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• Balinese parliament members lobby against Indonesia’s anti-porn bill, which we reported on last week.

• The Vatican calls for both Muslims and Christians to “protect the family.”

• An appeals court re-examines the French case of a man asking for an annulment because his wife wasn’t a virgin.

• Who says Saudi women are helpless? A group of Saudi women caught and beat up two men who were watching them pray.

• Hijab Style interviews the creators of LOSVE, a clothing brand aimed at Muslim women that has long clothing.

• Al Jazeera asks one Afghan woman her opinion of Peace Day in Afghanistan.

• The BBC reports that South Asia’s maternal mortality rate has dropped 22%.

• A Saudi couple who have been dating online for the last three years will marry (in real life) later this year. It sounds sort of sweet until you read that the man is in his thirties and his girlfriend, whose age isn’t given, is referred to as a “girl.” Here’s hoping she’s legal; the article mentions “spinsterhood” as not being married by age 30, but doesn’t state the woman’s age.

• A Palestinian woman has died in an Israeli raid near Jerusalem. May Allah grant her peace and justice.

• Two Muslim American girls plan on launching their own clothing line in 2009. Via Hijab Style.

• Arab News reports on Gulf first ladies and their increasing role in public life.

• Iraq plans to build a romantic honeymoon resort in Baghdad. More from Middle East Online.

• The man who is accused of murdering Suzanne Tamim publishes a letter in an attempt to clear his name.

• Arab News profiles Saudi designer Sana Saab’s line of couture caftans.

• The LA Times profiles Iraqi women’s increased chances at becoming police officers.

• A profile of artist Zena el Khalil.

• The ban on Kuwaiti women playing football (soccer) is lifted in Kuwait. Via SaudiAmber.

• parsarts’ Sepideh Saremi gives her preliminary opinion on The Stoning of Soraya M. Via Global Voices Online.

• Raising Yousuf and Noor: diary of a Palestinian mother discusses bigotry through a personal lens. Via DeenPort.

• Rachel Aspden reviews the book Muhajababes for the Guardian. Via Islamify.

• Islam in Europe reports on an honor violence in Germany and the amount of polygynous marriages in Amsterdam.

• Amirah Bouraba writes about her struggles as a new Muslim during Ramadan.

• Menassat writes about the “postponement” of Palestine’s first soap opera, Mattab.

• A Iraqi cartoon depicting an Iraqi woman as a suicide bomber enrages Iraqi lawmakers.

• More coverage on the attacks of Dr. Samira Laouni.

• Organica gives us all some helpful direction on how to help other Muslims this Ramadan.

• Nuseiba discusses women’s place in the mosque.

• Saudi women love Oprah. More from Jezebel.

• Rasha Elass writes about some of the negative aspects of the Syrian Qubeisiat for The National.
  

• Shahrazad chronicles the inter-religious dialogue conference held in Iran.

• Samaha looks at her own practices when veiling for prayer and brings up some really interesting conclusions.

• Dr. Basma al-Mutlaq looks at “kitsch Islam” and how it breeds Islamophobia. Via SaudiAmber.

• The Urban Muslim Woman discusses kohl, its history, and its usage.

• Natasha Latiff gives some percentages about Afghan women and local traditions.

• Police took custody of a 12-year-old girl whose husband was torturing her.

• Barbie beats Iranian doll counterparts Dara and Sara.

• A Tunisian court refuses to rebury a Muslim woman in a Muslim cemetery.

• Bulent Ersoy, a famous Turkish singer, is currently standing trial for making statements against the army. More from the BBC.

• The LA Times covers the Iraqi cartoon scandal.

• LGBTQ Iraqis are being executed by Islamist death squads. May Allah give them peace and justice.

• The Black Iris of Jordan shares his outrage over a recent honor killing verdict. Via Global Voices Online

• Alina Hasni writes about her lifetime of wearing a headscarf. Via DeenPort.

• It will be up to individual Irish schools to decide upon headscarf rules for students, but burqas will not be allowed. Via Islam in Europe. More from the Irish Times and the Herald.

• Marie Bishara will be the first Egyptian designer to show on the Paris catwalks.

• The Feminist School runs down recent news about Iranian women’s rights activists.

• Payvand News features an interview with Nasrin Sotoudeh, who was awarded a prize from Italy’s International Committee of Human Rights.

• CEDAW concludes that there is much more to be done to improve the status of women in Yemen. Via WLUML.

• The Hate Hurts America Coalition has created a website to counter the movie Obsession, which we reported on last week.

• The Western Muslim features Margari Aziza Hill writing about Muslims in love and A’ishya Meghan Hils writing about disability in the Muslim community.

• Crypto-Muslim writes about removing her headscarf and confronting white privilege.

• Meet Shakeela Najjar, a Boston University freshman.

• Iranian filmmaker Samira Makhmalbaf’s film Two Legged Horse premieres at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

• A piece on Muslim American girl scouts.

• Iran is increasing the enforcement of Islamic dress. Nahid Siamdoust shares her experience of being picked up by the morality police with Time.

• The Gulf Weekly looks at female off-roading instructor Narmeen Ismael.

• The News reports that Madadgaar, an NGO in Pakistan, believes that violence against women and children is becoming worse “with each passing day.”

• The University of Otago is teaching a paper on Muslim women–offered by a non-Muslim woman who earned her PhD on the topic of women characters in the Qur’an and in Hebrew.

• Cycads writes about transgender-ism in Malaysia.

• HijabMan features a Muslim woman’s navigation through online dating on Match.com.

• The Christian Science Monitor discusses causes of sexual harassment in Egypt. Via Worldfocus.

• KABOBfest looks at the Iraqi character Ameera on American soap opera As the World Turns.

• The U.S. Attorney General is attempting to stop a Muslim woman from Mali from being deported from the U.S.. Via Jezebel.

• Morocco’s Supreme Scientific Council condemned a fatwa issued by Salafi preacher Sheikh Mohamed al-Maghrawi that says girls can marry at age nine.

• Indonesians rally against anti-porn bill.

• According to The New York Times, Saudi women idolize Oprah. Via Jezebel.

• The Times Online reports about a campaign to expose, denounce, and purge Muslim clerics who ignore or facilitate the abuse of women.

• Muslim women in the U.K. win victories at the first annual women’s basketball tournament in Reading, Berkshire.

• Author Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur challenges stereotypes of Muslim women. YEAH!

• gulfnews.com looks at the “women question” in response to Dalia Mogahed and John Esposito’s book, Who Speaks For Islam?

• Reuters follows the “Battling Begums”, Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia.

• On Muslim feminist scholarship in India.

• Global Arts interviews SISTERS editor Na’ima B. Roberts.