| Islam, Women and Feminism | |
| 24 Feb 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| Mrs Pakistan World 2010 advocates Rivival of the Arts in the Muslim World | |
 Iran concert cancelled because of girl performers
SAUDI ARABIA: Women lawyers may soon be allowed in courtrooms
British woman killed in suicide bombing three months after husband killed by Taliban
Wearing burqa not an integral part of Islam: Election Commission
Muslim Women For Sale—Isn’t There a Name for This?
For Pakistani women, dupattas are more than a fashion statement
Only handful slow to accept caning against women: Jakim
UK Justice Secretary says he'd love if Muslim women wouldn't wear burqas in Britain
Skier is the first Iranian woman in Winter Games
Scholar Unveils Women's Role in Shaping Islamic Practice in West Africa
The Plight of Afghan Women in Prison
Nusaybah bint Ka`b: A Woman of Distinction
Photo: Mrs Pakistan World 2010 Tahmena Bokhari advocates Rivival of the Arts in the Muslim World.
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Tahmena Bokhari advocates for Rivival of the Arts in the Muslim World
By Nadeem Shah
Feeling that she was a part of history in the making, Tahmena is back from the UK with a renewed sense of the power of people joining efforts
Prof. Tahmena Bokhari, social worker and activist who won Mrs Pakistan World 2010 journeyed to London, England to join several others on February 16th to encourage Muslims to reclaim their artistic and cultural heritage. Ms. Bokhari was invited by conference organisers - the British Muslims for Secular Democracy (bmsd) and by the British Council. The conference titled "Free Muslims: Autonomy and Creativity" challenged those who seek to close down the Muslim mind by claiming Islam forbids artistic expression, leisure and cultural activities.
This was aligned with Ms. Bokhari's overall message that we must work to develop positive and healthy communities around the world. Having a personal passion for the arts, as she hobbies as a photographer, fashion designer, painter and writer, she firmly believes that creative outlets are a necessary part of a healthy life.
Ms. Bokhari, looking ever so glamorous in her self-designed red silk blazer and golden scarf, started her speech by addressing the controversy of her winning the Mrs Pakistan World 2010 crown. Many may think that her identities seem very contradictory given that she is a professor, social activist, feminist, Muslim and Pakistan and then if that was not enough she was now a beauty queen. She indicated that she is not a typical beauty and nor is this a typical pageant. She reasserted her message that there is no where else an avenue for an average Pakistani woman to become an ambassador for her country than the Mrs Pakistan World stage. She is using this platform to speak to the global audience on issues she has spent over a decade working on such as promoting women and uplifting her country.
In referencing neuroscience research and one of the college courses she teaches, Prof. Bokhari educated the audience on the brain development and the importance of stimulation of the mind from the ages 0-5 through dance, arts, language, and so on. She advised that it is very important in fields such as language, dance, sports and the arts that children be exposed to them early so their brain can best develop in those areas, otherwise the brain may lose the ability to develop or excel at these areas later on in life. Ms. Bokhari believes that developing creative outlets in all countries, but especially in places like Pakistan, can be a method of redirecting youth from violence and involvement with gangs and terrorist groups. She cited examples of using forms of art such as painting and photography as a part of therapy with her clients on social work projects she has conducted around the world. These photographs can be seen on some of her public blogs found on the net by typing her name in Google search.
She concluded her address to the crowd of nearly 200 people by saying that, "A sign of healthy children and communities around the world is access to positive outlets for emotional and physical energy, such as the creative arts including poetry, literature, painting, dance, music and so on. Creativity is considered to be a divine blessing in Islam. We need to make artistic and creative outlets available and accessible to everyone. The health of each individual and the sustainability of our culture depends on it."
Ms. Bokhari wasthankful to the British Council and to bmsd for inviting her and stated, "It was amazing to be a part of this room with such talented and amazing people. I am reminded of the power of community, when a bunch of like-minded people all get together to share ideas we can truly make change. This was history in the making and I am proud to be a part of it." Organizers were pleased at Bokhari's speech and participation and were highly satisfied with the outcome. Not knowing what the public's response would be at this new concept of reviving the arts, amazingly the crown was full of supporters.
