Earlier this month my class mates and I were given an assignment on interfaith awareness between Muslims and Christians. Over the past decade the two communities have not had very warm relations especially since after 9/11.

My friends and I felt nervous about this task as we had never interacted with member of the Christian faith before. We were oblivious of what their traditions were and how they would react to us. I was particularly panicky because I wear a veil and hijaab. Will they even talk to me, I wondered. Our project required that we take photographs of a church, prayer ceremony and have a dialogue with a religious leader.

My friends and I went to Saint Anthony’s Church in the Clifton area of Karachi. After we gave the head of the church, Joaquim, a letter from our university explaining the project he arranged a meeting with Father Roby for us.

The father was very pleased to hear about our project. He spoke to us respectfully and answered all of our questions. He invited  us to come to church and meet him any time. He assured us that he will help us in every possible way regarding our project.

On Christmas we had to go to church again to take pictures that showed how Christians celebrated the holiday. We entered the church, without prior notice but everyone was happy to see us. Joaquim let us stay for Christmas service and invited us to attend a party for the children on December 26. We were amazed at how warm and welcoming everyone was at the party. We were permitted to take pictures of everyone – including Santa Claus!

This experience was a great experience for me and my friends. I am really happy that I met such nice people. I wish if all the Muslims and Christians could have such interactions, misunderstandings could be greatly reduced.

Ayatollah condemns Islamic hijab ban in Azerbaijan
Tehran Times Political Desk

QOM – Grand Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani has sent a message to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, strongly denouncing a ban on Islamic dress code recently imposed in Azerbaijan as a move against Islam and the human rights laws.

“Reportedly, Azerbaijan’s education minister has ordered the (relevant officials) to prevent the students who wear Islamic hijab (headscarf) from entering the schools and universities… I should remind you that this measure goes against the divine law and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights,” Ayatollah Sobhani stated.

The UN Declaration of Human Rights calls for respecting all beliefs and religions and friendship among all nations and races, he said, asking Aliyev, “Is it right that half of your society become deprived of education due to practicing virtue and adhering to God’s law or be forced to ignore the divine law and feel pangs of conscience (for disobeying God’s orders)?”

The ayatollah urged the Azeri president to order the revocation of the recent decree on hijab in order to restore unity and win back the public support

She’s just one of the growing number of women embracing archery as a pastime here, taking archery classes at the Tochal Mountain Archery Club in Tehran.

Tochal is popular among Tehran residents looking for a break from the city. They come to hike, ski in the winter and even bungee jump. But over the past few years, more and more women are coming here to take up archery, said Karim Safaei, head of the Iranian Archery Federation. Safaei said women have, in fact, now overtaken men at the professional level.

“Women now excel at the international level more than men,” he said proudly, adding that many have brought back medals for the country and improved their rankings considerably.

For women, archery is simply practical in this Islamic republic. They can wear their full hijab and, because there’s not a lot of physical movement, they can practice in public, alongside men. In Tochal, men and women shoot on the same field.

Archery has become one of the few sports the Iranian government promotes for women. An ad covering half the page on the Iranian Archery Federation’s website reads: “Leave your children with us in 2010, and watch them compete at the Olympics in 2016.” Targeting parents directly, it promises a full-time training program along with housing. Even in small towns there are classes, local teams and archery competitions.

Archery has roots in Iranian history as well. One Iranian historian writes that “next to horsemanship, archery played a very important role throughout Iranian history … the bow was used for war, for sport and for ritual purposes.”

In Iranian legend too, one of the most famous characters is Arash the Archer. Legend has it that the border between Iran and today’s Afghanistan was determined by the shooting of an arrow by Arash. For that, Arash used up all his strength and upon shooting he died. He is remembered as a hero.

While the legendary archer of Iran is a man, women today are the heroes of the sport.

Before taking up archery, Sahar used to come to the “roof of Tehran,” as locals refer to Tochal, to enjoy the scenery and clear her head.

“I used to sit on one of the benches and stare out into Tehran,” she said. “I used to think, God, in every single apartment, there are people dealing with life, its hardships and so on. Being away from that, even for a few hours, felt good.”

