- The American Spectator talks about how “un-Islamic” the niqab is. (eyeroll)
- Meanwhile, Tariq Ramadan believes France’s attempt to ban the niqab reflects growing self-doubt in their society.
- The National and Sheikha Fatima agree: women in the U.A.E. have come a long way, baby.
- How Iraqi women are paying for their “liberation.”
- News from The Feminist School on Iranian women activists and the Family Protection Bill.
- Britain’s Baroness Warsi was egged last week. By Muslims. (sigh)
- Iran sentences Kurdish activist Zeynab Jalalian to death. May Allah save her. You can sign a petition against the decision here.
- The London Review of Books reviews several books related to honor killing.
- Violence against women (including rape) in Afghanistan is becoming systematic, according to the U.N.
- At a mosque in Orissa, India, women offer prayer for the first time.
- A campaign to free Atefeh Nabavi, the first woman to receive a prison sentence in relation to charges brought against her for participating in protests following the presidential elections in June 2009, is launched.
- The BBC reports that women are leading Syria’s Islamic revival.
- Burqa Barbie link dump! Vs. the Pomegranate, elan,
- Bikya Masr profiles Nawal el-Saadawi.
- Qantara interviews Asra Nomani about “gender jihad.”
- Yemen names a street after Neda Agha Soltan.
- The National reports that prostitution is flourishing in Iraq.
- Meem publishes a book devoted to Lebanese women’s stories discussing “coming out, religion, family and emigration.”
- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution profiles the trials and tribulations of women at Hajj.
- The National says that Iranian women prefer Caesarean sections to natural births.
- What do Afghan women want? Recovery, according to Women’s eNews.
- A concert is Spain is held in support for the Saharawi activist Amintaou Haidar.
- Iranian authorities confiscate Shirin Ebadi’s Nobel Peace Prize and continue to harass her.
- Female Iraqi refugees bear the heaviest burdens.
- Princess Ferial of Egypt died and was buried this week. May Allah give her peace.
- Amal weighs in on the recent stonings of “adulteresses” in Somalia.
- Tasnim writes a kick-ass paper on “Postcolonial and diasphoric representation of Muslim women.”
- The National reports on the difficulties that Arab women face in the Israeli job market.
- The New Straits Times reports on last weeks Islamic Fashion Festival in Kuala Lumpur.
- NPR profiles a Muslim women’s shelter in Baltimore.
- The Los Angeles Times asks whether sexual harassment is an eid tradition.
- Egypt Today profiles Mona El Tahawy.
- Recently, the Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind passed a significant resolution to require girls’ education for Muslims in India.
- A radio station aims to empower divorced women in Egypt.
- The Standard highlights the positives of Saudi Arabia’s KAUST campus.
- Al Jazeera profiles the brave Jordanian women who sweep for mines.
- Magharebia interviews actress Rym El Benna.
- Iran bans female television presenters from wearing makeup.
- Women in Syria are facing a deliberate campaign by religious conservatives, supported by the government, to cut down their social freedoms, according to a new report published by a leading Syrian rights group.
- Lebanese activists press the Cabinet to grant women nationality rights.
- What Muslim women think of the Fort Hood tragedy.
- Morocco’s Parliament has voted to push forward with creating a long-discussed fund to support divorced women and their families. Meanwhile, Aicha Ech Channa refuses to stop helping these same women.
- Lebanese sex workers still shun condoms.
- In Bahrain, the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs is being held to task for the recruitment of four female muezzins.
- Maulana Wahiduddin Khan rips through unequal views about women in Islam.
- Famile Arslan speaks out on Switzerland’s minaret ban. But it’s in Dutch, fyi.
- Some Algerian wives have been thrown out of their homes by their Egyptian husbands after the Algeria-Egypt soccer match. May Allah keep them.
- A recent spate of suicides by foreign maids in Lebanon is prompting outrage among human rights groups, who say the government is doing too little to protect migrant domestic workers from severe abuse.
- Tunisia will hold a conference for blind Arab women.
If you see something we missed, post it in the comments!
Tags: Friday Links, Muslim women
Missing the link for “Female Iraqi refugees bear the heaviest burdens.”
Why the eyeroll on the American Spectator article Fatemeh? There were certainly things about the piece that I did not like (e.g. calling CAIR “radical”, which is absurd). But there were also a lot of nuances that the article deserves credit for, like differentiating between different forms of hijab (instead of lumping it all into the “veil”), calling our attention to the diversity in Muslim women’s dress and cultures, and using religious arguments when discussing the niqab. I think its important for non-Muslims (and Muslims too) to realize that niqab is not a religious obligation but a personal choice, and that when men coerce Muslim women into wearing the niqab, they are speaking from a perspective of patriarchy and not religious authority.
Mostly the stuff you already mentioned. Plus, the fact that an ad with Michelle Malkin pops up before you read the article doesn’t give me a lot of confidence in their viewpoint.
Whoops–it’s up now. Thanks for catching that!
I agree with both Rochelle and Fatemeh. As Rochelle said, I think it *is* important to present the “other” viewpoint as this in one rarely seen in mainstream media (minus the fear mongering of course). However, when I also saw the Michelle Malkin pop up it made me seriously wonder about the intentions of the publication itself – obviously a right-wing one. Nonetheless, I still think the overall message of the article is a necessary one to have in the conversation, just not in a right-wing forum.
Re the American Prospect piece, I for one am tired of articles that argue that because SOME Muslims believe X, we should make a law based on it that will affect the entire community. The article calls for banning the niqab entirely in the US! Yes, I’d love to see more widespread public acknowledge of the very different attitudes toward niqab and other forms of covering, but I just don’t think it’s right for non-Muslims to arbitrate between different interpretations of the faith and decide which one is the “correct” one. (The authors may well be Muslim themselves, but the forum is not, and they’re calling for a national law to be made by non-Muslims.)
Also, the comments on that article are stomach-turningly racist.
oh man i’m not sure how I missed that michelle malkan pop up. I retract my comment. :)
An ASEAN human rights meeting of Muslim activists encouraged ijtihad in combating repressive interpretations of syariah being implemented, pointing out that women are more adversely affected by such a phenomenon. [Source]