Thursday, January 17, 2019
Saudi Women Runaways Rebel Against System of Male Control
Another Saudi woman has turned to social media for protection from her father, just days after Canada granted refuge to Rahaf al-Qunun, the 18-year-old Saudi who fled her family.Identified only as Nojoud al-Mandeel on Twitter, her case differs from that of al-Qunun. She has not fled the kingdom, has not revealed her face and has only made her pleas for help on Twitter in Arabic.
While their circumstances are different, the claims of abuse by the two women mirror those of other female Saudi runaways who have used social media to publicize their escapes.
There has been speculation that al-Qunun's successful getaway will inspire others to copy her. However, powerful deterrents remain in place. If caught, runaways face possible death at the hands of relatives for purportedly shaming the family.
Saudi women fleeing their families challenge a system that grants men guardianship over women's lives. This guardianship system starts in the home, where women must obey fathers, husbands and brothers. Outside the home, it is applied to citizens, often referred to as sons and daughters by Saudi rulers who demand obedience.
Hala Aldosari, a Saudi scholar and activist, said the male guardianship system replicates the ruling family's model of governance, which demands full obedience to the king, who holds absolute power in decision-making.
"This is why the state is keen to maintain the authority of male citizens over women to ensure their allegiance," she said, adding that this "hierarchical system of domination" necessitates "keeping women in line."
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who's introduced social reforms loosening restrictions on women, told The Atlantic that doing away with guardianship laws has to be done in a way that does not harm families and the culture. He said abolishing these laws would create problems for families that don't want to give freedom to their daughters.
The issue of guardianship is extremely sensitive in the kingdom, where conservative families view what they consider the protection of women as a man's duty.
More than a dozen women's rights activists have been detained, many since May, after they campaigned against the guardianship system. Some had also wanted to create alternative shelters for women runaways.Regardless of their age, women in Saudi Arabia must have the consent of a male relative to obtain a passport, travel or marry. In the past, a travel permit was a paper document issued by the Interior Ministry and signed by a male relative.Today, Saudi men download a government mobile app that notifies them of a woman's travel. Through the app, men can grant or deny a woman permission to travel. Some young women who have fled the country had managed to access their father's phone, change the setting and disable its notifications.In a statement read to reporters in Canada on Tuesday, al-Qunun said she wants to be independent, travel and make her own decisions.
"I am one of the lucky ones," she said. "I know there are unlucky women who disappeared after trying to escape or who could not change their reality."
That's especially true for women from conservative tribal families, like al-Qunun's.
Al-Qunun, one of 10 children, posted online that her father, Mohammed Mutliq al-Qunun, is the governor of the city of al-Sulaimi in the hilly hinterland of Ha'il — a province where nearly all women cover their face in black veils and wear loose black robes, or abayas, in public. The family belongs to the influential Shammar tribe, which extends to Iraq, Syria and other parts of the Middle East. Her father has considerable clout as a prominent town official and member of a powerful tribe.
Al-Qunun, who barricaded herself in an airport hotel room in Thailand last week to avoid deportation, said she was abused by a brother and locked in her room for months for cutting her hair short. She said she would have been killed if sent back to her family.
