DUBAI: Penny Appeal, the Muslim international humanitarian charity, has appointed Ridwana Wallace-Laher as its CEO, the first Muslim woman to hold such a post at a major global charity.
Wallace-Laher is a former teacher at the Yorkshire (Bradford) Co-op Academy Grange in the UK, and is experienced in mentoring people from a variety of backgrounds.
Her appointment comes after being part of the Penny Appeal team for three years, with experience in various roles, including most recently as senior director of growth.
Working with Penny Appeal, which is based in Wakefield, Yorkshire, she has a strong track record of leading diverse teams, building relationships with stakeholders, and encouraging collaboration.
Wallace-Laher said: “It has been an honor to have been part of the core unit that has led the positive change Penny Appeal has made in the faith-led charity sector globally. My commitment to greater governance, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement, combined with my background as a senior teaching professional, make me confident that I can drive Penny Appeal’s success even further in the future.”
Mohammed Jahangir, chairman of trustees, said: “Ridwana stood out against all other candidates through a tough selection process, and I am proud to have her as our new CEO.”
He said that she is the first Muslim woman to hold the CEO position at a major international charity. “May she be the first of many Muslim women to do so,” he added.
“At a time when the world is facing a global economic crisis, when many in the UK and abroad are struggling to feed themselves and pay electricity bills, and when people in Turkiye and Syria are suffering due to the recent earthquake, we at Penny Appeal are trying our best to help those who need it by supporting them and providing aid during these times or events.
“The trustees are confident that Ridwana is woman who will take Penny Appeal to new heights in order to help those in need. We believe she will transform and grow the charity for the digital age while staying true to our core values of helping those in need. I look forward to seeing the positive impact that Ridwana will have on the charity and her leadership to make the world a better place,” Jahangir said.
First Muslim woman appointed CEO of international charity Penny Appeal
https://arab.news/r2tf6
First Muslim woman appointed CEO of international charity Penny Appeal
- Ridwana Wallace-Laher is a former teacher at the Yorkshire (Bradford) Co-op Academy Grange
- Her appointment comes after being part of the Penny Appeal team for three years
French publisher recalls dictionary over ‘Jewish settler’ reference
- The entry in French reads: “In October 2023, following the death of more than 1,200 Jewish settlers in a series of Hamas attacks”
- The four books are subject to a recall procedure and will be destroyed, Hachette said
PARSI: French publisher Hachette on Friday said it had recalled a dictionary that described the Israeli victims of the October 7, 2023 attacks as “Jewish settlers” and promised to review all its textbooks and educational materials.
The Larousse dictionary for 11- to 15-year-old students contained the same phrase as that discovered by an anti-racism body in three revision books, the company told AFP.
The entry in French reads: “In October 2023, following the death of more than 1,200 Jewish settlers in a series of Hamas attacks, Israel decided to tighten its economic blockade and invade a large part of the Gaza Strip, triggering a major humanitarian crisis in the region.”
The worst attack in Israeli history saw militants from the Palestinian Islamist group kill around 1,200 people in settlements close to the Gaza Strip and at a music festival.
“Jewish settlers” is a term used to describe Israelis living on illegally occupied Palestinian land.
The four books, which were immediately withdrawn from sale, are subject to a recall procedure and will be destroyed, Hachette said, promising a “thorough review of its textbooks, educational materials and dictionaries.”
France’s leading publishing group, which came under the control of the ultra-conservative Vincent Bollore at the end of 2023, has begun an internal inquiry “to determine how such an error was made.”
It promised to put in place “a new, strengthened verification process for all its future publications” in these series.
President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said that it was “intolerable” that the revision books for the French school leavers’ exam, the baccalaureat, “falsify the facts” about the “terrorist and antisemitic attacks by Hamas.”
“Revisionism has no place in the Republic,” he wrote on X.
Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, with 251 people taken hostage, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Authorities in Gaza estimate that more than 70,000 people have been killed by Israeli forces during their bombardment of the territory since, while nearly 80 percent of buildings have been destroyed or damaged, according to UN data.
Israeli forces have killed at least 447 Palestinians in Gaza since a ceasefire took effect in October, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
