Friday Links — May 15, 2009

• The American Prospect discusses a not-often-heard perspective on female genital cutting.

• AltMuslimah interviews Dalia Mogahed.

• Female Kuwaiti biker enthusiasts unite!

• Forty women in Afghanistan were confirmed as police officers last weekend.

• More coverage of the Saudi “inner beauty” pageant.

• The Christian Science Monitor speaks on the importance of small gains, with a regrettable title. (eye rolling)

• On women’s rights in Iran.

• Kuwaiti parliamentary candidate Aseel Al Awadhi supports a Kuwaiti bailout.

• Iran has prohibited Shirin Ebadi and Narges Mohammadi from traveling internationally

• Radio Free Europe reports that a seminar on women and Islam has begun in Kabul that will discuss the rights that are given to women within the Qur’an.
  

• Lecturers at Kuwait University agree that mostly women benefit from media coverage of parliamentary campaigns, because it was an easy option for those who found it difficult to attend rallies.

• Women in Mauritania who press charges for sexual assault face the risk of jail time because of poorly defined laws and stigma that criminalize victims rather than offenders.

• The Saudi Gazette profiles Farah, a successful clothing store owner.

• Roxana Saberi “doing fine” after release.

• The Emirati General Authority for Religious Affairs and Endowments issued a fatwa saying young women should be free to take a job and pursue a higher education. More coverage from The Chronicle of Higher Education.

• PRESStv makes the argument that Iran’s next president could be a woman.

• A Saudi woman has opened the first women-only cultural café.

• Nuseiba discusses Orientalism and portrayals of “the other” in art and media in parts 1 & 2.

• Iraqis call for the death penalty for the U.S. soldier who was convicted of raping and murdering a young Iraqi girl and her family.

• Justice Minister Muhammad Al-Issa says Saudi Arabia may look into allocating positions for women in the judiciary.

• For the third time in less than three weeks, Afghan officials are investigating whether scores of schoolgirls who had to be hospitalized Tuesday were poisoned. May Allah give them strength.

• The Yemeni Sisters Arab Forum is launching a three-year program to address violence against women in the country.

• A workshop in Maryland, U.S., helps young Muslim girls build self esteem.

• A Saudi judge says it’s okay to slap one’s wife if she spends too much. O RLY?! Dr. Omar Al Khateeb from Dubai sets the record straight: Islam never permits a 
husband to slap his wife or even a child on the face for any reason.” More outrage follows, and Dr. Qanta Ahmed and Asra Nomani speak up, too.

• Yusra Alaqrah, a North Carolinian Muslim woman, is suffering from long-term harassment from neighbors. May Allah give her respite. CAIR plans to look into it.

• Saudi women are finding domestic violence phone lines are of little help.

• The Michigan Supreme Court was considering adopting a guideline that would give judges wide discretion to control the appearance of witnesses testifying in state courts; as of Tuesday, they delayed making a decision. Uh…

• Taif University is starting a campaign to encourage university students to recognize the religious significance of the hijab.

• Janet Afary outlines the history of hymenoplasty in Iran after Ayatollah Sadeq Rouhani issues a fatwa permitting the operation.

• Two brothers in Jordan have been convicted with murdering their pregnant sister. May Allah give her peace and justice.

• In the Netherlands, daughters are shouldering most of the care for their aging parents in immigrant Muslim communities.

• The times in Saudi Arabia, they are a-changin’.

• Pictures inside the mosque that a Turkish woman designed!

• Common Ground News Service examines the impact of education on female Indonesian voters.

• NPR discusses the Saudi lingerie debate. Via Jezebel.

• Hadeel Al Salchi writes about obedient girls, fierce Arab women, and real empowerment.

• On Muslim women in the Egyptian brotherhood.

• AltMuslimah airs a rebuttal to Darah Rateb’s “Dehijabization” article.

• Indian Muslim women organized a fast to urge a ban on certain practices within the community.

• Bitch magazine profiles legendary Lebanese singer Fairuz.

• Two women have been murdered and buried in Pakistan. May Allah give these women peace and justice.

• A business workshop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, offered over 500 businesswomen training and tips.

• The right way to profile Dr. Zahra Rahnavard.

• On the Lebanese elections and offensive billboards.

• Saudi Arabia’s Prince Naif stresses the important role of women in Saudi society. More from the Saudi Gazette.

• The real reason behind Roxana Saberi’s imprisonment.

• Happy Daggers’ thoughts on meeting Nawal el Saadawi.

• Ethar is the first Egyptian finalist for the African Journalist Awards! Congratulations, sister!

• An Afghan midwife is sought out to begin a campaign against infant mortality in the country.

• The Chicago Tribune reviews Unveiled.
  

• Princess Loulwah Al-Faisal says it’s time to stop talking about putting women in the workplace and just do it.

• Afrik.com writes about hymenoplasty, and I write about hymens.

• The Muslim Women Music Makers wraps up its European tour.

• The Huffington Post covers Pakistani women’s protest against Taleban and for Shari’ah.

• The Yemen Times looks at polygyny in today’s Yemen.

• On the gains of Omani women.

• Katie Couric looks for a rumble with the Saudi mutawwah. (shaking head)

• The National looks at how some women in the Gulf miss out on career opportunities.

• Quota systems for women in parliament are receiving different receptions in Kuwait and Yemen.

• More about the alarming rise in violence against women in Pakistan this year.

• Qatar University will begin a women-only Social Work program this September.

• The Arab Times discusses the importance of women in Kuwait’s elections.

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