Then one evening Sahar, along with one of her friends, walked into the archery club.

“I liked it so much that I decided to come every weekend. It’s always jam-packed on weekends,” she said. “I sense a calmness here that doesn’t exist anywhere in Tehran.”

Source: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/middle-east/101006/iran-women-islamic-clothing-archery

Like a growing number of young women across the Maghreb, she wears a veil.

“The hijab is merely a matter of dress that concerns no one other than the woman who wears it. Although the veil indicates that a woman is religious and adheres to the values of Islam, this is no reason to overlook her personality,” she tells Magharebia.

Thami Bahmad, a sociologist, says that the hijab ceased to be a matter of religion during the 1990′s. “Some conservative parents used to make their daughters wear the veil, but things have begun to change,” he says.

“Well-educated young girls are now deciding for themselves whether or not they will wear the hijab. It remains a personal liberty that does not reflect women’s personalities. It’s not just a conviction, but also a matter of image,” Bahmad adds.

Indeed, the only study on the subject found that young women who wear the hijab have only “patchy and distorted knowledge of the Qur’anic verses and hadiths that concern the veil”.

According to the 2007 study by the Association of Moroccan Women (ADFM), the hijab was seen as a symbol of religion and militancy in the 1980s but from 2000 onwards it became a secular matter and eventually just one style of dress among many. The ADFM also noted that most women choose their clothes, apart from headscarves, according to popular fashion.

As with Morocco, the appearance of the hijab in Algeria was linked to the beginnings of the Islamist movement. Decades after the dissolution of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), which advocated wearing of the veil, the style remains.

Yet while some complain that the haiek (Algerian traditional dress) has given way to the Islamic headscarf, the veil is increasingly popular with young Algerians to the point that they consider it a new style trend.

“Algerian women have always been accustomed to wearing a head covering, be it the Algerian haiek mrama or the colourful Kabylie scarf, but then there is an imported type of headscarf that does not have its roots in Algeria,” said senior citizen Youssef Ferradji.

At an Islamic clothing shop in one of the busiest streets of Algiers, women are delighted by pink scarves with sequins and rhinestones designed to attract Algerian fashionistas.

There is now a “typical Algerian hijab” which has no basis in religion.

“Most of our girls wear headscarves with tight pants. It is as if they’re caught between the duty of repentance before God and the desire to please,” notes Mrs. Boudia. She chooses to complement her headscarf with a long black tunic.

The hijab revival in Algeria has prompted a nickname: the “Kinder Surprise” veil.

“Like the famous chocolate egg, the Algerian hijab hides surprises. It’s also called ‘El M’hadjeb’, the name of the Algerian dish,” jokes Merki Mohammed.

“It is very difficult being a woman in Algeria. One can understand that they want to protect themselves from violence and attention that a different kind of look might attract in public,” he adds.

Meriem, his fiancée, tells Magharebia that the hijab represents “the hypocrisy of Algerian society”.

“Many of my girlfriends decided to wear the scarf in the hopes of getting married,” she explains with a smile.

Tunisia faces a similar phenomenon. Nearly 20 years after former President Habib Bourguiba issued a decree banning headscarves or hijabs in public institutions, veils are visible everywhere, from universities and government offices, to the beaches and hotels, to stores and coffee shops on public streets.

Many link the veil’s return to the growing phenomenon of spinsterhood.

“Wearing the veil by some girls to hunt down husbands has become a rampant phenomenon on Tunisia,” Saeeda Sweileh told Magharebia. “My chances to attract a would-be husband have become greater since I started wearing the veil,” the 31-one year old unmarried woman says.

“Most of the girls who access the marriage chat websites on the internet wear the veil and practice all religious duties in order to attract the other party,” Saeeda adds. “Other girls take the veil as a tool to hide their past and to win the trust of men. In this way, they become less monitored by their families.”

