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Tibet: buddisti fanno rinascere tradizione di donne monaco e master
The 800-year-old Tibetan Drukpa lineage of Buddhism - based in Nepal and practised in Bhutan and India - is empowering women, reviving the ancient tradition of women masters and monks that the Buddha encouraged.
Buddha Sakyamuni (Gautam Buddha) treated his disciples equally, irrespective of gender.
In March 2008, the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa enthroned a London-born Buddhist nun Tenzin Palmo, recognising her as Jetsunma or 'his venerable holiness' for her spiritual achievements.
http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=488938
http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-20105.html
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=39,8006,0,0,1,0Pakistan: donne protestano contro i talebani
Il coraggio mostrato da queste donne è senza pari. Protestare pubblicamente contro i talebani in Pakistan di coraggio ne richiede tanto.
Contro l'integralismo islamico e la commistione tra l'islamismo e la politica si levano voci che aspirano alla democrazia e pluralità.
in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore this week, several hundred protesters gathered on a scorching day to take on a very different target: the Taliban.
Neha Mehdi moved to Lahore to study. Now, she fears her way of life is being threatened by the Taliban.
"I cannot give up my education, and I cannot give up the way I'm living," the 23-year-old student said. "These Talibans have ruined the reputation of Islam."
"There were threats here also from the Taliban that if we gather they might just bomb us," Mehdi said.
Mehdi and others in Lahore fear that the Taliban's version of sharia -- which forbids girls from attending school, as well as music, poetry and dance -- is slowly creeping into Lahore, the center of Pakistani culture.
Mehdi said she fears her life as a student could come to a violent end if the people of Lahore do not stand up to Islamic extremists.
"If the Taliban take over then I'll be on the road being flogged by one of them like they did in Swat and I don't want that," she said.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/01/pakistan.taliban/Iran: liberata Roxana Saberi
Ms. Saberi had been held in Evin prison since January. The court ruling meant that she can leave the country immediately if she decides to,
Her father, Reza Saberi, told journalists that Ms. Saberi was “exhausted but in good condition.” “Her release was a big surprise,” he said.
In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was “heartened” by the ruling. The State Department had called the charges against Ms. Saberi baseless and urged her release.
The head of the New York based group, the Committee to Protect Journalists, said he was “thrilled” that Roxana Saberi has been released from prison and look forward to welcoming her home.
“But this is also a moment to reflect on the difficult conditions that Iranian journalists endure every day,” said Joel Simon, the group’s executive director. “Several Iranian journalists remain jailed today. We urge they be given the same opportunity for judicial review that was afforded to Roxana Saberi."http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/world/middleeast/12iran.html?_r=1&hp
Afghanistan: Talebani attaccano scuola femminile
Da notare, in questa triste vicenda, che i talebani non hanno attaccato una scuola maschile ma una femminile.
Of the 90 girls from the Qazaam school admitted to hospital, at least five slipped briefly into comas, officials in Kapisa province, north-east of the capital, said. Six teachers and at least two other staff were also admitted.
It was the third such attack against a girls' school in Afghanistan in as many weeks, raising fears that the Taliban are resorting to increasingly vicious methods to terrorise young women out of education.
But the alleged poisoning comes just days after girls at a school in nearby Charikar, on the road north of Kabul, complained of similar symptoms.
Last November, men on motorbikes used water pistols to squirt acid in girls' faces as they walked to school on the outskirts of Kandahar. More than a dozen girls and several teachers at the Mirwais School for Girls had the acid thrown in their faces and one was so badly disfigured she had to go abroad for treatment. The attacks caused such distress and fear that many parents kept their girls at home for several weeks but most have since returned to school, vowing not to be intimidated.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/girls-targeted-in-taliban-gas-attack-1684028.htmlNepal: Corte Suprema conferma ed espande il diritto all'aborto legale
Since 2002, Nepalese law has permitted abortion under most circumstances, but multiple barriers—including the government’s failure to implement its own policy, prohibitive costs, and inadequate availability of abortion providers—have prevented women from accessing safe abortion services. Under the court ruling, the government must set up a fund to cover the cost of abortion for poor and rural women; and invest enough resources to meet the demand for abortion services and to educate the public and health service providers of the existing abortion law.
This decision shows that protecting women’s health and lives means more than just keeping reproductive health services legal – it means ensuring that those services are in fact available to everyone who needs them.
Bangladesh: prima donna capo della polizia
Her name is Hosne Ara Begum and she has been in the police force since 1981. Human rights activist Khushi Kabir: A very important fact for a chauvinist and Islamic society such as Bangladesh.
Women first entered the country’s police force in 1974. Then there were only 14, now there are 1,937, and among them 1,331 police constables. Contacted by AsiaNews, Begun said she is “really lucky to be the first female Office-in-Charge and to be a positive part of history in Bangladesh. I have been given the chance to prove my commitment to the nation once more”.
For Khushi Kabir, a prominent human rights activist, Begun’s appointment is an important sign for discrimination against women.
Pakistan: ragazze aggredite da milizie islamiste
Noor, a college student, has sworn off wearing jeans. A week ago, while she and her friends were browsing at a boutique on Zamzama Boulevard, Karachi's elite shopping district, two bearded men entered the store. "They told us to have shame and only leave the house with our heads covered," she says. "Before we could say anything, they added that no one would be able to keep us safe if we didn't obey."
While no physical attacks have been reported, some women have been threatened at gunpoint. Others, like prominent activist Attiya Dawood, have had eggs thrown at them while walking through residential parks.
In another sign of the growing threat, some businessmen with young daughters have received letters demanding that they keep their girls – accused of going out in public freely and dressing in Western clothes – in check. In some cases, the letters demand that men pay the Taliban cash to secure their daughters' safety.
"Women feel like their freedom is being stolen,"
India: eletta prima donna spekaer al parlamento
India's parliament has elected its first woman Speaker after a sweeping victory for the Congress party in recent general elections
Observers say her election improves the Congress party's image as pro-women and a supporter of the lower castes.
It also projects Congress as a party which is concerned about the welfare of the lower castes who have faced discrimination from upper-caste Hindus for centuries.
Ms Kumar joins other women and members of minorities in positions of power in India.
The posts of president and leader of the country's governing Congress party are both held by women - by Pratibha Patil and Sonia Gandhi respectively.
Pakistan: talebani fanno esplodere scuola femminile
The Taliban destroyed a girls’ school in Hangu on Monday, a private TV channel reported. According to the channel, the Taliban had planted explosives at the government school in Shahidkhel area in the wee hours of the morning, and the consequent blast destroyed the entire building.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\05\26\story_26-5-2009_pg7_6
Bangladesh: studentesse protette da legge anti-molestia
The High Court gave a landmark judgment today in the first application of its Sexual Harassment Guidelines pronounced on 14 May
One year ago, in May 2008, four women students at Jahangirnagar University made complaints of serial sexual harassment against their teacher and the Chairperson of the Drama Department, Sanowar Hossain Sunny. The University appointed three separate inquiry committees, which examined witnesses and issued reports with clear findings against the teacher. During this period, the students continued to face threats and harassment.
Today the High Court held that the decisions taken by the University to exonerate Sunny on the one hand, and to expel the students on the other, were both without lawful authority. It also directed the University to hold a fresh inquiry into the incident, with independent persons, on the basis of the new Guidelines on Sexual Harassment pronounced in BNWLA v Bangladesh . Citing judgments of the Supreme Courts of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, the Court held that corroboration was not always required to prove allegations of sexual violence, and further that the standard of ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ could not be applicable in cases of this nature, relating to disciplinary inquiries regarding allegations of sexual harassment. The Court also noted that Jahangirnagar University authorities had failed ‘for reasons best known to themselves’ to adopt their own guidelines on sexual harassment, and therefore in the absence of any applicable law, the High Court’s new guidelines should be applied to any fresh inquiry.
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.shtml?cmd[157]=x-157-564621
Iran: autorità inquiete per il diffondersi del femminismo
Preuve du sérieux avec lequel Téhéran prend en considération la question, toute une partie de la conférence portera sur l’analyse du féminisme, avec notamment «l’évaluation de son influence sur les enfants et particulièrement les garçons» ; «les tactiques utilisées par le mouvement féministe pour influencer les médias» ; «le rôle de Hollywood dans l’expansion du féminisme» ; «l’influence de la globalisation sur le féminisme», et - il fallait s’y attendre «le rôle du sionisme dans la création, le développement et la propagation du féminisme» !
La lettre annonçant la conférence de Téhéran démontre au moins que nous sommes identifiées comme l’ennemi principal par le régime des mollahs. Ils ne se trompent pas. Et c’est pour nous féministes d’ici et d’ailleurs, surtout d’Iran, une source de fierté.
http://www.liberation.fr/monde/0101572902-le-feminisme-ennemi-des-mollahs
Iran: donne lader nella protesta
Iranian women have been on the front lines of anti-government protests challenging the official results of the June 12 election, in which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the victor.
The face of a woman has become the symbol of the opposition. Music student Neda Agha Soltan, 27, was captured on video dying of a gunshot wound. The unsettling scene was transmitted around the world, and even President Obama referred to it this week.
Political protest is not new to Iranian women. Yet, the extent of their activism in this election is unprecedented in the years since the 1979 revolution overthrew the U.S.-backed shah and created an Islamic regime, some Iranians and Iran experts say.
They cite several factors, including a growing population of young women who are hungry for social freedoms, the participation of prominent women during the campaign and promises by opposition candidates for advances in women's rights.
Fatemeh Haghighatjoo served in the Iranian parliament from 2000 to 2004. She and her colleagues passed a law to join an international convention calling for an end to discrimination against women, she said, but the law was vetoed by the country's powerful Guardian Council, an unelected body of clerics.
Haghighatjoo, who resigned from the parliament to protest a government crackdown on activists, came to the USA in 2005 and is a visiting scholar at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.
She agreed that Iranian women have been particularly active in this campaign, and believes they were energized by promises from some candidates for more gender equality. "They're fighting at this very moment to create a better future for their children," she said. "I am hopeful."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-06-24-iranianwomen_N.htm
Afghanistan: appelli alla lotta contro la violenza alle donne
Silence is violence è la nuova ricerca preparata dall'Alto Commissariato per i Diritti Umani dell'Onu.
Riporto il link diretto al documento.
http://unama.unmissions.org/Portals/UNAMA/vaw-english.pdf
Wednesday's report, titled "Silence is Violence," documents the increasingly insecure environment for women in public spaces and the failure of state institutions to deal with it.
Despite claims to the contrary, say advocates, women's rights have been viewed as a luxury by an international community reluctant to question those in power for fear of upsetting Afghanistan's fragile coalition government and delaying stability. But this document, which was co-written by the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights (UNHCR) and the UN's Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), treads new ground by directly confronting the issue.
"The pattern of attacks against women operating in the public sphere sends a strong message to all women to stay at home," says the report. "This has obvious ramifications for the transformation of Afghanistan, the stated priority of Afghan authorities, and their international supporters."
Maldive: 150 donne frustrate per adulterio
Almost 150 women living in the Maldives face a public flogging for indulging in extra-marital sex after being convicted by the Muslim country's conservative courts. Around 50 men also face the punishment.
In the Maldives, an island nation made up of more than 1200 atolls, the issue of flogging has become a political battleground following the whipping of the teenager earlier this month outside a government building in the capital, Male. Reports said that the women required hospital treatment after she was flogged in front of a jeering crowd of men.
Reports suggest that in recent years, many mosques in the Maldives have fallen under the influence of foreign, conservative imams. The previous president, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who had been Asia's longest-serving ruler and who positioned himself as the country's "defender of Islam", had sought to use the religion to bolster his dwindling.
Malaysia: femministe musulmane denunciano le punizioni corporali alle donne
Sisters In Islam (SIS) urges the government to review whipping of women as a form of judicial punishment by the Syariah Courts. It constitutes further discrimination against Muslim women in Malaysia and violates Constitutional guarantees of equality and non-discrimination.
There is no consensus among Muslim scholars on the range of crimes for which whipping is prescribed, nor on whether women should be whipped. Many countries have already abolished the judicial punishment of whipping or corporal punishment as research has shown that it is not an effective deterrent, even to violent or sexual crimes. Research since abolition also showed that this did not result in an increase in the offences for which whipping was previously imposed.
http://www.sistersinislam.org.my/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1052&Itemid=1
http://www.sistersinislam.org.my/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1053&Itemid=1Afghanistan: approvata legge misogina per la minoranza sciita
Da dove cominciare? Dal fatto che non ci dovrebbero essere leggi diverse per le singole comunità etniche e religiose? (la legge in questione è diretta alla minoranza sciita). O dal fatto che si tratta di una legge barbara che dovrebbe essere rigettata nella spazzatura della storia?
Afghanistan has quietly passed a law permitting Shia men to deny their wives food and sustenance if they refuse to obey their husbands' sexual demands, despite international outrage over an earlier version of the legislation which President Hamid Karzai had promised to review.
The new final draft of the legislation also grants guardianship of children exclusively to their fathers and grandfathers, and requires women to get permission from their husbands to work.
"It also effectively allows a rapist to avoid prosecution by paying 'blood money' to a girl who was injured when he raped her," the US charity Human Rights Watch said.
The law has been backed by the hardline Shia cleric Ayatollah Mohseni, who is thought to have influence over the voting intentions of some of the country's Shias, which make up around 20% of the population.
"These kinds of barbaric laws were supposed to have been relegated to the past with the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001, yet Karzai has revived them and given them his official stamp of approval."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/14/afghanistan-womens-rights-rape
Western leaders and Afghan women's groups were united in condemning an apparent reversal of key freedoms won by women after the fall of the Taliban.
Now an amended version of the same bill has passed quietly into law with the apparent approval of President Karzai.
Women's groups say its new wording still violates the principle of equality that is enshrined in their constitution.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8204207.stmIraq: omicidi e violence amofobe in aumento
Iraqi militias are carrying out a spreading campaign of torture and murder against men suspected of homosexual conduct, or of not being "manly" enough, and Iraq authorities have done nothing to stop the killing, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
One man told Human Rights Watch that militiamen kidnapped and killed his partner of 10 years in April: "It was late one night, and they came to take my partner at his parents' home. Four armed men barged into the house, masked and wearing black. They asked for him by name; they insulted him and took him in front of his parents. ... He was found in the neighborhood the day after. They had thrown his corpse in the garbage. His genitals were cut off and a piece of his throat was ripped out."
The killers invade homes and pick people up in the street, witnesses and survivors said, interrogating them before murdering them to extract names of other potential victims. They practice grotesque tortures, including gluing men's anuses shut as punishment. Human Rights Watch spoke to doctors who said that hospitals and morgues have received dozens of mutilated bodies, living and dead.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/08/17/iraq-stop-killings-homosexual-conduct
Pakistan: passi avanti nella legislazione contro la violenza domestica
The bill outlawing domestic violence passed by the National Assembly on Tuesday is a step in the right direction. The abuse of women and children is endemic in the country, particularly in the domestic sphere where some estimates put the figure over 95 per cent for various forms of physical and emotional violence taken together.
Once enacted into law, the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill will make Pakistan one of the few dozen countries to adopt specific legislation on the issue. The 28-clause bill lays out provisions for protection orders and monetary and other forms of relief for victims, and punishment in the form of fines and jail terms for those who violate protection orders.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/16-a-step-forward-hs-01
Afghanistan: Talebani tagliano le dita a due donne votanti
On Saturday, election observers disclosed that they had confirmed two such cases in southern Afghanistan and were investigating a third report in an eastern province.
