There’s a new government-sponsored comedy channel in Egypt, Nile Comedy TV, which has created a humorous series of “non-commercial breaks.” One memorable example that made me laugh went like this: Buy the Chinese sheep! It weighs 12 kg when alive, and 55 kg after being slaughtered. It’s fed on a diet of chips, so you […]

As Muslims, we are asked about the details of our personal lives, and our relationship to what happens on the global stage. Because Islam does not have an official spokesperson, there is a relentless curiosity about our voices. Almost like a horrible reality show, many scramble for the role of spokesperson. Therefore, when a prominent […]

Today we witness postcolonial Orientalism coming to grips with its obsession with the hijab. While the white French elite seem fixed on debating its symbols, the British media are asking why women choose to wear it. Once, the obsession was an obvious desire to unveil Muslim women (think postcards of semi-naked North African women during […]

Salam waleykum, readers. The sixth annual Brass Cresent blog awards are here! The last two years we’ve received honorable mentions for Best Group Blog and Best Female Blog–maybe this year we can get an actual award, enshallah. If you’d like to see us up there as much as we would, go here and nominate us!

Women in Lebanon are campaigning to take domestic violence cases out of religious courts. Diana El-Jeiroudi discusses her film Dolls. In Bahrain, a nationwide campaign is being launched to secure seats for women in parliament and all five municipal councils in next year’s elections. Firedoglake covers Rana Hussein’s book Murder in the name of honor. […]

This is my second post covering the Globe and Mail‘s series on women in Kandahar, Afghanistan.  My first post examined the title and introductions to the project; this post will look at the online footage of the ten interviews that were conducted for the series.  There is more to the project than what is covered […]

Women of Hezbollah is a 50-minute film directed by Maher Abi Samra. It takes place between 1996 and 2000. Ten years after the last Israeli aggression (and defeat) in south Lebanon, reviewing this documentary may sound anachronistic. But sometimes distance helps to get a more accurate insight about Hezbollah–a major political actor that is unjustly […]

This article was written by Jordan Robinson and originally appeared at AltMuslimah. It’s a hard lesson for many of us to learn: how to be confident, strong and bold while maintaining a healthy balance of humble demure with friends, family and elders. It’s usually a lesson that involves us trying to prove our maturity, leadership […]

Pray the Devil Back to Hell is a documentary about the women’s peace movement in Liberia, during the conflict between Charles Taylor’s government and the warlords of Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD). It was directed by Gini Reticker, who has directed several other documentaries about women in Africa, including a film about the […]

Police have charged the British hoteliers who harassed a Muslim client. More here. Demand for hymen reconstruction surgery is rising in Turkey. Muslim and Dalit women India eradicate corruption in a local health centers. More on the mannequin situation in Iran. In the wake of Chesler vs. Wolf, a woman who actually wears an abaya […]