Women in Islam

Current issues, news and ethics
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kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

4 January 2012

Women only to work in Saudi Arabia lingerie shops

By Emily Buchanan BBC world affairs correspondent
Saudi women to be served by female staff Saudi women will be served only by female staff in lingerie shops
Continue reading the main story
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A law allowing only women to work in lingerie shops in Saudi Arabia is coming into force.

Campaigners hope this will end decades of awkwardness in the Islamic kingdom where women have always been served by male shop assistants.

The heated issue of the total lack of female shop workers in Saudi Arabia has simmered for years.

Many Saudi women say they have felt particularly uncomfortable buying their lingerie from men.

Female campaigners recently increased the pressure for change through a Facebook campaign and a boycott of lingerie stores.

Now King Abdullah's royal decree finally comes into effect, banning male staff from selling female underwear.

"It's about time, it's been a long struggle and the authorities have finally come to their senses," says Radio Jeddah journalist Samar Fatany.

She says she, and any woman who could afford to, would often shop abroad rather than face the embarrassment of giving her underwear size over the counter to a man.

The campaign has gained extra momentum from the increasing number of young women who want to enter the workplace.

The Saudi women who can work are usually the educated elite who do professional jobs in medicine or government.

The new law could potentially create up to 40,000 jobs for ordinary Saudi women who have hitherto had little or no access to employment.

But it also means that male clerks, most of whom are foreign workers, will be out of a job.

It is not far short of a social revolution being pushed through in the teeth of fierce opposition from the kingdom's top clerics.

They do not want to see an increase in the number of women working outside the home.

The kingdom's Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdel Aziz al-Sheikh, has warned shop owners that employing women is a "crime and prohibited by Islamic sharia law".

"There is already a growing tension between liberals and the religious conservatives in the country and this issue could provoke opposition from the religious police," says Abeer Mishkhas is a columnist for the Saudi paper Asharq al-Awsat.

The Ministry of Labour will be posting observers in shopping centres to make sure the new shop assistants do not get harassed in their first weeks of work.

The ban on male staff in lingerie departments is due to be extended to cosmetics shops from July.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16412202
agakhani
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Post by agakhani »

Many Saudi women say they have felt particularly uncomfortable buying their lingerie from men.
would often shop abroad rather than face the embarrassment of giving her underwear size over the counter to a man.
What a strange!! they feel uncomfortable when buying their lingerie from men in Saudi Arabia but they are not feel uncomfortable when they buying lingerie from men in abroad!!!
That means it is OK to buy their lingerie from men(male clerks) in abroad but not from men in Saudi Arabia!! is not this strange and rubbish??
shiraz.virani
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Post by shiraz.virani »

What a strange!! they feel uncomfortable when buying their lingerie from men in Saudi Arabia but they are not feel uncomfortable when they buying lingerie from men in abroad!!!
That means it is OK to buy their lingerie from men(male clerks) in abroad but not from men in Saudi Arabia!! is not this strange and rubbish??
Something tells me that you should open up a new lingerie store agakhani bhai :lol: :lol:
agakhani
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Location: TEXAS. U.S.A.

Post by agakhani »

Good suggestion but I don't have any plan to sell ladies lingerie but if you become my partner then I might think about that :lol: :roll:
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

Women in Hunza can!

Last updated: 02/07/2012 // Young women in Karimabad, in the Hunza valley have proved that they can work in male dominated fields and become accepted in the society. Norway has since 2008 sponsored a project which aims at giving poor young women the opportunity to self-sustainability through income in non-traditional sectors.

More....

http://www.norway.org.pk/News_and_event ... e-i-Hunza/
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

Samina Baig, Pakistani female mountaineer: Gender Equality Dream Expedition to Spantik Peak (7027m)

A Quest beyond Limits IV – Gender Equality Dream Expedition to Spantik Peak (7027m)A myth and barrier breaking mountain climbing expedition in Pakistan adventure history

Continuing the quest to promote outdoor sports after three successful mountain climbing expeditions and a small school in Arandu valley in Baltistan, it is our great pleasure to launch another historical, myth, and barrier breaking mountain climbing expedition for Gender Equality to a 7027 m Peak. The expedition has been named “Gender Equality Dream Expedition Spantik Peak (7027m),2012. Samina Baig, the only rising female mountaineer of Pakistan is the center character of the expedition along other foreign friends! The expedition is aimed to promote outdoor education, awareness in Pakistan, promote women adventure and empower women through adventure! This expedition is a myth breaking Adventure in Pakistan mountain climbing history and a gate way for Pakistani woman to embark on high altitude mountain climbing.

More....
http://karakorumclimb.wordpress.com/201 ... eak-7027m/
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

Dear family and friends,

I am honored to have been commissioned to do a lecture for high school-aged youth of Abrahamic faiths on Bibi Khadija, the first wife of Prophet
Muhammad and the first Muslim, as an exemplary Muslim woman whose life inspires contemporary societies, of any faith, to live ethically and to
apply Islam's teachings to life's challenges.

Bibi Khadija was an extraordinary woman and role model; it was humbling for me to research and talk about her life. I hope I did it justice.

My lecture, entitled "Khadija: A Window into the Soul of Islam," was
recently taped and can be viewed at
http://www.futureofchildren.net/11_12_jamal.html

Although the lecture is geared towards youth, I hope you are inspired by her example just as I am.

Warmly,
Zahra
shiraz.virani
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Joined: Thu May 28, 2009 2:52 pm

Post by shiraz.virani »

Answer to christian lady regarding muslim head scarf [FUNNY]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF2TiRMELoY
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

High in Pakistan's mountains, women break taboos

http://www.dawn.com/news/1139637/high-i ... eak-taboos

HUNZA: A group of young girls sit on a carpeted floor listening as their teacher writes on a whiteboard, preparing his students for the rigours of climbing some of the world's highest peaks.