The fingers of two female voters in Kandahar province, a stronghold of the Taliban, were cut off because the women voted, Nader Naderi, director of the Free and Fair Elections Foundation, told CNN.
At least 650 women's polling centers that were planned didn't open on election day, according to Free and Fair Elections, the largest Afghan observer organization. In the southern province of Oruzgan, of 36 centers for women planned, only six opened, Naderi said. In certain polling centers in the south and southeast of the country almost no women voted, according to the National Democratic Institute, an American-financed group that promotes democracy abroad.
Officials asked that the district where the two women had their fingers severed not be disclosed because it could endanger the observer who reported the grisly act. The other reported amputation case under investigation was in an Afghan province bordering Pakistan's volatile tribal areas.
The two female voters in question, whose fingers were stained with telltale purple ink, were attacked by insurgents soon after voting Thursday, Naderi said. No further details about the attack were disclosed.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/world/2009/08/23/0823afghanwomen.html
Come se questo non bastasse l'ultima tornata elettorale afghana è stata quanto meno problematica per le donne.
The insecurity also led to greater proxy voting, in which male family members vote for the women, further robbing women of their rights, observers said.
Women received almost no coverage in news reporting, and topics concerning women’s rights were virtually never featured in news coverage of the electoral campaign, the European Union mission said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/world/asia/23afghan.html?_r=1&emGiappone: aumento del numero di donne elette
Si è parlato molto delle recenti elezioni in Giappone e del cambio avvenuto in termini della formazione politica al potere. Nulla è stato detto invece su un dato importante. L'ultima tornata elettorale ha visto per la prima volta nel paese del sol levante un aumento importante nel numero di donne elette.
A RECORD 54 women won seats in Japan's weekend election but female parliamentary representation still remains low by developed world standards at 11 per cent.
Female lawmakers held just nine per cent of seats in the outgoing House of Representatives, giving Japan the developed world's lowest level of female representation in politics, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Women secured 43 seats in the 2005 elections - a record at the time - when then-prime minister Junichiro Koizumi won a landslide victory by tapping women candidates in a media-savvy campaign.
This time around, the DPJ deployed a group of female candidates the media dubbed the
"Princess Corps" against heavyweights of the LDP and its sole coalition partner New Komeito, which also experienced big losses.
Indonesia: leader religiosi contro il cambiamento della legge antiabortista.
Women's rights groups who are campaigning for widening the scope of abortion in Indonesia are calling for an amendment to a colonial era law that puts poor women at risk.
Tini Hadad, secretary general of the Association for Women's Health, says Indonesia has one of the world's highest rates of deaths from unsafe abortions. ”This is because the current laws are totally inadequate,” she told IPS.
The Association for Women's Health is part of the Women's Network for a National Legislation Programme, a coalition of some 30 women's rights groups that has been campaigning for improved family planning services since 2005.
In 2003, a parliamentary commission submitted a draft bill to legalise abortion, but this never made it to parliament. Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population, and Muslim leaders have been staunchly opposed to any legalisation of the practice - a viewpoint shared strongly by other religious minorities, especially the Christians.
In the meantime, each year, millions of Indonesian women become pregnant unintentionally, and many choose to end their pregnancies in secret.
According to a 2000 survey carried out by the Centre for Health Research, University of Indonesia, the number of women who have illegal abortions could be as high as 2 million a year. Other researches have estimated the number to be closer to 2.5 million.
This situation has led to a flourishing underground practice of birth termination that heavily penalises the poor. Abortions are carried out by midwifes or doctors, all illegal. The fee for the procedure is said to vary greatly but to be in the region of 500,000 to 1.8 million rupiah (50 to 180 dollars) - out of the reach of a majority of people. Forty percent of the 240 million Indonesians live on less than 2 dollars a day, according to the World Bank.
Poor women are forced to seek the help of unlicensed doctors or traditional healers, who use a variety of methods. Their practices are quite dangerous and have contributed to Indonesia having the highest mortality rate from pregnancy-related causes in the region.
Hadad from the Association of Women's Health asserts that 10 to 15 percent of all unsafe abortions lead to serious complications, including death.
She argues that there is a need for a more comprehensive approach to family planning including wider criteria for allowing abortion.
Afghanistan: Sayed Pervez Kambaksh liberato
Sayed Pervez Kambaksh è uno studente di giornalismo afghano "reo" di averdistribuito del materiale scaricato da internet in cui si criticava il trattamento delle donne nella legge islamica. Per questo era stato processato e condannato. Non posso che gioire per la sua liberazione.
Conservative and religious groups in Afghanistan reacted with fury yesterday to the news that Sayed Pervez Kambaksh, who was sentenced to death for promoting women's rights, has been freed.
After President Hamid Karzai secretly pardoned the 24-year-old student, hardliners called for an urgent ulama, a meeting of Islamic scholars, to organise protests against the decision.
Mr Kambaksh's brother, Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi, said he was "very glad, very happy" at what had happened, and human rights organisations and a number of liberal parliamentarians welcomed the news.
yesterday in Kabul, Maulavi Hanif Shah Hosseini, a prominent mullah, declared: "Kambaksh committed a crime against the Koran and the people who conspired so that he escaped the law have also committed a crime.
A spokeswoman for Human Right's Watch said the organisation "welcomed what has happened", and Vincent Brussel, of the journalists campaigning group Reporters Without Borders, said: "This is great news. Pervez became a symbol of the oppression which is taking place in Afghanistan and the persecution the media faces there. We know there are many worrying things going on there and we must be vigilant. But The Independent led the way in this and the newspaper and others in the campaign have every reason to be proud."
Indonesia: la provincia di Aceh vota leggi liberticide contro le donne e le persone gay e lesbiche
Indonesia's province of Aceh has passed a new law making adultery punishable by stoning to death, a member of the province's parliament has said.
The law also imposes severe sentences for rape, homosexuality
Married people convicted of adultery can be sentenced to death by stoning. Unmarried people can be sentenced to 100 lashes with a cane.
Pakistan: scuola mista bombardata
Militants planted explosives to destroy the small school, which educated girls alongside boys and likely provoked the ire of Islamists who oppose the education of women and frequently target girls' schools.
"The school building, which consisted of three rooms was destroyed in the blast on Tuesday," local police official Hamzullah Khan told AFP.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hF4mGNJ0BpgnduXdySz11IBLbszw
Afghanistan: pandemia di violenza contro le donne
Afghanistan is a country where for centuries women have been considered property -- not equals, like the constitution states. They are often beaten, raped and even sold to the highest bidder. There are very few places women can turn to.
Authorities brought Shameen to a shelter run by Women for Afghan Women (WAW). The organization started in New York to provide humanitarian assistance to women who do not know they have rights.
n this safe house, WAW is currently providing care, security and an education for 54 women and children.
Nearly 90 percent of Afghan women suffer from domestic abuse, according to the United Nations Development Fund for Women.
Despite that, there are less than a dozen shelters like this one in Afghanistan, usually run by non-governmental organizations.
Abusers are rarely prosecuted or convicted, and most women are afraid to say anything.
"Their mothers are beaten by their fathers. They're beaten by their fathers, by their brothers. It's a way of life," said Manizha Naderi, director of WAW.
Naderi is an Afghan-American who grew up in New York and has returned to Afghanistan to work with other women in hopes of bringing a change, although she said it will take generations.
"They see their mothers being beaten, they see their sisters their aunts, everybody," Naderi said. "So that's what they expect."
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/09/23/afghanistan.women.abuse/index.html
Malaysia: giovane donna condannata a punizioni corporali per aver bevuto birra
Actually, the sentence of caning imposed on Kartika is relevant to you. Perhaps you may say, “But I’m not even Muslim. Why should I care?” Or you may say, “I am unlikely to be caned. So what does this have to do with me?”
To use an analogy, even if you are yourself not a victim of domestic violence, does this mean that you don’t care whether domestic violence happens? If only those who suffer are to care about their condition, then there is no need for AWARE to have a hotline.
The AWARE hotline says: “Call us, we care.” We imply that we care for all women, not just some women. Perhaps you may say, “But Kartika didn’t call us. What is more, she even accepted the sentence of caning.”
For all these reasons, AWARE is right to have co-signed with seven Malaysian women’s organisations, one other Singaporean organisation (Maruah) and one Indonesian women’s organisation, a letter sent to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, addressed to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
http://www.aware.org.sg/2009/09/why-should-we-care-about-kartika/
Per inviare lettere di protesta in sostegno di Kartika vedere i dettagli riportati al link sottostante.
http://www.wluml.org/english/actionsfulltxt.shtml?cmd[156]=i-156-565420
Maldive: appello contro il dilagare dell'estremismo islamico
The country's legislative architecture entrenches this intolerance, in a constitution that recognises only Muslims as citizens and a Religious Unity Act that stringently demarcates the type of Islam to be practised. Nor are the country's non-Muslim expatriates, largely Buddhist Sri Lankans and Hindu Indians, permitted to practise their faiths in public as all places of worship apart from mosques are banned. The intolerance does not end here: for Wahhabis, even other Muslims, such as Shias and Sufis, are apostates.
The losers in this formerly matriarchal society have been women and girls. A groundswell of devotion over recent years has led to the number of headscarves worn soaring, though often through social pressure rather than piety.
More recently, families refusing to send their daughters to school or vaccinate their children, while uncommon, are beginning to worry the authorities. More alarming are reports about men keeping underage girls as concubines to have sex with when their wives are menstruating. Although yet to be verified, the reports have moved the Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed to call for an investigation. While the Ministry of Islamic Affairs denounced concubinage as un-Islamic, for many it was a nod to the practice of taking slave-girls as concubines during the prophet's time.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/sep/28/maldives-wahhabi-islamPakistan: Farida Shaheed nominata Independent Expert in the field of cultural rights
She has written extensively on issues of citizenship and culture, including recent works such as “Citizenship and the nuanced belonging of women” (2007) and Gender, Religion and the Quest for Justice in Pakistan (UNRISD: 2009). Furthermore, she is a founder member of the national women’s lobby, Women’s Action Forum that spearheaded the movement for women's equality during a decade of martial law (1977-88) in Pakistan.
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.shtml?cmd[157]=x-157-565487
Filippine: le donne indigene si organizzano contro i cambiamenti climatici
We, rural and indigenous women from Asia and the Pacific and other parts of the world, face enormous threats and damage on our lives and rights as a consequence of climate change including the unbridled manner by which measures are being proposed and undertaken to adapt to and mitigate this phenomenon and its impacts. As women farmers, fisherfolk, herders, farm workers, indigenous food producers and natural resource managers, we rely heavily on primary resources, which are being negatively affected and destroyed by climate change.
We believe that climate change is a result of the historical and unsustainable exploitation and concentration of access to global natural resources by the northern countries and transnational corporations (TNCs) in the name of development.
We call on all countries which are Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to be guided and adhere to the following principles in their “long-term comprehensive action” at all levels:
Turkmenistan: inaugurato telefono amico contro la violenza domestica
The new hotline will be run by the non-governmental organization Keik Okara and will be operational six days per week, 11 hours per day. The number will be publicized through information flyers.
Filippine: opposizione cattolica alla legge sulla contraccezione
Abortion is illegal in the Philippines. Birth control and related health services have long been available to those who can afford to pay for them through the private medical system, but 70 percent of the population is too poor and depends on heavily subsidized care. In 1991, prime responsibility for delivering public health services shifted from the central government to the local authorities, who have broad discretion over which services are dispensed.
The main opposition in this overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country has come from the church and affiliated lay organizations, which say the proposed law would legalize abortion. In churches across the country, signs have been posted that read: “Yes to Life! No to RH Bill!”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/world/asia/26iht-phils.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=birth%20control&st=csePakistan: integralisti islamici fanno esplodere una scuola per ragazze
Two explosions ripped through the 18-room government high school for girls at Kari Gar village and a boy who watched the premises is missing, possibly kidnapped by the militants, local administration officials said.
"The militants have blown up the school with two blasts and all rooms were demolished," said administration official Shafeer Ullah.
Islamist militants, who have carved out a strong presence in Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt on the Afghan border, have destroyed hundreds of schools, mostly for girls, in the northwest of the country in recent years.
Nearly 200 schools were destroyed in the Swat valley alone during a two-year Taliban uprising to enforce sharia law in a district once favoured by Western tourists for its ski slopes and bracing mountain air.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iUI3_jsG1_VI7A_IE2QlqD27VUgQ
Bangladesh: appello per il coinvolgimento delle donne nella lotta ai cambiamenti climatici
Sono assolutamente d'accordo che le femministe dovrebbero dedicare maggiore attenzione alle specifiche ripercussioni che i cambiamenti climatici in atto hanno sulla vita delle donne, in particolar modo di quelle che vivono nei paesi in via di sviluppo. Mi permetto però di chiedere altrettanta attenzione alle ripercussioni di genere anche da parte degli ambientalisti le cui encomiabili azioni hanno tutto il mio sostegno. A costoro mi sento di ripetere una frase che amo molto "Il you don't take gender into account into any of your solutions, you are about to fail".
According to the UK 's Guardian publication, Bangladesh makes up not even 10% of the land mass of South Asia , but over 90% of the region's water passes through it. Experts state that Bangladesh 's shifting and intensifying weather patterns are making a bad situation worse. The case of Bangladesh shows us that climate change is real, and is already impacting populations and ecosystems around the world.
But the case of Bangladesh shows us something more: That it's the world's poor who will feel the impact of this change the hardest. And who exactly are the poor? Women, who make up approximately 65% of the world's poorest populations.
Because of the traditional domestic responsibilities which fall on women and girls, experts state that climate change is having a disproportionate affect them.
Back home in Bangladesh , the list of innovative ideas to combat and more importantly, adapt to climate change is endless. International aid organizations are working with local NGOs to build "floating villages," clinics on boats, and help women educate their communities about securing flood and cyclone shelters.
http://community.feministing.com/2009/11/climate-change-hits-women-hard.htmlPakistan: progressi legislativi nella lotta contro le molestie sessuali
The bill, which will next be considered by the senate, expands the vague definition of harassment in current law to facilitate prosecution, Dawn newspaper reported Thursday.
The punishment under the new bill, which was approved unanimously by the assembly, will be three years in jail and a fine of up to 500,000 Pakistani rupees ($6,000). Under current law with the phrase "insult (to) the modesty of a woman," the maximum punishment is one year in prison and an unspecified fine.
Civil society groups advocating protection of women against all forms of violence dubbed the passage a "historic move.
"The bill is significant," said Khawar Mumtaz, chief executive officer of Shirkat Gah Women's Resource Center, a women’s rights group in Pakistan. "Firstly, it acknowledges the incidence of domestic violence. Secondly, it recognizes that it can no longer be ignored or remain invisible," Mumtaz told IPS.
For too long, "treating domestic violence as a private affair has given protection to perpetrators of violence and has led to victimization of women," she said. "The passage of the bill "is a measure of success of women's advocacy."
The United Nation’s Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) said at least one out of three women around the world has been "beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime — with the abuser usually someone known to her. Violence against women and girls is a universal problem of epidemic proportions."
UNIFEM said only 89 countries have legislative provisions on domestic violence against women and only around 60 states have passed specific domestic violence laws, a significant rise from only 45 countries with such a law in 2003.
Pakistan could become the 61st country outlawing domestic violence should the Senate pass the bill.
Cecenia: il presidente Kadirov si dichiara favorevole alla poligamia
Après avoir imposé le port du foulard dans l'administration et interdit la consommation d'alcool à certaines périodes de l'année, le président tchétchène donne un nouveau gage aux islamistes en se disant favorable à la polygamie.