While in the UK, Tahmena had a busy schedule of meetings with several dignitaries including the Canadian High Commissioner James Wright and former Pakistan President PervezMusharraf. She writes about her meeting with the former President on her blog regarding her work on the Pakistan earthquake at http://tahmenabokhari.blogspot.com/
Next, Ms. Bokhari is expected to make a special appearance after the Vagina Monologues play, the first ever of its kind in Vaughan, Ontario at the Terrace Banquet Centre this Wednesday evening at 6:00pm.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Tahmena-Bokhari-advocates-by-Nadeem-Shah-100222-600.html
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Iran concert cancelled because of girl performers
By Agence France Presse
February 24, 2010
TEHRAN: Iranian authorities cancelled a music concert in the western city of Tabriz because two members of the band were women, the ISNA news agency reported Monday.
The cancellation of well-known traditional Iranian singer Homayoun Shajarian’s concert, due to take place later this week, appears to contradict state policy, with women officially permitted to play musical instruments in public concerts.
Under Iranian law, women who form part of a group are allowed to perform in concert, and only when they sing solo are their performances limited to women audiences.
“The concert was banned due to the presence of the women musicians and because it was sold out, which could have been a safety hazard,” said Ahmad Ahmadi, the director for East Azerbaijan Province’s Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry.
Shajarian, son of famed Iranian traditional singer Mohammad Reza Shajarian, has performed several concerts in and outside Iran. – AFP
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=4&Article_id=112059
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SAUDI ARABIA: Women lawyers may soon be allowed in courtrooms
February 23, 2010
For years, Saudi women seeking justice through the courts had to rely on male lawyers to argue their cases, sometimes divulging sensitive information about their marriages and family lives to men they hardly knew.
But if the government backs a new law soon to be proposed by the ministry of justice, Saudis could be free to hire women lawyers to represent them in court, which advocates say would improve women's access to quality legal counsel and create more opportunities for women seeking careers in law.
Justice Minister Mohammad Al Issa's announcement Saturday that the ministry intends to issue a new draft law that would allow women lawyers to represent other women in personal status cases pertaining to divorce, alimony and child custody. The new decree would also allow women to perform basic procedures with notaries, such as registering and mortgaging property and authorizing corporate sponsorships and gifts, the English-language Saudi newspaper Arab News reported.
Two prominent Saudi women lawyers told a Saudi newspaper they welcomed the proposed draft law, and hoped it would open the door to even more reforms.
Full report at: latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/02/saudi-arabia-new-law-allows-women-lawyers-.html
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British woman killed in suicide bombing three months after husband killed by Taliban
By Caroline Gammell and Dean Nelson
23 Feb 2010
A British woman has died in a suicide bombing in the Swat Valley, three months after her Pakistani husband was beheaded by the Taliban.
Belinda Khan was shopping in a busy market in the district capital of Mingora when the explosion killed at least seven other people.
The Cardiff-born care worker was with her new husband Saeed Ahmed, who was injured in the blast.
He is now being questioned by the Pakistani authorities about his British wife and her late husband Yahya Khan, his elder brother.
It is routine practice for the Taliban to behead those they suspect to be spies, while they are also intolerant of Muslims marrying women who do not belong to the Islamic faith.
Mrs Khan, 44, was married to a British man before she made a new life for herself in Pakistan, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.
Her first husband was her childhood sweetheart Clive Gardiner, from Barry in south Wales, whom she met when they were both pupils at Glan Ely High School in Cardiff.
Last night Mr Gardiner, 46, paid tribute to his former wife who worked as a community care worker when they were together.
“That was her all over, she loved caring for people,” said the former train driver.
“I loved her to bits, I can't get over the shock of it all. I'm just trying to fill in the blanks.”
Mr Gardiner said he had tried to send Mrs Khan a text messages a few days ago but had received no reply.
“I didn't even know she was out there,” he said. “Even though we divorced four years ago, we still kept in contact and it was amicable between us.”
Mrs Khan married Yahya in 2007 after they met and became close in the UK.
The couple then moved to Mingora, where Yahya was picked up by the Taliban and murdered at the end of last year.