This is Shimshal Mountaineering School, tucked away in a remote village in the breathtaking mountains of Pakistan's far north, close to the border with China.

While most of Pakistan's overwhelmingly patriarchal society largely relegates women to domestic roles, in the northern Hunza valley, where most people follow the Ismaili sect of Islam, a more liberal attitude has long prevailed.

Now the women of the region are breaking more taboos and training for jobs traditionally done by men, including as carpenters and climbing guides on the Himalayan peaks.
ismaili103
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Post by ismaili103 »

She was an Ismaili women name samina baig who is the first women in pakistan to climb Mount K2 and seven summits. She is working on a future mission to climb Mt Everest.
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

Saudi spinsters: A new generation of women are breaking with tradition and making their own choices on education, careers - and even marriage



Amna Fatani knows she wants a brilliant career and a life different from that of Saudi women of her mother’s generation who married early, usually to a husband not of their own choosing.



The 27-year-old, studying for her master’s degree at Georgetown University in Washington and hoping to someday become Saudi Arabia’s first female labour minister, is part of a growing number of Saudi women choosing to remain single through their twenties and into their thirties as they pursue other ambitions.

The trend has ruffled ultra-conservatives who see it as an affront to the very foundations of the kingdom, where strict interpretations of Islam and rigid tribal codes have long dictated terms of marriage.

“My friends and I have reached a point [where] we’re very specific about what we want,” she said. “I need someone who trusts that if I need to do something, I can make the decision to ask for help or choose to do it alone.”

Saudi women stand at the centre of a societal pivot between the kingdom’s push for greater women’s education and rights to work, and laws that say women cannot travel, study abroad, marry or undergo certain medical procedures without the permission of a male guardian – usually a father or husband, or in their absence, an older or even a younger brother.

More...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 93481.html
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

Mona Eltahawy Doesn’t Need to Be Rescued

In your new book, “Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution,” you write about your decision to start wearing the hijab as a teenager. What prompted it? My family moved to Saudi Arabia from the U.K. when I was 15. I was groped twice while on pilgrimage to Mecca. It made me feel like I just wanted to hide my body. I struck a deal with God. I said: “They say a good Muslim woman should wear a head scarf. I’ll do it if you save my mind.”

But you stopped wearing it at around 25. What happened? I was on the metro in Cairo, wearing my hijab, and a woman who was wearing the niqab — a full-face veil — sat opposite me. We got into a conversation, and I realized that she wanted me to dress the way that she did. She said, “Would you rather eat a piece of candy that was in a wrapper or unwrapped?” I said to her, “I’m a woman, not a piece of candy.”

Why is it important to you to remain a Muslim, rather than rejecting your faith outright, as Ayaan Hirsi Ali has? I often talk about Khadijah, Muhammad’s first wife. She owned a business, and she employed Muhammad. She was 15 years older than him, she was a divorcée and she proposed to him. If she was the first person to become a Muslim, something in that faith is worth holding on to.

Some women in the Arab world have criticized your work, saying you portray Arab women as helpless. I’m not saying, “Come rescue us.” I don’t believe anyone can or should rescue us. I’m pointing out what the enemy is. And the enemy is misogyny and patriarchy

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/19/magaz ... d=45305309
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

ISNA Statement on the Inclusion of Women in Masjids

In the name of Allah Most Compassionate Most Merciful

We, the undersigned Muslim scholars, leaders, organizations and concerned Muslims, voice our strong commitment to uphold and realize the Prophetic ideal of masjids being open and inclusive of women. Striving to realize the Prophetic model, we call upon all masjids to ensure that (1) women are welcomed as an integral part of masjids and encouraged to attend, (2) women have a prayer space in the main musalla which is behind the lines of men but not behind a full barrier that disconnects women from the main musalla and prevents them from seeing the imam; and (3) women actively participate in the decision-making process of the masjid, best realized by having women on the governing bodies of masjids.

The defining principle underlying this call is Allah’s description of the ideal relationship of men and women in the Muslim community:

The believing men and the believing women are awliya’ (supporters, helpers, protectors, patrons) of one another: they (both) enjoin what is known to be good and forbid what is known to be bad; they establish salah and pay zakah; and they obey Allah and His Messenger. These are the ones on whom Allah will bestow mercy—indeed Allah is exalted in power, wise (9:71).

This verse clearly sets the general principle that believing men and women support one another in the great mission of Islam—striving for good, opposing evil, and establishing the pillars of salah and zakah. Thus Muslim men and women are partners in establishing the faithful Muslim community—both are needed, both are essential. There are also many other Qur’anic verses (e.g. 9:18, 7:31) which establish the general principle that it is the believing Muslims—men and women—who maintain and frequent the masjids.[1]

1. Masjids Should be Welcoming to Women

The active presence of women in the masjid during the time of the Prophet Muhammad is clearly evidenced in numerous hadith. Hadith confirm that in the Prophet’s masjid women prayed salah regularly,[2] attended Jum’ah Prayer,[3] made optional prayer (nawafil),[4] did i’tikaf in the masjid during Ramadan,[5] and met in the masjid.[6] The Prophet demonstrated the welcoming nature of his masjid, for example, by shortening prayers when children started crying.[7] To help facilitate a healthy environment and avoid fitnah (temptation), the Messenger of Allah instructed both men and women to dress properly, lower their gaze and guard their modesty. Women received an additional instruction not to wear perfume when attending the masjid.[8]

The general guideline was set by Prophet Muhammad when he ordered that women be allowed to freely attend the masjid: “If the wife of anyone of you asks permission to attend the masjid, he should not prevent her.”[9] When Ibn Umar’s son, Bilal, responded to this hadith by saying “We will prevent them,” Ibn Umar harshly reprimanded his son for the audacity of opposing the explicit instruction of the Prophet .[10]

Thus we call on all our masjids to be welcoming to women—such that their experience at the masjid be uplifting and not demeaning. To realize the ideal of being welcoming to women, masjids should (a) ensure that women’s accommodations are comfortable, clean and well-lit; (b) support and facilitate women’s activities and groups; and (c) proclaim clearly on the minbar and by other means that women are an integral part of the masjid.

