Clipmarks | Deepti's 'arab' clips

The appointment of first Arab Jewish woman ambassador awaiting US nod

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 05:04:57 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Huda Nonoo (right) with Dr Nada Haffadh, Bahrain's first woman minister in the upper house.

The appointment of Bahraini Huda Nonoo as the first Arab Jewish woman ambassador in Washington is still waiting for the approval of the US government, the foreign minister has said

Huda, the first Jewish woman to sit on the upper house of the bicameral parliament and the head of the Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society

The move was hailed by the international community as renewed recognition of Bahraini women's merits and of tolerance towards minorities in Bahrain

Huda, 43, will be the third woman ambassador from Bahrain after Shaikha Haya Bint Rashed Al Khalifa who served in France and Bibi Al Alawi, the current ambassador to China

Tags: arab, jew, ambassador, us, bahrain, woman

UAE Appoints First Female Judge

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 05:59:05 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: ap.google.com

The Emirati president has appointed the first female judge in this conservative Muslim country

The appointment makes the United Arab Emirates only the second Persian Gulf nation — after Bahrain — with a woman in a high-profile judiciary position

Kholoud Ahmed Juwan al-Dhahiri will serve as a primary judge for Abu Dhabi's Judiciary Department

A primary judge handles civil and criminal cases, and al-Dhahiri could judge both in Abu Dhabi — one of seven emirates, or states, making up the UAE — and at the federal level

There are four female Cabinet Ministers in the UAE, and eight women have been named to the 40-seat advisory council, a panel that is the closest body the country has to a parliament

the decree by President Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan proves the oil-rich Gulf city-state's "commitment to engage women in the Emirate's development."

Tags: uae, woman, judge, appoint, first, muslim, arab

Saudi Arabia opens its first women-only hotel

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:22:25 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

For a country that goes to such great lengths to segregate unrelated men and women, it took Saudi Arabia a long time to hit on the idea of women-only hotels

The kingdom's first hotel exclusively for females opened on Wednesday, offering plush lodgings with a full-range of health and beauty facilities for ladies to pamper themselves away from the accusing eyes of a male-dominated society

New rules announced in January allow women to stay in standard mixed-gender hotels without a male family member in tow, but bureaucracy and conservative family values mean few have been able to make use of their new-found freedom

The Luthan Hotel & Spa is owned by a group of 20 Saudi princesses and businesswomen, but it was left to seven princes headed by Sultan bin Salman, a son of Riyadh's powerful governor, to officially inaugurate it on Wednesday evening

The few female journalists who came along liked the hotel but not the fact that men dominated the opening ceremony

Tags: saudi arabia, women, conservative, islam, arab, muslim, segregation, hotel, spa

First Women to Conduct Marriages in Egypt

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 04:14:37 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.feminist.org

This week Amal Soliman became Egypt's first woman able to perform Muslim marriages. Soliman's appointment has generated controversy within Egypt's Muslim community, especially among Muslim men who insist that a woman should not hold the position of maazun, or marriage registrar. The BBC News reports that the court chose Solima over 10 male candidates due to her legal qualifications. Solima has a master's degree in law

Sheikh Fawsi Zafzaf, director of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, responded to Soliman's appointment stating, "There are no religious texts banning a Muslim woman from being a maazun. But when a woman is menstruating she must not enter a mosque or read Koranic verses and that will affect her job, so for that reason we say it is not advisable to have a woman maazun."

Solima focuses on the positive affects her gender can have on her job

Tags: egypt, woman, muslim, arab, islam, marriage, registrar, culture, religion

Two slightly related news reports

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 04:12:10 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: Girl Power!

The amendment to the judiciary law will make the UAE the second Gulf Arab country to allow women to become judges, ending a male domination of the vocation, according to the Middle East Times

Clip Source: www.feminist.org

United Arab Emirate Women to Gain Place in Courtroom

The United Arab Emirates is amending a law which will allow women to become federal prosecutors and judges. Women are in the process of being trained across the UAE. Two women in the capital Abu Dhabi have already been selected as prosecutors, reports Reuters.