According to government statistics, at least 577 Saudi women tried to flee their homes inside the country in 2015, though the actual number is likely higher. There are no statistics on attempted or successful escapes abroad. Shahad al-Mohaimeed, 19, who fled abuse and an ultraconservative family in Saudi Arabia two years ago, said fear is a powerful deterrent. "When a Saudi girl decides to flee, it means she's decided to put her life on the line and take a very, very risky step," said al-Mohaimeed, who now lives in Sweden. Al-Qunun's plight on social media drew international attention, helping her short-circuit the typically complex path to asylum. A little more than a week after fleeing Saudi Arabia, she was in Canada, building a new life, posting pictures of wine, bacon and donning a dress above the knees.Back in Saudi Arabia, the woman identified as Nojoud al-Mandeel posted audio on Twitter on Monday alleging her father had beaten and burnt her "over something trivial". She posted a video looking onto a neighbor's gated pool, where she says she jumped from her bedroom window before a friend picked her up and they escaped."Don't tell me to report to police," she said, explaining that in a previous attempt, police just had her father sign a pledge saying he would not beat her again. After her story gained some traction online, she was promised attention by a protection hotline in Saudi Arabia for domestic abuse victims. Prosecutors also reportedly began looking into her allegations of abuse, according to Saudi news sites. She was placed in a domestic abuse shelter, but on Tuesday complained on Twitter about the shelter's restrictions over her movements. Al-Mohaimeed said Twitter is where Saudi women can share stories and be heard. She and two other Saudi women took over al-Qunun's Twitter account, writing messages on her behalf during the height of her pleas last week to avoid deportation. "I was not born in this world to serve a man," al-Mohaimeed said. "I was born in this world to fulfill my dreams, achieve my dreams, grow, learn and be independent — to taste life as I hold it in my hands."
Another Saudi woman takes to Twitter to 'escape abusive family'
Identified as Nojoud al-Mandeel, she posts audio clip alleging her father beat and burned her 'over something trivial'.
Another Saudi woman has turned to social media for protection from her father, just days after Canada granted refuge to Rahaf Mohammed (who dropped her family name of al-Qunun after her family denounced her), the 18-year-old Saudi woman who fled her family.
Identified only as Nojoud al-Mandeel on Twitter, her case differs from that of Mohammed. She has not fled the kingdom, has not revealed her face and has only made her pleas for help on Twitter in Arabic.
On Monday, al-Mandeel posted an audio clip on Twitter, alleging that her father had beaten and burned her "over something trivial".
She also posted a video looking onto a neighbour's gated pool, where she says she jumped from her bedroom window before a friend picked her up and they escaped.
"Don't tell me to report to police," she said, explaining that when she had done so previously, the police just had her father sign a pledge saying he would not beat her again.
After her story gained some traction online, she was promised help by a protection hotline in Saudi Arabia for domestic abuse victims. Prosecutors also reportedly began looking into her allegations of abuse, according to Saudi news sites.
She was placed in a domestic abuse shelter, but on Tuesday complained on Twitter about the shelter's restrictions on her movements.
Challenging male control
While their circumstances are different, claims of abuse by the two women mirror those of other female Saudi runaways who have used social media to publicise their escapes.
There has been speculation that Mohammed's successful getaway will inspire others to copy her. However, powerful deterrents remain in place. If caught, runaways face possible death at the hands of relatives for purportedly shaming the family.
Saudi women fleeing their families challenge a system that grants men guardianship over women's lives. This guardianship system starts in the home, where women must obey fathers, husbands, brothers and sometimes sons.
Hala Aldosari, a Saudi scholar and activist, said the male guardianship system replicates the ruling family's model of governance, which demands full obedience to the king, who holds absolute power in decision-making.
"This is why the state is keen to maintain the authority of male citizens over women to ensure their allegiance," she said, adding that this "hierarchical system of domination" necessitates "keeping women in line".
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has introduced social reforms loosening some restrictions on women, told The Atlantic that doing away with guardianship laws has to be done in a way that does not harm Saudi families and culture. He said abolishing these laws would create problems for families that don't want to grant their daughters freedom.
The issue of guardianship is extremely sensitive in the kingdom, where conservative families view what they consider the protection of women as a man's duty.
More than a dozen women's rights activists have been detained, many since May, after they campaigned against the guardianship system. Some had also wanted to create alternative shelters for women who had escaped their families.
Regardless of their age, women in Saudi Arabia must have the consent of a male relative to obtain a passport, travel or marry. In the past, a travel permit was a paper document issued by the Interior Ministry and signed by a male relative.