Le président tchétchène Ramzan Kadirov, un allié du Kremlin, demande à ses concitoyens d'ignorer la loi russe et de prendre une seconde femme afin de respecter la tradition de l'islam.
Tailandia: lanciata guida per attiviste dei diritti umani
The guidebook was produced by APWLD in close collaboration with individuals and organisations that participated in the international campaign on women human rights defenders since 2005. Printed copies are for sale at 25USD including postage. For orders please contact APWLD at Phone numbers: (66) 53 284527, 284856
Fax: +66 53 280847 email:
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http://www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org/pdf2008/EN_Claiming_Rights.pdf
Pakistan: scuola femminile bombardata da estremisti islamici
An intelligence official in the area said Taliban attacked the government-run school overnight when no one was at the property.
"The girls' middle school was badly damaged because of the explosion, now the school building is almost out of use. The classrooms, desks and chairs were also damaged," Farooq Khan, a local administrative official told AFP.
Islamist militants have destroyed hundreds of schools, mostly for girls, in the northwest of the country in recent years.
Nearly 200 schools were destroyed in the Swat valley alone during a two-year Taliban uprising to enforce sharia law in a district once favoured by Western tourists for its ski slopes and mountain air.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091117/wl_asia_afp/pakistanunrestnorthwesteducationPakistan: gli uomini si uniscono alle manifestazioni contro la violenza alle donne
Con piacere riporto la comunicazione che mi è arrivata dalla sezione pakistana dell'organizzazione White Ribbon. Non posso che complimentarmi con questi bravi ragazzi che meritano appoggio e visibilità.
White Ribbon Campaign Pakistan
Men for Ending Violence Against Women
Project of Women’s Empowerment Group and Vision2015 International
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Nationwide Celebration of White Ribbon Day in 54 Cities at 5:00 pm. on 24th November 2009
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25th November, International Day for the Eradication of Violence Against Women, is globally celebrated as the White Ribbon Day.
White Ribbon is an anti-violence campaign aimed at raising awareness among men and boys to sensitize them regarding women’s human rights.
In the current wave of terror we find it more appropriate to execute the White Ribbon Day 2009 nationwide simultaneously in 54 cities across Pakistan to create ripples of PEACE. The program is as follows
Date 24th November 2009
Time 5:00 pm. Sharp
Venue: Local Press Clubs in 54 Cities (list attached)
Banners with messages on ending violence against women will be displayed in these cities followed by a Candlelit Vigil outside Press Clubs in each city to show solidarity with the women who are victims of violence in any form and to show men’s pledge to end violence against women.
PUNJAB | SINDH | NWFP | BALOCHISTAN | ISB, LHE, KHI | |
| Gujrawala | Nawabshah | Peshawar | Quetta | Islamabad | |
| Jehlum | Sukhur | Chitral | Hub Lasbela | Karachi | |
| Multan | Umer Kot | D-I-Khan | Turbat | Lahore | |
| Nankana Sahib | Dadu | Mahsehra | Mastung |
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| D-G Khan | Sanghar | Kohat | Jafferabad |
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| Bhawalnaagar | Shikarpur | Upper Dir | Nasirabad |
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| Sahiwal | Badin | Malakand |
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| Faisalabad | Hyderabad | Lakkit Marwat |
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| Bahawalpur | Jacobabad | Charsadda |
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| Sargodha | Ghotki | Gilgit |
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| Sialkot | Kashmore | Tank |
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| Vehari | Mirpurkhas |
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| Rajanpur | Mirpurmathelo |
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| Rahim Yar Khan | Larkana |
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| Muzaffargarh |
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| Kot Addu |
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| Pak Pattan |
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| Khanewal |
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| Toba Tek Singh |
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| khushab |
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| 20 | 14 | 11 | 6 | 3 | |
http://www.whiteribbon.org.pk/index.php
Qatar: le ragazze sono la maggioranza nelle università
A Doha, sur les 2 500 étudiants répartis dans les six universités américaines rassemblées à Education City, un campus ultramoderne, les filles représentent actuellement 70 % de l'effectif.
Les jeunes semblent avoir intériorisé l'ambition proclamée de cette région du monde de revenir un endroit "qui pense", à l'image de ce que furent Beyrouth et Le Caire du temps où ces villes représentaient des centres névralgiques de l'intelligentsia arabe. "Nous avons la volonté de devenir Le centre innovant de la production d'idées et de la formation conceptuelle dans le Moyen-Orient", explique Nada Mourtada, professeur de relations internationales et de droit public, vice-président de l'université de l'université américaine de Sharjah,
Ces conquêtes, qui peuvent sembler limitées aux Européennes, ont des effets boomerang dans les sociétés. Si les mariages se font moins précoces, les unions arrangées, qui restent la norme dans le Golfe, se nouent aussi plus difficilement qu'avant.
http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2009/11/25/les-femmes-nouvelle-matiere-grise-des-pays-du-golfe_1271792_3244.htmlTajikistan: metà delle donne vittima di violenza domestica
Amnesty International has accused Tajikistan of failing to protect its women, saying nearly half are raped, beaten or abused by their families.
According to Amnesty, women are regularly subjected to humiliation not only from their husbands but also in-laws, causing many to turn to suicide.
The report's authors say the government should introduce laws and support services to tackle domestic violence.
"Women are being treated as servants or as the in-laws' family property," Amnesty's Tajikistan expert Andrea Strasser-Camagni said in a statement.
"They have no-one to turn to, as the policy of the authorities is to urge reconciliation, which... reinforces their position of inferiority."
Many women are driven to commit suicide but relatives usually cover up such incidents by presenting them as accidents, our correspondent says.
Violence against women is widespread across the entire Central Asian region, where most societies are patriarchal.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8375617.stm
Amnesty said many girls were being denied the opportunity to receive proper education, dropping out of school early to enter marriages, often polygamous or unregistered.
It urged the government to introduce laws and support services to tackle domestic violence and carry out public awareness campaigns addressing illegal marriage issues.
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5AN01820091124
Afghanistan: lo stupro continua ad essere un grave problema
Norah Niland, the United Nations' human rights representative in Afghanistan, said field research conducted late last year and early this year found rape affected all parts of Afghanistan, across all communities and social groups.
"Women and girls are at risk of rape in their homes, in their villages and in detention facilities," Niland said at a news conference in Kabul, as part of a 16-day activism campaign against gender violence.
"It is a human rights problem of profound proportions."
Niland said feelings such as shame exacerbate the problem and are often attached to victims rather than perpetrator.
Rape occurs within the family and beyond and victims are often prosecuted for committing adultery, she said.
"Democracy and peace in Afghanistan is dependent on the elimination of violence and the full participation of women, as well as men of course, in decision-making processes that affect their lives and the future of the nation," Niland said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5AT26N20091130India: livelli elevati di mortalità tra le donne incinte
Inequality is one reason why India contributes more deaths than any other country to the global figure of 500,000 women and girls dying from pregnancy, childbirth or unsafe abortion each year. India is responsible for a quarter of these maternal deaths, the vast majority of which are preventable.
New research by the international organization Human Rights Watch shows not only the woeful state of government health services for the rural poor in India, but also serious shortcomings in how authorities count maternal deaths, investigate their causes and avoid repeating the same mistakes.
one in every 70 Indian girls is expected to die because of pregnancy, childbirth or unsafe abortion, compared to one out of every 7,300 girls in the developed world. Routine emergency obstetric care procedures, such as blood transfusions and Caesarean sections, are far beyond the reach of poor women reliant on poorly resourced, poorly staffed and hard-to-reach government health facilities.
Successes in other parts of India offer practical ways forward to increase political will, health system accountability and, ultimately, better and more accessible care for pregnant women. You can see this, for example, in the state of Tamil Nadu, where the maternal mortality level is a third of that in Uttar Pradesh.
we too should make it our business to urge India's government to provide comprehensive, quality care to all Indian women, whether rich or poor.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/12/08/indias-high-maternal-death-rate-can-be-curedIran: le donne in televisione non potranno indossare il make-up
NO COMMENT!
Make-up by women during television
Pakistan: estremisti islamici fanno esplodere scuola femminile
Sto perdendo il conto di quante volte stanno accadendo simili efferatezze.
Taliban militants blew up a girls' school in Pakistan's Khyber district Monday, officials said, as two soldiers and seven insurgents were killed in clashes in the northwest tribal belt.
The pre-dawn school attack took place in Saddokhel town in northwest Khyber tribal district, where militants detonated explosives planted around the building, destroying all five school rooms but causing no injuries.
"They are Taliban. They are the same people who do not want children to get an education," senior administration official Rahim Gul Khattak told AFP.
Islamist militants opposed to co-education have destroyed hundreds of schools, mostly for girls, in the northwest of the country in recent years as they wage a fierce insurgency to enforce Sharia law.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h1T_6wIygeZcvhY_waE7u1KWS3LQ
Pakistan: manifestazioni contro la violenza alle donne in tutta la nazione
Non posso che rallegrarmi di buone notizie come queste. Per fortuna non ci sono solo i talebani ma anche uomini e ragazzi illuminati che considerano uno spregio la violenza contro le donne. Ed il fatto che manifestino in Pakistan è un fatto degno di nota.
Riporto il comunicato stampa che ho ricevuto e alcune foto tratte dalle manifestazioni.
On the eve of the International White Ribbon Day, the 25th of November, 2009, the White Ribbon Campaign Pakistan – WRCP a project of Women’s Empowerment Group – WEG celebrated the Day by holding a Candle Light Vigil in 50+ cities all across the country, touching all localities, areas urban and rural, from the Northern areas of Pakistan, NWFP, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and SWAT to Baluchistan and cities across the Punjab and Sindh till the port city of Karachi.
The event was held at all Press Clubs and places where there wasn’t. Participants wore white ribbons, lit candles and added their signatures to the Petition that is to be presented to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on 8th March, International Women’s Day. This petition is to reinforce and apply peaceful pressure on the Government of Pakistan for its commitment to improve legislation and practices that support women.
People all across the nation lit candles on the eve of White Ribbon Day – and they represent the voice of those who wish to end all forms of violence.
White Ribbon Pakistan presently has an outreach in 54 towns and cities across Pakistan, 142 organizations and over 3958 volunteers.
We hope that with this vigil, we have not only initiated a movement towards ending violence against women but have also collected the civic voices everywhere in the country of people that wish to end the violence and mobilize for PEACE in Pakistan.
http://www.whiteribbon.org.pk/index.php
Iran: scarcerata la sorella di Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi, the Nobel peace laureate, has told Al Jazeera that her sister was released from prison in Iran.
Noushin Ebadi was released on Thursday after being arrested during opposition protests at the end of last year, her sister said on Al Jazeera's Frost Over the World programme.
Noushin had been arrested at her home in Tehran in an attempt to intimidate her, Shirin said.
"The government arrested my sister and held her in prison in horrible conditions," Shirin, a human-rights activist and former judge in Iran, said.
"They thought that by doing so they could keep me quiet.
"After three weeks they realized that there was no point and I wasn't going to stay quiet. So they let her go."
Noushin was arrested during days of protests in opposition to the Iranian government from December 27.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/01/2010114135658864208.htmlPakistan: appello per la legislazione contro la violenza domestica
The Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill was passed unanimously by the National Assembly on August 4, 2009, but the bill lapsed after the Senate failed to pass it within the three months required under the country's constitution.
"Victims of domestic violence have long faced a double injustice - abuse at home and then no protection from the government," said Ali Dayan Hasan, senior South Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The proposed law has widespread support in Pakistan, and the government should make passing it a priority."
Human Rights Watch said that an amendment to the penal code passed in November that criminalizes the sexual harassment of women is a step forward.
The measure makes sexual harassment or intimidation punishable by three years in prison, a 500,000 rupee fine [US $6,000], or both. The bill includes protection in public places such as markets, public transport, streets, or parks, and more private settings, such as workplaces, private gatherings, and homes.
"The new sexual harassment protections in the penal code are some of the most impressive and extensive in South Asia," Hasan said. "If it displays the will, Pakistan's government can be a regional leader in safeguarding women's rights."
"Pakistan's parliament has passed only half the legislation needed against sexual harassment," Hasan said. "If the government is serious about protecting women, it should present the companion measure for parliamentary approval immediately
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/01/11/pakistan-expedite-domestic-violence-legislation
Malaysia: femministe musulmane vincono causa per la pubblicazione di un libro sull'estremismo islamico
Una buona notizia.
Free speech advocates were rejoicing Monday after a Malaysian court quashed a government ban on a book about the challenges facing Muslim women.
In a country where human rights organizations say that government censorship pervades many parts of public life, the decision was hailed as a victory for freedom of expression.
“We were hoping, we were praying that this would mark a good day for all Malaysians,” said Professor Norani Othman, the editor of the banned book, “Muslim Women and the Challenges of Islamic Extremism,” a collection of essays by international scholars. “It’s a good day for academic freedom.”
In July 2008, the Ministry of Home Affairs banned the book, published in 2005 by Sisters in Islam, a Malaysian nongovernmental organization, on the grounds that it was “prejudicial to public order” and that it could confuse Muslims, particularly Muslim women.
Sisters in Islam filed a judicial review in the Kuala Lumpur High Court in December 2008 on the basis that the ban was unconstitutional because it infringed upon freedom of speech and religion and gender equality.
He ordered the government to pay court costs incurred by Sisters in Islam.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/world/asia/26malaysia.html
Turchia: ragazza seppellita viva perchè aveva socializzato con i maschi
Quanto spazio avrà questa notizia nei media generalisti? C'è da essere terrificati da come possa essere misogina e violenta una cultura da indurre un padre, con la complicità di tutta la famiglia, a seppellire viva la figlia.
Turkish police have recovered the body of a 16-year-old girl they say was buried alive by relatives in an "honour" killing carried out as punishment for talking to boys.
The girl, who has been identified only by the initials MM, was found in a sitting position with her hands tied, in a two-metre hole dug under a chicken pen outside her home in Kahta, in the south-eastern province of Adiyaman.
Police made the discovery in December after a tip-off from an informant, the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported on its website.
The girl had previously been reported missing.
The informant told the police she had been killed following a family "council" meeting.
A postmortem examination revealed large amounts of soil in her lungs and stomach, indicating that she had been alive and conscious while being buried. Her body showed no signs of bruising.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/04/girl-buried-alive-turkey
Iran: arrestata l'avvocata delle donne Maryam Ghambari
Maryam, figura di spicco del movimento delle donne in Iran, è solo l'ultima di una lunga serie di persone, donne e uomini, perseguitati dal regime teocratico.
On the morning of Monday 8 February, 3am local time, Maryam Ghanbari, a 27 years-old lawyer and an active member of Meydaan (Women’s Field), was arrested at her home in Tehran by five Iranian security officers, according to her lawyer, Mina Jafari. The location to which Ms. Ghanbari was taken and where she is currently being held is unknown, as well as any formal charges she might be facing.
Ms Ghanbari has been very active in the national women’s movement’s struggles against the draft of a new family law that includes laws on divorce, fixed-term marriage contracts for men, child custody, and legislation that would allow a man to take a second wife without the permission of the first in certain circumstances. She is also part of the Volunteer Lawyers Network, which is a voluntary legal service for vulnerable women.
Iran: Marjan Kalhor prima donna sciatrice a partecipare alle olimpiadi invernali
Training in the Alborz mountain range north of Tehran, Kalhor began skiing at age four. But it wasn't until a National Youth Championship that the skier considered truly pursuing the sport, saying the win "[gave] me ideas." By 16, Kalhor won bronze at a competition in Turkey, and two years later she took home gold in slalom and silver in giant at a Lebanese event.