The hadith that “the best prayer of a woman is in her house,”[11] cannot be taken as a general guideline, because the great female companions, including the Prophet’s wives, prayed in the Prophet’s masjid. If the hadith was supposed to apply to all women, the wives of the Prophet and the female companions would not have gone to the masjid. The best understanding of this hadith, therefore, is that an allowance exists for some women to pray at home depending on their circumstances (such as Umm Humaid who was instructed to pray in her home)[12], but it cannot be interpreted as a ruling for all women at all times.

In the same vein, Sayyidah Aishah’s remarks that “had the Prophet known what women were innovating, he would have forbidden them from attending the masjid,”[13] cannot be taken as a general guideline, altering the Prophet’s practice of including women in the masjid, because speculation of what the Prophet might have intended cannot be used as a proof.[14] Sayyidah Aishah in fact did not explicitly say, women should be prevented from attending the masjid, and it is known that the Rightly-Guided Caliphs did not prevent women, and that women continued to attend the masjid during the time of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs. This hadith in fact confirms the general principle that women are allowed to attend the masjid as long as they fulfill the instructions of dressing properly and avoiding perfume.

The underlying concern in these hadith and the opinion of many scholars is the avoidance of fitnah (temptation). However, in the American context, where society in many cases pulls Muslims away from Islam and where women and men have many choices of where to go and how to spend their time, the best choice to avoid fitnah for everyone is to spend more time in the masjid where they will hopefully become better Muslims and lend a hand to growing the Muslim community. When masjids provide women full access to prayers, activities and the decision-making process, the entire community will ultimately benefit.

2. Women Should Have Prayer Space in the Main Musalla without Barriers
The masjid of Prophet Muhammad and the masjids during the time of the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs did not have a barrier separating men and women. Men prayed in the front lines, children in the middle, and women behind the children. All the schools of Islamic Law, Sunni and Shi’ah, agree on this point. So why should we adopt any other ideal? When women are in the main musalla, they are naturally more attentive, more engaged and thus better able to fulfill their function as awliya’—supporters and contributors to establishing the Muslim community.

Some Muslims argue that the barrier is necessary to guard against fitnah (temptation). However the Prophet never stated that a women’s presence in the mosque in and of itself is a source of fitnah. The instruction to men to avoid fitna is to lower their gaze; not to put a physical barrier that blocks women from the main musalla. The benefit in the rule of having women engaged in the masjid outweighed some hypothetical possibility of fitnah.

We call upon masjids to ensure that women have access to the main musalla to perform salah, listen to the Jum’ah khutbah or attend and participate in lectures or discussions. This should be in addition to any separate area that currently exists for women. Recognizing that the architecture of some masjids may make it difficult to find a barrier-free space for women in the main musalla, especially for Jum’ah, masjids still have the duty to find a solution to realize the sunnah of including women in the main musalla.

3. Women Should Participate in the Masjid Decision-Making Process
Allah gave the general command to the Prophet and the Muslims to conduct their affairs by shura, and necessarily shura includes women.[15] Being partners in establishing Islam, the voice of women must be present in the deliberations of the Muslim community. The Prophet did not have a formal shura process, but he did set the example of consulting with all segments of the Muslim community, including women. Masjids in North America, however, do have formal decision-making mechanisms, and it is, therefore, incumbent that women participate in all processes of formal shura, including serving on the governing bodies of masjids. Also from an American legal standpoint and a best practice perspective, masjid boards should be representative and gender inclusive. In addition masjids are encouraged to create positions of official authority and influence for women, whereby the community at large can benefit from their talents, expertise, moral example and experience.

We call upon all Muslims—in particular masjids—to sign this statement and then work to make our masjids more inclusive of women. Please sign onto this Statement by going to: http://www.isna.net/isna-statement.html

This statement was initially prepared by ISNA’s Task Force for Women-Friendly Masjids (a part of ISNA’s Masjid Development Committee), and then modified with the input of the Fiqh Council of North America and many other Islamic scholars.

Endorsed by the following:
ISNA’s Task Force for Women-Friendly Masjids
Atiya Aftab
Aisha Al-Adawiya
Ihsan Bagby
Hind Makki
Sarah Sayeed, Chair

Fiqh Council of North America

http://www.isna.net/isna-statement.html
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

Women Carpenters of Hunza

VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXYFDBgrAWo

This short film is produced by trainees of "Youth Eye, Citizen Journalist" Initiative on Women Carpenters in Hunza, Pakistan. Such professions are unusual in a typical Pakistani society. This video is based on project (CIQAM) of Aga Khan Cultural Services Pakistan.
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

2015 Distinguished Alumni Award - Anar Simpson, BSc'86, MCS'01

Tech powerhouse Anar Simpson is empowering women and girls around the world through technology.