Full report at: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/7301062/British-woman-killed-in-suicide-bombing-three-months-after-husband-killed-by-Taliban.html
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Wearing burqa not an integral part of Islam: Election Commission
J. Venkatesan
Feb 24, 2010
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Monday informed the Supreme Court that wearing a burqa by a Muslim woman was a mere religious custom, and not an integral part of Islam.
In its response to a special leave petition to restrain it from publishing photographs of purdah-clad Muslim women in the electoral rolls, the Commission said: “Article 25 of the Constitution does not confer unfettered rights to religious practice, but merely protects the essential or integral practice of any religion.”
Counsel for the Commission Meenakshi Arora submitted before a Bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justices Deepak Verma and B.S. Chauhan, hearing a special leave petition, that the photo electoral rolls would not violate the right of Muslim women to practise their religion under Article 25.
The SLP was directed against the September 7, 2006 judgment of the Madras High Court, dismissing a petition filed by M. Ajmal Khan against the use of photographs in the rolls.
Senior counsel P.S. Narasimha and Counsel V. Balaji, appearing for the appellant, contended that the use of photographs in the rolls was likely to cause damage to the sentiments of Muslims as a whole, since there was a likelihood of misuse of the rolls, if they were made available to polling agents.
Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/24/stories/2010022456291200.htm
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Muslim Women For Sale—Isn’t There a Name for This?
Genevieve S. Kineke
February 23, 2010
A baffling new law is being proposed by Indonesia in which foreign men wishing to marry Indonesian women will have to "invest" the equivalent of $50,000US in one of several local Islamic banks. The explanation is that it will be used as a source of income to "protect" the wives and children should the unions dissolve later. There is no indication of how the funds will be distributed, nor will it be required of Indonesian men marrying foreign women.
The premise to this is bizarre on any number of levels, beginning with the paternalistic view of women that they are first wards of the state to be treated as chattel for "sale", and then later as a burden on the community should they return home divorced. It speaks to their inability to cope on their own and the government’s view that their failed marriage is simply a financial burden to be borne—adding to the degraded status of cast-off women already in place.
Furthermore, it is curious that Indonesian Muslim men are not required to "invest" this fee—when they are unilaterally in charge of whether their marriages endure or not. The same Islamic law that governs these banking regulations regulates matrimony, so that a husband can dismiss his wife at any time for any reason as a matter of course. These discarded wives are just as much "burdens" on society, and without such a topic on the radar of social services or government outreach, it would seem perverse to look solely at foreign men’s marriage habits as a problem requiring financial measures.
Additionally, the premise is that foreign men are not to be trusted. Such “pre-nuptial” investments are frowned upon by all who see matrimony as a life-long union, for its very existence allows the couple to enter into the union with an escape plan already in place. Interestingly, if the woman has left her native land—perhaps to escape the draconian view of women ubiquitous there—there is a pressure to return to Indonesia should the marriage break-down, since money is there for her benefit (and that of her children). Indeed, that money might have been otherwise available to the couple, lessening the financial burdens which are often corollaries to divorce.
Full report at: http://www.pewsitter.com/view_news_id_29631.php
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For Pakistani women, dupattas are more than a fashion statement
By Mark Magnier
February 23, 2010
The long scarves that many wear with traditional shalwar kameez outfits are laden with religious and cultural significance. For some it's a sign of Islamic modesty, for others a cumbersome relic.
Reporting from Karachi, Pakistan - Seeking a competitive edge, fabric designer Vaneeza Ahmad spent hours on the phone to China but couldn't find anyone to make her new line of dupattas, the omnipresent scarves that Pakistani women drape over their arms, head, chest.
China may be the world's factory floor, but its scarf makers aren't equipped for something that can be more than 8 feet long. Ahmad fretted, until, after much wrangling, she found a solution.
"I've located a curtain maker who could do it," she said triumphantly. "They've got the only machines big enough to handle our dupattas."
Essence of femininity, grist for film and literature, political statement, cultural icon, albatross, these few ounces of cotton or silk fabric have woven their way across Pakistan's shoulders, history and fashion runways, morphing from protest symbol to political must-have to sometimes-burdensome accessory demanded by Islamic fundamentalists.
