Last week I was invited to the Dutch embassy to celebrate the launching of the Nobel Women’s Initiative’s report on sexual violence against women in Sudan. The report is titled “Survivors Speak Out: Sexual Violence in Sudan,” and it is meant to address the situation of “mass rape” and other forms of sexual violence against […]

A young woman who reported rape in Somalia has been sentenced to be confined to her home for six months, and the journalists who reported her story have been sentenced to a time in jail, or to pay a fine. This is the second time this year that a Somali woman has been sentenced for […]

If Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, the fastest growing religion in African countries may be Christianity. In Nigeria, it is so rare to see or hear news of women converting to any religion other than Christianity that when it does happen, the initial assumption is that the conversion must have been […]

I wrote part of this piece when Dr Laury Silvers asked me for a few words she could read in her khutbah at El Tawhid Unity Mosque in Toronto. She wanted to open with words from a South African, and I am grateful to her and the congregation for the oppurtunity to express these words […]

Last Monday, Christian militiamen in the Central African Republic (CAR) attacked Muslim herders north of the capital Bangui. Among the victims were several women and children; one pregnant woman was disembowelled. A UN vote will be held on whether and what kind of action is required to restore the situation in CAR. For rich Kazakh men, […]

Growing up in Mexico, I had a very rudimentary understanding of religion and religious diversity. While the national census showed that about 80% of Mexicans practiced Catholicism, I was raised an atheist. My parents, born Catholics, had left religion during their teenage years for various reasons. My paternal grandfather (who was never really religious either) […]

A few weeks ago, I went to a small, local cinema in my city to catch a film. I’ve always liked going to this particular cinema because they screen international and independent films – a fresh change from the standard Hollywood fare at the bigger cinema. The film was about to start, so I quickly […]

A young Saudi woman is fighting to able to remain in Yemen, after she entered the country illegally, defying family and tradition, to be with the (Yemeni) man she fell in love with. According to a report by Amnesty International, most Indonesian (predominantly female) domestic workers in Hong Kong are exploited and do not receive […]

I recently penned a letter to a Canadian journalist whose article was sent to me by a friend. For the most part, it was a  fantastic piece commenting on the funding inequalities of women in sports – particularly soccer. As a player, coach and supporter of women’s soccer. I was pleased to read it. Until […]

Editor’s note: Many of us at MMW have previously cited Lila Abu-Lughod’s 2002 article “Do Muslim Women Need Saving?” in some of our blog posts, and we were excited to see the recent release of her book of the same title.  This is the first of a series of responses to the book by a […]