Clip Source: www.feminist.org

Norwegian Women Break into the Boardroom

Norwegian law now requires publicly listed corporations to have at least 40 percent women on their boards of directors. The legislation was actually introduced in 2003, but gave companies five years to bring more women onto their boards with a January 1, 2008 deadline, according to the BBC.

Norway was the second country in the world where political parties passed positive quotas to increase the number of women serving in the Parliament. As a result, Norway today ranks 6th among the world’s Parliaments with 37.9% women members

Norway now ranks the highest for women on corporate boards

Tags: uae, norway, women, judiciary, boardroom, corporate, legislation

Prostitution ordeal of Iraqi girls

Sun, 09 Dec 2007 07:56:23 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

With their bright neon signs and glitzy decor, dozens of nightclubs line the streets of the Maraba district in the Syrian capital Damascus

It's here that men come from far and wide - car number plates are not just from Syria but Iraq and Saudi Arabia - to watch young women dancing

Most of the dancers are teenagers and many of them are Iraqi refugees

They dance for the cash which gets tossed onto the stage

The dancers are surrounded by bodyguards, to stop them being touched by the men. But the guards also arrange for their charges to be paid for sex with members of the audience

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees have moved to Syria and Jordan during the past four years, escaping the violence and instability that followed the US-led toppling of Saddam Hussein

The government says police have arrested Iraqi girls as young as 12 working as prostitutes in the nightclubs

Women picked up by the police are sent to protection centres, which they frequently escape from, or are sent to prison

Tags: iraq, syria, middle east, prostitution, money, women, girls, arab

DNA uniting factor in Lebanon

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:53:48 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: Geneticist Pierre Zalloua has charted the spread of the Phoenicians out of the eastern Mediterranean by identifying an ancient type of DNA which some Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians share with Maltese, Spaniards and Tunisians
A seafaring civilization which reached its zenith between 1200 and 800 BC, the Phoenicians' earliest cities included Byblos, Tyre and Sidon on Lebanon's coast. Their link to Lebanon, has long been a subject of controversy in a country split between an array of religious communities. "Negotiating these waters is a very delicate job," Zalloua said.
Seeking to set themselves apart from their Muslim compatriots, some Lebanese Christians have drawn on the Phoenician past to try to forge an identity separate from the prevailing Arab culture.
"Whenever I use the word 'Phoenician', people say 'this guy is trying to say we are not Arabs'," said Zalloua, himself a Christian. After five years of research, his work has shown what Lebanese have in common.

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

A Lebanese scientist following the genetic footprint of the ancient Phoenicians says he has traced their modern-day descendants, but stumbled into an old controversy about identity in his country

The genetic marker which identifies descendants of the ancient Levantines is found among members of all of Lebanon's religious communities, he said. "It's a story that can actually unite Lebanon much more than anything else."

The marker, known as the J2 haplogroup, was found in an unusually high proportion among Lebanese, Palestinians and Syrians tested by Zalloua during more than five years of research. He tested 1,000 people in the region

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

The same marker was found in unusually high proportions on other parts of the Mediterranean coast where the Phoenicians are known to have established colonies, such as Carthage in today's Tunisia

Many Lebanese were keen to take part in the research, giving either a blood sample or a cheek swab so DNA could be extracted from their cells

Tags: lebanon, dna, lebanese, people, history, phoenicians, research

World's Largest Carpet Woven for Worshippers

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 09:13:39 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: By any measure, it's a marvel—as a work of art, as an article of devotion, as a testament to the richness of hand-made craftwork. But who's going to take it outside and beat it?

