News

The Italian Battalion in the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) organized recently a craft fair at its headquarters in the town of Shamaa, Tyre district, where a number of community organizations active in the area showcased products made by local residents. The event allowed the UNIFIL officers and soldiers to taste or buy from the assortment of displayed delicacies or handicraft items. On the occasion, the Sector West Commander pointed out that the initiative comes within the framework of the implementation of UN Resolution No. 1701 stipulating provision of assistance to local people. It also presents an opportunity to familiarize Italian troops with the community’s heritage and traditions, he added. (Al Mustaqbal, December 24, 2016)

 

In a special feature on Saturday, As Safir newspaper shed light on the craft of embroidery acquired by Palestinian women which features three main colors: beige, brown and burgundy and that became symbolic of an entire people forcedly expelled from its homeland. As Safir spoke to a number of women to get more insight on this deep-rooted side of their daily life. Jamila, for example, said that women in the past used to wear dresses embellished with embroidered drawings distinctive of their town of origin. Al-Khalil (Hebron), Jamila boasted, is famed for the extensive embroidery colors, Jerusalem for the big rose and Gaza for the cypress tree. The embroidered dresses are closely linked to age-old traditions of Palestine, Jamila said. While married women wore dark red and burgundy cross-stitched outfits, single women dressed in fiery red leaving the blue for their divorced or widow peers, Jamily added. Many Palestinian women have turned the craft of embroidery into a career, according to Burj Al Barajneh women residents. Wafaa, a mother of five, is one of them. Wafaa told As Safir reporter that, despite the modest pay she receives in exchange for her work, she practiced embroidery to support her husband in meeting household expenses. On this subject, the president of the Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project at Mar Elias Palestinian Refugee Camp, Imad Mukhtar, pointed out that the cost of raw material, threads and fabrics, as well as the cost of participation in exhibitions, is relatively high. The distribution of expenses among women workers and designers, Mukhtar said, makes it hard to increase their wages, given the harsh economic situation and the decline of demand on handicrafts. He also mentioned that the suffering of Palestinians in Lebanon narrows down the prospects of jobs and careers they aspire to get. “The only choice left for us is to stand by our identity through the preservation of heritage, at any cost”, while confronting Israel’s persistent attempts to appropriate Palestinian heritage, Mukhtar concluded. (As Safir, December 24, 2016)

 

 

In cooperation with the Municipality of Ay7ha, the Ministry of Social Affairs organized last week a series of training sessions on artisanal production aimed at empowering rural women through provision of skills on handmade crafts. The launch ceremony was held at the town’s public hall in the presence of over 90 women participants. The director of the “Promotion and Development of Crafts and Handicrafts” project, Hafez Ghattas Abu Lteif, underlined the importance of partnership between the Ministry and local municipalities in the initiation of local undertakings. Such schemes, he maintained, boost the steadfastness of rural people to their land through professional empowerment, and also support the preservation of the national heritage. Likewise, the deputy mayor of Ay7ha, Hafez Homus, stressed the municipality’s concern for the human and cultural development of the town’s residents. Women of Ay7ha, for their part, expressed their appreciation and acknowledgment for the Ministry, the coordinator of the program and the municipality for extending the opportunity of participation in similar workshops. Then, the beneficiaries kicked off the training which includes knitting and crochet, decoration of pots, gift boxes and chocolate making, painting on glass and artificial flower arrangement. (Al Mustaqbal, December 24, 2016)

 

The president of the Social Relief and Welfare Association in Saida, Arab Kalash, announced the complete high-standard renovation of the catering kitchen unit with the help of a donation from Al Waleed Bin Talal Humanitarian Foundation. Kalash pointed out that the proceeds from the catering service will be used to cover the expenditures of the charity association, and to close the gap in the health, education or social areas. She said that after earning the trust of the inhabitants of Saida and surroundings, the association decided to renovate its 10 years old catering unit which was previously set up with MP Bahiya Hariri’s financial support, and now has received the support of former minister, Leila Solh Hamadeh. Kalash was speaking during a tour organized by the association for media representatives last week of the top notch kitchen sections. The kitchen, one of the largest in the South (delivering some 2000 meals daily), Kalash mentioned, caters to weddings and to funeral wakes, and operates as per international ISO standards. (Al Mustaqbal, December 24, 2016)

 

 

A just women representation quota has become unavoidable after women have proved their aptness in all sectors of life, tweeted Inaya Izzidine, the only woman minister of state for administrative development in a 30-minister cabinet. Amal Movement, Izzidine said, supports the quota demand and will seek to mobilise others to approve it. “We hoped to see more women in the new government, yet, we, in Amal Movement, have smashed that glass ceiling and hope that other political parties act the same” ,” Izzidine said. In the same vein, Al Akhbar newspaper highlighted in a special feature the continuing marginalization of women in the newly formed cabinet, criticizing the abstention of political parties, except for Amal and Hizbullah, from nominating women ministers. The newspaper, while alluding to the Future Movement, describing it as the pragmatic, and to the Socialist Progressive Party with its “enlightened and educated” head, as well as to the main Christian parties, asked “if there were educated and intellectual women amongst them, and if there are, where are they.” On the other hand, L’Orient Le Jour newspaper published today an interview with the newly appointed minister for women’s affairs, Jean Ogassapian, who confirmed that the new portfolio is a real challenge. He acknowledged the hegemony of the patriarchal mentality in society, while reiterating his intention to follow up on women’s issues aided by a specialized and dedicated team he plans to set up. (Al Akhbar, Al Diyar, L’Orient Le Jour, December 22, 2016)

 

 

