a thread,
with the last match against Japan being paramount for the Asian side, who has
lost the first two matches by 43 goals combined.
Source:
En.Mehrnews.Com
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/209097/Iran-beaten-by-Germany-at-2023-World-Women-s-Handball-C-ship
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Fatima,
Shawaal lead Pakistan to historic women’s T20I win over NZ
Dec
03 2023
Dunedin,
Dec 3 (IANS): Fast-bowler Fatima Sana's superb 3-18 and a batting effort led by
Shawaal Zulfiqar’s 41 helped Pakistan win the T20I series opener over New
Zealand by seven wickets. The result also means Pakistan have got their
first-ever women’s T20I win over New Zealand.
Electing
to bat first, New Zealand were restricted to 127/6, courtesy of a fine bowling
display by the tourists’ with Fatima being the standout. Fatima, who missed the
Bangladesh tour due to injury, capitalised on the overcast conditions to bowl a
superb spell of 3-18, with her scalps being Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Kate
Anderson and Suzie Bates.
Captain
Nida Dar, Diana Baig and Aliya Riaz took a wicket each at regular intervals to
dent New Zealand’s job of rebuilding the innings. Maddy Green was the top
run-getter, scoring 43 not out off 28 balls, hitting five fours and taking New
Zealand past 120.
Chasing
128, Pakistan’s opening pair of Shawaal and Muneeba Ali had a decent 40-run
opening partnership, before the latter fell for 23 off 24 balls to Sophie
Devine. Nida promoted herself up in the order and stitched a stand of 51 runs
for the second wicket with young Shawaal.
Shawaal,
18, playing her sixth T20I and first in New Zealand, made her highest score in
the format of 41 off 42 balls, smashing seven boundaries, before being
dismissed at the end of the 13th over. Nida too was dismissed after a
quick-fire 23 off 14 balls, as Pakistan lost the set batters in quick
succession.
It
was upto the experienced duo of Bismah Maroof and Aliya to guide Pakistan home
with 10 balls to spare. Aliya returned unbeaten on 25 off 12 balls, hitting two
fours and a six, including the winning runs on the second ball of the 19th over
to finish off the chase in style.
On
the other hand, Bismah was unbeaten on 13 off 18 balls, hitting a four.
Pakistan will now take on New Zealand in the second T20I on Tuesday at the same
venue, while the third and final T20I of the series will be played in
Queenstown on December 9.
Brief
Scores: New Zealand 127/6 in 20 overs (Maddy Green 43 not out, Suzie Bates 28;
Fatima Sana 3-18) lost to Pakistan 132/3 in 18.2 overs (Shawaal Zulfiqar 41,
Aliya Riaz 25 not out; Sophie Devine 2-23, Eden Carson 1-27) by seven wickets
Source:
Www.Daijiworld.Com
https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1145709
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Palestinian
toll crosses 15,200, 70% of them women, children: Hamas
Dec
02 2023
The
Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said the death toll has surpassed 15,200 and
that 70 per cent of those killed were women and children.
The
previous toll given by the ministry was more than 13,300 dead. Al-Qidra did not
explain the sharp jump. However, the ministry had only been able to provide
sporadic updates since November 11, amid problems with connectivity and major
war-related disruptions in hospital operations.
The
ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Some 2 million
people - almost Gaza's entire population - are crammed into the territory's
south, where Israel urged people to relocate at the war's start and has since
vowed to extend its ground assault. Unable to go into north Gaza or
neighbouring Egypt, their only escape is to move around within the
220-square-kilometre (85-square-mile) area.
In
response to US calls to protect civilians, the Israeli military released an
online map, but it has done more to confuse than to help.
It
divides the Gaza Strip into hundreds of numbered, haphazardly drawn parcels,
sometimes across roads or blocks, and asks residents to learn the number of
their location in case of an eventual evacuation.
The
publication does not specify where people should evacuate to, the UN office for
coordinating humanitarian issues in the Palestinian territory noted in its
daily report. It is unclear how those residing in Gaza would access the map
without electricity and amid recurrent telecommunications cuts.
Egypt
has expressed concerns the renewed offensive could cause Palestinians to try
and cross into its territory. In a statement late Friday, the Egyptian Foreign
Ministry said the forced transfer of Palestinians is a red line".
US
Vice President Kamala Harris, who was in Dubai on Saturday for the COP28
climate conference, was expected to outline proposals with regional leaders to
put Palestinian voices at the centre of planning the next steps for the Gaza
Strip after the conflict, according to the White House. US President Joe
Biden's administration has been emphasising the need for an eventual two-state
solution, with Israel and a Palestinian state coexisting.
Source:
Business-Standard.Com
https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/palestinian-toll-crosses-15-200-70-of-them-women-children-hamas-123120200574_1.html
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