Kalhor isn't expected to medal in Vancouver, but is focused on giving her best effort on the world's biggest stage. Sometimes, it doesn't take a medal to be a winner.
Malaysia: donne subiscono punizioni corporali per aver infranto legge islamica
Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the sentences were carried out on February 9 after a religious court found them guilty of having sex out of wedlock. Two of the women were whipped six times.
"It was carried out perfectly."" Hishammuddin said in a statement. "Even though the caning did not injure them (the women), they said it caused pain within them."
The canings come at a time when the National Front Coalition is trying to win over Malay Muslims who make up 55 percent of the 28 million population to stay in power after Chinese and Indian minorities deserted the coalition in 2008 elections.
That means that the linchpin of the governing coalition, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), cannot afford to offend conservative voters who are mostly Malay and live in rural areas.
But this could further alienate the sizeable ethnic minorities who are concerned about the rise of Shariah laws and increasing Islamisation in Malaysia, analysts have previously said.
Bangladesh: appelli per iniziative legislative per i diritti delle donne
State Minister for Women and Children Shirin Shjarmin Chowdhury said the National Women's Development Policy-1997 would be broad-based and reintroduced to include rights of tribal women, those who are physically and mentally challenged and those hit by climate change.
"We will also include a provision to ensure women's rights to information," The Daily Star quoted her as saying Monday.
Singer Shuvro Dev said: "As a man, I am ashamed that in over 95 percent cases it is a man who throws acid at women. It really hurts me. I swear to work so that no woman is burnt by acid anymore."
Magician Jewel Aich said he didn't believe "the acid throwers are men. They are cowards and worse than the beasts. We have to resist them".
"Women's movement is part of a democratic movement in the sub-continent, including Bangladesh," said Ayesha Khanam, president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad.
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a119955.htmlAfghanistan: continua la violenza estrema contro le donne
Se gli eserciti Nato partono dall'Afghanistan, chi difenderà queste donne? I pacifisti?
Not every Afghan is hoping the Americans soon leave their country. Some are actually dreading it.
"You can't leave Afghanistan," Manizha, who helps run a shelter for battered women, recently warned "World News" anchor Diane Sawyer. Behind Manizha, women who were beaten, bruised and badly scarred shake their heads in urgent agreement.
Among the most heartbreaking is the story of Bebe. She is 17, and she says her face was mutilated by her husband, a Talib. Bebe's nose and ears were cut off as punishment for running away to escape the constant pummeling by her husband and his family.
She was married to the radical Muslim when she was 12, Manizha told Sawyer. Her marriage was the result of an outlawed tribal custom called "baad" in which the daughter was given away as compensation for a crime or offense committed by a male member of Bebe's family.
Girls given away in baad transactions are often little more than slaves. Bebe was forced to sleep in a stable with the animals, and beatings and pain became part of life for her.
Bebe tried to escape but was captured. Her husband was ordered by the Taliban to punish her by disfiguring her face. While her brother-in-law held her down, her husband sliced off her nose and ears.
Left for dead, she crawled to her uncle's house, but he refused to help. Bebe staggered on to her grandfather's house. He called her father. The local Afghan hospital was unable to treat her wounds, and suggested her father take her to the nearby U.S. military base, Forward Operating Base Ripley in Oruzgan province.
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Afghanistan/abused-women-afghanistan-helped-secret-shelters/story?id=10074409
India: progetto di legge per garantire alle donne un terzo della rappresentanza politica
Dans cette veine, le Rajya Sabha, la Chambre haute du Parlement indien, a adopté il y a trois semaines une loi établissant que 33 % des sièges seront à l'avenir réservés aux femmes à la législature fédérale et dans chacune des assemblées des États. Un vote qu'il n'est pas exagéré de qualifier d'historique et de révolutionnaire. Soixante-deux ans de vie démocratique n'excluent pas que l'espace politique qu'y occupent les femmes demeure extrêmement restreint. Il n'y a que 10 % de députées au Lok Sabha, la Chambre des communes indienne.
«Sans quotas, impossible de faire élire des femmes au Parlement», dit clairement et simplement Mausam Noor, députée du parti du Congrès. C'est un premier pas, estime-t-elle. Or, la nouvelle loi, qui doit encore franchir d'autres étapes difficiles avant d'entrer en vigueur, a ceci de particulier — rien n'est simple — que les 33 % de sièges réservés feront l'objet d'un système de rotation, d'élections générales en élections générales.
http://www.ledevoir.com/international/asie/285929/un-tiers-pour-les-femmes
Indonesia: giuristi musulmani appoggiano il matrimonio per le ragazze minorenni
The minimum age of 16 years to marry under the prevailing 1974 marriage law is not a sharia-binding regulation for Muslims, according to Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) jurists.
The panel of sharia experts announced there was no age limitation for marriage under Islamic law.
They did not cite gender; but the law states that women must be at least 16 to marry, while the minimum age for men to marry is 18.
The experts said Muslim parents can marry off their underage children, but strongly appealed for marriages to only be carried out after the child has reached puberty.
“The majority of clerics are of the opinion that there is no minimum age limit in marriage under sharia law,” NU jurist Cholil Nafis told a press conference on the sidelines of the congress on Friday.
The edict to allow for underage marriages quickly sparked protests from human rights activists Friday.
“It’s a setback and contravenes the 2002 Child Protection Law,” National Commission for Child’s Protection (Komnas Anak) secretary general Arist Merdeka Sirait said.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/03/27/nu-rules-favor-underage-marriages.html
Iran: Shadi Sadr riceve il Golden Butterfly al Movies that Matter Festival's in Olanda
The first Golden Butterfly, Amnesty International's A Matter of ACT Award (€5,000) for the most imposing and inspiring human rights defender or organisation, goes to lawyer, activist and former prisoner of conscience Shadi Sadr. Sadr (1974) is an expert in the field of women's rights in Iran. She was in charge of a counselling centre for women, that has meanwhile been closed by the Iranian government, and developed an action-oriented web site that campaigns for equal rights for women. The Iranian authorities arrested her on several occasions.
http://www.moviesthatmatterfestival.nl/english_index/nieuws_en/news/54http://www.moviesthatmatterfestival.nl/
Shadi Sadr’s human rights activities are depicted in Farid Haerinejad and Mohammad Kazemi’s film Women in Shroud, a documentary that follows the struggles of a number of women’s rights activists and their campaign to stop the harsh law of stoning in Iran.
Shadi Sadr has announced that the reward belongs to all the activists involved in the “Stop Stoning Campaign.”
Ms. Sadr has also announced that she will donate the €5,000 monetary award included in the prize to a project that proposes to document the memoirs of women’s struggles in Iran during the first decade following the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
Shadi Sadr, who has been arrested on several occasions by the Iranian authorities, is an Iranian lawyer, activist and former prisoner of conscience and one of the founders of the “Stop Stoning Campaign.”
India: fatwa contro fotomodelle musulmane
A fatwa has been issued by a leading Islamic seminary against modelling by Muslim women.
Darul-uloom Deoband has said that exhibiting bodies by Muslim women while modelling is against the Shariat law.
The fatwa, which describes modelling as un-Islamic, was issued by Mufti Habibur Rehman, Mufti Mehmood Hasan, Mufti Fakhrul Islam, Mufti Zanul Islam and Mufti Waqar Ali of the seminary on Monday.
Bangladesh: l'Alta Corte ordina al governo di non obbligare le donne ad indossare il velo
The High Court yesterday in a ruling said none can force women, working at public and private educational institutions, to wear veils or cover their heads against their wills.
The court directed the education ministry to ensure the execution of its order.
It is their personal choice if they wear scarves or cover their heads, the court said.
The HC asked the education secretary to make sure that women are not harassed by their superiors at educational institutions.
The verdict came after a writ petition was filed seeking HC directive following a newspaper report that an upazila education officer of Kurigram insulted a female teacher by making a disgraceful remark in June last year.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=133602
The Court observed “It is the personal choice of a woman to wear a veil. If any person tries to compel a woman to wear a veil against her consent or will that amounts to a violation of her fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution”.
The Court observed “It is the personal choice of a woman to wear a veil . If any person tries to compel a woman to wear a veil against her consent or will that amounts to a violation of her fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution. It is her personal choice to do so or not to do so. In Bangladesh there has been no uniform practice of veiling or head covering among women. In recent years there have been reported instances of attempts to forcibly impose this not only by private persons but also by government officials. The instant case demonstrates the harassment of women and girls in public spaces, schools, educations and places of higher education both public and private.”
Malaysia: Kartika, colpevole di aver bevuto birra, non riceverà punizioni corporali
Sisters in Islam is indeed very happy with the decision by Sultan of Pahang, Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tuanku Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, to commute Kartika’s caning sentence to community service.”
http://www.sistersinislam.org.my/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=998&Itemid=1
Kartika, 33, was spared the cane when the Sultan of Pahang, Sultan Ahmad Shah commuted her sentence to community service.
"Thank God. I am prepared although I have be away from my two children for three weeks. My sister and mother will take care of them.
"I will do whatever is asked of me. I am surprised but accepted the decision made by the Sultan of Pahang. I thank my family for the support," she told reporters here.
Kartika said she will care for two boys, aged six and eight years with a hole-in-the-heart and autism, after completion of her punishment.
The part-time model arrived at Pahang Islamic Department at 8.45am and was briefed on what was expected of her.
http://www.mmail.com.my/content/32253-kartika-starts-community-service-childrens-home
Indonesia: la reverenda Henriette Tabita Hutabarat-Lebang eletta a capo della Christain Conference of Asia
The first woman elected as general secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia has vowed to help heal wounds "not only in our societies, but also within our churches" in the world's most populous continent.
Hutabarat-Lebang takes up office in November at the Chiang Mai offices of the CCA after the term of outgoing general secretary Prawate Khid-arn ends in October.
She is a vice-president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and is a member of the Joint Working Group between the WCC and the Roman Catholic Church.
WARC general secretary the Rev. Setri Nyomi said, "We in WARC have benefited from Dr. Hutabarat-Lebang's leadership skills and deep commitment to global ecumenism. We extend our congratulations and best wishes to her in her new appointment."
Iran: rappresentante del clero musulmano accusa le donne non vestite "modestamente" di scatenare terremoti
"Many women who dress inappropriately ... cause youths to go astray, taint their chastity and incite extramarital sex in society, which increases earthquakes," Ayatollah Kazem Sedighi told worshippers at overnight prayers in Tehran.
"Calamities are the result of people's deeds," he was quoted as saying by reformist Aftab-e Yazd newspaper.
"We have no way but conform to Islam to ward off dangers."
The Islamic dress code is mandatory in Iran, which has been under clerical rule for more than three decades.
Every post-pubescent woman regardless of her religion or nationality must cover her hair and bodily contours in public. Offenders face punishment and fine.
Afghanistan: studentesse avvelenate da estremisti islamici
At least 12 female students were hospitalised in Afghanistan on Wednesday after inhaling a poisonous substance sprayed at a school in northern Afghanistan.
The 12 students of the Fatima Zahra Girl School, and a teacher and an assistant were mysteriously poisoned, Hamayon Khamush, director of the hospital in Kunduz city, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
Iran: il governo islamico ordina l'arresto delle donne alla moda ed abbronzate
Iran's Islamic leadership has in recent weeks launched a scaremongering campaign to persuade the population that vice is sweeping the streets of the capital. National law stipulates that women wear headscarves and shape shrouding cloaks but many women, particularly in the capital, spend heavily on fashions that barely adhere to the regulations.
Sud Corea: Oh Eun-sun è la prima donna al mondo a scalare 14 vette
A South Korean climber has reached the top of Annapurna in Nepal and claimed a record for becoming the first woman to scale the world's 14 highest peaks.
Oh Eun-sun was shown live on television planting a South Korean flag on the summit of the mountain.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8646160.stm
Iran: L'Onu ammette l'Iran nella Commission on the Status of Women
Che dire? Sconvolgente? Allucinante? Pazzesco? Incredibile? Quali altri sinonimi dovrei usare?
Without fanfare, the United Nations this week elected Iran to its Commission on the Status of Women, handing a four-year seat on the influential human rights body to a theocratic state in which stoning is enshrined in law and lashings are required for women judged "immodest." Just days after Iran abandoned a high-profile bid for a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council, it began a covert campaign to claim a seat on the Commission on the Status of Women, which is "dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women" according to its website.
As word of Iran's intention to join the women's commission came out, a group of Iranian activists circulated a petition to the U.N. asking that member states oppose its election.
"Iran's discriminatory laws demonstrate that the Islamic Republic does not believe in gender equality," reads the letter, signed by 214 activists and endorsed by over a dozen human rights bodies.
The letter draws a dark picture of the status of women in Iran: "women lack the ability to choose their husbands, have no independent right to education after marriage, no right to divorce, no right to child custody, have no protection from violent treatment in public spaces, are restricted by quotas for women's admission at universities, and are arrested, beaten, and imprisoned for peacefully seeking change of such laws."
The Commission on the Status of Women is supposed to conduct review of nations that violate women's rights, issue reports detailing their failings, and monitor their success in improving women's equality.
The activists' letter sent to the U.N. Tuesday argued that it would be better if the Asian countries proffered only one candidate, instead of elevating Iran to the commission.
"We, a group of gender-equality activists, believe that for the sake of women's rights globally, an empty seat for the Asia group on (the commission) is much preferable to Iran's membership. We are writing to alert you to the highly negative ramifications of Iran’s membership in this international body."
A spokeswoman for the U.N.'s Department of Economic and Social Affairs, which oversees the commission, did not return phone calls or e-mails seeking comment.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/29/elects-iran-commission-womens-rights/
Afghanistan: talebani attaccano scuola per ragazze
At least 30 schoolgirls were poisoned on Tuesday in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, the third such attack on a girls' school in the city in less than a month, officials said. It is unclear who was behind the attacks.
"A masked man, dressed in black, came into the classroom and threw a small box at us. When we saw the box, we tried to run away, but I passed out. When I regained consciousness, I was in hospital," said 13-year-old Nafeesa, quoted by Pajhwork Afghan News.
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=3.1.376249283
India: imam estremista lancia fatwa contro le donne che lavorano
Darul Uloom Deoband, the self-appointed guardian for Indian Muslims, in a Talibanesque fatwa that reeked of tribal patriarchy, has decreed that it is "haram" and illegal according to the Sharia for a family to accept a woman's earnings. Clerics at the largest Sunni Muslim seminary after Cairo's Al-Azhar said the decree flowed from the fact that the Sharia prohibited proximity of men and women in the workplace.
"It is unlawful (under the Sharia law) for Muslim women to work in the government or private sector where men and women work together and women have to talk with men frankly and without a veil," said the fatwa issued by a bench of three clerics. The decree was issued over the weekend, but became public late on Monday, seminary sources said.
Iran: liberata Clotilde Reiss
A French teaching assistant whom the Iranian regime accused of spying for the west said she was "very, very happy" to be back on home turf today after a Tehran court commuted a prison sentence that had kept her in Iran for 10 months.
Making a brief but emotional statement at the Elysée palace, Clotilde Reiss, 24, thanked various French and Iranian figures – including the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy – for supporting her through the ordeal and securing her release.
