Natasha Walter, acclaimed British feminist campaigner, today claimed that women still need feminism. She said feminism had changed and women today did have the freedom to be what they wanted, but were still in more need than ever of feminism due to ‘real and urgent' challenges women still faced.
I could not agree more with Walter on one thing - that the challenges women face today are without a doubt, real and urgent. As Walter has described in her previous writings, the sexualisation of women is a crippling and overbearing attitude, valuing women for the size of their waist, the symmetry of their face, over what contributions they could make to society - to the point that being pretty becomes the sole aspiration of masses of young girls.
Despite the Government passing an Equal Pay Act over 40 years ago, the Chartered Management Institute research showed that it would still take till 2067, for the gender pay gap to diminish - meaning society is still on a long way yet to value the contributions women make for what those contributions are, over the gender of the person they arise from. And Prime Minister David Cameron's patronising "calm down dear" comment to a female Minister in the Houses of Parliament may have been forgotten, but it does not take away from the true reality it exposed of how the majority of women are really seen and treated in high level positions and scenarios.
So there is absolutely a real struggle for women not just in the UK, but in the entire Western world. However where I would care to disagree with Walter is how we will overcome this struggle for once and for good. Walter may herald the freedoms women have gained and now enjoy, and propose that it is through these freedoms we continue to struggle, but what she must realise is that these are the very same freedoms which have inspired big business to exploit the woman to advertise a product, violating her honour. It is these same freedoms which make men feel that it is acceptable to use and abuse a woman how you want, for your own desires as has been reflected in the recent Government statistics, revealing 1 in every 5 women in the UK has been a victim of a sexual offence. It is these freedoms which have allowed society to feel free to revel in their prejudices of women; prejudices which assert that women do not have the abilities or same potential as men to be able to achieve like them in a job or role, leading to the glass ceiling, or unequal pay for the same job. So although many feminists like Walter will argue that more freedom for women has been the positive story of feminism, I would argue that with these freedoms and so-called rights, have paradoxically brought women's exploitation. Thus feminists must understand that if they continue to campaign for their rights within the framework of a liberal, free society, ultimately they will be chasing their own tail - they will never meet their ends as this same freedom will continue to simultaneously exploit women and belittle them.
It is incumbent therefore that women globally look towards a system which banishes from the onset the idea that society is free to exploit and treat the woman how they want. The Islamic Khilafah "Caliphate", obligates society to view and treat women according to the value that Allah (swt) assigned to them, which is of great honour. Such a society would provide no room for prejudice, no room for exploitation in how they viewed her, as everyone from men to businesses would be accountable to a Higher Being, Allah (swt), in how they treated her. Unless feminists look towards the alternative of Islam, it is sad to say they will not meet their ends.
Umm Abdullah Khan
Women's Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in Britain
Cameron's recent visit to North Africa is more about Britain's desperate attempt to gain influence in the region rather than combating terrorism. In Algeria, he signed a security pact with the current autocratic ruler Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Following this he went to Libya pledging British training and advice for the police and army.
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Report: Pentagon Aims for Fivefold Cyber Security Boost:
The U.S. Department of Defense has approved a fivefold expansion of its cyber security force over the coming years in a bid to increase its ability to defend critical computer networks, The Washington Post reported this week. Citing unnamed U.S. officials, the newspaper said the Defense Department's Cyber Command, which currently has a staff of about 900, will expand to about 4,900 troops and civilians. The decision to expand the Cyber Command was made by senior Pentagon officials late last year in recognition of a growing threat in cyberspace, the report said. Last November, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta conceded that U.S. cyber security needed more financial support and human capital. "We've got good people that are involved in it, but, very frankly, if we're going to stay on the cutting edge of what's happening with regards to the changes that are occurring, we have got to invest more in that area," he said during a speech in Washington hosted by the Center for a New American Security. The seriousness of the threat has been underscored by a string of sabotage attacks, including one in which a virus was used to wipe data from more than 30,000 computers at a Saudi Arabian state oil company last summer, "The Post" pointed out. According to the paper, the plan calls for the creation of three types of forces under the Cyber Command. The "national mission forces" will protect computer systems that handle electrical grids, power plants and other infrastructure deemed critical, the paper said. "Combat mission forces" will help commanders abroad plan and execute attacks or other offensive operations, The Post said. Meanwhile, the task of "cyber protection forces" will be to shield the Defense Department's own networks, the paper noted.
