Headline News 12/08/2016

Headlines:

• Hijab-wearing Muslim Women Passed over for Jobs in UK
• Egypt and IMF agree $12bn Loan in Bid to Restore Confidence in Economy
• Pakistan to Deport Blacklisted American Who Returned

Details:

Hijab-wearing Muslim Women Passed over for Jobs in UK

Muslim women in Britain who wear headscarves are routinely being passed over for jobs or being side-lined in the workplace, with 71% of the women from the community more likely to be unemployed than white Christian women, a new report by British MPs warned today. The House of Commons' Women and Equalities Committee concluded Muslim women are the most disadvantaged group in British society and a new government plan was required to tackle the inequalities before the end of the year.  The cross-party committee said many Muslim women in the UK faced a "triple penalty" impacting on their job prospects - being women, being from an ethnic minority and being Muslim.  "The impact of Islamophobia on Muslim women should not be underestimated. They are 71% more likely than white Christian women to be unemployed, even when they have the same educational level and language skills," reads the report titled 'Employment Opportunities for Muslims in the UK'. While 69% of British working-age women were in employment, among Muslim women it was 35%. Nationally, 5% of women were unemployed and seeking work but among Muslim women, it was 16%. Among women generally, 27% were economically inactive or unemployed and not seeking work last year. However, among Muslim women the figure was 58%. "There is a distinct level of institutional racism that is being endured by Muslim women and we must be open about that," said Maria Miller, chair of the committee. "Everybody is subject to the same law in this country and Muslim women can choose to dress in the way that they want in the same way that other women can and shouldn't have to suffer discrimination as a result of it. [Source: Business Standard]

UK prides itself on freedom and tolerance, but these ideals are in short supply when applied to Muslims within Britain. Overseas Britain’s attitude is the same. The mistreatment of Afghans and Iraqis at the hands of British soldiers speaks volumes about how Britain pays lip service to such ideals.

Egypt and IMF agree $12bn Loan in Bid to Restore Confidence in Economy

Egypt has agreed a $12bn loan with the International Monetary Fund in bid to restore confidence in its lacklustre economy and tackle severe foreign exchange shortages. The economy has been struggling since the 2011 revolution that forced Hosni Mubarak from office and foreign investors have largely shunned the country. The staff level agreement will be presented in a few weeks to the IMF board for approval. But Chris Jarvis, head of the IMF delegation, told the Financial Times that the IMF funding was contingent on Egypt securing between $5bn and $6bn in additional loans from bilateral partners — before the agreement was taken to the fund’s board. The extra financing would help provide a cushion for the country’s foreign reserves ahead of any devaluation of the Egyptian pound, he said.  ‘It is important that we secure financing assurances for the year before we go to the board,” Mr Jarvis said. “We are looking for additional finance from bilateral sources. The argument we would like to make is that if there is a moment to provide balance of payment support to Egypt, this is it.” People briefed on the talks said both Cairo and the IMF were hoping the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia would provide the additional funding. Egypt has received billions of dollars in bilateral support, mainly from the oil-rich Gulf, since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi led a 2013 popularly backed coup that ousted an elected Islamist government.  Mr Jarvis said that if everything went as planned, the first IMF tranche of $2.5bn would be disbursed to Egypt immediately after the board meeting. He added that the government recognised the need for “quick implementation of economic reforms for Egypt to restore macroeconomic stability.” Economists say expected reforms will include a further devaluation of the pound and a reduction of fuel subsidies. The government has also recently introduced a VAT law to parliament and this week it hiked electricity prices. [Source: Financial Times]

By securing IMF loans Sisi is placing Egypt in the hands of international vultures. In the days ahead, the poor and middle class will suffer immensely under IMF’s prescription for the Egyptian economy. The sands of time are ticking against Sisi, as prospects of another revolution looks very likely.

Pakistan to Deport Blacklisted American Who Returned

An American who entered Pakistan last week after being expelled from the country five years earlier will be deported again after being interrogated, the interior minister said Friday. Matthew Barrett, a 33-year-old Alabama native, had spent four years in Pakistan, where he married a local woman and had two children, before being kicked out of the country in 2011 after being detained near a sensitive military installation. The U.S. and Pakistan are allies but have had fraught relations over the years. Washington has at times accused Islamabad of failing to do enough to combat terrorism. Pakistan was angered by the U.S. commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden north of Islamabad in 2011, which was carried out without its knowledge. Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said Barrett was never suspected of spying, but was involved in "wrongdoing," without elaborating. Khan said Barrett was detained at a guest house in the capital, Islamabad, last week after he submitted incorrect information in a visa application to the Pakistani Consulate in Houston. In media reports and a letter smuggled from jail in 2011 to the Guardian newspaper, Barrett denied he was a spy and claimed to be a victim of simmering U.S.-Pakistani tensions following the bin Laden raid. He was eventually deported and blacklisted. Pakistani authorities have arrested two airport immigration staffers who cleared Barrett's re-entry and have launched an investigation into the incident. On Friday, Barrett's detention was extended for two weeks, according to Raja Nazeer, an attorney representing the two immigration officials. [Source: News International]

Despite the humiliation of the Raymond Davis affair, Pakistan continues to make unnecessary mistakes in permitting Americans to roam freely on Pakistani soil. The issue is not Barrett, but Pakistan’s policy of supporting American interests in the region. The flood of American spies will only stop, when Pakistan musters the strength to sever all ties, which the present leadership is incapable of doing.