But she said her relief was tainted with grief for fellow inmates of Tehran's notorious Evin prison who had not escaped with their lives. "I am thinking chiefly of two men who were executed in January 2010 and who were at my sides during the public trial that you all saw on the television," she said. "Now that I am free in my country, my thoughts are with them."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/16/france-iran-clotilde-reissIndonesia: la polizia islamica controlla l'abbigliamento delle donne
The province on northern Sumatra island has banned Muslim women from wearing figure-hugging clothing such as tight trousers, under Islamic by-laws that have outraged less conservative parts of the mainly Muslim archipelago.
Vice and virtue officers in West Aceh district have been told that from Wednesday they should ask women wearing the wrong clothes to put on the government-issue skirts on the spot. 'Starting tomorrow morning, I will hand over some 20,000 skirts to the sharia police in West Aceh,' West Aceh district chief Ramli Mansur said.
'Female offenders can then immediately change their tight pants to the long, loose skirts if the sharia police catch them.' Mr Mansur said that one day he would have to answer to God about what he did to enforce sharia or Islamic laws, so residents should expect increased vigilance and 'raids' by the morality squad, known as the 'wilayatul hisbah.'
Vice and virtue officers stopped and interrogated 30 women over their clothes as they entered a village in West Aceh on Tuesday. 'What's wrong with the way I'm dressed? What law did I break? Am I a terrorist that I'm being asked to show my identity card?' 40-year-old Fatimah asked officers who stopped her. Her protests fell on deaf ears and she eventually covered her jeans with a skirt she had brought from home.
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_531136.html
Indonesia: estremisti islamici lanciano fatwa contro transessuali e travestiti
A group of Islamic experts from the al Bahtul Masa’il have issued a fatwa against transsexuals and transvestites. The scholars, who represent 125 pesantren in the provinces of Java and Madura Island, have decreed that transgendered people must be viewed as male and for this reason “cannot cut or prepare women’s hair” in beauty salons “to whom they are not linked by blood or marital ties.” Leaders from the Indonesian Muslim Clerical Council (MUI) chose instead not to comment the issue.
This time, Java and Madura Island transvestites and transsexuals have become their target. According to Bahtul Masa’il, touching women’s hair is haram, i.e. forbidden, when done by men unrelated to the women by blood or marriage.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Islamic-scholars-against-trans-working-in-women%E2%80%99s-beauty-salons-18508.htmlIndonesia: polizia islamica controlla i jeans delle donne
Even before the policy is introduced, West Aceh's Wilayatul Hisbah, or religious police, have been setting up roadblocks outside the district's capital of Meulaboh, inspecting every car and stopping motorcycles if there is a female rider on board wearing trousers.
In a 60-minute operation in the hamlet of Arongan, more than 25 women were yesterday taken aside for a lecture on Islamic morals and asked to sign a document, vowing not to repeat their mistake and pledging to ''immediately report'' to the religious police if they notice someone else violating Islamic law.
Some women are upset by the intrusion, with one storming back to her vehicle. And conversations with young West Acehnese in Meulaboh's cafes elicit a similar anger. Almost all of the jeans-clad women have been pulled over, or know someone who has.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/acehs-religious-police-crack-down-on-tight-jeans-20100526-weap.html
India: ragazza musulmana brutalizzata perchè "colpevole" di amare un uomo non musulmano
Gulistan, 18, daughter of Asghar Ali of Charaura village in Bulandshahr district, 350 km from Lucknow, fell in love with Ravinder, 20, who ran a medical store in the village and often came to their house to deliver medicines.
The couple eloped 10 days back but were traced to Delhi and Gulistan was taken back to the village. Her parents then pretended that they had agreed to let her marry Ravinder and asked her to come with them to Delhi to buy clothes for the marriage.
The girl left with her father and brother. When they reached near the upper Ganges canal on Grand Trunk Road, they stopped and dragged her out. First they poured acid on her face, strangulated her and then threw her in the canal. Assuming that she had died, they left the place.
Sahi said a case under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered and investigations are on.
http://www.siasat.com/english/news/man-throws-acid-daughter-love-outside-faith
Pakistan: le donne si organizzano per risposte legislative contro gli attacchi misogni con lanci di acido
Almost seven years after Naila Farhat, 20, became another victim of an acid throwing attack by a spurned suitor, she is finally seeing more vigorous efforts toward the passage of a law seeking to amend existing legislation to reinforce protection of women against violent assaults.
Yasmeen Rehman, advisor to the prime minister on women’s development and a legislator, told IPS that the Ministry of Women Development (MoWD) was doing further research on a draft law against acid attacks.
"It is seeking help from the Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF) and the United Nations Development Fund for Women, she said.
The ASF, in turn, is getting assistance from its parent organisation in Britain and Cornell Law School in the United States, said Sana Masood, a lawyer working with the Foundation, which provides medical, psychosocial, socioeconomic and legal aid to acid survivors. "We are currently involved in extensive research to help the MoWD in coming up with another bill," she revealed
"Realistically speaking, I should say we will be able to present it in tShahnaz Bokhari, president of the Islamabad-based Progressive Women’s Association, which assists victims of domestic violence, said she has supported 8,886 acid attack female survivors since 1994.
The incidence of acid attacks is particularly high in the southern part of Punjab, the south Asian country’s cotton belt and second largest province, said Khan.
"Lack of a regulating and monitoring framework regarding acid, cheap price, low level of socio-economic development" are some of the factors underlying these crimes, said Khan.
A bottle of concentrated sulphuric acid generally costs only 20 Pakistani rupees per litre (about 23 U.S. cents), said Bokhari.
"Acid is used for textile industry and cleaning cotton seeds before being replanted," explained Khan, whose organisation has provided medical, psychosocial, socioeconomic and legal aid to about 300 acid survivors in Punjab since 2006 when it was formed. he (legislative) assembly by July," said Rehman
Mayotte: fine della poligamia e dei tribunali islamici
Ennesima dimostrazione che, laddove esiste la volontà politica, i miglioramenti avvengono.
Les nouvelles unions polygames et la justice musulmane vont être proscrites à Mayotte, île française de l’océan indien où l’islam est très fortement majoritaire, aux termes d’une ordonnance examinée mercredi en Conseil des ministres.Le gouvernement a décidé de mettre un terme à l’inégalité entre hommes et femmes en matière de mariage et de divorce, poursuivant ainsi la modernisation du statut civil de droit local applicable à Mayotte.
L’ordonnance prévoit d’appliquer aux Mahorais relevant du droit local - inspiré du droit musulman et des coutumes africaines et malgaches - les règles ordinaires du code civil dans ces domaines.
Elle interdit de contracter, à l’avenir, de nouvelles unions polygames, et ce sans condition d’âge, allant dans le sens des souhaits d’une majorité des habitants, notamment des femmes de l’île, les hommes étant, selon des sondages, beaucoup plus partagés.
A Mayotte, le mariage d’un homme avec plusieurs femmes étant toléré, certaines femmes ont dû accepter de “cohabiter” avec d’autres. Certains hommes polygames louent parfois plusieurs maisons.
Le texte du gouvernement constitue une nouvelle avancée par rapport à la réforme Girardin de 2003, qui avait commencé à restreindre la polygamie, mais permettait encore aux hommes nés avant le 1er janvier 1987 et aux femmes nées avant le 1er janvier 1990 de contracter de telles unions.
L’ordonnance présentée par la ministre de l’Outre-mer Marie-Luce Penchard proscrit en outre la répudiation.
Elle supprime la justice “cadiale”, une justice rendue par des juges musulmans pour des Mahorais relevant du statut personnel de droit local, dont le fonctionnement, souligne le pacte, “est incompatible avec des principes républicains” (assistance d’un avocat, procès contradictoire, audiences publiques).
http://www.niputesnisoumises.com/blog/2010/06/03/les-nouvelles-unions-polygames-interdites-a-mayotte/Afghanistan: Massouda Jalal, ex-ministra delle donne, ricorda che i diritti delle donne non sono negaziabili
Parole sante. Non ci può essere pace se i diritti delle donne non sono garantiti.
Dr. Massouda Jalal once embodied all the possibility that was promised by the overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Now, the former cabinet minister and presidential candidate, says she is in danger of being silenced once again, as are all the country’s women.
“Taliban do not recognize rights and even they don’t recognize women as human beings,” she told reporters Tuesday.
“Their engagement will be bad news to our values and to the women of Afghanistan, so I hope it doesn’t happen. We need to depowerment of the Taliban and extremism,” she said.
“It’s not good for … the democratic processes that we have created and we have insisted on and it’s not good for the peace and security of the world. We have to be careful with this.”
“In the beginning a lot of hope was created… We thought that a government made of civilians will be made a civil government,” she said, noting that laws have been passed prohibiting violence against women or affirming women’s rights.
But there have been more, and more prominent, steps backward in the last few years. More schools being burned, more female students being threatened and attacked, more instances of local laws barring women from travelling outside the house unaccompanied
So she has hopes for the country that, for now, rely heavily on outside help. Canada’s military may be packing up and leaving Kandahar in a year, but the country can still make an impact if it redirects even a fraction of the money spent on military might toward development assistance and aid.
“Afghanistan is very sick, it’s very sick. It cannot stand on its feet,” she said. “We need to care for Afghanistan, otherwise this wounded body will be used by negative energy.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/820480--women-s-advocate-warns-against-peace-with-taliban?bn=1
Afghanistan: sposa bambina subisce punizioni corporali
Quanti coraggiosi pacifisti sarebbero pronti a partire per liberare o difendere queste povere ragazzine? Cosi'....giusto per chiedere....
n disturbing video images, a 14-year-old girl is purportedly being flogged. She is alleged to have run away from a forced marriage in a remote village. Just as disturbing to Dr. Sima Samar, chair of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission? "The other sad part I have to say was the reaction of the people," she says. "The lack of sensitivity of the people."
No one has an exact figure exactly how many girls are forced into marriage. Estimates vary as high as 60 percent or more and attitudes here are so engrained that one government minister was recently reported as saying shelters that try to help these girls and women are an evil.
At one shelter in Kabul, they deal with the fallout of these everyday attitudes about women.
"Since January alone we've had 115 cases of forced or underage marriages," says Manizha Naderi, with the Women for Afghan Women organization who runs the shelter.
Sukaini is typical of the recent cases. She is 15 years old now but was 13 when her family forced her to marry her 45-year-old cousin.
One of the newest arrivals is a 15-year-old girl who ran away from a forced marriages. Within hours of arriving at the shelter, several parliamentarians called the shelter to demand she sent back to her family. At the shelter, though, they fear if they do that, she'll be killed.
http://afghanistan.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/10/shelter-tries-to-help-abused-child-brides/?hpt=C2
Iran: arrestata Narges Mohammadi, collaboratrice di Shirin Ebadi
Narges Mohammadi, a journalist who works closely with Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi and who is the spokesperson of the Tehran-based human rights group founded by Ebadi, Human Rights Defenders Centre, was arrested at her home last night by intelligence ministry officials. Her family does not why she was arrested or where she is being held.
Mohammadi is the wife of fellow journalist Taghi Rahmani, who has spent a total of 16 years in the Islamic Republic’s prisons. Both have been hounded by the authorities for the past ten years and have been summoned and interrogated several times by intelligence ministry officials since the disputed presidential election of June 2009.
A few hours before Mohammadi’s arrest, state television broadcast a programme attacking Ebadi that included video of Ebadi’s husband making extraordinary “confessions.”
http://en.rsf.org/iran-journalist-who-works-with-shirin-11-06-2010,37727.htmlIraq: il governo regionale del Kurdistan non agisce contro la mutilazione genitale femminile
A significant number of girls and women in Iraqi Kurdistan suffer female genital mutilation (FGM) and its destructive after-effects, Human Rights Watch said today in a new report. The Kurdistan Regional Government should take immediate action to end FGM and develop a long term plan for its eradication, including passing a law to ban the practice, Human Rights Watch said.
"FGM violates women's and children's rights, including their rights to life, health, and bodily integrity," said Nadya Khalife, Middle East women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. "It's time for the regional government to step up to the plate and take concrete actions to eliminate this harmful practice because it simply won't go away on its own."
Human Rights Watch researchers conducted interviews during May and June 2009, with 31 girls and women in four villages of northern Iraq and in the town of Halabja. Researchers also interviewed Muslim clerics, midwives, healthcare workers, and government officials. Local nongovernmental organizations say that FGM may also be practiced among other communities in the rest of Iraq, but there are no data on its prevalence outside the Kurdish region.
The prevalence of FGM in Iraqi Kurdistan is not fully known as the government does not routinely collect information on the practice. However, research conducted by local organizations indicates that the practice is widespread and affects a significant number of girls and women.
The evidence obtained by Human Rights Watch suggests that for many girls and women in Iraqi Kurdistan, FGM is an unavoidable procedure that they undergo sometimes between the ages of 3 and 12. In some cases documented by Human Rights Watch, societal pressures also led adult women to undergo the procedure, sometimes as a precondition of marriage.
The new government, elected in July 2009, has taken no steps to eradicate the practice.
http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2010/06/16/they-took-me-and-told-me-nothing-0Iraq: continua la violenza estrema degli integralisti islamici contro gay e lesbiche
Last week, 12 Iraqi police officers burst into a house in Karbala, beat up and blindfolded the six occupants and bundled them off in three vans, taking the computers they found with them. The house was then burned down by unknown people.
The house was a new "emergency shelter" run by the Iraqi LGBT organisation.
Two days later, one of the men turned up in hospital with a throat wound saying he'd been tortured. Iraqi LGBT has ordered those in its other two safe houses to move immediately.
Ali Hili, Iraq's LGBT leader, said "people in the west have been too quiet for too long about the violence against LGBT people in Iraq. The militia and the powers that be know they can get away with it while that silence continues."
At a state department event yesterday, Hillary Clinton touted US support, like Britain's, for African LGBT activists. Four were invited guests and she even offered funding. In both Malawi and Uganda there is a strong religious opposition to homosexuality but this hasn't stopped criticism. Yet in Iraq "religious sensitivities" are mentioned behind the scenes as the reason why Britain won't publicly criticise inaction on the killings of LGBT people, let alone killings by or with the connivance of the Iraqi government. Of course, in reality, the "sensitivities" are primarily political and LGBT people are being sacrificed for the sake of them.
Africa is the "gay international issue du jour" and that's a good thing, but the absence of any attention – any – to Iraq screams out for explanation. Iraqi LGBT has documented 738 killings in five years, similar numbers to those suffered by Iraq's Christian minority. Yet Iraq's state-colluded pogrom of gays isn't the subject of demonstrations by the international gay community, sustained actions by international human rights organisations, protests by lesbian or gay celebrities or even fundraising for "safe houses" – though they have one major funder, the Dutch humanist charity, Hivos.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/23/gay-people-iraq
Pakistan: integralisti islamici minacciano le femministe della linea telefonica pro-choice
An abortion hotline which has been set up in Pakistan is facing violent opposition. Islamic groups and political parties have condemned the hotline, which was launched yesterday, as "anti-Islamic" and "colonial", even though it will save the lives of thousands of women who die each year in backstreet abortion clinics. They have warned the organisers that they are at risk of reprisals.
The hotline, set up by a collection of women's groups in Pakistan and the Dutch pro-choice group Women on Waves, advises women how to use a drug to induce miscarriage safely and aims to reduce the estimated 890,000 unsafe illegal abortions performed in Pakistan every year.
"We want to save women's lives," said Gulalai Ismail, founder of the Pakistani women's group Aware Girls, which is helping to set up the hotline. "We are empowering women, and trying to give them information to help them take control of their bodies. Any groups which try to help women will have problems with extremist and fundamentalist groups. Ninety-nine per cent of clerics will oppose this."