Egypt Army Chief Warns of 'State Collapse' Amid Crisis:
Egypt's Armed Forces Chief has warned the current political crisis "could lead to a collapse of the state." General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, in comments posted on the military's Facebook page, said such a collapse could "threaten future generations." He made his statement following a large military deployment in three cities along the Suez Canal where a state of emergency has been declared. More than 50 people have died in days of protests and violence. In response, President Mohammed Morsi has cut short a planned European trip. On Monday night, thousands of people in Port Said, Ismailia and Suez - where some of the worst unrest has been - ignored a night-time curfew imposed by Mr. Morsi to take to the streets. Thousands were again on the streets of Port Said on Tuesday for the latest funerals of those killed, with mourners calling for the downfall of the president. There were also saw continuing sporadic clashes in the capital, Cairo. Gen Sisi's lengthy statement appears to be a veiled threat to protesters and opposition forces as well as an appeal for calm and an attempt to reassure Egyptians about the role of the military, the BBC's Yolande Knell in Cairo says.
Syria Ready to Launch 'Surprise' Retaliation Attack against Jewish Entity:
Syria has threatened to retaliate for a Jewish entity air strike and its ally Iran said there will be repercussions for the Jewish state over the attack. Syria declared it was ready to launch a "surprise" retaliation attack against the Jewish entity yesterday as Bashar al-Assad's allies Russia and Iran both condemned air strikes on a suspected weapons shipment near Damascus. As tensions mounted following the Jewish entity attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Obama administration warned Syria not to transfer weapons to Hezbollah, thereby "further destabilising the region." Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdul-Karim Ali, said Damascus "has the option and the capacity to surprise in retaliation" and that it was up to the relevant authorities to prepare the time and place for action. The foreign ministry in Damascus earlier lodged an official complaint with the United Nations over the attack - part of a wave of incursions that was launched to destroy an alleged weapons shipment to Hezbollah. The bombing campaign on military targets around Damascus and the Lebanese border came after weeks of growing concern within the Jewish entity that Syria's disintegration poses a direct threat to its security.
French, British, US Warplanes and Troops Occupy Yemeni Capital:
As the UN Security Council continues its Yemen visit after holding a closed meeting with Yemeni and GCC - Gulf Cooperation Council - officials in Sana'a, the capital, residents woke up under foreign military occupation. Keen to guarantee the safety of its state officials and ensure that no faction, group or individual will try to derail efforts being made in regards to moving Yemen transition of power forward, the United States of America, France and the United Kingdom took control between them of the sky and the ground. Residents told the "Yemen Post" on Sunday they saw French warplanes patrol the sky of the capital in a great show of strength, which they say they felt a bit "over the top" and slightly insulting to Yemen military potency. Retired General Ali Mohsen Khawlani stressed that Yemen should have been put in charge of all security details. "Our armed forces are perfectly capable and well-trained. What kind of message does it send to see foreign troops invade our capital? Are we moving toward a military occupation? Did foreign powers come to announce they will divide Yemen into zones of influence?"
US investors are showing keen interest in oil and gas exploration in Pakistan because of the incentives given in the recently announced Petroleum Policy but the government still needs to create awareness about the benefits to attract more investors from other parts of the world as well. This was stated by US Commercial Consular James Fluker while talking to LCCI President Farooq Iftikhar during his visit on Tuesday. James Fluker said that new discoveries of oil and gas could help Pakistan in overcoming its energy problem to some extent. He said there was a revolution in the US energy sector after the discovery of Shale gas. In fact the US has surplus gas that it could export. The US Commercial Consular said that a large part of US assistance to Pakistan is focused on energy as it is alive to the issue. He said that the US government is committed to help solve the economic challenges being faced by Pakistan. He said that it is a happy sign that the private sector in Pakistan is doing well despite a number of challenges.