Eman al-Zaidi says that she wears a scarf out of conviction, rather than out of a desire to get a husband. But she is well aware that other girls have different reasons for putting on the hijab. “Unfortunately, we can’t deny it. This bad mentality that exploits religion for worldly ends does exist.”

The phenomenon of wearing the veil to win a husband has indeed increased in recent years, Monia Bou Abd tells Magharebia. “I reject this exploitation of religion and veil for personal ends,” adds Monia, who does not wear a veil. She believes that “good conduct and respectable clothing” are enough, without having to wear the veil to prove virtue.

“The most important thing is for the girl to behave without false pretences that would fall off with the first clash with her life partner,” Monia adds.

Nadia al-Uamari agrees that “some girls in Tunisia spare no effort in order to reach their ends”. She explains that those who are looking for work often wear short clothes.

“However, when it comes for looking for a husband, they dress differently,” she says.

For her part, Farida Aiari says, “This phenomenon does exist in Tunisia, but I don’t recommend these twisted ways for looking for husbands.” She performs all of her religious duties, she adds, without having to wear the veil.

Men, meanwhile, are becoming aware of the practice.

“These tricks no longer deceive young people in Tunisia. They understand well that good manners and exemplary behaviour can’t be proven just by the veil or long clothes, given that the matrimonial relation is much deeper,” Wahab al-Jamani tells Magharebia.

“We shouldn’t get involved with a life partner merely based on appearances that are in most cases deceiving,” he adds.

Anis Slim, agrees, saying that he did not care whether his future wife is veiled or unveiled.

“What’s important is good manners, good conduct and education and being a good mother.”

With so many different opinions on the cause of the headscarf’s renewed popularity in the Maghreb region, Magharebia asked an imam for his opinion about using the hijab to attract a husband.

“If men or women resort to appearances for the purpose of deception and trickery, and if these appearances are contrary to what is truly inside them, then this is hypocrisy itself,” the imam said.

He cited a hadith: “God doesn’t look at your images or bodies; rather, He looks at your hearts.”

Source: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/reportage/2010/09/17/reportage-01

Zakir Naik, a 44-year-old television preacher, had been due to give lectures in Sheffield on 25 June and Wembley Arena the following day.

Theresa May said that visiting the UK was “a privilege, not a right”.

The Islamic Research Foundation, based in Mumbai, India, said he was seeking a judicial review in the High Court.

The home secretary can stop people entering the UK if she believes there is a threat to national security, public order or the safety of citizens.

That includes banning people if she believes their views glorify terrorism, promote violence or encourage other serious crime.

However, somebody cannot be banned just for having opinions that other people would find offensive.

Ms May said: “Numerous comments made by Dr Naik are evidence to me of his unacceptable behaviour.

“Coming to the UK is a privilege, not a right and I am not willing to allow those who might not be conducive to the public good to enter the UK.

“Exclusion powers are very serious and no decision is taken lightly or as a method of stopping open debate on issues.”

This is the first person who has been excluded from the UK since Ms May became home secretary last month.

Mr Naik is based in Mumbai, where he works for the Peace TV channel.

The Islamic Research Foundation said in a statement: “It is deeply regrettable the British Government has bowed to pressure from sectarian and Islamophobic pressure groups by preventing the entry of Dr Zakir Naik, who has been visiting and delivering talks in the United Kingdom for the past 15 years.

“Dr Zakir Naik is undoubtedly an opponent of terrorism and as such has often spoken out against all acts of violence and violent extremism.

“He has emphatically and unequivocally condemned the killing of civilians and is one of the world’s regular noted orators on this topic.

“In the wake of the exclusion order and based on legal advice, Dr Zakir Naik intends to bring the matter before the High Court… and request a judicial review to have the exclusion order overturned.”

