Moroccan female singer glorifies domestic violence through her song

Imane Bent el-Howat, a Moroccan folk singer, sparked an outrage due to her recently released song which urges women to enjoy being beaten by their husbands.

Domestic violence is a norm in Morocco. A recent survey put the rate of domestic violence as high as 63%. However, Imane’s new track, dubbed ‘al-Banat Kamouniyat’ (The Battered Woman) claims women enjoy being beaten by their husbands.

The song have verses that translate to “a slap fixes the mood” and “they say beating comes from paradise, the one who tastes it, gets peace”.

In an interview, the musician explained how “if she tasted his beating she won’t forget his love” and that “he won’t let anyone else beat me and it [beating] is a show of jealousy which means love”.

Imane’s flawed concept can be blamed on the fact that domestic violence is pretty common in Morocco and every tenth the women have been its target at least once.

She further argues in the interview about how mothers usually teach their daughters that if a man truly loves you he will be possessive about you and will beat you.

However, many rights activists flatly rejected Imane’s point of view and termed it a horrible way of seeking fame and attention. Many took to twitter to speak against the musician and her song, calling it a bad image for Muslim woman.

Recently a Moroccan channel was also criticized for showing “ways of doing make up to hide bruises of being beaten”. The channel later apologized but the image that it gave away stayed intact.

Although efforts are being made to control domestic violence against women; however, Moroccan women have a long way to go before they can see a real change in this regard.

Pakistan Engineering Council in Shambles

A visit to the PEC’s regional office in Peshawar presents a picture of an organization that is in complete disarray. Dozens of people surround an officer inquiring him about the status of their license. On the right side of the table, a phone in slow volume is continuously ringing. The officer, looking visibly irritated, tries to answer the queries of the equally irritated applicants of PEC licence.

“Tell him to call himself, I can’t tell you his license details”, the officer tells a person who says he has come all the way from Bannu just to know the status of their company’s PEC license.

“He called many times but no one picks up the phone”, says the person while looking at the phone which is still ringing incessantly.

There is no response from the officer. He can hardly handle the angry crowd of applicants in front of him. To answer the phone too, he would have to have super human powers.

At the same time, another person angrily says he is going to lose millions of rupees if PEC didnt speed up their process.

There is severe shortage of human resources in the Peshawar office. Out of the 28 sanctioned posts for the provincial office, 17 lie vacant. The entire office is run by five officers who are actually relevant for the job. The remaining five to six are class 4 employees.

“The head office in Islamabad has about 50 people who do not have much to do. We have requested them many times to at least temporarily transfer some of them here [Peshawar office] to offload this burden from us but no action has been taken”, said one officer on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk on this subject.

“They tell us they will hire people on the vacant posts but no one knows when that process will come to fruition”, he said.

“Even with five working staff, we have been able to process about 3000 licenses in the last three months against only 1500 that the Islamabad head office could issue in the same duration with their 50 staff”, further said the same source.

There is a big backlog due to the unavailability of staff. “Even Naib Qasids are used for data entry purposes at times”, said another officer who too requested not to be named.

However, shortage of staff is not the only problem. People from far flung areas of KP have to come all the way to Peshawar to find out the status of their license. A visit that could easily be avoided by maintaining a web based database  containing details about all applications and giving each applicant access to it.

“Creating a web-based system that can automate the whole registration and renewal process of PEC license for both engineers and firms will not take more than three months for an expert group of software developers”, said Waqas Shehzad, an IT specialist from Peshawar.

Though the current PEC chairman, Engr Javed Salim Qureshi, since taking his charge in 2015 has taken some steps in this regard, but the progress has been slow.

“The chairman faces a lot of obstacles from various groups in making the whole process online because then it will take away all the money they can make from the manual application process”, said a source in PEC’s islamabad head office who like the rest requested not to be named because he feared reprisal.

Appointment of female Qazi in India and how it hurts patriarchal ego

(Photo by Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)

Qazi, also known as a judge or magistrate, is an important role in Islam. They are appointed to judge all disputes on the basis of justice in a timely manner without prejudice, to maintain the smooth functioning of a society. Not only that, a Qazi acts as a judge in both weddings and divorces. In short, a Qazi in a Muslim society does more than just dispensation of justice.