Abu Hashim
The Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday 18th January that Ma Jiantang, director of China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), called for the country's one-child policy to be changed because of the nation's shrinking pool of workers. According to the NBS, the working-age population in China decreased by 3.45 million between 2011 and 2012.
In October 2011, the China Development Research Foundation, a think-tank affiliated with the Chinese government, also called for relaxation of the policy, stating that the country had paid a "huge political and social cost" for the measure and warned of "the coming demographic disaster caused by low birth rates combined with an ageing population, as well as the severe gender imbalance caused by son preference."
This oppressive one-child policy is founded upon the oppressive and flawed capitalist theory of preventing poverty through population control. It has not only stripped millions of women of their basic right to decide the number of children they bear, suppressing their natural instinct, but has also been associated in China with forced sterilization and forced abortions even in the ninth month of pregnancy.
In addition, according to recent statistics 37 million men in the country will be unable to marry due to the low number of women within society resulting from gender-selective abortions that are associated with the policy. This has been blamed for the increase in trafficking of women and other forms of corruption within the state.
Alongside this has been a rising number of elderly with no-one to look after them in their old age due to a dwindling younger population. Many have also suggested that the measure has had a detrimental psychological impact upon children growing up under its shadow.
On the 11th of January, Australian researchers involved in a study entitled, "Little Emperors: Behavioral Impacts of China's One-Child Policy" reported that China's one-child policy has created a spoilt generation - not surprising as parents shower their only child with gifts and possessions and children witness that the size of family life and being deprived of siblings is defined by money and economy, fuelling a materialistic mentality amongst a growing sector of China's future generation.
These are the bitter fruits of the materialistic capitalist ideology that looks at solving all problems from the economic perspective, ignoring the social impact of its policies upon the lives of women and society overall.
A number of Western states such as Italy and France are also facing a population crisis, resulting from the materialistic mentality nurtured by capitalism which has led to many women viewing children as an impediment to their career or earnings. This has contributed to lower birth rates within these states, with predictions of a reduced workforce and fewer young people to look after their old.
In February 2006, the Institute for Public Policy Research in the UK published a report detailing a fertility crisis in Britain due to women delaying motherhood or remaining childless from fears that they would face a reduction in lifetime earnings or lose their place on their career ladder for taking time out to have babies. It described a "baby gap" of 90,000 due to this delay in motherhood.
China has therefore tread the same detrimental capitalist path as Western states by viewing children as an economic burden rather than a blessing for families and an asset to society.
The flawed theory of preventing poverty through population control is itself based upon the erroneous capitalist viewpoint on economics that fails to distinguish between what is a necessity for all human beings and what are luxuries and wants. This has resulted in the mistaken belief that there are insufficient resources to provide basic needs for all people and hence the need for population control.
This is despite the fact that even the UN, that promotes population control programmes across the world, acknowledges within its World Food Programme branch that there is sufficient food in the world today for everyone to have the nourishment for a healthy and productive life. Furthermore, after 30 years of implementation of this one-child policy, China is still suffering from widespread poverty. This is despite being home to dozens of billionaires. This exemplifies the failure of the capitalistic system to distribute wealth effectively amongst the people which is one of the root causes of the dire poverty facing millions in China and globally today, including in the Muslim world.
According to a report released by Oxfam in January, the world's 100 richest people earned enough money last year to end world extreme poverty four times over. Western capitalist states as well as emerging capitalist economies such as China, India, Turkey, and Brazil have clearly failed to match high economic growth with economic justice and equity for their people and for humanity overall.
Islam rejects these damaging family planning-population control programmes which are implemented upon our lands. It removes the oppression from women of suppressing their natural instinct of having many children. And it denounces the sense of guilt imposed upon them by capitalist states that force them to believe that they, rather than the man-made systems implemented upon them are the cause of their poverty. Islam's view is that Allah (swt) is the Sustainer and Provider and that He has created Rizq (provision) that is sufficient for every human being. He (swt) says:
"And He set on the earth firm mountains standing above its surface, and He blessed the earth and measured therein nourishment for all things, in four periods: in accordance with the needs of the seekers."