]]> http://www.muslimahnews.com/politics/zakir-naik-banned-from-entering-uk/feed/ 0 http://www.muslimahnews.com/politics/zakir-naik-banned-from-entering-uk/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MuslimahNews/~3/nnD3fuZ3CUU/ http://www.muslimahnews.com/women/int%e2%80%99l-women%e2%80%99s-day-tunisian-women%e2%80%99s-rights-praised/#comments Sun, 21 Mar 2010 12:05:06 +0000 admin http://www.muslimahnews.com/?p=516 Tunisia was hailed at the Beijing+15 International Association Forum as a pioneer in women’s issues. The conference, which ran February 27-28, highlighted some of the initiatives undertaken by the Tunisian government in what participants said show the country’s efforts to buttress women’s rights.

It rings true on Monday as the world celebrates International Women’s Day, and much of the focus is on the Middle East, which experts and activists argue is lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of women’s empowerment.

In her address to the meeting, Saida Agrebi, the Chairwoman of the Tunisian Mothers Organization (OTM), said that significant gains have been achieved by Tunisian women in recent years. She evoked President Ben Ali’s initiatives, including the proclamation of 2010, “International Youth Year.”

The preparatory forum brought together over 1,000 non-governmental organizations. Several presentations were given on progress of women’s conditions in different political, economic, social and health sectors in light of assessment made as part of four summits held to this effect: Moscow 1975, Copenhagen 1980, Nairobi 1985 and Beijing 1995.

Despite the optimistic nature, Hind al-Atrash, a Tunisian activist and former government employee who left her post after being forced to remove her hijab, said that while Tunisia is improving on women’s issues, “there is still a long way to go” before praising the country.

“Tunisia is certainly far better in terms of women’s rights that other Arab nations, especially Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, but to say we are on par with other regions in the world is to deny the reality on the ground.”

She pointed to the government’s decision to ban the hijab in governmental buildings and the lack of access to political and social freedoms as Tunisia’s biggest drawback.

“We have a ways to go and yes, things are improving, but there is a lot of work that needs to be done before praising my country,” she said.

Source: http://bikyamasr.com/?p=9491

“You can feel yourself at home,” said Soumaïa Allal, an Aylmer resident who is originally from Morocco and wears a hijab, or Muslim headscarf. “You can be as anyone who is walking down the street, and feel yourself a normal person.”

Gatineau’s first mosque, the Outaouais Islamic Center, opened in November 2008. Its leaders estimate that there are now 4,000 Muslims in the city.

They are increasingly settling in the Outaouais at a time when the treatment of Muslims in Quebec has come under scrutiny. On Tuesday, Quebec’s human rights commission ruled that the province’s health insurance board has no obligation to satisfy religious or cultural preferences.

Earlier in March, Premier Jean Charest defended a government-funded school’s decision to expel a Muslim woman from a language class for immigrants after she refused to take off her niqab veil.

Allal came to Canada a decade ago with her family, when she was 15. Her parents wanted a better education for their children. Being French-speaking, they originally settled in Quebec City, eventually moving to Gatineau, partly because of the difficulties they faced in Quebec City after 9-11.

“It was more difficult to have friends, to be accepted in society,” Allal said. “People are more suspicious. They will look at you in a different way.”

Things improved after the family moved to Gatineau, she added.

Now Allal, who works at the Senate, has chosen independently to settle down in the community — she bought a brand new semi-detached house with her husband in the Aylmer area and moved in at the beginning of March.

There is little sign of her Moroccan heritage in her home, except for the “real Moroccan living room” she is putting together. It is furnished with seats that run along the walls, stacked with matching cushions in velvety teal-coloured damask — a gift from her mother.

The new mosque in her community has also made her feel at home.

“There’s a kind of energy in that mosque,” she said. “There’s something you can’t explain about that.”

About 500 people crowd into the bright, gold brick building on Lois Street in Hull for Friday prayers each week. The mosque is so full that men spill out into the hallway, and pray beside the shoeracks, while others follow the new imam on a big screen set up in the basement.

Omar Sayarh was among the worshippers last Friday. He agreed that most Muslims in Gatineau rarely encounter problems.

“La perception, it’s a bit different from one culture to another,” he said. “But as an immigrant, it’s our task to be integrated in the new society, and I think most of the Muslim people are doing it well.”

Salah Bassalamah, who is on the board of the mosque, pointed out that the word mosque isn’t even in the building’s name.