Long known for its delicate and ornate Persian rugs, Iran has recently been losing market share to cheaper Asian manufacturers, according to industry reports

Clip Source: news.nationalgeographic.com

Authorities in Iran unveiled what they described as the world's largest hand-woven rug yesterday at Tehran's open-air prayer grounds

At 60,546 square feet (5,625 square meters), the carpet is the size of a soccer field and was woven by 1,200 weavers in three villages over the course of a year and a half

The mammoth floor covering is destined for a monumental new mosque under construction in the United Arab Emirates. Emirati officials commissioned Iran's state-owned rug manufacturer to create the piece for the central prayer hall of the giant Sheikh Zayed mosque, slated to open this fall in the capital city of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi)

Weavers in Iran's northwestern Khorasan Province used 38 tons of wool and cotton from Iran and New Zealand to fashion the colorful covering, tying a staggering 2.2 billion knots in the process

Half of the commission, estimated at 5.8 million U.S. dollars, will go to the villagers

Tags: carpet, worship, mosque, uae, abu dhabi, iran

Yazidis: a secretive sect

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 05:29:02 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

Yazidis are predominantly ethnic Kurds whose religion blends elements of Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Small communities of Yazidis can be found in Syria, Turkey, Georgia and Armenia, but the majority of the estimated 100,000 believers live in Iraq

Yazidis worship an angel figure, Malak Ta'us, or Peacock Angel, who is considered to be the devil by some Muslims and Christians. Yazidis - who don't believe in hell or evil - deny that

Many Yazidi rituals center on Sheik Adi, a Sufi Arab who lived in northern Iraq in the 12th century and is considered the religion's chief saint. Pilgrims hold festivals near his tomb, north of Mosul

Many Yazidi traditions are shrouded in such secrecy that most have never been witnessed by outsiders

Yazidis regard marriage outside their faith as a sin punishable by ostracism or even death to restore lost honor

Tags: yazidis, secretive, sect, religion, culture, rituals

Breaking repression, Saudi style

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 09:28:44 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: About 150 gang members emerged from Jeddah's shadows. The graffiti died down after the scheme was introduced but some rogue graffiti artists remain

Jeddah gangs benefit from being from powerful families. Ordinary Saudis who dare to paint graffiti can pay a heavy price. A teenager in the northern desert town of Hafr Al Baten was sentenced in February to 60 lashes of the whip and fined 2,000 riyals for defacing walls in his school

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

Using spray paint cans, they defaced public property, and complained that youths didn't have a voice in Saudi Arabia.

Dozens of young Saudis in the coastal city of Jeddah have challenged the authorities with street graffiti which has highlighted a growing generation gap in one of the world's most socially conservative countries

The municipality waived financial or other punishments and made the scribblers clean up some of the obscenities, while seeking corporate sponsors for the official spaces and walls

Local authorities also took the unusual step of sitting down with some of the youths to hear what was bothering them about life in Saudi Arabia, or at least in Jeddah

What they heard was a litany of complaints that cut to the heart of life in a country so reluctant to let go of traditional ways that cinemas are not allowed, women are banned from driving and huge efforts go into segregating the sexes in public places

Tags: saudi arabia, repression, protest, graffiti, youth, arab, muslim, voice, culture

Miss Arab World 2007

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 14:04:51 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

Miss Arab World 2007 Wafaa Ganahi.

Miss Arab World 2007 Wafaa Ganahi poses with first runner-up Egyptian Shaimaa Mansour (second left), second runner-up Lebanese Rula Bahij (left), third runner-up Tunisian Khadija Mrabt (second right) and fourth runner-up Libyan Rima Al Kseri, following the contest results in Cairo late on Friday.

Miss Bahrain bagged the Miss Arab World 2007 crown in Cairo on Friday night after nearly six hours of contest

Wafaa Ganahi, a 23-year-old teacher from the Law Faculty of Bahrain University, won the title, while the first runner-up was 25-year-old Miss Egypt Shaimaa Mansour. Miss Lebanon Rula Bahij, 23, was the second runner-up

Wafaa, Bahrain's first ever contestant in the event, was crowned by Miss Arab World 2006 Claudia Hanna from Iraq

Seventeen women from 15 countries attended the final competition, one of the major attractions of the second Arab Tourism Festival, which opened in Cairo

Tags: beauty, contest, arab, muslim, bahrain, iraq, lebanon, egypt, tunisia, libya

Israeli textbook gives Arab view

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:44:41 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: Official Israeli histories of the country's establishment, especially those written for schoolchildren, have typically focused on the heroism of Israeli forces and glossed over the Palestinian flight, attributing the mass exile to voluntary escape if mentioning it at all.

