Women In Islam, From The Prophet’s Wife To Gunned-Down Pakistani Teen
By Asma Afsaruddin* LE SOIR/Worldcrunch -Essay- As someone who writes and lectures about women and gender in Islam, I am often asked if women had any role in the making […]
West’s misconception about Hijab
ARABNEWS by Tanya Cariina Hsu who is a British political analyst specializing in US-Saudi foreign policy Sunday 4 November 2012 DURING a recent dinner conversation in London I was asked, as is predictably guaranteed, about Saudi Arabia, the abaya and hijab. “A mark of oppression and ignorance,” bemoaned a professor […]
Zainab Salbi: Why I cried for Uncle Saddam
When the “poisonous” Saddam Hussein was finally executed, Zainab Salbi wept. When he was captured, hiding in a hole like some feral creature, she stood apart from the wild celebrations. She was with a group of Iraqi women in Jordan who laughed and cried with joy. Though happy he was […]
Women lawyers full of hope over licence to practice in Saudi Arabia
Manama: Women legal consultants in Saudi Arabia have called for the implementation of the decision to grant women licences to practice as lawyers. “We are looking forward to putting the decision into practice,” Hanan Ahmad Al Sahrfi, a legal consultant, said. “There are around 300 women lawyers in the eastern […]
Palestinian women look to Bethlehem to boost their role
BETHLEHEM, West Bank — “Many people still believe the post of mayor is exclusively for men,” says Vera Baboun, aiming to become the first female mayor of the Palestinian town […]
The first ever Muslim minister in the Norwegian Cabinet: Hadia Tajik
29-year-old Muslim woman named culture minister of Norway – The first ever Muslim minister in the Norwegian Cabinet is Hadia Tajik of Pakistani origin, who was handed the culture portfolio […]
Prince Sultan stresses women’s role in society
RIYADH: WALAA HAWARI ARABNEWS Thursday 13 September 2012 Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, was a guest at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs knowledge meeting recently. Prince Sultan, who is also the chairman of the Disabled Children’s Association (DISCA). said: “Women play a […]
In Egypt, state news anchor in head scarf causes a stir
Egypt’s lifting of an implicit ban on veiled TV anchors is seen as an end to discrimination, but some worry it could lead to limits on women’s freedoms. By Reem […]
Wording on women sparks protest in Tunisia
When Tunisia’s National Constitutional Assembly published the new draft constitution, a storm broke out over its words about women. It read: “The State guaranties the protection of women rights and the promotion of their gains, as a real partner of men in the mission of the homeland building, and the […]
Saudi women encouraged to pursue education
Riyadh: Saudi women are being encouraged to pursue world-class educations, with new schools opening for gifted girls and a greater emphasis on attending university. In 1965, the country’s female literacy rate was 5 per cent. Today, 60 per cent of the college students in Saudi Arabia are women, and […]
No man’s land: Women-only city planned for Saudi Arabia
RT: Saudi Arabia is to build a new city exclusively for women. The Gulf kingdom is working on the narrow junction between strict Sharia law and the aspirations of active females who wish to pursue their own careers. The new plan is to combine women’s desire to work in the […]
Veiled French Muslim woman charged with inciting riot
A French Muslim woman has been charged with assault and inciting a riot after she refused a police ID check because she was wearing a banned full-face veil, a police source said Tuesday. The 18-year-old is to appear in court in the northern city of Lille on October 30 charged […]
Girls are more than equal in Jordan: Girls take top spots in Tawjihi summer session results
by Laila Azzeh JORDAN TIMES AMMAN — Jordan’s young women made a strong showing in the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) summer session, with girls dominating the lists of […]
Who’s Afraid of Muslim Women Exercising?
by Avi Spiegel, co-authered by Adina Bathzniki, HUFFINGTON POST Imagine this scenario: a group of women in southern California ask their local YMCA for an extra swim class. The YMCA would have to stay open a bit later than usual, but it happily obliges. It is summer, and the women, […]
First US woman in space dies at 61
Sally Ride, who blazed trails into orbit as the first American woman in space, has died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 61. Ride died at her home in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla, said Terry McEntee, a spokeswoman for her company, Sally Ride Science. She was […]
Doctors suspended in India’s Rajasthan for ‘gender tests’
Medical authorities in India’s Rajasthan state have suspended 12 doctors for allegedly carrying out pre-natal sex determination tests. The action was taken after local courts charged the doctors with violating […]
The French minister for women has let down Muslim voters
Guardian: Expectations were high when a Muslim woman from a North African background was made an instant star in France’s new Socialist cabinet in May. Not only was Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, 34, […]
African Union chooses first female leader
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is the first woman to lead the continent – and the first from southern Africa – since the AU’s predecessor was founded in 1963. Photograph: Michael/ Michael/Xinhua Press/Corbis A South African politician has become the first female leader of the African Union (AU), ending months of bitter deadlock […]
Society’s attitude deters Saudi nurses
Jeddah: Arab News Monday 16 July 2012 Despite the status of being a noble humanitarian and caring profession, nursing continues to remain a hard nut to crack as far as […]
Nine-year-old Quebec girl pulled from soccer tournament for wearing hijab
National Post: OTTAWA — A nine-year-old Gatineau, Que., girl who refused to remove her headscarf was forced to stand on the sidelines Sunday as her team played — and won […]