Traditionally only men have been appointed as Qazis in Islamic courts and the appointment of women as a Qazi has been frowned upon. Many even consider the idea of a woman Qazi as being strictly forbidden in Islam. However, with the passage of time, things have slowly changed in this regard.

Recently, 16 women completed their training as a Qazi from Darul Uloom Niswan, a centre for Islamic learning and theology in India. The move has drawn strict criticism from conservative Muslim community in India who believe a woman is not fit to work as a Qazi.

The Muslim community in India seems to have bifurcated into two extremes with one side completely rejecting the idea of having a woman Qazi while the other half embraces it saying there was nothing unequivocal in Islam against having one.

The proponents of a woman Qazi believe that being a woman herself, a female-Qazi can best understand the sentiments of females who endure domestic violence. They say, a male Qazi most often shows insensitive attitude towards female victims of domestic violence and advises them to quietly “bear the pain”.

This issue took centre stage back in 2008, when a famous Muslim activist named Naish Hasan asked a female Muslim scholar named Syeda Hameed to conduct her wedding rituals. Traditionally, this duty is performed by a male Muslim Mullah.

At the time, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board rejected the idea on the ground that there was no such thing as a female Qazi in Islam. While the world-renowned Islamic school, Darul Uloom Deoband, insisted there was no unequivocal statement in Islam against having a female Qazi.

However, in 2016, the All India Muslim Women’s Personal Law Board appointed two women as Qazi on the condition that they would only handle counseling related issues.

The Malaysian government also appointed two women as Qazi in 2010, but again with limited powers to only take cases related to property and children’s well being. They were not allowed to solemnize marriages and or to take other such important cases related to women’s lives.

The 16 newly-graduated women Qazis in India too will not enjoy as much power and acceptability in Muslim society as their male counterparts, however, they sure will be remembered as catalyst of change by the future generations of Islamic historians.

PTI vs PMLN vs PPP: Who would Pakistanis vote for in 2018 elections?

It’s an election year in Pakistan. In every democratic country, an election year tends to be the most busy year for political parties to gain public attention and increase their vote bank.

However, the upcoming 2018 election is expected to be the most hotly contested election in Pakistan’s history. The election result will determine whether Supreme Court’s decision against the ruling PMLN has any effect on voter’s mind.

PMLN insists any decision against them will have no effect on their loyal voters, and they’ll still win the 2018 election. PTI on the other hand believes a decision against PMLN will go in their favor and they’ll form the next government. Peoples Party is also hopeful to get a slice of the pie as a result of the unfavorable decision against PMLN.

Will people still vote for PMLN or will they choose the alternative Imran Khan led PTI instead? Will the PPP have any stack in government after 2018 elections?

We only chose these three parties because they’re the main parties having presence in all four provinces.

So what’s your decision going to be? Take part in VOJ’s poll.

Imran Khan gets 80% votes on a twitter poll by Naz Baloch

File photo of Naz Baloch.

A poll from a fake twitter profile of Naz Baloch recently asked followers to vote for their favorite leader. The poll had the names of PTI Chief Imran Khan, Maryam Nawaz Shareef, and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhuttto, whose party she recently joined.

The poll had some interesting results, Imran Khan received 81 percent votes from twitter users whereas Bilawal Bhutto 10 percent and Maryam Nawaz with 9 percent votes respectively. The result as of writing this article was based close to 13,000 twitter users opinion.

Khurram Sher Zaman, her former colleague from PTI, replied to her poll saying “check out the difference yourself”.

Naz Baloch quickly informed Khurram that the poll was posted from a fake ID. “Khurrum this is a fake twitter i.d. misusing my name”.

Khurrum this is a fake twitter i.d. misusing my name i.e. @NazBaioch_ (using capital ” i “), I have already reported @Twitter, Plz refrain! https://t.co/3mcdx9SNsi

— Naz Baloch (@NazBaloch_) July 22, 2017

To this a number of twitteratis snubbed her saying even if the account was fake, the poll results were undoubtedly real.

