- The Independent reports on how activists are working to end female genital cutting in African countries.
- Women who give birth in U.A.E. jails may soon be able to keep their children with them for the duration of their sentence.
- Saudi poet Ayda al-Jahani is leading in Millions Poet.
- Women’s rights groups in Turkey voice concern about the growing militarization and increasing violence of Turkish society.
- The National examines the history of Abu Dhabi”s Women’s College.
- Al Ahram Weekly examines several different Egyptian womens’ views on working outside the home.
- Indonesia’s plans to tighten procedures for polygynous marriages receives mixed reviews. More from Yahoo! News.
- Kurdish activist Hana Abdi was released from an Iranian prison last week.
- Rajaa al-Sanea speaks in at Dubai’s first literary festival about writing, women, and literature. More coverage here and here.
- Global Voices Online covers hijab fashion blogging.
- On illegal expatriate marriages or marriages of conveience (al-zawaj al-urufi) in Saudi Arabia. More from Arab News. Via PM’S World.
- Al Ahram Weekly reports that Egypt’s National Council for Women (NCW) is preparing for a three-day international conference scheduled for 14-16 March.
- The New York Times examines the sexism that Turkish women’s soccer teams face. Via DeenPort.
- Dervish gives her opinion on the Canadian court case requiring the removal of the plaintiff’s niqab. Via Ijtema.
- Kyrgyzstan has banned the headscarf at educational institutions. More here.
- GlobalPost’s Carlyle Murphy examines the hardships that a ban on women driving places on men in Saudi Arabia.
- MuslimMatters has a great article on the importance of father-daughter relationships.
- Islam in Europe gives a rundown on recent news stories involving the headscarf.
- Saudi women are taking up jobs as security guards. That’s what I call kicking ass and taking names.
- Chechnya’s president has defended the murders of seven women, claiming that they’re permissible because they’re honor killings. Uh, no. Via Progressive Muslima News.
- An Indonesian worker in Saudi Arabia was raped by more than 30 different men in a massive assault. More here. May Allah give her justice. Via Achelois.
- Lina Gazzazz holds her first personal art exhibition in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
- Abeer Mishkhas writes about the peculiarity (not to mention uncoolness) of male lingerie shopkeepers in Saudi Arabia. Hirah Azhar jumps in, too.
- ProgressiveIslam discusses the illusion of virginity.
- A Pakistani couple has received a poor reception (understatement!) from their community members. Via Raquel Evita Saraswati.
- Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, holds its 10th annual wedding exhibition.
- Roxana Saberi, an American journalist, has been detained in Iran. More from The New York Times and AFP.
- The National discusses the headscarf in Tunisia.
- Minnesota legislators plan on a bill that bans headgear in identification documents. The Minnesotan Somali community and local CAIR chapter react.
- A heartwarming second-hand account of a young romance in Morocco.
- The Buffalo News asks whether anything else could have been done to prevent Aasiya Hassan’s murder, and The Huffington Post examines the case and its reactions.
- Syrian women are playing larger roles in oppositional movements.
- Zainah Anwar writes about the Musawah movement.
- faithandfeminism.org interviews Daisy Khan.
- The Middle East Times believes that violence against women is a pandemic in the Arab World. Uh, try the entire world.
- Blog Critics Magazine interviews author Shaila Abdullah.
- Lebanon pays tribute to its female soldiers.
- The wife of a Saudi TV anchorman gets a divorce after years of abuse.
- Afghanistan is slowly reforming its treatment of abused women.
- Jean Sasson has come out with another neo-Orientalist biography of a privileged Muslim woman.
- A FIFA official evaluates women’s soccer in Egypt.
- Saudi Princess Adela bint Abdullah, vice president of the National Family Safety Program, plans on protecting the country’s women and children through programs such as training Saudi women in counseling families against child abuse and putting special attention on a particular paternity case.
- Aseel Najib writes about hijab for the Columbia Spectator.
- The Tunisian Mothers Association celebrates International Women’s Day.
- Minnesota’s Keith Ellison will co-sponsor a bill for same-sex immigrant families. Via ProgressiveIslam.
- Bahrain’s king stresses the importance of women in Bahraini society.
- Islam in Europe writes about Norwegian women’s struggles with hijab.
- Iran has increasingly turned up pressure on women’s rights activists.
- Virtue Today interviews model Jamillah Farrakhan.
- Yemen’s Prime Minister expresses hope that the governing party will give women’s issues the concern they deserve.
- Jewish and Muslim women in the U.K. are getting together to celebrate women.
- The Niqab Case may set a precedent in Canadian courts.
- Phyllis Chesler and Dorchen Leidholdt hold a dialogue about Islam and Women in parts one and two. (Full disclosure: I do not hold Ms. Chesler as an authority on Islam, nor do I believe her viewpoints on Islam or Muslims hold weight. I’m publishing this because it illustrates how non-Muslim feminists speak to each other about Muslim women, and out of respect to Ms. Leidholdt, who actually serves as an ally and advocate for Muslim women.)
- Bahraini poet Amal Almarzooq is attending the first ever Dubai International Poetry Festival.
- Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad has a khutbah on gender and Islam.
- A Saudi sheikh accuses Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal of demeaning Saudi women through his media conglomerates.
- Shelina Zahra Janmohamed excerpts her new book at GOATMILK’S Contemporary Muslim Women Series.
- Tunisia’s First Lady, Leila Ben Ali, has been selected as the newest chair of the Arab Women Organization.
- Sudanese President al-Bashir is accused of war crimes, including systematic rape and murder of women.
- AFP gets on the Syrian lingerie news train a little late.
- Bahrain’s Royal University for Women gets an evaluation to make sure its facilities and curriculum are top-notch.
- The U.N. will host a commission on the status of women for International Women’s Day. Dubai’s Women’s College will send a delegate.
- The BBC takes a look at the women-only Luthan Hotel and Spa in Saudi Arabia.