As well as the hotline, trained Pakistani staff will offer abortion information in communities in rural Pakistan, particularly in the tribal areas of the North-West Frontier Province, where opposition is expected to be fiercest.
"While the debate continues on whether terminating a pregnancy is allowed or not, and under what conditions, thousands of women are dying as a result of unsafe backstreet abortions," said Shaista Gohir, executive director of Muslim Women's Network. "The Pakistani government is failing in its duty to provide adequate family planning services," she said.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/abortion-hotline-in-pakistan-faces-violent-opposition-2011540.html
Iran: Zeynab Jalalian rischia di essere uccisa dalle autorità iraniane
Per favore vi chiedo di scrivere in modo da intercedere per la sua salvezza!
Change for Equality: Iran’s Supreme Court approved the death sentence by execution of Zeynab Jalalian in November 2009. The sentence has been submitted to the implementation office and is scheduled to be carried out. The exact date and time when the sentence will be implemented is unclear, but it may take place in a matter of hours or days. Khalil Bahramian, a prominent lawyer, who has represented others sentenced to death, and who efforts to represent Zeynab by the courts was rejected, explained in news reports yesterday that Zeynab faces imminent execution and may be hanged in only a few hours.
Zeynab Jalalian, from Maku, a town in the north-west of Iran, was sentenced to death for “Enmity against God” in January 2009 by the Kermanshah Revolutionary Court. Before that, she had spent eight months in a Ministry of Intelligence detention facility, during which time her family had no information concerning her fate. She is reported not to have been granted access to a lawyer during her trial, which she said lasted only a few minutes. Zeynab Jalalian’s death sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court on 26 November 2009.
http://www.sign4change.info/english/spip.php?article722
http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2010/06/jalalian-risk-execution/Please write to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urging immediate action:
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Ms. Navanethem Pillay
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
General inquiries:
Email:
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Tel: +41-22-917-92-20
Fax: +41-22-917-9008 or +1-212-963-4097
Civil Society Unit:
Email:
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Tel: +41-22-917-9656
Iran: un numero crescente di donne rifiuta di indossare il velo islamico
In the last few months, millions of women across Iran have used the post-election loosening of social strictures to push back their headscarves, wear tighter-fitting clothes, and ignore the oppressive codes of conduct to a degree not seen since the first year after the Revolution.
While the Iranian public is amply accustomed to the president's boldfaced lies and prevarications, there are reasons to take him at his word on this occasion. At a time when the Green Movement's activists are rethinking the efficacy of street protests, a new
heavy-handed campaign against so-called "immodestly dressed" women holds the potential to reignite street clashes and further radicalize the movement. Beyond that, it would add to the distaste in which many Iranians already hold their president. Ahmadinejad's surprising intervention is thus entirely understandable from a strictly political point of view.
Still, as experts universally agree, the Iranian regime has little choice but to take action against "poorly veiled" women sooner or later, or risk losing face with its hardcore support base.
There was more to hejab politics than the large-scale concerns of the state. At the lower rungs of society, the various codes of "modesty" centered on the veil served a more subtle though no less invidious purpose: Any avowedly fundamentalist individual could stop a citizen, deliver an admonishment, and demand the rectification of their behavior. This sort of ad hoc morality code enforcement was rationalized under the Qu'ranic phrase "Enjoinment of Good and Prohibition of Evil". If an altercation ensued, law enforcement officers were routinely instructed to come down on the side of the fundamentalist. This in effect was a hidden part of the patronage system the Islamic Republic has perfected throughout the years. For millions of the regime loyalists who had benefited meagerly in material terms from the system, there was always the added bonus of "feeling" superior to others; no matter how intellectually inferior or unattractive you were, you could always lord it over someone else to feel a sense of empowerment.
The same incentive has operated, albeit at a much higher level, for the radical cadres and regime activists who have considered the use of violence -- physical, psychological, or discursive -- against "inferior" social groups such as secular women a deeply transcendent experience. They have this in common with the adherents of fascist ideologies.
No wonder therefore that hejab has been called "the beating heart of the religion" and no wonder that compulsory veiling has been turned into the sine qua non of the regime's viability.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/07/your-veil-is-a-battleground.html
Iran: Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani rischia di essere uccisa dal regime islamico
Per favore firmate l'appello. Please write to save her!
The Global Campaign to Stop Killing and Stoning Women (SKSW) and the International Solidarity Network, Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) urge all concerned to immediately contact the Iranian officials to express their concern over the planned stoning to death of Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani. Under Iranian law, execution by stoning is prescribed for adultery. Stoning is one of the most brutal punishments; the Islamic Penal Code of Iran states that the stones used should “not be large enough to kill the person by one or two strikes” – clearly aiming to inflict a slow and painful death. Attached is a sample letter to the authorities.
On 13 June, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaei, published an article entitled “Sakineh on the Threshold of Stoning” and pointed out that there is no legal obstacle to her execution being carried out at any time. Her lawyer stated that with all the complexities and confusion over her case, his client should not be executed, let alone stoned to death, and that her repentance is enough to warrant a pardon.
The Global Campaign to Stop Killing and Stoning Women and the International Solidarity Network, Women Living Under Muslim Laws oppose all forms of cruel and degrading punishment most especially including those that are being justified in the name of religion, tradition, and/or culture. The freedom of belief does not mean freedom to kill.
Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani
Head of the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri,
Tehran 1316814737,
Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: via website: http://www.dadiran.ir/tabid/75/Default.aspx
(put given name in first starred box, family name in second starred box, and email address in third. Paste appeal in large box)
Salutation: Your Excellency
General Public Relations Office
Tel: 0098 21 66407070 (Extension: 220-227)
Email:
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Tehran Prosecution Office (which the Revolutionary Court prosecutor is part of)
Tel: 0098 21 33948785
Fax: 0098 21 33948887
Answering Machine: 0098 21 33111027
Email:
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High Council for Human Rights (Larijani's bureau)
Email:
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General Office of International Affairs (in Judiciary):
Emails:
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General Prosecutor's Office
Email:
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Please also urgently write to/telephone/fax the Iranian embassy in your country. You can find the contact details on this list: http://www.embassiesabroad.com/embassies-of/Iran
http://www.wluml.org/node/6486| Attachment | Size |
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India: le chiese discriminano le donne teologhe
"Ordination is often denied [to us] on flimsy grounds. Even if we succeed in getting ordained, we are not assigned duties as pastor but are posted as Bible [studies] women and hostel wardens," decried the women in a statement issued following their June 22 to 26 seminar.
"Theologically trained women, especially those who are qualified in women's studies, find few takers for their qualifications. We work as teachers in schools or, if in a theological institution, we are asked to teach subjects like English or ethics," the statement noted.
Several women delegates at the conference commented about the "disappointment and neglect" they face in their churches after undertaking theological education with much enthusiasm.
"We're really disappointed by the response of the churches to ordination and empowerment of women in the churches. Some churches ordain women with much fanfare. But, the marginalization they face after ordination is shocking. It's really frustrating for us to hear that many of them are virtually unemployed."
Malaysia: per la prima volta vengono nominate donne giudice in un tribunale islamico
The appointment of the first two women judges to Malaysia's Islamic courts was hailed Thursday as a move to address the gender imbalance in the country's religious judiciary.
Premier Najib Razak announced the appointments, made by the king in May, as an example of the government's commitment to transforming the Sharia judiciary.
"The appointments were made to enhance justice in cases involving families and women's rights and to meet current needs," Najib was quoted as saying by state news agency Bernama last week.
Muslim pressure group Sisters in Islam welcomed the appointments as a "positive sign for Muslims" and a move that the group had been advocating for over a decade.
Women, family and community development minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the move would eventually see "an equal representation of men and women in decision-making positions".
"Now we must maintain the momentum of such progress and I would like to see all states emulate this move by appointing women into various state Sharia courts," she added.
Iran: a seguito della pressione internazionale forse Sakineh sarà salva
Speriamo bene! Vi aggiornerò...
A woman convicted of adultery has been spared execution by stoning after Iran backed down in the face of rising international outrage.
A statement issued by the Iranian embassy in London said that 'according to information from the relevant judicial authorities in Iran [Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani] will not be executed by stoning'.
But it did not say whether Ms Ashtiani, a mother-of-two, would be spared or executed by hanging instead.
Mohammed Mostafaei, the 43-year-old's lawyer, told The Times: 'This is a positive development but nothing is clear yet.
'There have been cases in Iran of stonings being changed to hangings.
Ahmad Fatemi, of the International Committee against Stoning and Execution, which has campaigned for her release, said: 'It's a tactical retreat... they never expected this kind of pressure, so they want to buy time.'British politicians have been lending their support to efforts to stop the stoning as the international outcry increased.
Foreign Minister William Hague described stoning as a 'medieval punishment that has no place in the modern world', adding: 'If the punishment is carried out it will disgust and appal the watching world.'
Actors Emma Thompson, Colin Firth and Juliette Binoche, fashion designer Katherine Hamnett and playwright Sir David Hare are among a host of celebrities who have signed up to the campaign for her release.
Author Philip Pullman, film producer Lord Puttnam, director Sir Richard Eyre and philosopher A.C. Grayling are also backing calls for clemency.
Stoning was officially introduced into the penal code after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1293297/World-fury-forces-Iran-spare-adulterous-mother-stoned.html#ixzz0tB6IWaZ6Pakistan: una donna rischia la lapidazione
Women's Action Forum (WAF) is outraged at reports of yet another "judgement of stoning to death due to illicit relations", pronounced by a self-styled jirga convened in Kala Dhaka, wherein it was alleged that a man and a woman were seen walking together in a field in Madakhail.
WAF noted that Kala Dhaka was a Provincially Administered Tribal Area (PATA) until it was converted into a settled area and renamed 'Torghar' last week, after which it might be excused for demanding the writ of the state, the pronouncements of the judiciary, and the provincial law enforcement system to be de jure and de facto functional.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\09\story_9-7-2010_pg7_17
Iran: Elnaz Babazadeh violentata ed uccisa dalle milizie islamiche perchè non indossava "correttamente" il velo
According to HRANA, Elnaz Babazadeh, a 26 year old woman was raped and murdered by Basij forces in the city of Tabriz (northwestern Iran) last week. According to the reports, Basij forces stopped Babazadeh in her car for not following the Iranian regime’s dress code. Elnaz resisted the forces and ignored orders given by the Basij forces.
Then the Basij forces who had initially stopped her jumped into her car and threatened her with a gun. Two other Basij members joined in and all together they beat and raped her. They murdered Babazadeh and dumped her body close to Emamiyeh cemetery.
After local investigation was conducted by HRANA members in Tabriz, it was confirmed at Babazadeh’s funeral that the person who killed her was the son of a high-ranking Revolutionary Guards member.
The intentions of the savage Basij members was to put a stop to the “improper” way women in society dressed. Basij members believe this is their duty to God.
http://persian2english.com/?p=12659India: appello contro gli omicidi d'onore
The New York-based watchdog said the authorities should not only prosecute those responsible but also strengthen existing laws to prevent religion and caste-based violence.
Most "honour killings" in India target young couples who marry outside their caste, and are carried out by relatives in an attempt to protect the family's reputation.
There are no official figures on "honour" killings, although a recent independent study suggested that as many as 900 such murders were being committed every year in the northern states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
Last month, police in New Delhi arrested the father and uncle of a girl who was stabbed, gagged and electrocuted along with her boyfriend in a suspected honour killing that caused widespread public disgust.
"Murder is murder, and customary sentiment should not prevail over basic rights and the laws of the land," Ganguly said.
India's Supreme Court has called on the federal government and several state administrations to file reports on killings believed to have been carried out by the victims' relatives.
The cabinet has considered introducing a new law to tackle the problem, and earlier this month appointed a panel of ministers to look into the possibility.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100719/wl_sthasia_afp/indiarightscrimesociety
Iran: giornata internazionale di mobilitazione per la liberazione di Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani
Pleaze sign to save Sakineh!
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43 year old mother of two, was convicted in May 2006 of having an “illicit relationship” with two men and received 99 lashes as her sentence. Despite already having been punished, she has now been further convicted of “adultery” and she and sentenced to death by stoning.
She is currently being held on death row in Tabriz Prison, north-west Iran, and faces imminent execution. Around July 7th , following international protests, officials in Tabriz asked the head of Iran’s judiciary to agree that her sentence of stoning to death be converted to execution by hanging.
On 10 July, the head of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights said that her case would be reviewed, although he affirmed that Iranian law permits execution by stoning.
On 14 July Sajjad Qaderzadeh, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s son, was summoned to Tabriz’s Central Prison, and is believed to have been questioned by Ministry of Intelligence officials who possibly threatened him not to give further interviews about his mother’s case.
Please help our mother return home!
We especially stretch our hand out to the Iranians living abroad. Help to prevent this nightmare from becoming reality. Save our mother. We are unable to explain the anguish of every moment, every second of our lives. Words are unable to articulate our fear…
Help to save our mother. Write to and ask officials to free her. Tell them that she doesn’t have a civil complainant and has not done any wrong. Our mother should not be killed. Is there any one hearing this and rushing to our assistance?
http://freesakineh.org/#signatures
And it is for all of these reasons that, in Europe, I am urging the friends who have fought alongside me for so many years to join the movement. I am appealing to the readers of my review, La Règle du Jeu and to the men and women of good will who read my weekly columns in the Corriere della Sera, El Pais, the Frankfurter Algemeine Zeitung or, of course, The Huffington Post. I ask these readers--I ask you--to contact the Iranian authorities responsible for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's case and to request that they rule out execution of the accused by any means, clarify the legal status of the accused and inform her lawyer of that status, and rethink their opposition to removing from the penal code a punishment--stoning--that is a shame for Persian culture, a punishment that enlightened Muslims everywhere know to belong to an age long, long past.
Your appeal should be addressed to Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose e-mail address has been made public by Amnesty International: Questo indirizzo e-mail è protetto dallo spam bot. Abilita Javascript per vederlo. . Or you may send a letter through the supreme leader's website.
Letters should also be sent to Iran's minister of justice, Ayatollah Sadegh Ardeshir-Larijani, at the following address, as provided by Amnesty International: Office of the Head of the Judiciary, Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran 1316814737, Islamic Republic of Iran.
Copies may be sent to the head of Iran's High Council for Human Rights, Mohammad Javad Larijani, at the same address.
These officials must be inundated with communications.
They must be made aware that the world's eyes are fixed on Iran and on the fate of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani and the eleven other individuals (eight women and three men) who wait on death row to know whether they will be stoned.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bernardhenri-levy/an-international-appeal-t_b_642265.htmlIran: proteste internazionali per la salvezza di Sakineh Mohammedie Ashtian
Sakineh Mohammedie Ashtiani was originally sentenced to death by stoning, but it was put on hold earlier this month after an international outcry.
In London, protesters held posters with Ashtiani's likeness while a speaker criticized Iran's treatment of her. Many demonstrating in Trafalgar Square held signs reading, "No to Stoning. No to Executions." John Lennon's "Imagine" played in the background.
In Stockholm, Sweden, protesters chanted for Ashtiani's release while calling stoning a medieval practice that must end. They also signed a large petition calling for her release.
More than 30 cities participated in "International Sakineh Mohammedie Ashtiani Day" at 2 p.m. local time. Cities holding rallies included Washington, New York, London, Venice, Paris, Berlin and Ottawa, organizers said.
Organizers hoped the rallies would help free Ashtiani and intensify the international support she gained earlier when her case was widely publicized.