White House Website: Reason Why Pages Like LGBT were Removed

Recent Screenshot of the WhiteHouse.Gov Website
Recently, various media networks reported that soon after Trump’s inauguration, his administration took down pages related to Civil Rights, LGBT, Abortion, Climate Change and Spanish language content from the White House website. The news sent shockwaves among many who were already wary of President Trump’s various controversial pledges during his campaign.

However, contrary to the misleading reports, in fact every new administration is handed over a fresh version of White House website where they showcases their own policies. The old website is wiped clean with every new presidency.

The content of the old website are archived. For example all Obama-era material of the White House website have been archived and are available at Obama whitehouse.gov.

Similarly, the official twitter handle of the United State President @POTUS was also wiped clean and handed over to the new incoming president. At the time of this writing, there were only 19 tweets from President Trump.

All tweets of Barack Obama were archived at @POTUS44. The same was done to the twitter handle of the former first lady Michele Obama.

Trump’s Ban on Seven Muslim Countries is For 90 Days Only

Nonetheless, thousands of people have been affected by this decision which came as a surprise to many despite Trump’s explicit resolve to do so during his campaign.US President Trump’s executive order to ban immigrant and non-immigrant entry into the United States from seven Muslim countries has been met with serious criticism. However, one important part of the ban which has been not been properly reported is that the ban is only for 90 days.According to the executive order’s text, the current visa process will be assessed and loopholes identified so that a uniform screening standard and procedure is developed during this 90-day ban.As the ban came into effect, seven migrants were stopped from boarding Cairo flight to New York and two Iraqis were detained at New York’s JFK airport.Not only does the ban affects immigrant and non-immigrant visa holders, but it also blocks green-card holders from entry into the United States. The so-called green card makes an individual a legal permanent US resident and blocking them entry into the United States has raised many eye brows among the legal community.Hamaseh Tayari, a UK resident who holds an Iranian passport, was on holiday in Costa Rica and was due to fly back to Glasgow, but was denied entry onto the flight because her flight went via New York and she would need a transit visa, which was revoked.Ms. Tayari, who works as a vet in UK, was shocked at this sudden development. She said: “This has really shocked me. We just discovered [what Trump did] at the airport when we went to check-in. I want people to know that this is not just happening to refugees. I am a graduate and I have a Phd. It has happened to a person who is working and who pays tax.”There are nearly 500,000 such Legal U.S. Residents who can not enter into the United States during these 90 days.

Will China Replace the US as Global Climate Leader?

People ride along a street on a smoggy day in Daqing, Heilongjiang province. REUTERS/Stringer

China and the United States are the top two biggest global carbon emitters. China has not taken drastic measures to curb carbon emissions until recent past, the US was playing a lead role in devising environmental policies and the Obama administration took several measures to minimize the impact of climate change. Former US President Obama had put a stop to the 1,179-mile Keystone XL Pipeline, which would have carried crude from Alberta tar sands to the Gulf of Mexico.

In Obama’s view, the environmental cost was too much for a relatively modest supply of oil, and would have been at odds with this nation’s commitment to join a global pact to reduce greenhouse gases. He solidified his environmental legacy by putting an end to oil drilling in large areas of Atlantic and Arctic oceans during his last days as President.

During the last two weeks, we saw a contrasting approach by the US and China to climate change issue. Chinese government started working on a comprehensive plan for the control of Greenhouse Gas emission. Main objective of the work plan is to reduce carbon emission intensity up to 20.5% by the year 2020. Moreover the Beijing administration announced plans to set up an environmental police force responsible for enforcing pollution restrictions across the capital in a bid to improve the city’s air quality.

China has also closed several coal-fired power plants and high-polluting factories, as well as imposed vehicle restrictions. The government also aims to close 500 polluting factories and revamp over 2,500 others to meet higher pollution treatment standards. On the other hand, the new US government has taken several measures during the last few days which show a complete departure from the previous government’s environmental legacy. The new US administration has turned its back on the Paris Climate Agreement.

The new US President Donald Trump on the other hand, has signed executive directives to advance two controversial proposed oil pipelines inviting TransCanada to resubmit its application for Keystone XL Pipeline. He insisted that the pipeline will be built with American steel. The President also ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to expedite approval of the Dakota Access pipeline, which would extend from the Dakotas to Illinois.