Today, Saudi men download a government mobile app that notifies them of a woman's travel. Through the app, men can grant or deny a woman permission to travel. Some young women who have fled the country had managed to access their father's phone, change the settings and disable its notifications.
'I am lucky'
In a statement read to reporters in Canada on Tuesday, Mohammed said she wants to be independent, travel and make her own decisions.
"I am one of the lucky ones," she said. "I know there are unlucky women who disappeared after trying to escape or who could not change their reality."
That's especially true for women from conservative tribal families like hers.
Mohammed, one of 10 children, posted online that her father, Mohammed Mutliq al-Qunun, is the governor of the city of al-Sulaimi in the hilly hinterland of Ha'il - a province where nearly all women cover their faces in black veils and wear loose black robes, or abayas, in public.
The family belongs to the influential Shammar tribe, which extends to Iraq, Syria and other parts of the Middle East. Her father has considerable clout as a prominent town official and member of a powerful tribe.
Mohammed, who barricaded herself in an airport hotel room in Thailand last week to avoid deportation, said she was abused by a brother and locked in her room for months for cutting her hair short. She said she would have been killed if sent back to her family.
According to government statistics, at least 577 Saudi women tried to flee their homes inside the country in 2015, though the actual number is likely higher. There are no statistics on attempted or successful escapes abroad.
Shahad al-Mohaimeed, 19, who fled abuse and an ultraconservative family in Saudi Arabia two years ago, said fear is a powerful deterrent.
"When a Saudi girl decides to flee, it means she's decided to put her life on the line and take a very, very risky step," said al-Mohaimeed, who now lives in Sweden.
Mohammed's plight on social media drew international attention, helping her short-circuit the typically complex path to asylum. A little more than a week after fleeing Saudi Arabia, she was in Canada, building a new life, posting pictures of wine and bacon and wearing a dress that fell to her knees.
Al-Mohaimeed said Twitter is where Saudi women can share stories and be heard. She and two other Saudi women took over Mohammed's Twitter account, writing messages on her behalf during the height of her pleas to avoid deportation last week.
"I was not born in this world to serve a man," al-Mohaimeed said. "I was born in this world to fulfil my dreams, achieve my dreams, grow, learn and be independent - to taste life as I hold it in my hands."
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/saudi-woman-takes-twitter-escape-abusive-family-190117100510499.html
Saudi embassy helped accused rapist flee Canada
By Brad Hunter
And another one’s gone.
Taher Ali Al-Saba — who was in the country learning English — is just the latest Saudi national to skip facing the music, allegedly with the help of his country’s diplomats.
The embassy informed the RCMP’s immigration and passport section the then 19-year-old is now back home.
That was even though Halifax cops held his passport.
So far, the Saudi embassy is refusing to answer how he got a new passport before the 2007 trial to escape justice.
“They refused to cooperate with us in terms of telling us how that happened,” Crown attorney Catherine Cogswell told The Chronicle Herald, who broke the story.
Video Report - #Pakistan - PM doesn’t have courage to talk face-to-face in Parliament: Bilawal
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday said Prime Minister Imran Khan does not have the courage to talk face-to-face during Parliament sessions.
Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, Bilawal took a hit at the premier’s tweet from earlier today questioning why some lawmakers are “so scared” of the Exit Control List (ECL).
آج صبح PM @ImranKhanPTI نے ECL پر ٹویٹ بھی کیا
— Laeeq Hashmi (@ItsHashmi) January 17, 2019
اچھا ہوتا اگر PM آج ہاؤس میں موجود ہوتے منہ پر بات کرتے
میں منہ پر جواب دے سکتا مگر اتنی ہمت نہیںPM میں
ECL سے نام ہٹانا کوئی احسان نہیں
فریڈم اوف موومنٹ انسانی حقوق ہوتے ہیں جن کی پاسداری جمہوری حکومت کرتی ہے pic.twitter.com/4Gz7sPghju
“A day earlier, the Supreme Court ordered that my name by removed from the ECL and this morning the premier tweeted about it. It would have been better if the premier came to the House and spoke about these matters instead of tweeting about them,” Bilawal said.