Champion of the Technovation Challenge – which encourages thousands of girls around the world to participate in the technology industry, special advisor to the office of the chair, Mozilla, on expanding girls’ influence in technology, strategic partnerships advisor for the U.S. State Department’s TechWomen program—and Anar Simpson still remembers the first story she wrote for the Gauntlet as a freshman in the 1980s, which was fraught with questions of how to make the world a better place.

Computer science took Simpson from Calgary to Silicon Valley, and around the world

Simpson worked at a start-up, then moved up the ladder in the IT department of the oil and gas industry and eventually arrived in Silicon Valley where she founded her own company. She also became involved in Technovation, a program that gets girls and young women to team up and design, develop and pitch mobile apps. As Global Ambassador, she has helped grow Technovation to 60 countries.

“My degree in computer science has been a north star for me throughout my career,” Simpson says. “Many folks think that once they have gone through their university education then that's it and another chapter of their lives begin.” But that’s not how it worked out for Simpson.

Student, staff member, guest lecturer - Simpson's UCalgary roots run deep

Not only did she come back the university to do a masters in communication, she has lectured at the Haskayne School of Business, managed the MD program in the Faculty of Medicine and has acted as a consultant with the Office of the President at UCalgary. More recently, she brought Technovation to campus and was delighted when a team from the University of Calgary won the seniors competition in 2014.

Simpson is honoured to receive the Alumni Achievement Award. “Recognition from one's own alma mater is superb and second to none.” She and her husband, Todd BSc’87, PhD’91, have stayed very involved with the university over the years. “Our close relationship with the university is mutually beneficial and very rewarding,” she says.

Simpson may have moved to the San Francisco area but she has definitely left her heart at the University of Calgary.

Photos provided by Anar Simpson.

http://www.ucalgary.ca/alumni/story/201 ... ar-simpson
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

Review Essays

Journal of Persianate Studies


Paul E. Walker, The Fatimid Caliph al-ʿAziz and His Daughter Sitt al-Mulk: A Case of Delayed but Eventual Succession to Rule by a Woman

In his youth the future al-Aziz, then merely the third son of the caliph al-Muizz, acquired a concubine, most likely a Greek-speaking captive, and produced with her a daughter who was to become the famous Sitt al-Mulk. Not only did her mother remain al-Aziz’s favorite long after he rose
to the Fatimid throne in 975, she remained so until her death twenty years later, and the daughter continued throughout to hold a claim on his attention many considered unusually intense and extraordinary. This favor, combined with her own political acumen and sharp intelligence, enabled Sitt al-Mulk to exercise authority throughout her lifetime until she finally became the real ruler of the empire upon the disappearance of her eccentric half-brother, al-Hākim, in 1021. Drawing on chronicles written by both Fatimid and anti-Fatimid historians, this article considers the context for Sitt al-Mulk’s rise to power amid the unusual dynamics of the Fatimid royal family. It reveals the implausibility of accounts that attempt to discredit her and demonstrates that when at last she governed the empire, she did so quite competently through a difficult time of transition.

http://www.brill.com/sites/default/file ... ochure.pdf
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

A child bride at 10, Afghanistan's youngest female rapper breaks silence through music

A “good girl” in Afghanistan is one who keeps quiet about all matters concerning her. A “good girl” won’t talk about her future. A “good girl” should listen to her family, even if they force her to marry a man of their choice.

“A good girl means you should be a doll; everyone can play with you and you have no say in it,” says 18-year-old Sonita Alizadeh at London’s Women of the World summit last week.

Escaping the shackles of child marriage at the tender age of 10, Sonita decided to go against the norms of Afghan culture and create a future for herself unlike her female counterparts.

And how did she fight for her rights? By becoming the youngest female rapper in Afghanistan.

Although she was interested in making music, Alizadeh was priced at $9,000 so that her brother could buy himself a bride. Her only question to her mother was “Don’t you care about my feelings? My wasted potential?” and her mother, who was married at 13, was as helpless as her, “I have no other way,” she responded to her daughter.

“I realised against my brother, I have no value. And they couldn’t understand me,” said the young girl in an interview with BBC reporter Zarghuna Kargar. And so she decided to help herself and make her own future.

After fleeing the war in Afghanistan, Sonita worked as a bathroom cleaner at an NGO in Iran. There she learned to read and write, gaining inspiration from American rapper Eminem and Iranian rapper Yas.

She wrote her first song Brides for Sale (2014) and uploaded it on YouTube. The video shows faux bruises and marks on her face, including a bar code on her forehead to symbolise that she is a price tag in this world and holds no value as a female. Her inspiration for the video came from her friend who was married at a young age and was victim to domestic violence.

“We were talking about how the music video should be, and one of my friends sitting next to me, had bruises on her face and she was quiet. When I looked at her, I imagined the music video in my mind and I wanted to show the horror story of millions of girls around the world,” explained Sonita.

Her husband beat her and other women told her it’s probably her fault

Her video gained traction and she was soon offered a full scholarship to study music at Wasatch Academy in Utah. Her music is her way of fighting and standing up for women all around the world who are subject to child marriage. Even her mother has since changed her views on the matter and is now a fan of her daughter’s song.


PHOTO: FACEBOOK/SONITAALIZADEH

“It was a terrible dream for my mother, she would always tell me, you’re shameless if you decide to sing. But when my mother watched the video, she called me and she said ‘it was good’… now she is a fan,” she recalled.

Her life has been documented in a film titled Sonita, which is set to premiere at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.

Here’s a clip from the documentary:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/976609/a-ch ... ugh-music/


This article originally appeared on Scoopwhoop
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

In Saudi Arabia, Where Women’s Suffrage Is a New Idea

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — In December, women in Saudi Arabia will run for public office and vote for the first time. In theory, that should count as an advance for female empowerment in this ultraconservative country, but the reality is more ambiguous.