This pipeline was opposed by environmental scientists and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe who expressed their concerns about water contamination. Moreover, the President has also ordered for fast-track environmental review of major infrastructure projects. The proposed wall on Mexican border is also seen as threat to wildlife migrations and may also affect the flow of transboundary water between the two countries.

Keeping in view the contrasting approached to the climate change by the two countries, it can be predicted that China will play a lead role in addressing the issue of climate change in near future. However, the potential and the role of the US cannot be ignored in this regard. It is the duty of global community and international organizations to voice their concerns to the US government and propose alternatives for the recently signed projects.

The aftermath Mosul liberation and confirmation of al-Baghdadi’s death

Since the day Daesh [Arabic acronym for ISIS] captured Mosul in June 2014, the group has defended the city by putting civilians as human shield and hiding in places like hospitals, schools and busy neighborhoods. Thousands of the Iraq’s displaced from Mosul have lost their loved ones or were injured on their way out as a result.

The liberation of Mosul comes at a time when Daesh has to deal with the death of their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of the Muslim world. According to latest reports, Daesh has confirmed the death of their leader.

What does the liberation of Mosul and the death of al-Baghdadi mean for the people of Iraq, Syria and more importantly ISIS itself?

Nothing much is left for the living in Mosul after the year-long heavy fighting between Iraqi forces and ISIS. The city has been destroyed into rubble. According to UN estimates, building the bare-minimum and most important infrastructure of the city will cost almost $1 billion.

While the defeat of ISIS is a good news, for many people of Mosul who bore the collateral damage of the war, reality presents a different picture.

They had to leave their homes and lose their loved ones while walking away from, what many termed as “a literal hell on earth”. Being ruled by ISIS, Mosul civilians have described a life of terror, with children killed for minor misdemeanors, public floggings and regular disappearances of people.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul on Sunday and congratulated Iraqi Army for taking the city from the Islamic State. The coalition celebrated with the ISF for retaking the city. However, security officials have warned that there still might be fighters hiding under the rubble and explosive devices left behind.

Now, they have to return to their home, a home of rubble. The biggest challenge to the Iraqi government and its partners will be rebuilding the city back from the ground up.

On the other hand, Islamic State is on the back foot on all fronts. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has also confirmed to Reuters that it has undeniable proof that the group’s leader al-Baghdadi is dead.

The confirmation of the death of ISIS leader is a major blow to the group that was already losing ground both in Iraq and Syria. With their leader now dead and losing Mosul, Daesh is now fighting for its last stronghold Raqqa, their de facto capital in Syria.

However, Raqqa too has been been surrounded by US-backed fighters and all routes in and out of the city have been blocked. The group is essentially now fighting for its survival.

While Iraq’s Army and its people celebrate the win over Mosul, the question remains as to how long will it take for the city to be livable again. More importantly, whether the al-Abadi’s government has any strategy to counter the resurgence of ISIS in future?

First Muslim Gay Marriage: Choice or Rebellion?

Image: Caters News Agency

Two men in UK made history by becoming the first gay Muslim couple of the country. Jahed Chaudhry, 24, married Sean Rogan, 19, in a closed event in West Midlands.

The two met while Jahed was out in a park trying to kill himself because of the criticism and bullying he was facing due to his sexuality. Sean found him stranded and comforted him. Two years later they both said their vows and married in a typical Bangladeshi attire with only their families present.

Jahed’s open confession about his sexuality did not go well with his family and relatives. Most of his relatives though stayed quiet but cut all ties with his family. Some however, gave them death threats. He was even assaulted by fellow Muslims on the street where he lived and the word “fag” was sprayed on his front door.

Jahed says, after being bullied, banned from his local mosque and treated like the “black sheep” of his Bangladeshi community, he tried to change his sexuality and also went on religious pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh but it didn’t work. All this pressure however, made him suicidal and he tried taking his own life.

The cultural stigma associated with homophobia is often times the reason for its most harsh form of opposition. The fear of what people would think is usually greater than the fear of Islamic injunctions against homophobia.

Many would point finger towards Jahed and say what he did was “haram”, but after reading his story and getting to know his past, the blame can be shared on both sides. The reason people like Jahed tend to take such radical decision is mostly due to community’s hateful behavior towards them.