[TMQ Fussilat 41:10].
The Prophet (saw) said, "If you were to trust in Allah genuinely, He would give you provision as He does for the birds which go out hungry in the morning and come back full in the evening." [Tirmidhi and Majah]. However, it is only by implementing the economic system of Islam under the umbrella of the Khilafah "Caliphate" that this wealth will be distributed fairly amongst the people.
It was this system that succeeded in wiping out poverty from North Africa under the rule of the Khalifah Umar bin Abdul Aziz, where there was no-one who was in need of the zakat to fulfil their basic needs, without the need for population control, due to the just distribution of wealth and successful organization of the economy under the Islamic economic system. Allah (swt) says:
"And if only they had acted according to the Taurat, the Injeel, and what has now been sent down to them from their Lord (the Qur'an), they would have surely gotten provision from above them and from underneath their feet." [TMQ Al-Maida 5:66]
Furthermore, Islam rejects the materialistic capitalist outlook that places limits on family size for economic gain. Instead it recommends having many children without the fear of poverty, resulting in a large young population which will be a major political, economic, military, and social source of strength for the Khilafah "Caliphate" that alone has the ability to harness the full potential of its youth through its sound Islamic policies to make them a force of good for its society. The Prophet (saw) said, تَزَوَّجُوا الْوَدُودَ الْوَلُودَ ، إِنِّي مُكَاثِرٌ بِكُمْ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ "Marry an affectionate woman who gives birth to many children, for I will vie in glory with the Prophets because of your number on the Day of Judgmen)." [Abu Daawood and An-Nasaa'i]
The Khilafah "Caliphate" is therefore a state that will marry economic prosperity with economic justice and equity for its citizens, alongside rejecting this flawed, harmful and oppressive concept of population control. It is a system that the Lord of the Worlds has revealed to serve the needs of humanity rather than the elite few and a human-orientated rather than profit-focused model of managing wealth and organizing the economy - a model which the Khilafah "Caliphate" will seek to spread to the rest of the world, removing injustice and human suffering wherever it finds it. Allah (swt) has said,
"Do you not see how Allah has made subjected for you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, and He has completed and perfected His favours upon you, both the open and the hidden." [TMQ Luqman 31:20]
Dr. Nazreen Nawaz is the Central Media Representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Global Islamic Political Party. She is also a medical doctor by profession. She has delivered many talks throughout the UK and internationally, including in Indonesia, Africa, and Australia, especially on women and Islam and has also participated in a number of debates, including at Oxford University and London School of Economics. She has engaged in various discussions with leading writers, journalists, academics and politicians, such as Dalia Mogahed, the Adviser to President Obama on Muslim Affairs, and has also authored a number of articles and books such as, "What's the future for Muslim Women", "The Western Beauty Myth", and "Does Islam Oppress the Woman?". Dr. Nazreen has participated in various debates on a number of media outlets including the BBC, Al-Jazeera, Sky News, Press TV, and FOX news
Source: Kolumnis Online
18 January 2013, two Muslims, named Shahzod Salimov, born 1986, and Rahmatulloh Mahmudov, born 1988, were abducted from one of Moscow's mosques situated on Bolshaya Tatarskaya Street after Friday's Jum'aa prayer. Later on, one of them by phone informed his friend that they have been delayed by FSB officers. He notified that he had received a prosecution by Article 282 Part 1 from the Russian Criminal Code.
Press Release
The Nominations Chaos In Kenya Is A Result Of Failed Democracy
Hizb ut Tahrir / East Africa
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
A. PREAMBLE: Baluchistan and its people are a neglected treasure for the Ummah and Pakistan
Baluchistan and its people are a treasure for the Islamic Ummah. Its people embraced Islam such that the entire province was under the Khilafah "Caliphate" Rashidah. Its people are staunch in their Islam and fiercely resisted the British colonialist invasion. They are a noble and respected people who love Islam until today. In Pakistan the lands of Baluchistan are over forty percent of Pakistan
