Posts

Saudi Arabia Lifts Driving Ban on Women

by

by Aysha Qamar

A royal decree has been issued by Saudi Arabia, that will allow women in the country to drive, the Saudi Foreign ministry said Tuesday on its official Twitter account. Following the decree, women will no longer need permission from a legal guardian to get a license and will not need a guardian in the car when they drive.

The Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry announced the decision on its official Twitter account.

“This is a historic big day in our kingdom,” Prince Khaled bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, said in a briefing with reporters.

The decision to allow women to drive comes along a broad reform program that earlier led to women being allowed into a sports stadium for the first time. Women were allowed to enter the National Stadium in Riyadh to celebrate the 87th anniversary of the founding of the kingdom on September 23.

Ambassador bin Salman described the step as “part of Vision 2030, which is a huge step toward a brighter future.”

According to the Ambassador, the plan for the country’s economic reinvention depends on youth empowerment, social organization and women’s empowerment, “which is an extremely important element of the changes happening in Saudi Arabia,” the ambassador said.

“We are trying to increase women’s participation in the workforce,” bin Salman said.

“In order to change women’s participation in the workforce we need them to be able to drive to work,” Ambassador bin Salman said. “We need them to move forward, we need them to improve our economy.”

In conversation with CNN on why the announcement was made now, Ambassador bin Salman said, “there is no wrong time to do the right thing.” “It’s not religious nor a cultural issue” and said women “used to use transportation means during my grandfather’s era,” he added.

While there might be social issues, the Ambassador said, legally nothing can prevent the women who wish to drive, nor prevent them from wanting driving lessons without male or guardian permission.

According to the Ambassador, the choice will be up to women. “It’s not ‘women must drive,’ it’s ‘women can drive.’”

In May, King Salman decreed that government agencies should list services women can seek without permission from their husbands, fathers or other male guardian. Before the decree, women were not able to access government services without getting permission from a male guardian or having him present.

State Department spokesman Heather Nauert said the US certainly welcomes the move and sees it as “a great step in the right direction”.

“I think this is historical and a victory, not only for Saudi women, but also a victory for human rights,” Saudi Journalist Najah Altoaibi said. “I mean from now on there is no country that places a ban on women driving, Saudi Arabia was the last country which prevented women from driving.”

In November 1990, 47 Saudi women drove their cars around Riyadh to protest the driving ban. The women faced severe punishment and the campaign stopped until 2008, when Wajiha Huwaider dared to drive a car around the eastern provinces and escaped arrest.

Following Huwaiders daring action almost 10 years ago- several women rekindled the protests by driving local roads. Many were arrested and jailed for going behind the wheel.

Manal al-Sharif, a Saudi women’s rights advocate- who now lives in Australia, was jailed in Saudi Arabia after posting a video on Youtube, of herself wearing a black headscarf and sunglasses while driving. Her actions provoked death threats and led to her formulating the Women2Drive campaign.

Sharif and another woman, Najla al-Hariri, became global figureheads of the cause, drawing attention from world leaders and activists to urge Saudi Arabia to end the ban.

In response to the announcement, Al-Sharif, tweeted various comments including a photo of herself in a car.

Many others have also taken to twitter and social media to express their happiness and feelings towards the lifting of the ban.

Loujain Hathloul arrested in 2014 after trying to cross the border from the United Arab Emirates into Saudi Arabia and detained for 73 days, tweeted ‘praise be to God’.

“It is amazing,” said Fawziah al-Bakr, a Saudi university professor who was among 47 women who participated in the kingdom’s first protest against the ban — in 1990. After driving around the Saudi capital, Riyadh, the women were arrested and some lost their jobs.

“Since that day, Saudi women have been asking for the right to drive, and finally it arrived,” she told reporters. “We have been waiting for a very long time.”

Ending the ban on women driving is expected to face some resistance.

Earlier this month, a Saudi cleric was banned from preaching after saying that women should not be allowed to drive because their brains shrink to a quarter the size of a man’s when they go shopping.

Opposition scholar Madawi Al-Rasheed congratulated women’s rights activists, but emphasized the challenges ahead.

“Without an elected government and political representation, we will not benefit,” she said.

According to the decree, a ministerial committee has been formed to implement the ruling and it will present recommendations within 30 days.The new policy is set to be implemented on June 24, 2018, the government said.

Liesl Gerntholtz, executive director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, told CNN while it was a “very important step” there was still a long way to go for Saudi women.

“This prohibition on driving is just one in a vast series of laws and policies which prevent women from doing many things,” she said.

Media fellow at the Muslim Public Affairs Council Marwa Abdelghani, told CNN the new laws wouldn’t take effect for another year.

“Saudi Arabian women are going to continue fighting and are going to continue running these campaigns to try to overturn these laws,” she said.

“At the end of the day these laws are showing how Saudi Arabia has been resisting overturning or relinquishing power to over 50 percent of the population.”