"International pressure is what causes change," Ahadi said. "The authorities in Iran aren't immune to this pressure -- we want to release Ashtiani, and we think these rallies are a huge factor in doing so."
Human rights activist Maryam Namazie said Saturday's protests are critical for freeing Ashtiani.
"Very often the regime has quietly and privately executed people even though it said it's not going to," said Namazie, spokeswoman of Iran Solidarity and One Law for All.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/07/24/iran.stoning.protest/#fbid=jcByijRag0-
Malaysia: ricerca mostra come le donne siano danneggiate dalla poligamia
The study by non-governmental organisation Sisters in Islam (SIS) and the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (Ikmas) of the National University of Malaysia (UKM) surveyed some 1,200 participants from polygamous families throughout peninsular Malaysia since 2008.
“The husband’s contribution to his first wife’s family decreased after his second marriage,” said SIS senior research officer Adibah Mohd. Jodi.
“About 44 per cent of first wives have to take on extra work after their husbands take on a second wife,” she added.
Centre of Research on Women’s Development (Kanita), University of Science Malaysia (USM) director Rashidah Shuib said that many first wives are unable to get financial aid from the government as they are told to rely on their husbands.
“First wives are the most dissatisfied (parties) in almost all aspects, such as time, emotion, resources and communication (with their husbands),” she said.
When asked why majority of children of either the first or second wife remarked that they “did not care” about being in a polygamous family, head researcher Norani Othman said that their lax attitude could be a psychological defence mechanism.
Majority of the research participants were from Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang as they were more open to answering surveys than their urban counterparts in Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan, added Norani.
About 47 per cent of husbands and 35 per cent of second wives surveyed were either self-employed or blue collar workers, while about 52 per cent of first wives were homemakers.
“Academics tried to apply for funds (for this project), but they were all rejected by the Ministry of Higher Education,” said Norani.
Iran: Mohammad Mostafaei, avvocato di Sakineh perseguitato dal regime islamico e la sua famiglia arrestata
No comment! Perchè se ne parla cosi' poco nei media?
PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in English, Persian or your own language:
Expressing concern about the arrest and detention of Fereshteh Halimi and Farhad Halimi being held solely on account of their relationship with human rights lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei;
Urging the authorities to release Fereshteh Halimi and Farhad Halimi immediately and unconditionally if they are prisoners of conscience and to protect them from torture or other ill-treatment or abuse of their rights;
Reminding the authorities that the harassment and arrest of family members solely in order to bring pressure on someone else is a human rights violation and that anyone making such an order is violating the human rights of those targeted.
Also cite that Mohammad Mostafaei is a human rights defender and under the United Nations Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms adopted by the UN General Assembly on 08 March 1999 (General Assembly resolution 53/144), the Iranian government has the primary responsibility and duty to protect, promote and implement all human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals who seek to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 6 SEPTEMBER 2010 TO:
Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Sadeqh Larijani
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri
Tehran 1316814737
Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: Via website: http://www.dadiran.ir/tabid/75/Default.aspx First starred box: your given name; second starred box: your family name; third: your email address
Salutation: Your Excellency
Head of the Provincial Judiciary in Tehran
Ali Reza Avaei
Karimkhan Zand Avenue
Sana’i Avenue, Corner of Alley 17, No. 152
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email:
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Salutation: Dear Mr Avae
And copies to:
Secretary General, High Council for Human Rights
Mohammad Javad Larijani
Howzeh Riassat-e Ghoveh Ghazaiyeh
Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhuri
Tehran 1316814737
Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: +98 21 3390 4986
Email:
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(In subject line: FAO Mohammad Javad Larijani)
Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country.
Find the Iranian embassy in your country on this list: http://www.embassiesabroad.com/embassies-of/Iran
http://persian2english.com/?p=13078
Cina: resiste la tradizione delle donne imam
In an alleyway called Wangjia hutong, women go to their own mosque, where Yao Baoxia leads prayers. For 14 years, Yao has been a female imam, or ahong as they are called here, a word derived from Persian.
As she leads the service, Yao stands alongside the other women, not in front of them as a male imam would. But she says her role is the same as a male imam.
"The status is the same," Yao says confidently. "Men and women are equal here, maybe because we are a socialist country."
China has an estimated 21 million Muslims, who have developed their own set of Islamic practices with Chinese characteristics. The biggest difference is the development of independent women's mosques with female imams, something scholars who have researched the issue say is unique to China.
Yao studied to become an imam for four years, after being laid off from her job as a factory worker. First she studied under a female imam, then with a male imam alongside male students.
Shui points out that the women's mosques in China are administered independently, by women for women, in addition to being legally separate entities in some cases.
"After reform and opening up [in 1979], some female mosques registered independently, which shows the equality of male and female mosques," she explains.
Controversy still rages in the Muslim world about whether women can be imams. In 2006, Morocco became the first country in the Arab world to officially sanction the training of female religious leaders.
"I haven't had any students since 1996," she says, shaking her head. "Women don't want be imams anymore, because the salaries in the mosques are too low. No one is willing to do it."
Female imams sometimes earn as little as $40 a month, one-third of what can be earned in other jobs. Younger women need to earn more to support their families.
And so it appears the future of female imams in China is threatened — not by the state, not by resistance from inside Islam, but by the forces of market economics.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128628514
Pakistan: infermiera vittima di stupro di gruppo chiede giustizia
A 22-year-old nursing student was treated for head injuries after she suffered a fall from the first-floor kitchen balcony of a doctors’ colony suite inside Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) on Tuesday.
According to conflicting reports, student M was allegedly subjected to sexual abuse and had jumped to escape. A Medico-Legal Officer (MLO) is now in police custody in connection with this case.
Some children witnessed the fall. “I heard my children scream as they saw the girl fall from the balcony,” reported Dr Saleem, who lives in the area. “When I went there I saw her lying face down, bleeding from her head.” He said her clothes were torn and the MLO was looking down from his balcony. According to officials, the incident took place around 5:30 pm.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/27661/rape-alleged-after-nursing-student-falls-from-jpmc-balcony/
M has been visited by government and political officials. She has refused to take any financial compensation or help and has said that she only wants justice.
On Tuesday, MPA Humera Alwani said that M told her that more than three people raped her. She said that M was thrown from the window of the flat.
Doctors said she could be discharged in the next three to four days. Her family has demanded security for her.
Earlier on, judicial magistrate South has extended the physical remand of the prime suspect Dr Abdul Jabbar Memon. Memon’s lawyer said that his client was too ill to be presented in court.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/29219/jpmc-nurse-names-classmate-driver-in-statement/
On July 13, 2010, 23-year-old Magdalene Ashraf, a nurse trainee at the Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center in Karachi, Pakistan, was lured to the home of a hospital doctor and brutally gang raped by three doctors before being tossed from the balcony apartment onto the street. Police made little effort to register a report, begin an investigation or apprehend two of the doctors who fled the scene. The chief culprit, Dr. Abdul Jabbar Memon, was arrested but will only be held until July 31, 2010 against the dictates of Pakistani law which lists rape as a non-bailable offense. With the double marginalization of being a women and a Catholic minority, Ashraf faces an arduous uphill battle in her fight for justice as the police have given her no protection and her lawyer has withdrawn from the case. Show your support for Magdalene Ashraf by signing our online petition and writing an email to the following people:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/234/justice-for-magdalene-ashrafTurchia: violenza domestica contro le donne a livelli allarmanti
Video footage filmed in September of 2009 shows Sidika outside of the hospital in the provincial capital of Van. Her face was horribly bruised; her head encased in bandages. Part of Sidika's right ear had been sliced off. The woman could barely walk and leaned on her brother for support, as she hobbled a few short steps into the hospital.
After the incident, Turkish authorities separated Sidika Platin and her children from her husband and placed them in a state-run women's shelter. But barely two months later, a local criminal court asked that Sidika and her children be handed back to Faruk Platin. He had not served any jail time for beating his wife.
"At that time, because he showed regret and because his [criminal] record was clean, his sentence was postponed," said Meral Demirbas, the governor of Saray district where Kapikoy is located.
"Also, the wife withdrew her complaint."
Sidika Platin is an ethnic Kurd who speaks no Turkish. According to eyewitnesses, when she appeared in court, she could not understand the judge or prosecutor, and relied on her husband to translate legal proceedings.
On a snowy day last December, local women's rights activists like Hamide Yeni could do little more then watch helplessly, as Faruk Platin led his mutilated wife away from the courtyard, back to the village where they lived.
"This kind of thing happens in every village," says Yeni, one of the founders of a grassroots local family protection association in the Saray district of southeastern Turkey. "There are thousands of women like Sidika out here."
In fact, according to a 2009 Turkish government report, 42 percent of women surveyed said they had been the victims of either physical or sexual abuse by their husband or partner. The report concluded that one in four married Turkish women had been injured by partner violence. Meanwhile, one in ten Turkish women were injured by such violence while pregnant.
Some Turkish activists fear the real statistics for violence against women may actually be much higher.
"In all domestic surveys there are 'shadow figures.' That is because women are not willing to tell about the violence, it's a very sensitive issue," says Pinar Ilkkaracan, a co-founder of the Istanbul-based group Women for Women's Human Rights.
"We think it's much higher than 42 percent."
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/07/30/turkey.domestic.abuse/index.html?hpt=C2
Malaysia: proteste contro la decisione del Consiglio Religioso Islamico di permettere i matrimoni dei minori
Questo succede quando lo stato non è laico e le leggi sono soggette all'interpretazione delle religioni.
A Malaysian state's decision to allow child marriages caused an outcry on Wednesday, with rights groups condemning new rules that allow Muslim girls below 16 years to wed.
The decision by the Islamic religious council in southern Malacca state has been billed as an attempt to curb premarital sex and baby dumping, after a string of cases of newborns being abandoned.
"Child marriage amounts to paedophilia. We should not condone child marriages," said Ivy Josiah, executive director of leading activist group Women's Aid Organisation.
Malacca chief minister Mohamad Ali Rustam reportedly said that marriages for Muslims below the current minimum age of 16 years for females and 18 for males would be allowed with the permission of parents and religious courts.
In Malaysia, Muslims make up about 60 per cent of the 28 million population and are subject to religious Sharia law which operates in parallel with the civil legal system.
Josiah said that Malaysia recognises those aged under 18 years as children, and that allowing them to marry early would deprive them of an education and the right to choose a partner.
"It is a knee-jerk reaction. It is really a regressive move. It is turning back the clock. This man (the chief minister) should resign," she said.
Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the minister for women, family and community development, said that underage marriage was "morally and socially unacceptable".
"Placing the heavy burden and responsibility of parenthood on children can deprive them of their rights to a full and harmonious development," she said.
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1319257/Outcry-over-Malaysian-child-marriages
Bangladesh: la Corte Suprema mette al bando i partiti islamici
Una ventata d'aria fresca dall'Asia!
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh has reinstated the measure banning Islamic parties. In a document of 184 pages presented July 26 last, the Court has demolished the Fifth Amendment of the 1979Constitution, including provisions that allowed the rise of Islamic parties in parliament during military regimes (1975 - 1979, 1982 - 1990). The measure, introduced for the first time in January, has been blocked for six months because of an appeal process demanded by Islamic leaders.
Shafiq Ahmed, Minister of Justice, said the measure will be a blow to the extremist parties that can no longer use religion to political ends.
"Secularism - said the minister - will again be the cornerstone of the constitution." For the moment the court ruling does not provide for the cancellation of the Islamic inspiration of the constitution, but according Shafiq "thanks to the demolition of the Fifth Amendment, the modifications made during the military regimes can now be challenged in court." Moreover, the measure outlaws all those who supported the regimes from 1975 to 1990. "In theory - adds the minister - all citizens of Bangladesh may now bring a lawsuit against the former military dictator. The repeal of the amendment would also limit the possibility of future coups. "
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Bangladesh-bans-Islamic-parties-19109.html
Dubai: donna britannica arrestata perchè "colpevole" di indossare il bikini
A British holidaymaker has been charged with indecency in Dubai after walking through the world's largest shopping centre in a bikini.
The woman was buying clothes and gifts in the Dubai Mall, fully dressed but in a low-cut top, when she was accosted by an Arabic woman and criticised for wearing 'revealing clothing'.
The pair then became embroiled in a heated row in front of hundreds of bemused shoppers.
Incensed by the Arabic woman's comments, the British woman told her to 'mind her own business' before stripping out of her clothes and 'taunting' the locals by walking around in only her bikini, it is alleged.
The mall's security team then intervened and called the police, who arrested the British holidaymaker.
The woman, whose identity is unknown, was still being questioned by officers in Bur Dubai police station last night.
A source within Dubai police said: 'The British woman was wearing a very low top and most of her legs were on display.
'The Arabic woman stopped to criticise her and that's when she stripped off. That's when things started to get out of hand.
'We ended up questioning both women after receiving a call from the mall security staff.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1300477/Briton-held-wearing-bikini-Dubai-shopping-mall.htmlMalaysia: continua la battaglia giudiziaria di una donna che lotta per ufficializzare la sua conversione da musulmana a induista
The interfaith dispute could further anger non-Muslims who have long complained that their religious rights are being sidelined in Muslim-majority Malaysia, and may erode minority support for the government.
Malaysia's secular High Court ruled it had no jurisdiction to hear the case as Banggarma Subramaniam is a Muslim and should refer to the Islamic Shariah court, said her lawyer Gooi Hsiao Leung.
"Why must I be forced to accept Islam?" Banggarma said. "I was born an Indian, a Hindu and I remain so until I die. They have no rights over me."
The welfare department claims Banggarma was converted in 1983 by her father and that she must go to the Shariah court to verify her status.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hs4893PMIxdfZaSmLpXlq_tn1dPw
The High Court in Penang state ruled that 28-year-old S. Banggarma, whose Muslim name is Siti Hasnah Vangarama Abdullah, was a Muslim because her parents converted the whole family in 1983.
"Parents have the right to determine the faiths of children who are below 18. It is a universal right, irrespective of religion," said judicial commissioner Yaacob Sam.
Banggarma, who has argued that she was made to convert to Islam at the age of seven when she was placed in a children's home, vowed to continue to fight the case.
"I was born a Hindu, and I want to die a Hindu," she said.
"This is not the end. After going through the grounds for the dismissal, we will seriously consider appealing this case at the Court of Appeal," said counsel Gooi Hsiao Leung.
http://news.malaysia.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4256730
India: fatwa islamica contro le donne giudici
| Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband has issued an edict saying that Muslim women should not become judges as it is forbidden in the religion. | |
The seminary posted the fatwa on its website after a question was posed to it on the issue. According to Supreme Court advocate Kamlesh Jain, such fatwas affect the mindset of people and pose hurdles for Muslim women who want to opt for this profession. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/86630/now-darul-uloom-fatwa-against.html | |
Afghanistan: i talebani trucidano donna incinta accusata di adulterio
The Taliban publicly flogged and then executed a pregnant Afghan widow by shooting her three times in the head for alleged adultery, police said.
Bibi Sanubar, 35, was kept in captivity for three days before she was shot dead in a public trial on Sunday by a local Taliban commander in the Qadis district of the rural western province Badghis.
The Taliban accused Sanubar of having an "illicit affair" that left her pregnant. She was first punished with 200 lashes in public before being shot, deputy provincial police chief Ghulam Mohammad Sayeedi told AFP on Monday.
Since their ouster in 2001, the hardline Taliban militants have executed many people they accused of spying for foreign forces, including at least one woman who was shot dead in Kandahar.