“PM Imran should have spoken about these matters face-to-face so we could have responded directly. However, he doesn’t have the courage to do so,” the PPP chairman added.
Bilawal further said, “PPP will not allow any comprise on the financial matters of provinces.”
“We will strongly oppose any action against the 18th Amendment,” he asserted. "No one can snatch the rights that have been granted to provinces," Bilawal stated.
“You are asking for donations to run your government, how will you give Rs14 million to operate hospitals?” he asked.
The PPP chairman further said that the opposition parties will “not allow any compromise on democratic and fundamental rights”. “The government’s allies are also supporting us and soon PTI members will too,” he added.
“After the two previous governments completed their terms, the current government will do so as well,” the PPP chairman stated.
“If there is any attack on democracy, it will not be tolerated,” Bilawal stressed.
'Selected PM doesn’t understand concept of human rights'
Earlier today, Bilawal responded to PM Imran's tweets questioning why some lawmakers are “so scared” of the ECL.
Quoting the premier's tweet, Bilawal wrote, "Obviously selected PM doesn’t understand the concept of human rights or freedom of movement."
"Funny it’s only the opposition members on ECL, government members are busy travelling. Including PM who despite promising not to travel for first six months has made more than 7 trips so far!" the PPP chairman added.
The premier had tweeted saying, "Why are some of our lawmakers so scared of the ECL? Why are they so keen to go abroad? There is so much work to be done by politicians in and for Pakistan — the land they claim to love but some cannot wait to take frequent trips abroad and lawmakers have iqamas or residencies abroad.”
“Can anyone explain this strange phenomenon to those of us who would be quite happy to remain in and work for Pakistan because we actually love Pakistan,” PM Imran added.
A day earlier, the Supreme Court in a written order stated that the names of Bilawal and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah should be removed from the no-fly list.
Last month, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government placed names of 172 suspects, including Bilawal and CM Shah, on the ECL following a JIT report in the ongoing money laundering probe.
https://www.geo.tv/latest/225371-pm-doesnt-have-courage-to-talk-face-to-face-in-parliament-bilawal
332 Pakistan Lawmakers Suspended For Not Disclosing Assets - Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry is among the lawmakers
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry is among the lawmakers whose membership has been suspended.
The membership of 332 Pakistani lawmakers, including that of Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, was suspended on Wednesday after they failed to submit details of their properties and assets, media reports said.
Out of the 1,174 lawmakers, 839 submitted the details of their properties and assets, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as it suspended the membership of the remaining 332.
The suspended lawmakers include 72 members of National Assembly, 20 members of Senate, 115 members of Punjab Assembly, 52 members of Sindh Assembly, 54 members of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 19 members of Balochistan assembly, Dunya News reported.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, Minister for Health Aamir Kiyani, Raheela Magsi, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Soori, PML-N leaders Ahsan Iqbal, Musadiq Malik and Anwaarul Haq Kakar are among those whose memberships have been suspended, the report said.
The suspended parliamentarians cannot participate in legislative process.
The ECP has issued a notification, stating that these members will remain suspended till they file details of their assets and liabilities.
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/332-pakistan-lawmakers-suspended-for-not-disclosing-assets-says-report-1978824
SC releases detailed order on removal of Bilawal, Murad’s names from ECL
The Supreme Court has finally released its order pertaining to the removal of the names of PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari as well as Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah from the Exit Control List (ECL), but has referred the report and material collected by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in the Rs35 billion ‘fake accounts case’ to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
“But removing of the names will not prevent NAB to probe and in case sufficient material is found connecting these individuals with cognisable offences, it will not be precluded from making an appropriate request to the federal government to place their names on [the] ECL again or take any appropriate action provided by law,” says the judgement authored by Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan.
Justice Ahsan was part of the three-judge bench headed by the chief justice that had taken up the fake accounts case.