Nassima al-Sadah, a prominent human rights advocate and a leader of the movement to allow women to drive, has declared her candidacy for a municipal council seat (the only positions women may run for), set up a campaign committee and held workshops to encourage other women to get involved. “Men have to know that women must sit beside them in every decision-making and that their voices should be heard,” she said when I visited her home recently in Qatif in the Eastern Province.

So far, though, of the 4.5 million eligible female voters, only 132,000 registered by the cutoff date and about 1,000 women are running as candidates, compared with 6,428 men.

More...
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/02/opini ... d=71987722
[/b]
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

In Milestone, Saudis Elect First Women to Councils

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — In elections that allowed Saudi women to vote and run for office for the first time, more than a dozen women won seats on local councils in different parts of the country, officials said on Sunday.

While the move was hailed by some as a new step into the public sphere by women in this religious and conservative monarchy, the local councils have limited powers and the new female members will make up less than 1 percent of the elected council members nationwide.

The participation of women in the vote was a milestone in a very gradual social shift for a country that deprives women of many basic rights, barring them from driving and from making many important decisions without the approval of a male relative.

Yet attitudes have shifted as more women have begun working outside the home and the kingdom’s youthful and well-connected population has become better acquainted with the rest of the world.

More....
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/14/world ... 87722&_r=0

*****
Cartoon: Saudi Arabian Roadblock

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/15/opini ... ef=opinion
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

Women in Art, by Taslim Samji

The role of women in the art world throughout many eastern civilizations, such as the Muslim sphere of influence, has clear distinctions and similarities from that of the Western world. In the past, prior to the 20th century, women of the Western world played a strong role as patrons of the arts: those with stature and privilege played a larger role and might be recorded in history for their innovative ideas and sources of inspiration. These women gave shape to commissioned works, such as a painting or a structure, reflecting on the conditions of their present time in history.

Similarly, Muslim women of stature have made a huge impact in the arts in regions such as Yemen, Syria, Turkey and Central Asia. Muslim women have shaped the architecture of these Muslim civilizations through patronage. Their countries and regions have some of the most beautiful mosques and structures.

Read more at the source (PDF): ArtbySamji

via Arts Council of Surrey. Art by Samji

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/ ... lim-samji/
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

Why does China have women-only mosques?

The Islamic world is wide and various, its points of view almost as numerous as its people. And Islam in China, with its long tradition of women-only mosques, provides a good illustration, says Michael Wood.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35629565
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

WEBCAST: Ismaili Centre to host talk on women in Afghanistan

Nurjehan Mawani and Shireen Rahmani will feature in a talk on Women and the future of Afghanistan at the Ismaili Centre, London on 3 March 2016.

Ismaili Centre London


International Women’s Day will be marked at the Ismaili Centre, London with a discussion on Women and the future of Afghanistan that will take place on Thursday, 3 March 2016.

The event will be webcast at TheIsmaili.org/live, and is expected to start soon after 8:15 PM GMT (London time).

Nurjehan Mawani, Aga Khan Development Network Representative for Afghanistan will discuss how the AKDN is helping to shape a stronger Afghanistan by placing inclusivity and women's participation at the heart of its endeavours.

Shireen Rahmani, Director of Human Resources at Roshan Telecom will share insights about professional life for women in Afghanistan, and how she became a director at one of its leading corporations.

Meena Baktash, Head of the BBC Afghan Service will then join the speakers in conversation for what promises to be a thought- provoking and inspiring evening.

The event is being organised by the Aga Khan Foundation and the Women’s Activities Portfolio of the Ismaili Council for the United Kingdom.

Nurjehan Mawani

In her role as the Aga Khan Development Network Resident Representative for Afghanistan, Nurjehan Mawani has guided AKDN’s engagement through a period of transition while facilitating and coordinating the development activities of the AKDN agencies and institutions with the objective of improving the quality of life of the people of Afghanistan. Prior to this, she served as AKDN Resident Representative for the Kyrgyz Republic.

Mrs Mawani has also had a distinguished career with the Canadian Public Service including as the Chairperson and CEO of Canada’s largest tribunal, the Immigration and Refugee Board. In honouring a lifetime of dedication to the community and service to the nation, she received the Order of Canada. Over her career Mrs. Mawani has received numerous awards for her work and in 2012 was honoured with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Shireen Rahmani

Shireen Rahmani has been with Roshan Telecommunications since 2003. Under her leadership, Roshan’s Human Resources department has applied successful strategies aimed at building local capacity, recruiting and training a new generation of young Afghan leaders. Mrs Rahmani has also helped recruit and train female staff members who now form almost 19 per cent of Roshan’s workforce and 18 per cent of the company’s management, a considerable achievement in Afghanistan.

In 2015, Shireen became the first Afghan woman to be recognised as one of the 100 most talented Global HR leaders at the World Human Resource Development Congress in India.

http://www.theismaili.org/ismailicentre ... fghanistan
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In Honor of International Women’s Day (March 8 – 12 )Inspiring Ismaili Women

March 8, 2016 – A. Maherali for Ismailimail: It is said that to measure a nation’s or community’s progress one needs to look how material and moral investments are made to empower women and youths.

For empowering and educating women leads to empowering whole families, communities and nations, and empowering and educating youths secures the successful trajectory of tomorrow’s leaders, since youths are leaders of tomorrow.

It is with this sentiment that we pay tribute to all women with a selection of our inspiring Ismaili women, who represent thousands more, all of them providing a source of strength and wisdom – an example in practice of what is possible … role models for all of us.