Anti-Islamophobia Campaign Encourages Intervention

by

by Aysha Qamar

According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the number of anti-Muslim attacks in the United States has sharply risen. With the rise of hate crimes and Islamophobia a desire for change and advocacy has increased; however, while many wish to help in uncomfortable situations, they are unsure what to do.

The city of Boston has launched a poster campaign to fight Islamophobia by encouraging bystanders to intervene, in a non-confrontational way, when they witness anti-Muslim harassment. 

50 posters have been placed around the city with advice on what to do if you see Islamophobic behavior.

The campaign follows a racist incident in the city, where a man shouted anti-Muslim slurs at an old woman wearing a headscarf while traveling in a train and accused her of having a bomb. The posters, to be displayed at bus stops and other public spaces, recommend sitting by a victim of harassment and spreading to them about a neutral subject while ignoring the harasser.

The original version of these posters was designed for a Feminist Group based in the Middle East by Marie-Shirine Yener, who goes by the alias Maerill. The Paris-based illustrator’s step-by-step guide first appeared on Tumblr in September, as a response to the “wave of Islamophobic hatred” in France.

She encouraged her followers to keep conversation with those targeted about “anything: a movie you liked, the weather … Keep eye contact with them, and don’t acknowledge the attacker’s presence: the absence of response from you two will push them to leave the area shortly,” she wrote on Tumblr. She also urged followers to share the how-to guide saying, “it could push a lot of people to overcome bystander syndrome.”

The cartoon quickly went viral with more than 200,000 responses. Maerill said the responses she had received since the guide went global left her confident in her technique’s capability.

“As the creator of this guide, it is very exciting to know that the public is going to discover it in a more official, accessible way,” she said.

According to the Associated Press, “the technique is called ‘non-complementary behavior,’ and is intended to disempower an aggressive person by countering their expectations.”

After garnering the attention of four San Franciscans, who were seeking to make the city’s Bay Area Rapid Transit (Bart) system more inclusive, 40 posters of the guide were displayed in Bart advertising spaces as well.

The theme of the campaign is to encourage people from all over to converse with Muslim citizens and immigrants in America, especially when they are being targeted for their faith.

The ‘How-to’ guides for bystander intervention are a progressive step to a more peaceful environment.

“These posters are one tool we have to send the message that all are welcome in Boston,” Mayor Marty Walsh told the Associated Press. “Education is key to fighting intolerance, and these posters share a simple strategy for engaging with those around you.”

While most comments have been positive in regards to the campaign, many disagree with some stating it brings unnecessary to potential targets as well as others generating hate speech and comments stating the posters do not belong in public spaces.

According to the Associated Press, the posters will remain in place for six months.

 

Ibtihaj Muhammad: Fusing Faith, Fashion and Fencing

by

by Humera Dasu

Islam, saber fencing, and Louella, all have a common denominator- and that is Ibtihaj Muhammad. Otherwise known as the first hijabi on the American Olympic team, Muhammad is breaking barriers through her passion in fencing. Amidst her athletic drive and unapologetic representation of her religion, is a love for fashion. Muhammad is also an entrepreneur, running a fashion line of modest wear for women. She has used her versatile talents and interests on her way to success.

Muhammad began fencing at the age of 13, at the request of her mother who liked that Muhammad could be in a uniform that covered her, without making her stick out from the rest of her team mates. Muhammad fell in love with the sport instantly and carried this hobby through her youth and adulthood. In 2002, Muhammad began training in New York with the Westbrook Foundation’s Elite Athlete Program, under former olympian, Akhi Spencer-El. Muhammad is a 5-time Senior World medalist, currently ranking No.2 in the United States and No.8 in the world.

Muhammad has been a member of the United States National Fencing Team since 2010. In 2016, Muhammad qualified for the summer Olympics after winning bronze at the Fencing World Cup held in Athens, Greece.  She gained worldwide recognition as she became the first Muslim American woman to compete in the Olympics with a hijab. Social media sites stormed with stories, tweets, posts and pictures about the Olympian. Muhammad was successful in her first

Olympics games, coming home with a bronze medal in saber fencing for Team America.

Muhammad with her bronze medal in fencing at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Photo via US Magazine

Muhammad has been victorious in her athletic career, without having to shun the love for her faith, Islam. Her hijab never came in the way of her sport, nor did she have to sacrifice any aspect of her religion to play.

Muhammad takes pride in her hijab, “Wearing the hijab is a reminder to myself, in a society that is not predominantly Muslim, of being aware of your own religion. Being in sport, it is part of my journey and as an individual, the hijab has always felt right for me.”

Concurrent with her busy life as an athlete is also Muhammad’s creative personality as a fashionista and entrepreneur. In 2014, Muhammad founded her clothing brand, Louella, based in Los Angeles, California. Muhammad aims to bring modest, fashion-forward clothing to women around the world through her online store. Growing up, Muhammad struggled to find both athletic attire and clothing that she felt comfortable in. Thus, her brand provides women and girls with a flexible shopping experience, including a magnitude of choices for their wardrobes.