Civil society women activists organized yesterday a handicrafts fair under the theme, ‘creativity of a woman’ at the premises of the Awareness and Consolation Association in Katermaya in the presence of concerned parties. The event comes as part of an initiative by INTERSOS Lebanon humanitarian aid organization, in cooperation with the ministry of social affairs and with the sponsorship of the president of the Federation of Municipalities of the Northern Iqlim al Kharub, Ziad Hajjar. On the occasion, Katermaya mayor, Mohamamd Najeeb Hassan, representing Ziad Hajjar, hailed the consistent efforts by craftswomen, stressing the Federation’s tireless use of resources at hand to support projects by women. (Mustaqbal, December 23, 2016)

 

In a special feature today, The Daily Star brought to light the difficulties facing former female inmates and their struggle to integrate in society and find a job after their release to freedom.  Asma, an ex-convict who was jailed for six weeks on charges of fraud, told the newspaper that her prison experience has drastically changed her life. She had a public driving license before she was arrested but now she is threatened with losing it due to her criminal record or what the newspaper termed as stigma. According to prevalent laws, convicts charged with a minor offense, like Asma, have to wait 3 years before their criminal record is cleared, unlike convicts with felonies who have to wait at least 7 years. In the meantime, finding a job is a tough task for them. In this context, The Daily Star spoke to a number of persons concerned, including the director of Dar al Amal, Huda Kara, who assists female inmates inside their prison cells and in their post-prison life. Kara stated that her association currently works as an intermediary between ex-convicts and business owners, drawing attention to the painstaking job of convincing employers to hire them. Kara also revealed that Dar al- Amal is organizing training workshops in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce, to inspire businesses to recruit ex-convicts from both sexes. For her part, Sawsan Jabri, member of the board of the Chamber of Commerce Beirut, and owner of Diet Center in Beirut, maintained that a clean record should not be a condition for employment as stipulated by the Government. This condition, she lamented, has prevented her from hiring three women like Asma. Likewise, Sarah Beydun, owner of Sarah’s Bag fashion house that designs women’s bags and accessories with the help of women convicts, said she does not give much importance to the criminal record because a jail sentence, she explained, is a result of poor economic and social circumstances. (The Daily Star, December 22, 2016)

 

The new minister of tourism, Ghazi Zuaiter, said that the touristic port of Junieh project promulgated some 10 years ago by the cabinet of ministers seeks to restore the country’s position on the global tourism map. Zuaiter was speaking on Tuesday during his laying of the foundation stone for what he described as a vital national initiative and dream port for all the Lebanese. The minister stressed the importance of the undertaking as a new window on the world. For his part, the president of the Federation of the Municipalities of Kesrwan-Ftuh and mayor of Junieh, Juan Hbeish, pointed out that the port of Junieh is intended to become a prominent location on the East Mediterranean Basin receiving thousands of passengers and tourists from inside and outside Lebanon. Similarly, the president of the Maronite Diaspora Institute, Neemat Efram, said the new port is expected to create nearly one thousand new jobs. (Al Diyar, December 21 and 22, 2016)

 

In a special feature today, As Safir newspaper highlighted the intricacy of identifying the term ‘Hawzawiyat’ or women in Hawzat (Shiia seminary schools) if they are considered to be religious women, scholars or messengers. It downplayed the significance of such notions as long as they are preoccupied with the spirit and essence of religion, hence transcending all labels and geographic borders and, in a way, rising above the stereotypical image of the traditional cleric. As such and unlike men, they do not wear the traditional jilbab (dress) or turbans, grow their beards or shave their moustache or speak in the authoritative voice of the imam or preacher, the newspaper analyzed, adding that they are simply ordinary down-to-earth women. On the subject, As Safir interviewed Rula Shuaib, the registrar at Al Zahraa Hawzat (affiliate of al Mustafa International University) who clarified that students are required to study the proper aspects of Islamic knowledge and preach them in universities, municipalities and prisons, through tutoring, articles and funeral wakes (majlis aza’a). Shuaib pointed out that the Hawzat has contributed to promoting the leadership capacity of women, a good example are media figures, researchers and writers who graduated from similar seminaries (hawzat). And about the criteria for accepting women students, Shuaib said they should fulfil certain conditions, including that high school level, below 28 years of age, pass an oral exam and multiple intelligence tests in language and logic, in addition to compliance with religious dress code during their study and secure the approvals from their immediate family. For her part, Fatmeh Abdallah, now pursuing her masters in philosophy and theology at the Hawzat, told As Safir reporter that her seminary study has given her greater responsibility in representing the Hawzat and its students, and has become a reference for queriers on religious and ethical questions. (As Safir, December 21, 2016)

 

Despite the general marginalization of women in the public and political spheres, the municipality of Burj Hammood, located in Metn caza, in an unprecedented move by its newly elected mayor, Mardig Boghossian, has integrated some 30 women into its municipal police force to join the 130-man municipal squad. This step, said retired Sergeant Major, Fadi Muawad, chief of Burj Hamud’s police and guards department, aims to engage women, not only in administration but also on the ground. His previous work in the general security, Muawad explained, brought him closer to his women colleagues and he wanted to repeat the positive experience. Women integrated in the municipal police have proved to be qualified and apt for the job, Muawad maintained, noting that their presence on the streets diffused the tension between the municipal police and local residents. He said that it was not easy at the beginning with the narrow and congested streets of Burj Hamud. To get a clearer picture, The Daily Star newspaper spoke to a number of municipal police women. Talar Kiomijian, 24-year old (holder of a degree in accounting), and the first to join the police, said it was tough for her when she was first deployed on the streets. People who were not used to seeing police women picked on her. But Talar’s colleagues boasted that they have gone beyond the rough period and that people are now accustomed to their field presence.  (The Daily Star, December 21, 201