Top (L-R): Almas Jiwani, Nurjehan Mawani, Mobina Jaffer, Samina Baig, Sabrina Premji, Yasmin Ratanshi.
Bottom (L-R): Farida Virani, Anar Simpson, Alyna Nanji, Salima Visram, Farah Mohamed, Karima Velji. ■Almas Jiwani, UN Women National Committe Canada President
■Alyna Nanji, One Billion Rising Child Activist
■Anar Simpson, Technology Entrepreneur & Technovation Global Ambassador
■Farah Mohamed, G(irls)20 Founder & CEO
■Dr. Farida Virani, India’s Professor, MET Business School
■Karima Velji, Canadian Nurses Association President
■Mobina Jaffer, Canada’s Senator
■Nurjehan Mawani, AKDN Resident Representative
■Sabrina Premji, Chief Exploration Officer of Kidogo – a social enterprise
■Salima Visram, Kenya’s Soular Backpack Founder
■Samina Baig, Pakistan’s Mountaineer
■Yasmin Ratanshi, Member of Canada’s Parliament

/ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/03/08/in-honor-of-international-womens-day-march-8-12-inspiring-ismaili-women/

******
Global Views >> International Women’s Day
The overlooked challenge of development
By Ann Hudock for DevEx 08 March 2016

To succeed in this ambition we need to do three things:

First, instead of reconstructing the old order post-conflict, we need to build on the platform of new opportunities that women have created. Unless and until we design post-conflict assistance strategies that protect, preserve and deepen the economic spaces that women carve out organically during conflict, we will be rebuilding on a faulty foundation.

Second, we need to invest in research that tells us what happens for women during war in terms of livelihoods they create and what opportunities open up to them when men are less present to fill these same jobs. We also need to know more about what cultural shifts take place, what gender boundaries blur or disappear for women, and — significantly — what effect that has on their economic enterprise.

Women’s economic activities during conflict are often in the informal sector and involve self-employment rather than wage earning. For example, in Sierra Leone, men actively recruited women into breadwinning roles so that men were free to fight and the women were able to fund them.

Finally, economic empowerment for women post-conflict requires more than economic engagement. Women need access to land and land rights, political representation, savings, leadership training, and psychosocial support. There are important roles here for the private sector, post-war reconstruction generally and women’s economic empowerment specifically.

Given the informal nature of women’s economic participation, we know very little about what allows them to parlay the roles and opportunities that open up to them in conflict and war, and to leverage these for longer-term economic advancement.

ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/03/08/in-honor-of-international-womens-day-march-8-an-overlooked-opportunity/
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Interesting phenomenon in the Muslim world, though it would be concerning if this trend translates into reckless sexual behavior and lose social/family values.

Sex Talk for Muslim Women

CAIRO — After I gave a reading in Britain last year, a woman stood in line as I signed books. When it was her turn, the woman, who said she was from a British Muslim family of Arab origin, knelt down to speak so that we were at eye level.

“I, too, am fed up with waiting to have sex,” she said, referring to the experience I had related in the reading. “I’m 32 and there’s no one I want to marry. How do I get over the fear that God will hate me if I have sex before marriage?”

I hear this a lot. My email inbox is jammed with messages from women who, like me, are of Middle Eastern and Muslim descent. They write to vent about how to “get rid of this burden of virginity,” or to ask about hymen reconstruction surgery if they’re planning to marry someone who doesn’t know their sexual history, or just to share their thoughts about sex.

Countless articles have been written on the sexual frustration of men in the Middle East — from the jihadi supposedly drawn to armed militancy by the promise of virgins in the afterlife to ordinary Arab men unable to afford marriage. Far fewer stories have given voice to the sexual frustration of women in the region or to an honest account of women’s sexual experiences, either within or outside marriage.

I am not a cleric, and I am not here to argue over what religion says about sex. I am an Egyptian, Muslim woman who waited until she was 29 to have sex and has been making up for lost time. My upbringing and faith taught me that I should abstain until I married. I obeyed this until I could not find anyone I wanted to marry and grew impatient. I have come to regret that it took my younger self so long to rebel and experience something that gives me so much pleasure.

We barely acknowledge the sexual straitjacket we force upon women. When it comes to women, especially Muslim women in the Middle East, the story seems to begin and end with the debate about the veil. Always the veil. As if we don’t exist unless it’s to express a position on the veil.

So where are the stories on women’s sexual frustrations and experiences? I spent much of last year on a book tour that took me to 12 countries. Everywhere I went — from Europe and North America to India, Nigeria and Pakistan — women, including Muslim women, readily shared with me their stories of guilt, shame, denial and desire. They shared because I shared.

“Where are the stories on women’s sexual frustrations and experiences?” Mona Eltahawy asks about women of Middle Eastern and Muslim descent. Tell us about the taboos you have learned to live with, or let go of, in the comments. We may highlight your response in a follow-up to this piece.

Many cultures and religions prescribe the abstinence that was indoctrinated in me. When I was teaching at the University of Oklahoma in 2010, one of my students told the class that she had signed a purity pledge with her father, vowing to wait until she married before she had sex. It was a useful reminder that a cult of virginity is specific neither to Egypt, my birthplace, nor to Islam, my religion. Remembering my struggles with abstinence and being alone with that, I determined to talk honestly about the sexual frustration of my 20s, how I overcame the initial guilt of disobedience, and how I made my way through that guilt to a positive attitude toward sex.