People of ‘any faiths’ welcome

“As the centre islamique — as the Muslim centre — it is a place where people gather, either from just the Muslim community or the larger community,” he said. “That means that it should be able to welcome people from any faiths and for different purposes.”

The centre offers public Arabic language classes and held a book reading during a recent Gatineau book fair. But Bassalamah said it will take time for the centre to be a true community hub. He added, “There is a lot of reservation towards the Muslim community in general.”

On the flip side, Allal feels no such reservation toward her community. She said since her arrival in Canada, she has worked hard to be involved in community activities such as Scouts and volunteering to help children with their homework.

“When you do stuff like that, it’s very easy to feel as an entire part of the community,” she said. “So I can definitely say, yeah … I felt myself as a Quebec when I used to be there, and as a Gatinois when I’m here.”

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/03/18/gatineau-muslim-outaouais.html

“Except, last month, at Hollister, the spinoff of Ohio-based Abercrombie & Fitch that she says fired her for wearing the hijab at work almost five months after she started there. A week before her termination, during a meeting with a district manager, was the first time in her life someone had confronted her — not just out of curiosity — about her Islamic garb.

“She called us from there and said, ‘Come and pick me up,’ ” said Khan’s father, who asked that his full name not be used in concern for his family’s safety. “She was really upset.”

Ms. Khan had been hired despite an elaborate dress policy that covers everything from hairstyle (no cornrows) to footwear. (sneakers and sandals required) The company promotes a young, hip image. Ms. Khan lasted for five months. Her conflict was not at a local level but with corporate headquarters. It should be noted that she was not covering her face, but only her hair.

Companies like Abercrombie and Fitch have a strong influence upon the development of fashion in America and in the world. Although the reaction may be delayed and modified, even communities that are out of the mainstream such as Muslims, Chassidic Jews and Pentecostals absorb modified versions of mainstream fashions. Those whose business it is to set fashion trends are not working with a blank slate. Ms. Khan is a living reminder of this. The very fact that she felt comfortable applying for a job at Hollister’s shows that her personal interpretation of Islamic law and culture had shifted to an acceptance of American style to some extent. While Europe has polarised over the integration of Muslims into European society, America has experienced a far less traumatic process of integration.

Ms. Khan accepted enough of the Abercrombie and Fitch wardrobe to be able to commit herself to promoting their merchandise. If she were to cover her face and wear a shapeless robe, one could make the case that she is not an appropriate model of the Abercrombie and Fitch image. This was clearly not the case. One can see many Muslim women in New York, San Francisco and elsewhere who blend modern fashion with the strictures of Islamic modesty.

The precedent that is set by firing Ms. Khan is a bad one. America has evolved into a haven of tolerance for different religious groups. The danger that is posed by her termination from Hollister’s could spread beyond the Muslim community and effect others. That is how legal precedent works.

The Contra Costa Times quotes a young Muslim woman as follows concerning Islamic dress codes.
“As Muslims, we believe it’s God’s order to cover ourself and dress in a certain way,” said Alaa Suliman, a 27-year-old engineer who has always worn a hijab, without incident, at her Silicon Valley jobs. “It also means you’re not looked at as a sex object. It’s not about your physical attraction.

I have heard Orthodox Jewish women and devout Christians voice almost identical sentiments with support from their respective scriptures. Modesty is not a Muslim monopoly. The need for it and the desire for the protection and ennoblement it affords society transcends religious boundaries.

Hani Khan should not have been fired. She should be given her job back. And American courts should protect her rights. Because they are ours as well.

Source: http://www.rantrave.com/Rant/Muslim-Woman-fired-for-Wearing-Hijab.aspx

Last week, the committee held a similar meeting with Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Mohammad Al-Afasi who said that certain regulations on women sports will be introduced without explaining their nature.

Islamist MPs are pushing to introduce stringent regulations on women sports that stipulate certain conditions, including women must wear an Islamic dress and women sports activities must be held behind closed doors and away from men spectators.

