3 expat women who practiced prostitution in a hotel arrested in Riyadh    Tunisian president and Saudi interior minister discuss security cooperation    Saudi, US defense ministers discuss over phone ways to enhance strategic cooperation    Grand Mufti expresses pride over Saudi Arabia's firm position on Palestine issue    Saudi Arabia's inflation records slight rise reaching 2% in January 2025    Electromin celebrates victory of "Nissan Formula E Team" in "Jeddah E-Prix" as first Saudi private-sector global partner in Formula E    Saudi Arabia vows full support to Lebanon's actions to safeguard citizens' security    US-made heavy bombs arrive in Israel after Biden-era hold    Death toll from New Delhi railway station stampede rises to 18    US, Russia to begin Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia    Al Ittihad CEO calls for fairness as Al Hilal raises officiating concerns ahead of Saudi Classico    LG Electronics Saudi Arabia and Shaker Group mark 30 years of sustainable innovation in HVAC solutions    Benzema shines with goal and two assists as Al Ittihad dominate Al Wehda French star leads Al Ittihad to 4-1 victory, extending lead over Al Hilal ahead of top-of-the-table clash    Saudi Arabia among world's top 10 energy storage markets    Al Hilal held to controversial 1-1 draw against Al Riyadh, missing chance to reclaim top spot    Al Hilal accuses SPL's Michael Emenalo of bias and SFF's Manuel Navarro of pressuring team to accept local referees Club criticizes officiating, calls for elite foreign referees in Saudi Pro League    Maya Diab joins Arab stars and celebrities in celebrating the Centrepoint Ramadan 2025 collection launch at Riyadh Boulevard    Oilatum tackles rise in Eczema and Dry Skin in Saudi Arabia    HONOR brings together AI and luxury with PORSCHE DESIGN HONOR Magic7 RSR at LEAP 2025    Chinese film stirs national pride, rakes in $1bn in days    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Afghan capital university unlikely host for women's studies program
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 24 - 10 - 2015

A group of Afghan students gathered on the leafy campus of Kabul University this week to embark on an unlikely course — the country's first Master's degree in gender and women's studies. Advances made for women since US-led troops ousted the Taliban in 2001 are held up as one of the wins of the war, but women are still regularly sidelined from political life and subject to violence in public and at home.
Many worry that things could get worse as security deteriorates around the country, a fear buttressed by reports of abuse against women in Kunduz after the Taliban briefly took control of the northern city last month. "There's been a lot of change for women, but it's not enough," said Zheela Rafhat, a high school teacher and one of 28 students enrolled on the two-year course, which will tackle subjects like gender and violence. "It's better in the capital than in rural areas where there's been a lot of fighting."
Photographs of Kabul from the 1960s and 70s show a city where Afghan women strolled the streets in miniskirts and heels, a scene that had disappeared by the time the Taliban came to power in 1996. Under the hard-line group's interpretation of Islam, women and girls were banned from public life, including going to school and working, and had to wear a full-body burqa when venturing outside.
Millions of girls have gone back to school in the last 14 years, but access to higher education has been limited. Teaching women's studies at graduate level should help spread awareness and send people into the workforce who can promote equality, the faculty and students said. Eighteen women and ten men have enrolled in the program.
But the project is not without critics, some of whom think the course amounts to little more than another misguided foreign intervention. The course is funded by South Korea and run by the UN Development Program in coordination with the government. "Some people don't take it seriously," said Nargis Nazer Hossain, a 21-year-old student from Kabul. "They think it's in the interest of foreigners." Other objections run deeper.
When the course was presented to the Ministry of Higher Education, it took two months to be approved, said Ghulam Farooq Abdullah, dean of the university's Faculty of Social Sciences. Abdul Bari Hamidi, an Islamic studies professor and a member of the ministerial committee that approves new graduate programs, said he objected to the course because it promoted gender equality.
"There is no gender equality in Islam," Hamidi said. "In family affairs, the head of the family must be a man, and being an Imam (Islamic spiritual leader) is limited to men."
Lecturers said the course work would address the topic, keeping Afghanistan's cultural context in mind. "This is teaching by Afghan colleagues, Afghan professors, according with our reality and our society," said Nasrullah Stanekzai, a law professor who taught the first day of class on Monday.
Nevertheless, Kabul University is a somewhat unlikely host, having been the stage for heated protests against women's rights. In 2013, hundreds of students marched against the Elimination of Violence Against Women law, objecting to its secular foundations.
"There are students at Kabul University with radical ideas, but it's not rampant," said Ahmad Zia Rafhat, a journalism lecturer. "Some of the students come to the university from provinces where the Taliban have a bigger influence." None of the students to whom Reuters spoke expressed any apprehension about taking the course. Nor did a small group of students hanging around the classroom offer any objections.
"I think it's a good thing," said Mushtaba Danish, a third-year undergraduate. "Men need the expertise for the future." — Reuters


Clic here to read the story from its source.