It has not been easy for my parents to hear their daughter talk so frankly about sex, but it has opened up a world of other women’s experiences. In many non-Western countries, speaking about such things is scorned as “white” or “Western” behavior. But when sex is surrounded by silence and taboo, it is the most vulnerable who are hurt, especially girls and sexual minorities.

In New York, a Christian Egyptian-American woman told me how hard it was for her to come out to her family. In Washington, a young Egyptian woman told the audience that her family didn’t know she was a lesbian. In Jaipur, a young Indian talked about the challenge of being gender nonconforming; and in Lahore, I met a young woman who shared what it was like to be queer in Pakistan.

My notebooks are full of stories like these. I tell friends I could write the manual on how to lose your virginity.

Many of the women who share them with me, I realize, enjoy some privilege, be it education or an independent income. It is striking that such privilege does not always translate into sexual freedom, nor protect women if they transgress cultural norms.

But the issue of sex affects all women, not just those with money or a college degree. Sometimes, I hear the argument that women in the Middle East have enough to worry about simply struggling with literacy and employment. To which my response is: So because someone is poor or can’t read, she shouldn’t have consent and agency, the right to enjoy sex and her own body?

The answer to that question is already out there, in places like the blog Adventures From the Bedroom of African Women, founded by the Ghana-based writer Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, and the Mumbai-based Agents of Ishq, a digital project on sex education and sexual life. These initiatives prove that sex-positive attitudes are not the province only of so-called white feminism. As the writer Mitali Saran put it, in an anthology of Indian women’s writing: “I am not ashamed of being a sexual being.”

My revolution has been to develop from a 29-year-old virgin to the 49-year-old woman who now declares, on any platform I get: It is I who own my body. Not the state, the mosque, the street or my family. And it is my right to have sex whenever, and with whomever, I choose.


Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) is the author of “Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution,” and a contributing opinion writer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/06/opini ... 87722&_r=0
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Arab women before and after Islam: Opening the door of pre-Islamic Arabian history

http://www.arabhumanists.org/arab-women-pre-islam/

Extract:

Conclusion

Two arguments are being made in this essay: 1] the condition of women in pre-Islamic Arabia depended on which tribe they belonged to – not all women were mistreated, in fact some were far more empowered before Islam than afterward…these reports all exist in Muslim sources; 2] Islam did not choose the more women-empowering pre-existing cultural mores to lay down laws regarding women. It appears that the Islamic laws related to women, while striving for some form of compassion for women, are consistently formed in ways to benefit men, and the focus of many of these laws has been to satisfy the almost obsessive interest of Islam in paternity. Muslim gender equality activists argue that early male scholars deliberately misinterpreted the Quran, but their entire premise is based on the belief that Islam universally improved the situation of women who lived in the gloomy, unjust, pre-Islamic darkness. Without this naïve supposition (that we have seen is a false belief), their entire argument crumbles to dust. Some Muslims have already begun to realise this:

“I have become only further convinced that if Muslim women are to come fully to terms with cases in which the Qur’anic text lends itself to meanings that are detrimental to them, we must begin to confront those meanings more honestly, without resorting to apologetic explanations for them, or engaging in interpretive manipulations to force egalitarian meanings from the text. Furthermore, I have also come to believe firmly that we must begin to radically reimagine the nature of the Qur’an’s revelation and divinity.” – Hidayatullah (2014, p. viii).

As more and more historians reconsider the condition of pre-Islamic women, it will become exceedingly difficult for Muslim scholars to defend the supposed gender egalitarianism in Islam without radically reimagining the nature of the Qur’an’s revelation and divinity.
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Pakistan's Diana hunts for glory in cricket -- and football

By AFP Published: June 8, 2016

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE > SPORTS


Diana Baig shifts restlessly in her seat, checking her watch every few seconds at an awards ceremony after leading her cricket team to victory. Soon she has to play a football match at another venue, and time is ticking.

Baig is no stranger to the pressure. The talented 20-year-old plays for Pakistan’s national team in both cricket and football, representing the country as one of the “Girls in Green” at the recent World Twenty20 tournament in India in between practicing her penalty shoot-out skills.

“It was an honour to be selected for the T20 squad,” she says, in between glances at her watch.

She did not make the starting team, but being at the tournament — even from the sidelines — was “very encouraging for me — it gave me new life, a new energy”.

The 20-year-old grew up playing street cricket and football with other children in the magnificent Hunza Valley, their makeshift arenas ringed by some of the world’s tallest mountains in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan.

The fact that she was a girl did not matter, she says: Baig belongs to the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam, who are followers of the Aga Khan — infamous in conservative Pakistan for their moderate views.

That largely freed her from the restrictions placed on other, more conservative women in the Muslim country, where her gender is battling for greater freedom.


From the streets, Baig began playing in community events and for local teams, and by 2010 she was leading the newly-formed Gilgit-Baltistan women’s team.

Two years later, she was selected for Pakistan’s A side, and then as a reserve player for the 2013 World Cup. In 2015 she finally won her first international cap, playing for Pakistan against Bangladesh.

But Baig says she had her moments of despair along the way.

“A time came when I could not see my future bright like this,” she admits.

Being selected for the A side changed all that. “After that, I started to work hard.”

Her journey to the forefront of Pakistani women’s football was even more dramatic.

In cricket-obsessed Pakistan, football — especially women’s football — finds itself largely unable to compete in the popularity stakes.

But while playing cricket in Islamabad in 2010, Baig tried out for the Gilgit-Baltistan football team on a whim after friends told her they needed players.

She made into the team and, to her disbelief, in 2014 was selected to play for Pakistan at the SAFF Championships in Bahrain.

She has been a member of the starting 11 as a defender ever since, she says, unable to hide her excitement.