The federal cabinet had been awaiting the detailed reasoning of the apex court order, and it is expected that when the issue is taken up again by the cabinet in its meeting on Thursday (today), the names may finally be removed from the ECL.
The SC order recalls how the JIT, which was represented by senior counsel Faisal Siddiqui, had conceded frankly that the material against these individuals may need re-examination so that the correct conclusions can be arrived at. These names may have been included in the list of 172 persons whose names had been recommended to be placed on the ECL, without the careful examination of the material available on the record, and the ramifications of this, the order says.
Referring to the names of senior counsel Farooq H. Naek and his son, and that of the brother of Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan — names that are included in the JIT report regarding certain monetary transactions involving professional fees for services rendered — the order instructs NAB to re-examine these cases in the light of the material collected by the JIT. In case no cognisable offence is detected, the names of these individuals may be removed from the JIT and ECL lists. However, no adverse action is to be taken against them until NAB concludes its inquiry / investigation, the court order decrees.
Justice Ahsan explains that all members of the JIT will be associated with NAB for the purpose of assisting in any further probe, inquiry or investigation that NAB may consider necessary or appropriate.
Likewise, all cases that have not yet come to a conclusion, or in the JIT’s opinion require further investigation, will remain under the JIT’s jurisdiction, says the order. In this case, the JIT must continue its probe under the mandate granted by the Supreme Court, and complete it within a reasonable timeframe. Thereafter, the order says, all the evidence collected is to be transmitted to NAB, without the need for a further court order, so that the law can take its course.
“We are cognisant of the fact that during the course of its probe and investigation, the JIT has discovered that funds deposited in fake accounts and circulated through the same have been used for other unlawful activities which may not have strictly fallen within the parameters of the mandate granted by this court,” Justice Ahsan has said.
In conclusion, the order endorses all of the JIT’s actions in probing these matters and holds that it will be deemed that the original mandate of the JIT was within its scope..
https://www.dawn.com/news/1458030
#Pakistan - #PPP - #Bilawal hits back at PM Imran over ECL tweet
“Funny it’s only the opposition members on ECL, government members are busy travelling. Including PM who despite promising not to travel for 1st 6months has made more than 7 trips so far!,” he further added.
BilawalBhuttoZardari
✔
@BBhuttoZardari Obviously selected PM doesn’t understand the concept of human rights or freedom of movement. Funny it’s only the opposition members on ECL, government members are busy travelling. Including PM who despite promising not to travel for 1st 6months has made more than 7 trips so far!
✔
@ImranKhanPTI Why are some of our lawmakers so scared of the ECL? Why are they so keen to go abroad? There is so much work to be done by politicians in & for Pak - the land they claim to love but some cannot wait to take frequent trips abroad & lawmakers have iqamas or residencies abroad. 2,130 1:37 AM - Jan 17, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 1,802 people are talking about this
The prime minister has taken a jibe at the politicians placed on the ECL asking ‘why are they so keen to go abroad, there is so much work to be done by them in and for Pakistan’.
The PM was apparently responding to the criticism on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government over placing top leadership of Pakistan Peoples’ Party including Bilawal Bhutto, Asif Zardari, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Faryal Talpur and several others on the no fly list.
The premier tweeted: “Why are some of our lawmakers so scared of the ECL? Why are they so keen to go abroad? There is so much work to be done by politicians in & for Pak - the land they claim to love but some cannot wait to take frequent trips abroad & lawmakers have iqamas or residencies abroad”.
The PTI came under fire on Wednesday in the National Assembly on the matter and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi admitted ‘haste’ in placing 172 suspects on the ECL.
The Federal Cabinet twice deferred decision on removing the names Bilawal Bhutto and Murad Ali Shah despite the instructions of Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar during case proceedings and said that the government would wait for the SC’s written order in this regard.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/420231-bilawal-hits-back-at-pm-imran-over-ecl-tweet