Hayef also said the sports authority promised the committee that the participation of the women football team will not be allowed in the future.
Also yesterday, the Fatwa Department at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs issued a fatwa or a religious edict stating that women can fully practice sports appropriate to their nature provided that this should happen behind closed doors and that they receive training at the hands of women.

On Wednesday, a number of women activists said at a public rally that that aim of Islamist MPs is to completely ban Kuwaiti women from practicing or playing any sport under social and Islamic pretexts.

During the week, Hayef has been launching a campaign against women. He submitted a proposal calling to ban the travel of women without a male companion. He also called on the government to force women to wear the hijab (headscarf) although the Constitutional Court last year ruled that wearing the hijab is not mandatory for women taking part in politics.

In another development, the health and labor committee in the National Assembly issued a two-month ultimatum for the Ministry of Health to issue birth certificates to new-born bedoon babies.

Head of the committee, MP Rola Dashti said the committee warned that if the government does not start issuing the certificates, it will amend a law that controls issuance of birth certificates.

The government is not issuing the certificates because bedoons, or stateless persons, have no nationality and under the current law birth certificates are issued to people whose parents have known nationalities.

The national women soccer team participated in the recent Asia championship in the UAE capital. The Kuwaiti women squad lost 0-17 to the Palestinian team in the match that took place last month.

The 3rd West Asian Women Soccer Tournament marks the first time that the Kuwaiti women’s team has featured in a tournament. The team’s other opponents in Group B were UAE, with the top two teams from each group moving on to the second round.

Source: http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=NzY4OTIzMDM5

At 27, Mahinur Ozdemir is by far the youngest deputy to serve in the Belgian parliament in Brussels. As the debate about the Muslim headscarf rages on in several European nations, she has also become a lightening rod for controversy.

“I am an example of social integration, and yet I wear the headscarf,” says the Belgian national of Turkish origin.

When she was sworn in on June 23, 2009, pledging to uphold Belgian laws while clad in her hijab, murmurings of discontent could be heard among her detractors. The news of her confirmation attracted much media attention, particularly in Turkey. “At home, she would be dismissed from parliament,” noted one incredulous journalist, who had travelled from Istanbul to cover the event.

But neither the attention on her veil nor the accusations of her having rejected the Armenian genocide seem to perturb the young lawmaker. If anything, she seems surprised at the interest in her.

“Underneath this scarf is a head full of ideas,” she said in an interview with RTBF, Belgium’s French-language public television channel. “Even if it hides my hair, it should not hide my personality. I am an active Belgian citizen and I want to move things forward; I am at the service of all inhabitants of Brussels.”

Hailing from a family of small shopkeepers, Ozdemir was born in Scharbeek, one of the most culturally diverse areas of the Belgian capital with no less than 150 nationalities represented and where 40 percent of the city’s Turks live. With support from her father, an administrator for the community’s Turkish cultural association, she studied political science. She gave up studying law after learning that she could not plead cases in court while wearing the hijab. At 23, she was elected community counselor while a student at the Free University of Brussels.

She believes the scarf is a part of her identity and says she has worn the head covering since 14 “without obligation”. Neither her sister nor her aunts wear the scarf.

‘Not the Nazi era’

Ozdemir toed her party (Humanist Democratic Centre) line during the debate over headscarves in public schools, saying “it should be forbidden during primary school education.”

But when asked about recent moves by the new Popular Party, which has proposed banning the hijab within private firms, Ozdemir was less reticent. In an interview with the satirical weekly Pan, she was unequivocal: “They do not realise that this is not the Nazi era.”

Her comments sparked a row. The Popular Party asked for clarification from Ozdemir’s Humanist Democratic Centre, saying it would otherwise seek redress in the courts. The left-leaning Reformist Movement also joined in the fray. “To equate the democratic value of secularism with Nazism is unacceptable,” said four of its liberal deputies in a joint letter.

The latest controversy is bad news for Ozdemir, who had promised to lead “a calm discussion” on the matter.

Source: http://www.france24.com/en/20100311-hijab-wearing-belgian-lawmaker-courts-controversy-ozdemir