Muhammad emphasizes the importance of hard work and determination to fulfill dreams and conquer all obstacles. Having faced racism, sexism, and religious bigotry while growing up, Muhammad is a prime example of perseverance.

“I just remember being ostracized and being told that there were things that I couldn’t do because I was black, or there were things I couldn’t do because I was Muslim, or there were limitations because I was a girl,” she said. “Throughout my entire life, I feel like I’ve tried to combat these stereotypes.” Muhammad represents many minorities and wishes to inspire those that share her attributes. As a black, Muslim, hijab-wearing woman, she is striving in the athletic and business world.

In a world where hatred and fear are becoming normalized, many feel too hopeless to chase their dreams. It is people like Muhammad that serve as role-models, for standing up to prejudice to follow each and every one of their dreams.

mirror

‘Mirror on the Veil’: Anthology that Counters Hijabi Stereotypes

by

by Saadia Faruqi

I have worn the hijab for the last decade, perhaps more. It’s difficult to count the years because it didn’t happen in one day or even a few months so that I could look back and remind myself: “there, that’s the year I finally did it!” For me, like for millions of other Muslim women, putting on the hijab was a long-term experiment, an on-again-off-again relationship with a piece of fabric.

I write about this relationship in-depth in the new essay anthology “Mirror on the Veil.” Edited by two brilliant Muslim American women: Nausheen Pasha-Zaidi who is a psychology lecturer at the University of Houston and Shaheen Pasha who is a journalism professor at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. This anthology is subtitled ‘A Collection of Personal Essays on Hijab and Veiling.’ The book is about the hijab, but not only from the perspective of those who wear it, like me, but also from the viewpoint of those who don’t wear it and those who used to but have now forsaken it.

When I contributed to the anthology I didn’t know the editors or the other contributors. After email correspondence with Pasha-Zaidi, we realized we were in the same city and decided to meet up. Thus many other opportunities came into existence, which have resulted in a book that Muslims and non-Muslims alike are eager to read. For instance, I introduced her to my friend Reverend Nell Green, a Christian whose narrative also came to be included in the anthology. This will be a breath of fresh air to readers who don’t want to read the same old story about veiling, but rather are looking for interesting, unique perspectives including one from a Christian pastor with years of experience living in Muslim countries.

The anthology is divided into sections. Part I, which includes my essay, is titled ‘Becoming Visible.’ In it, writers share how they first came to this piece of fabric that has become the stereotypical identity of Muslim women in western media. Some essays are deeply personal reflections on life. One essay is in the form of letters to strangers on the street (Dear White Guy on the Subway, for example). Perhaps the most striking essay is by Tanya Muneera Williams, who explains:

“I am a Muslim woman. I am a rapper. And I do wear hijab.”

Who doesn’t want to read the journey to hijab as experienced by a black Muslim woman who happens to be a rapper? It is a fascinating read which is sure to blow away stereotypes and educate readers in the same way Tanya has been doing with her music.

Part II is entitled ‘The Distribution of Normal.’ It includes narratives of non-Muslims, such as a white Christian teacher in the U.A.E. After her experiences with hijabi students, her return to the United States is a hilarious commentary on the state of dress here:

My time in the Muslim world has changed me fundamentally. I go home to North America and am shocked at how little clothes people have on. True, the environment shapes our attitudes and views and I have become more conservative as a result of being here. Yet, I am shocked at how shocked I am. Have “we” always walked around with so few garments? Did I used to walk around this way? Apparently yes, but I never thought of myself as inappropriately dressed before and now everywhere I look there are butt cracks, flabby arms, wrinkled and not-so-wrinkled cleavages, elephant knees, muffin tops, arm pit hairs, back hairs… I could go on. Oh please, someone put some clothes on all of these bodies!

Other sections of the book deal with other stories. There is an essay by a Hindu about the ghunghat, and one by a young man who falls for a hijabi girl only to be rejected. There are also essays that break one’s heart because they describe the pain women go through when they don’t wear the hijab. High school girls explain how they are teased by their more religious friends. Brides discuss how they are scolded by mothers-in-law. Confident Muslim women write about how the men and even the governments around them force them to cover themselves. Readers will see a full picture of the hijab with not only its beauty but also the ugliness that sometimes surrounds it. One writer explains is thus:

What I am trying to argue is that, at face value, the hijab is meaningless in terms of conveying the type of person the woman is. Unfortunately, my experience has taught me that judgments and conclusions are made about women based on the mere presence or absence of this otherwise neutral piece of headwear. It is often assumed that a veiled woman is a “good girl” — respectable and obedient to God and committed to her religion. Unveiled women, on the other hand, are suspect, their level of faith questioned by what some understand to be their disobedience of God’s orders for her to wear the hijab. This judgment of a book by its cover is both unfortunate and unfair.

“Mirror on the Veil” is a must-read, as well as a must-share. It will help readers learn more about the variety of thought and perspectives on the hijab. Buy it on Amazon.