The South Asian dupatta, which lies somewhere between its religious cousins -- the shorter head scarf popular in Turkey and Indonesia and the take-no-prisoners niqab and abaya worn in Saudi Arabia -- is such a fixture of Pakistani culture that many women here say they feel naked without one.
Full report at: www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-pakistan-scarf24-2010feb24,0,3450523.story
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Only handful slow to accept caning against women: Jakim
By MAZWIN NIK ANIS
February 24, 2010
PUTRAJAYA: Only a handful have been “slow” to accept the caning sentence against Muslim women by the Syariah court despite the “hue and cry” over the issue, Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general Datuk Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz said.
Wan Mohamad said the majority has accepted caning as part of syariah punishment following Jakim’s “successful engagement with various stakeholders including non-governmental organisations (NGOs)” over the issue last year.
“Jakim held a seminar to discuss caning long before it became an issue among Malaysians. The outcome was encouraging because the participants understood the whys and hows of it.
“We are aware that some parties are still unable to accept the punishment but given time and more explanation, I believe they will come around (to understanding the concept of caning in syariah),” he told reporters on Wednesday.
Wan Mohamad said the seminar was held before Kartika’s (Sari Dewi Shukarno) caning sentence, adding it was held three months before the Kuantan Syariah High Court imposed six strokes of the rotan against the 33-year-old part-time model for consuming alcohol in July last year.
The caning against Kartika has yet to be implemented.
“Jakim will continue to engage with NGOs, interested parties and the public on the issue. We are willing to explain the issue all over again, to whoever needs an explanation,” Wan Mohamad.
“The department also wants the state religious authorities to act similarly, in accordance with the advice of Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
“Jakim has sufficient working papers and studies that can be used by these authorities to explain the issue to the public,” he said.
Muhyiddin recently said that religious authorities must explain the caning of Muslim women who commit syariah offences so that it will not be viewed negatively by the local and international community.
On Feb 9, three Muslim women, aged between 18 and the mid-20s, became the first women in Malaysia to be caned under Syariah laws for engaging in illicit sex.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/2/24/nation/20100224132114&sec=nation
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UK Justice Secretary says he'd love if Muslim women wouldn't wear burkhas in Britain
February 22, 2010
British Justice Secretary Jack Straw has said that while he would prefer if Muslim women didn't wear burkhas in Britain, a France-like ban on wearing veils wouldn't be feasible.
"I would prefer if people didn't wear a burkha but you can't ban it. It might work in France but it won't work here," the Daily Express quoted Straw, as saying during French MEP Rachida Dati's visit to his Blackburn seat.
Straw had earlier said that banning women from wearing burkhas in British streets would be a waste of police time.
In 2006, Straw had asked his female Muslim constituents to remove their veils while meeting with him.
Former French justice minister Dati, a Muslim herself, said she backed France's moves to ban the burkha in public places. (ANI)
http://news.oneindia.in/2010/02/22/ukjustice-secretary-says-hed-love-if-muslim-womenwouldnt.html
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Skier is the first Iranian woman in Winter Games
By Daphne Bramham
February 23, 2010
Marjan Kalhor says the biggest challenge is not her gender, it's finding the money to compete
Marjan Kalhor's green knit toque is pulled down low on her forehead. Her hair is neatly tucked beneath the toque, which is embroidered with a single word: IRAN.
She's wearing a white ski jacket with a high collar and green ski pants. On her slim wrist, there's a yellow plastic bracelet that says: Believe.
Last week, the petite 21-year-old physical education student carried her country's flag in the opening ceremony for the 2010 Olympics. Today, Kalhor is scheduled to compete in giant slalom and, on Friday, in slalom.
She is the first Iranian woman to compete in the Winter Games. The first Iranian woman to compete in the Summer Olympics was shooter Lita Fariman in 1996.
After years of criticism that women are being denied the right to compete at the Games, the International Olympic Committee can take some credit for Kalhor's debut.
Last fall, the IOC not only agreed to let women box in the 2012 Games in London, it threatened sanctions against countries that refuse to allow women to participate. Among those that have sent male-only teams in the past are Saudi Arabia, Brunei and Qatar, all Muslim countries.
