The excessive use of tear gas during protests in Bahrain endangers women protesters in particular. Many miscarriages and spontaneous abortions have been linked to this dangerous gas.
At Uganda’s Makerere University a student has been denied access to an exam with her hijab, as she was deemed not be ‘legally dressed’ to sit an exam. It was not the first time and there is not even a formal dress code at the university.
In northwestern Pakistan it is now illegal for parents not to extend property rights to their daughters.
In Bangkok, Thailand, a hijab ban at a Bangkok school has been reason for a protest at the Ministry of Education. The Minister of Education declared that Muslim students who wear a headscarf are not violating the dress code.
The revolution in Egypt hasn’t made the country safer for women, especially sexual harassment is something that many women in Egypt face on an almost daily basis. The ‘women of Tahrir’ are disappointed about the current situation for women and women’s rights in the country.
Balayla Ahmad, a female Muslim student at the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA, is suing her university for allegedly not taking her claims of sexual harassment seriously, but the university did report her to the FBI as a potential terrorist. As she is a Muslim, one can never be sure…
In Saudi Arabia, lingerie stores have to have an all female staff now, which created many jobs for women, but they lack in experience and training. With make up stores to follow in May, training for female sales associates becomes a pressing need.
Women from the Maldives can only marry foreign men if their potential spouses meet the new income standards set by the Family Court in what is called the ‘Gold-digger clause’.
Women in northwestern Pakistan’s tribal areas live in constant fear. A woman has been reported to be mutilated for leaving the house without a male escort, and even in the privacy of their own homes women have been abused and assaulted by the militants.
Syrian actress Fadwa Suleiman has been a supporter of the Syrian revolution from the very beginning, even though her Alawi background might suggest otherwise, and has since spent her life on the run.
Sufi music has been male dominated throughout history, Turkish all-female Sufi music group ‘Revnak’ hopes to change that.
For LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual) communities in the Arab world, it is now the question what the new regimes will do about the discriminatory laws concerning LGBT in the region.
The Filipino government has announced two new consultants on its peace panel, which will hold talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. One of them is a local Muslim woman, Yasmin Busra Lao, who is now the only female member of a five person panel. Women in Davao City, Philippines have started a ‘Women’s Peace Table’, which aims at involving women, local women, in the formal peace process with the MILF.
Therapist/actress Zeina Daccache helps Lebanese women behind bars to find their voice and freedom, while documenting it all on film.
In Australia a woman known as Mandy Ahmadi has been reported missing for over a month. She is an Iranian immigrant to the country who converted from Islam to Christianity after her arrival in Australia and has since been an active volunteer. A community leader suggested that she might have been kidnapped by Islamic fundamentalists, but that is very unlikely according to police. May she return to her home and family safe and sound!
A recent study among Pakistani women shows that over half of the women who are subject to abuse report to have suicidal thoughts.
Forced marriage in Germany mainly affects young Muslim girls from Turkish, Serbian/Kosovar/Montegrin, Iraqi and Afghani communities, a report says.
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands visited UAE, and wore a headscarf when she visited a mosque there. Obviously, she shouldn’t have, according to ‘feminist’ Geert Wilders, as she was ‘lending legitimacy to the oppresion of women under Islam’. Can’t believe she did not think about that!
The new Turkish film ‘Kurtuluş Son Durak’ deals with the topic of violence against women, with female characters who challenge male oppression. This in contradiction to the ever populair Turkish drama series, which often normalize and even glamourize rape and abuse.
Somalia is one of the worst places on the globe to give birth, according the World Health Organization report: maternal death rates are high, medical care is very limited and many women are in a very bad physical condition.
Young women in Saudi Arabia are on social networking sites in large numbers; profiling pictures of their body parts and using fake names not to be recognised.
The Moroccan PM defends the choice of only one female minister in his cabinet, he just could not find any other competent women to fill the posts. It was not hard to find something fitting for Bassima Hakkaoui: she is minister of solidarity, women, family and social development. I guess she is competent enough for that, at least…
According to new reports, rape during Libya’s revolution was systematic and the transition to normal life for the rape survivors is very challenging. Some rape survivors have been reported to have been killed by their family members, because of the ‘shame’ they brought on their families.
Sahar Gul, the 15 year old Afghan rape victim is suffering in hospital, while her husband is still not caught. May Allah ease her suffering!
The soaring demand for Argan oil has made many rural Moroccan women the main breadwinners of their households.