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

Israel's Education Ministry said Sunday it was offering a new textbook for Arab third-graders acknowledging for the first time that the creation of the Jewish state was a tragedy for Palestinians.

The statement remains explosive six decades after the country was founded.

The textbooks for the upcoming school year give the Jewish narrative of the events of 1948 and 1949 when Israel's creation drew an invasion by Arab armies in a conflict that displaced some 700,000 Palestinians. They point out Jews' historical connection to the Holy Land and their need for a state because of persecution in Europe, said Dalia Fenig, an Education Ministry inspector.

However, she said the Education Ministry has no plans to introduce the Arab narrative into textbooks for Jewish students.

Some hard line Israelis vowed to fight the decision by Education Minister Yuli Tamir, insisting it made Israel look like it was apologizing for its own existence

Other Israelis hailed the new textbook

Tags: israel, arab, palestine, viewpoint, textbook

Call to tap hidden water under desert

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 07:51:45 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: Al Baz said radar images of Arab deserts have revealed numerous courses of rivers and streams that led to depressions where lakes have formed.

Al Baz is behind the recently announced 1000 Wells For Darfur programme.

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

Dubai: Groundwater reserves under Arabian deserts have yet to be exploited but could provide vital resources for agriculture in some of the world's driest areas, according to a space photography expert.

Large underground reserves are situated under what appears to be barren deserts, said Farouk Al Baz, a veteran of the Apollo Programme, and Research Professor and Director of the Centre for Remote Sensing at Boston University in the United States.

Some underwater lakes have been found at depths of 25 metres below the surface. Al Baz said the Empty Quarter most likely has large water reserves underneath it. "When you look at the UAE and the wadi system, a lot of water could be underneath despite the rock being granite and not porous, the wadis have cracks and water has seeped underneath," he said.

Apparently fresh water has been found to seep out off the coast of Oman in the ocean.

Tags: water, underground, desert, environment, uae, oman, saudi arabia, groundwater, reserves

Families 'will refuse to hire a Saudi housekeeper'

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 08:31:43 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: "Not a long time ago, Al-Riyadh, the Arabic newspaper published an advertisement stating, 'Saudi female house manager ...wanted,' at that time many people expressed their anger about it and asked: Have Saudi women reached the point where they have to work as housemaids?"

whats so special about Saudi women? what do they have that women from other Asian countries dont have?

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

Owners of recruitment offices for housemaids in Saudi Arabia have dismissed the labour ministry's plan to get Saudi women to work as housekeepers in an attempt to solve a shortage of maids after some Asian countries raised the minimum wage.

"Saudi families will refuse to hire a Saudi maid as these families are psychologically not accustomed to them and at the same time ... the issue requires the introduction of a new 'societal culture', despite that some poor Saudi women may reluctantly agree to work in rich family households," owners of recruitment offices for housemaids said in a statement to Gulf News.

A report by a Saudi newspaper said that the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Social Affairs are planning to encourage Saudi women to work as housekeepers

the Saudisation of housemaids is very difficult.

Tags: saudi arabia, culture, islam, arab, women, female, maids, asia, minimum wage

Arab world fails to achieve poverty alleviation targets

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 06:25:59 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

Tarik Al Alami, officer in charge at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, said the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, the achievement of universal primary education and the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment represent still major challenges in some of the region's least developed countries.

by April 2007 women held on average only 8.7 per cent of the region's parliamentary seats, a figure among the lowest in the world

In addition he said gains in education attained since 1990 have not translated into higher female participation in non agricultural labour market

Environment sustainability and sanitation conditions are areas of key concern for the Arab region,

Total carbon dioxide emissions in the region soared

In the least developed Arab countries only around one quarter of the rural population has access to improved sanitation facilities

Youth literacy

increased

but 7.5 million children remain still out of school

Tags: arabs, middle east, poverty, targets, un, culture, religion