One of the surprising outcomes of those two decisions is that in Afghanistan, girls as young as 14 have tucked their scarves or hijabs under head-guards, donned loose trousers and are duking it out in Kabul's Olympic Stadium for the chance to compete in 2012.
Here, Kalhor is one of a number of female Islamic athletes. But she may be the only one who follows the tradition of covering her head in public, whether it's with a toque or, as in her official Olympic photo, a black hijab.
Full report at: www.vancouversun.com/opinion/Skier+first+Iranian+woman+Winter+Games/2606264/story.html
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Scholar Unveils Women's Role in Shaping Islamic Practice in West Africa
Tulane University anthropologist to speak March 2
Adeline Masquelier, a professor of anthropology at Tulane University, will present a lecture, “Fashionable Muslims: Veiling, Consumer Culture, and Islamic Identity in Niger, West Africa,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 2 at Sweet Briar College. The lecture will be held in Tyson Auditorium, Benedict Hall.
Masquelier has conducted research in Niger, West Africa, for more than 20 years, most recently in December and January while researching her third book. Her talk will touch on women’s fashions in Islam, based on her recently published second book, “Women and Islamic Revival in a West African Town.” The volume examines different forms of Islamic revivalism that swept through Niger and their impact on women.
Her first book, “Prayer Has Spoiled Everything: Possession, Power, and Identity in an Islamic Town of Niger,” is about “bori” practitioners, mediums — usually women — who perform rituals in which wild spirits possess humans. Bori flourished in certain parts of Niger until Islamic revivalism discouraged its practice.
Full report at: http://www.sbc.edu/news/items/9111
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SPECIAL REPORT: The Plight of Afghan Women in Prison
Feb-24-2010
This is a story about the women and children of Badam Bagh, the only women’s prison in Kabul.
Afghan Women's Prison
Children of women incarcerated for things like leaving their husbands, and refusing arranged marriages. Photos/video courtesy: UNTV
(KABUL / SALEM) - Their day starts with a song followed by play and learning time in this bright and spacious classroom. There are more than 70 boys and girls here at any given time. The youngest only a few months old.
While the little ones play, the older children practice their reading and writing, and work on their math and art. Their drawings decorate the walls and if it weren’t for the bars on the windows, this would be like any other kindergarten. Except, this is a prison.
Torpekai is a teacher here: “This kindergarten belongs to Badam Bagh female prison.”
Torpekai is the only teacher here and while she’s happy with the facilities, and the materials that she has, she thinks prison is no place for children.
Torpekai, teacher: “The children are stressed most of the time and they cannot learn quickly. They have a lot of learning difficulties.”
This is a story about the women and children of Badam Bagh, the only women’s prison in Kabul. It is home to some 90 inmates, many of them mothers. Eighteen-year-old Krishma is one of them.
Full report at: http://www.salem-news.com/articles/february242010/afghan_women.php
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Nusaybah bint Ka`b: A Woman of Distinction
By Altaf Husain
Feb-24-2010
Surrounding our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) were men and women of unparalleled faith, commitment, and love for Allah and His Messenger. These men and women were always courageous, charitable, chivalrous, and compassionate.
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Although the books on early Islamic history often praise the contributions of the male Companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), it is important that we exert effort to study the information available to us about the contributions of the female Companions of the Prophet. Among such Companions was Nusaybah bint Ka`b (may Allah be pleased with her), who — along with her family — was known for her humanitarian and charitable deeds.
Who's Nusaybah?
Known as Umm `Emarah in the books of Hadith and seerah (biography of the Prophet), Nusaybah accepted Islam in the early days of the advent of this religion. She traveled with a group of men from what is now known as Madinah to Makkah to join the community of Muslims at the hands of the Prophet.
Nusaybah was by far the most distinguished of women because of her many superior qualities, especially because of the bravery she demonstrated in defense of the Prophet during the Battle of Uhud. In his book The Ideal Muslimah: The True Islamic Personality of the Muslim Woman as Defined in the Qur'an and Sunnah, Dr. Al Hashimi notes that when she joined the Muslim community in the Battle of Uhud her main objective was humanitarian work: Along with other women, she delivered water to the soldiers and attended to their wounds.
Full report at: www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1235339779234&pagename=Zone-English-Youth%2FYTELayout
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