Baig has had to fight harder for her cricket career.

Unlike in men’s cricket, Pakistan’s women’s players are not contracted and are selected on a match by match basis from lower-ranked teams, such as the several hundred playing at the provincial level.

That means that there were times when Baig was in — and times when she was out.

Fighting to keep her place was complicated by the fact that — again, unlike the men — Pakistan’s women have no regular facilities or practice time, meaning Baig was forced to rely on training with her university team to keep up to international standard.

But her selection for the World T20 meant the hard work on the playing fields at the Lahore College for Women University had paid off.

“It is because of this college, this ground, because regular practice is very important,” she says.

Now Baig is fighting to maintain a crucial balance between her sporting dreams and an education.

“It becomes very hard,” she says.

“I try to start from football… I play football in the morning, then our cricket training starts around 11 or 12 noon and continues until 3:00 pm or 4:00 pm.”

After that, she says, she heads to her university hostel for food and drink. “I start studying during the night, continuing until late.”

Women’s cricket is growing in popularity in Pakistan, she says, with corporations such as mobile companies increasingly arranging sports events.

The women’s team received unprecedented support from Pakistani fans disillusioned by the men’s dismal performance during the World T20 in India, with the hashtag #GirlsinGreen trending.

With cricket taking up more and more time, her studies — she is on a full scholarship at the university, where she is in her first semester of a health and physical education degree — are suffering, Baig admits. “But one has to manage it.”

Though determined, she knows that one day she will have to choose.

When asked which path she will take, she laughed.

“You know, in Asia, there is more charm in cricket,” she says, acknowledging her playing for the football team is the harder road.

She adds: “I see my future better in cricket.”


Read more: Cricket , Diana Baig , Football

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1118725/pak ... -football/
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Post by shiraz.virani »

So I dunno where else to post this, been a long time so I hope everyone is doing ok on here :)

So recently while browsing on the net I came across this picture of zehra agakhan dated 1996.

In the picture she is seen smoking a cigarette and a glass of liquor on the table. Just curious to know if that pic is for real or fake (morphed)

It was supposedly taken at "paddy miles wedding" in 1996

Can somebody help me with this ?
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

18 Extremely Offensive Things Women in Pakistan Have Ever Done

Women in Pakistan are extremely offensive and something needs to be done about this predicament. They affront the misogynists, they speak up, show courage and they have the audacity to live and breath among men.

Be it Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy winning an Oscar for the country or the “bodily motions” of a girls anatomy in a harmless TV commercial, offensive is all that a woman does. It’s like they’re looking for ways to ruin the honor of everyone around them and just create an imbalance in the society.

What our charming chauvinists seem to forget is that Pakistani women have been offensive to their notions of societal norms throughout history. Following are few of the extremely offensive things women in Pakistan have (thankfully) done:

More....
http://www.mangobaaz.com/pakistani-women-are-offensive/
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The Way People Look at Us Has Changed’: Muslim Women on Life in Europe

The storm over bans on burkinis in more than 30 French beach towns has all but drowned out the voices of Muslim women, for whom the full-body swimsuits were designed. The New York Times solicited their perspective, and the responses — more than 1,000 comments from France, Belgium and beyond — went much deeper than the question of swimwear.

What emerged was a portrait of life as a Muslim woman, veiled or not, in parts of Europe where terrorism has put people on edge. One French term was used dozens of times: “un combat,” or “a struggle,” to live day to day. Many who were born and raised in France described confusion at being told to go home.

Courts have struck down some of the bans on burkinis — the one in Nice, the site of a horrific terror attack on Bastille Day, was overturned on Thursday — but the debate is far from over.

“For years, we have had to put up with dirty looks and threatening remarks,” wrote Taslima Amar, 30, a teacher in Pantin, a suburb of Paris. “I’ve been asked to go back home (even though I am home).” Now, Ms. Amar said, she and her husband were looking to leave France.

More....
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/03/world ... d=71987722
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Press Release: Canadian Muslim Women Who Inspire 2016

For immediate release September 22, 2016

Canadian Muslim Women Who Inspire 2016

Toronto, ON: The Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) will honour six outstanding Canadian Muslim women at its annual Women Who Inspire awards and scholarship fundraiser in Toronto on September 25, 2016.

This year’s honourees include an artist and curator of a northern art gallery, a leader in public policy, an advocate for health and physical education, instructor and an advocate for victims of violence, a feminist diversity advocate and a mental health and inmates’ rights educator and activist.

The recipients of this year’s Women Who Inspire awards:
•Salima Ebrahim: Executive Director of the Banff Forum, Edmonton, Alberta
•Melikie Joseph: Instructor at Fanshawe College, Victim Support Worker for the London Police Services, London, Ontario
•Nadia Kurd: Curator at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario
•Rabea Murtaza: Founder of Muslims for Ontario’s Health and Physical Education Curriculum, Toronto, Ontario
•Jenny Ratansi-Rodrigues: Director General and Corporate Secretary for the Department of Canadian Heritage, Ottawa, Ontario
•Farhat Rehman: Co-founder of MOMS Ottawa (Mothers Offering Mutual Support), Ottawa, ON.

In addition to recognizing the honourees above, the Council will present a scholarship to a Canadian Muslim woman pursuing post-secondary education in disciplines ranging from epidemiology to urban planning. The scholarship is awarded in honour of CCMW’s founder Dr. Lila Fahlman.
•Hind Sadiqi: Student at the University of Montreal in nutrition and founder of Nutritionist of the World.

Read all the winners’ bios here.
http://ccmw.com/press-release-canadian- ... pire-2016/
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