内容摘要：Pakistan and Iran have hosted the majority of the region’s 5.25 million Afghan refugees and asylum seekers for decades. However, economic downturns in both countries have prompted growing hostility towards Afghan communities.

Pakistan and Iran have hosted the majority of the region’s 5.25 million Afghan refugees and asylum seekers for decades. However, economic downturns in both countries have prompted growing hostility towards Afghan communities.

In some cultures, like the Maoris’, a menstruating girl represents the survival and longevity of the heritage and bloodline. Among some Indigenous people of the Americas, the first bleed is the moment when the initiation into the community happens, embodying spiritual connection. In China, menstruation is believed to hold vast potential for rejuvenating one’s vital essence.Among Muslims, attitudes towards menstruation vary greatly, shaped by cultural heritage or by the disconnect from cultural lineages caused by colonisation, migration and conflict.

For example, in the United States, where I am from, I can name communities that regularly host elaborate period parties – celebratory galas for girls who are coming of age – much like the early generations of Muslims in Medina.  And in the same country, I know of communities where women still conceal the fact that they are menstruating by pretending to fast and pray in Ramadan.To bridge these dissonant understandings of menstruation among Muslim women, we can seek inspiration and guidance from the Holy Quran and the Prophet Muhammad’s biography. They offer a blueprint for reparative and positive period education, which can be a vital tool for ending period shame and abolishing period poverty.Menstruation in Islam

In the Islamic tradition, menstruation enters the discourse as a determinant of rite and ritual. The Quran dictates that menstruating women are relieved of the obligation to fast in Ramadan or perform the five prescribed daily prayers. Sexual intercourse is forbidden at this time as well as circumambulating the Kaaba while performing the Hajj in Mecca.However, to understand what menstruation meant to the early Muslim community, we can look to the Prophetic tradition, which illustrates how the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) interacted with menstruating women in his life.

There is the example of Umayyah bint Qays, a girl who rode to battle with the women of her tribe seated on the Prophet Muhammad’s animal. Her first period appeared unannounced, soiling her garments and the Prophet Muhammad’s luggage, which she was seated beside.

Upon noticing Umayyah shifting in her seat with awkward discomfort, the Prophet Muhammad asked if she had menstrual bleeding, to which she responded affirmatively. She was then gently instructed by her Prophet to take water and salt to clean herself as well as the soiled articles.Posing as criminals from China looking to launder over $100m, Al Jazeera’s undercover reporters managed to gain access to these smugglers and gangs.

Zimbabwe is a key player in these operations. Gold accounts for— over $2bn — of the country’s exports. But the nation faces a strict international sanctions regime, and even though its gold trade is not in itself banned by the West, the broader strictures against Zimbabwe make it harder to export the precious metal through official channels.

However, using a web of companies and patronage from some of Zimbabwe’s most powerful individuals, smugglers have turned those constraints on trade into an opportunity to launder billions of dollars and help the government in Harare get around some of the consequences of sanctions.The process is as simple as it is cunning: Criminals from around the world with large volumes of unaccounted cash can give that money to the Zimbabwean government, directly or through smugglers. The Zimbabwean government desperately needs US dollars since the county’s own currency has little international value following years of hyperinflation.