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-world/taliban-execute-pregnant-woman-20100809-11tzz.html
Iran: Mohammad Mostafaie avvocato di Sakineh chiede asilo in Norvegia e la moglie esce dalla prigione di Evin
Since our last update on the case of Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, and her former attorney Mohammad Mostafaei, there have been a few important developments: Mostafaei, who had fled to Turkey after the arrest of his wife and brother in-law in Tehran, was arrested by the Turkish authorities and placed in a detention centre. He has been released, and is now in Norway seeking asylum. Although the brother in-law was released shortly after his arrest, Mostafaei’s wife, Fereshteh Halimi, continued to be held at Evin prison. However, on Saturday 7 August, Halimi was also released from prison. Mostafaei hopes that his wife and young daughter will be able to join him shortly in Norway.
Iran: Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani condannata a morte denuncia il regime teocratico
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, the woman whose sentence of death by stoning triggered an international outcry has accused the Iranian authorities of lying about the charges against her to pave the way to execute her in secret.
They're lying. They are embarrassed by the international attention on my case and they are desperately trying to distract attention and confuse the media so that they can kill me in secret."
Yesterday, Mossadegh Kahnemoui, a senior Iranian judicial official, told the UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: "This lady, in addition to double adultery, is also found guilty of conspiracy to murder her husband."
Mohammadi Ashtiani said: "I was found guilty of adultery and was acquitted of murder, but the man who actually killed my husband was identified and imprisoned but he is not sentenced to death."
"The answer is quite simple, it's because I'm a woman, it's because they think they can do anything to women in this country. It's because for them adultery is worse than murder – but not all kinds of adultery: an adulterous man might not even be imprisoned but an adulterous women is the end of the world for them. It's because I'm in a country where its women do not have the right to divorce their husbands and are deprived of their basic rights."
Describing life inside Tabriz prison, Mohammadi Ashtiani said she has been subject to constant mistreatment by prison guards. "Their words, the way they see me – an adulterous woman who should be stoned to death – is just like being stoned to death every day."
She thanked campaigners for highlighting her case and said international pressure was her only hope for release. "For all these years, they [the officials] have tried to put something in my mind, to convince me that I'm an adulterous woman, an irresponsible mother, a criminal but with the international support, once again I'm finding myself, my innocent self."
She pleaded: "Don't let them stone me in front of my son."
Twelve women and three men have also been sentenced to death by stoning in Iran.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/06/sakineh-mohammadi-ashtiani-iran-interview
Iran: nuova mobilitazione per la salvezza di Sakineh
Come out into the Streets to Save Sakine’s Life!
In the face of immense international opposition, the Islamist regime in Iran was forced to retreat from stoning to death Sakine Mohammadi-Ashtiaani, a 42-year-old Iranian woman, for ‘adultery.’ But it now seeks to kill her by other means! It has rejected even the offer of its associate, President Lula Da Silva of Brazil, who had officially announced that his country would grant asylum to Sakineh and her family. What the regime did instead was to refer her case to Saeed Mortazavi, nicknamed ‘the torturer of Tehran,’ now the Deputy Prosecutor-General. He is a sociopathic torturer/murderer responsible for the killing of dozens of political prisoners such as Zahra Kazemi, an Iranian- Canadian photo journalist, murdered in 2003 while in his custody. In a report released in 2010 in Iran, Mortazavi was named as the man responsible for torturing dozens (including extensive rape), and the death of three of the political prisoners at Kahrizak detention centre in 2009. He was consequently discredited, but was rewarded for his loyalty and services to the regime through promotion to his present post!
By handing over Sakineh’s case to a cold-blooded killer regime is sending a message to the millions of people across the world who have risen up to save Sakineh. We take this declaration of war in earnest, and hereby call out to all honorable citizens of the world to come to Sakineh’s rescue by showing their opposition at their main town squares or centers on August 10th, demanding her immediate release.
We shall carry on this campaign until Sakineh is freed and stoning totally banned in Iran. Our next step is to mobilize for an International Day in 100 cities worldwide to protest against stoning and the barbaric Islamist regime in Iran. Further information on that action will be released through future announcements. The rally on August 10th is an urgent action aimed at stopping Sakine’s possible execution, as well as taking the first step towards organizing the 100-city day of protest.
The danger of Sakine’s execution is serious. Let us come to Sakine’s rescue on August 10thwith one voice and one united battle cry: we shall not allow the killing of one more innocent human being by the murderous rulers of Iran!
Iran Solidarity www.iransolidarity.org.uk
Mission Free Iran http://missionfreeiran.org
International Committee Against Stoning www.stopstonningnow.com
International Committee Against Execution www.notonemoreexecution.org
According to the Turkish newspaper ‘Radikal’ Mr Mostafaei was arrested in Turkey yesterday, Tuesday 3 August, and is currently in detention. Mr Mostafaei was at Istanbul airport when he was arrested as there were allegedly issues with his passport. Several European countries have already spoken to the Turkish authorities and expressed their concern for Mr Mostafaei’s safety.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has confirmed that Mr Mostafaei is in detention in Turkey and is in contact with him. The UNHCR also stated that Mr Mostafaei has applied for asylum in Turkey.
http://stopstonningnow.com/wpress/1652
Mina Ahadi from ICAS says: ‘The Islamic regime has sent a political message.Despite the many protests and international concern for Ms Ashtiani the Islamic regime continues their terror against people and especially women in Iran. Putting Ms Ashtiani’s future in the hands of Saeed Mortazavi is a very bad sign. They are preparing Ms Ashtiani’s execution. This is a very clear sign that ‘justice’ in Iran has nothing to do with being just but everything to do with being a political tool of oppression and self-preservation of the Islamic regime.’
Tabriz, Iran
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Fax: +90-312-417 0476
Minister of Interior
Icisleri Bakanligi
06644 Ankara
Fax: +90 312 417 23 90
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Disisleri Bakanligi
06100 Ankara
Fax: +90 312 419 1547
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UNHCR - Branch Office in Turkey
Tiflis Cad. 552. Sok. No: 3
Iran: il regime islamico rifiuta l'offerta di estradizione in Brasile che avrebbe potuto garantire la salvezza di Sakineh
The stoning sentence for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two, has been lifted for now after it prompted an outcry from the United States and other governments as well as rights groups. Brazil, which has friendly relations with Iran, offered her asylum.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told state-run English-language Press TV he did not think there was a need to send her to Brazil and that he hoped the issue "will be solved," without explaining.
"There is a judge at the end of the day and the judges are independent. But I talked with the head of the judiciary and the judiciary also does not agree" with Brazil's proposal, Ahmadinejad said. "I think there is no need to create some trouble for President Lula and take her to Brazil," he added, referring to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The office of Brazil's president and its Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment on Ahmadinejad's remarks.
Though Iran has lifted the stoning sentence, it is now accusing the woman of playing a role in her husband's 2005 murder. She could still be hanged.
Iran's Embassy in Brazil sought to explain the rejection of the asylum proposal in a statement addressed to the Brazilian public.
"If the granting of exile for criminals and murderers became a habit for nations, would this not affect the role of the legal systems of these nations?" the statement said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100816/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_stoning
India: docente universitaria ottiene il diritto di insegnare senza il burqa
Eleven days after The Indian Express reported that a 24-year-old teacher of West Bengal’s first Muslim university had not been able to hold classes for more than three months because she refused to heed the student union’s diktat to wear a burqa, Sirin Middya has won her battle.
The university administration contacted Middya on Monday, asking her to resume duties without a burqa, assuring that she would face no problem. The student union too said the teacher was free to decide what she wore, as long as it was “decent”
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/burqa-in-university/658211/
Afghanistan: coppia di innamorati trucidata dai talebani
Continua la mostruosa barbarie talebana.
A man and a woman in their 20s have been stoned to death at the order of a local Taliban commander in northern Afghanistan, just a week after a pregnant widow was subjected to the same brutal punishment for alleged extra-marital relations.
A man and woman have been stoned to death in northern Afghanistan after being accused by the Taliban of having an affair, a witness and an official said Monday.
http://www.france24.com/en/20100816-afghan-couple-stoned-death-taliban-love-affair Hoda Abdel-Hamid, Al Jazeera's correspondent in the Afghan capital, Kabul, said a local Taliban commander confirmed that the man was a married 28-year-old, while the woman was in her early twenties, engaged to marry someone else. "The couple were brought into an open field and about 100 Taliban or supporters of the Taliban gathered and began stoning them just after a Taliban supporter read out a statement of their confession."
Bangladesh: l'alta corte proibisce l'obbligo dell'abbigliamento religioso
A Bangladesh court has ruled that people cannot be forced to wear skull caps, veils or other religious clothing in workplaces, schools and colleges.
The ruling came after reports that a college in the north had forced students to wear veils.
The high court also ruled that women cannot be prevented from taking part in sports or cultural activities.
The court said that wearing any form of religious clothing, for students and employees, should be a personal choice.
It has also asked the authorities to explain why it should not be made illegal to prevent girls from taking part in sports and cultural activitie
Though Bangladesh is a Muslim-majority nation, most people practise a moderate version of Islam.
In the long run, the country's politicians want the country to transform into a secular democracy rather than an Islamic republic.
Afghanistan: talebani attaccano con gas scuola femminile
Dozens of Kabul schoolgirls were admitted to hospital on Wednesday after a suspected poison gas attack on their school, officials said.
"Today at around 9.30am (0500 GMT, 1500 AEST) around 55 people, including nine teachers and 46 students at the Totya Girls' High School, following an apparent poisoning incident, were taken to hospital," education ministry spokesman Mohammed Asef Nang said.
"They are in stable condition," he said, adding that some had become dizzy and others lapsed into unconsciousness.
"This is not an accident. Similar incidents have happened in girls' schools before. We think there are groups who do not tolerate development and progress - their aim is to prevent girls from going to school," said Nang.
Fifteen-year-old Ruqia, who was hospitalised after the incident, said: "I smelled something very, very foul as I was sitting in my classroom. I saw my classmates falling down, my vision got blurred and I heard everyone screaming before I became unconscious."
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/afghan-girls-in-suspected-gas-attack-20100825-13scc.html
The latest incident, this one at a high school, is the ninth such case involving the poisoning of schoolgirls, said Asif Nang, spokesman for the nation's education ministry.
Dr. Kabir Amiri said 59 students and 14 teachers were brought to the hospital, and were faring better.
"We don't have good equipment to verify the kind of gas that they were poisoned with, but we have taken their blood tests to send to Turkmenistan for verifying the type of gas" that was used, Amiri said.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/08/25/afghanistan.girls.sick/#fbid=h-2CShfXYY9&wom=falsePakistan: le donne doppiamente vittime delle inondazioni
According to the RHRC (Reproductive Health Response in Crises Consortium), 85 percent of persons displaced by the flood are women and children. As the floodwaters rise, they are at acute risk from starvation, exposure, sexual assault and water-borne diseases. However, providing them with assistance is more difficult than these basic facts suggest. In traditional Pakistani society, it is taboo for women to receive aid or medical care from male relief workers, preventing many of them from seeking such aid in the first place.
This particularly applies to pregnant women surprised by the flood. Pakistan already had a high maternal morality rate before the flood, with 320 women dying per 100,000 live births. This rate has undoubtedly increased due to the disaster. While the Pakistani government and NGOs have sent female aid workers into the affected areas, their numbers are not always sufficient to meet the crushing demand for help. In addition, women are increasingly cut off from a supply of birth control pills and condoms (before the flood, 30 percent of fertile women were using some form of contraception). A wave of unwanted pregnancies, with all the complications that will bring, is certain.
In any case, as government and Western aid takes its time in arriving, Islamist groups more in tune with local proprieties have been filling the gap, clearly jockeying for a more visible role in the reconstruction. British-Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid believes that the destruction of crops and infrastructure will lead to food riots. He believes that "joblessness and helplessness will lead to more young men joining the militants, who are propagating the idea that the floods are God's wrath against the government ... All of this will dramatically loosen the state's control over outlying areas, in particular those bordering Afghanistan, which could be captured quickly by local Taliban," leaving Pakistan as "a failed state with nuclear weapons."
Where do Pakistani women fit into this view of the future? Let's look at their past first. While they are better off than many in the Muslim world and have benefited from progressive gender policies over recent decades, they still have at best a 36 percent literacy rate. The International Labor Force Survey of 1991-92 reported that only about 16 percent of women age 10 form part of the official workforce, a figure that may have doubled since then. In rural areas, it is estimated that around 80 percent of women are engaged in farming. Twenty-four percent of the population lives below the poverty level, including the majority of families headed by women.
http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet/2010/08/20/pakistan_floods_women_victims_open2010/index.html
Afghanistan: malgrado i pericoli in aumento le donne candidate
A record number of women are running in Afghanistan's critical parliamentary elections next month despite many being inundated with threatening phone calls, including death threats from insurgents.
Amid ever-rising violence, which some people fear could foster a repeat of last year's catastrophic presidential election, women are struggling to campaign at all outside a few areas, poll monitors say.
Even in Kabul, the capital, where the Guardian has interviewed a number of female candidates, women say they are facing daily obstruction from conservative hardliners.
With voting billed for 18 September, Kabul's streets have been plastered in posters and billboards, many of which show the faces of would-be female MPs in the capital, the number of whom has more than doubled since 2005. However, many of the posters do not stay up long, or get defaced with slashes of bright red ink.
Despite the dangers the number of women seeking representation in parliament has risen sharply, from 328 in 2005 to 406 across Afghanistan, according to an international election monitor in Kabul. They are running for at least 64 of the 249 seats reserved for women.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/24/record-women-candidates-afghan-election?CMP=twt_gu
Afghanistan: assistenti di una donna candidata trucidati
The bodies of five people working for a female candidate in Afghanistan's parliamentary election have been found in western Herat province.
They were among a group of 10 people kidnapped by armed men on Wednesday. Five were later released, say reports.
The Taliban later said they carried out the abductions. No group has said it carried out the killings.
Taliban insurgents opposed to the elections in general - and female candidates in particular - have been blamed for the murder of a number of candidates.
On Saturday, candidate Haji Abdul Manan was shot and killed as he was leaving a mosque on the back of a motorcycle.
The Taliban have also been blamed for the kidnap of four women working at a drug treatment centre in northern Faryab province. Officials were reported to be negotiating to secure the women's release.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11125517Iran: giornale islamista descrive Carla Bruni Sarkozy come prostituta
Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy, the wife of Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, was attacked after she signed a petition calling for the release of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who is accused of cheating on her husband and then helping to kill him.
Kayhan, an Iranian newspaper, which is under control of the government, called Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy and Isabelle Adjani, the French actress who is campaigning for Ashtina’s release, “prostitutes” in an editorial, while Iranian state television accused the former supermodel of “immorality”.
Iran: le autorità continuano a terrorizzare Sakineh
Semplicemente disgustoso!
Mohammadi Ashtiani wrote her will and embraced her cellmates in Tabriz prison just before the call to morning prayer, when she expected to be led to the gallows, her son Sajad told the Guardian.
"Pressure from the international community has so far stopped them from carrying out the sentence but they're killing her every day by any means possible," he said.
The mock execution came days after prison authorities denied family and legal visits to Mohammadi Ashtiani. Her children were told she was unwilling to meet them while she was told, also falsely, that no one had come to visit her.
Mina Ahadi of Iran Committee against Stoning (ICAS) said: "Look how easily they are accusing and insulting Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and you would realise how bad they are treating Sakineh and women in general in Iran and how they can build up dossier against people out of nothing and sentence them to death by stoning."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/31/sakineh-mohammadi-ashtiani-mock-execution-stoning