- Asma Uddin writes for Patheos about the difficulty of being a modern Muslim woman.
- Muslim Lookout takes down The Ottowa Citizen for their coverage of the Afghan Shi’a law.
- Gulf News profiles Fatima Obaid Al Jaber as a role model for Emirati women.
- Hurriyet Daily News covers Jasad magazine.
- The American Civil Liberties Union, along with domestic violence groups and religion organizations, petitioned to change a proposed rule that allows judges to bar Muslim women from wearing niqab while testifying in court. More from Freep.
- Iynas Hashai has just started her own tourism magazine in Saudi Arabia, and she encourages other women to get into the media, too.
- Headscarves and niqabs are a contentious issue in Ethiopian schools.
- InFocus News profiles Milia Islam-Majeed, the first Muslim to serve on Southern California’s South Coast Interfaith Council.
- AltMuslimah highlights Saudi Arabis’ first fashion show.
- Hayrünnisa Gül, Turkey’s first lady, says that women should be more involved in “decision-making mechanisms.”
- An Ontario Superior Court judge has ruled there is no blanket right for a Muslim woman to wear a veil while testifying in court. (sigh)
- A woman was murdered by her family last week in Sadr City, Iraq. May Allah give her peace and justice.
- According to The News, 48 women were raped in the first half of 2009 in Pakistan.
- Newsweek profiles Sadiqa Basiri Saleem and her work bringing education to girls in Godah, Afghanistan.
- Saudi Arabian business laws that mandate women-only businesses to have a male guardian force a local Saudi businesswoman to call it quits for her women-only IT company. She plans to relocated to London. The Media Line reports that the male agent rule has now been lifted. Arab News also has a series profiling ground-breaking Saudi businesswomen.
- The Muslim owners of the jewelry shop robbed by two men disguised in niqabs speak out about their decision to ban niqabs from the shop.
- After a recent defamatory article, which claimed female Saudi journalists “resort to drugs, prostitution, alcohol and unlawful relations to reach high positions in their profession”, the Saudi Journalists Association is calling for a new set of rules regulating the issuing of website and online newspaper licenses. And, of course, there’s a lawsuit. Hit ’em hard, ladies. Via TalkIslam.
- As the Iranian presidential elections draw near, Iranian women call for candidates to put women’s rights on their agendas.
- Some Muslim women in France are attempting to challenge the French hejab ban in court.
- In Texas, a North Austin Muslim Community Center class gives women a place to ask questions about Islam.
- Yasmin Alibhai-Brown will save all of us Muslim women. Aziz at City of Brass gives his thoughts.
- A group of female attorneys from the U.A.E., Kuwait, Lebanon, and the West Bank are in Jordan to gain hands-on legal training.
- Adding insult to injury, a judge orders a woman to pay blood money for her unborn child, which died when the woman was involved in a car accident. KABOBfest weighs in.
- A woman in Iran “repented” and was spared from the death sentence for adultery. Her companion did not; he was stoned to death last week. May Allah give him peace and justice.
- The Dawn reports that many women in Karachi, Pakistan, feel unsafe and are wary of the Taliban’s influence.
- The U.A.E. will host the second Gulf Cooperation Council Women’s games in March 2010.
- International pressure on Iran to release Roxana Saberi is growing after her hospitalization. Even CAIR is jumping in. Saberi has now ended her hunger strike for health reasons.
- Abu Dhabi’s General Women’s Union is targeting housewives for training in technical knowledge to increase their chances of competing in the job market.
- Women’s eNews reports that the ban on female genital cutting hasn’t made much difference in Egypt.
- Aaminah Hernández reviews Laila Lalami’s Secret Son.
- Yemen Times charts the history of sexual segregation in Yemen and profiles one local woman.
- Muslim women in the Netherlands will celebrate Queen’s Day this year by passing out orange headscarves to promote tolerance.
- Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Education, Norah al-Faiz, is profiled in Time’s 100 Most Influential People. Saudi Jeans weighs in.
- Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi says that abortion is permissible in the case of rape unless the survivor “feels comfortable with what happened.” Comfortable? Really?! More from Al Arabiya.
- tehranbureau writes about the growing rate of female suicide in Ilam, Iran.
- Nawaf Abu Sheiba proposes a women’s council for Kuwait, to help Kuwait’s women (which make up 2/3 of the population!) get fair and timely redress to their issues.
- AQSAzine is calling for submissions for Issue 2 about sex and immigration!
- How the stereotypes of Islam led one woman in the U.S. to Islam.
- The Star Tribune reviews Nafisa Haji’s The Writing on My Forehead. More from AltMuslimah, including a personal reflection from Nafisa Haji.
- An international consortium of female Muslim musicians is to perform in Birmingham, U.K.
- The Khaleej Times profiles Rabia Z. Via Hijab Style.
- GulfNews reports that Iranian women are really taking a liking to cricket. But what’s with the cartoony illustration accompanying the article?!
- The Herald interviews Scottish Muslim women about why some of them wear hejabs.
- Today’s Zaman charts out “custom” murders of women in southeast Turkey.
- A serial killer has murdered four women in Iran. May Allah give them peace and justice.
- Israel’s Sharikat Haya program, which trains Arab women and places them in jobs, is in high demand.
- Saudi Arabia’s top cleric on Monday called on Saudi girls to remain chaste in the face of Westernization. Uh…
- Conservatives in Kuwait are calling for a boycott of female candidates in the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections. Boo!
- A U.A.E. report shows that Emirati men are lagging in workforce drive and participation, while Emirati women are making huge strides. The Kuwait Times states that the lack of women in posts of importance reflects the nation’s lack of confidence in them.
- Conservative lawmakers from the Bahraini Parliament are opposing setting the minimum marriage age for girls at 15, saying this is against Islamic principles.
- Feministe reports on the trial for the U.S. soldier who is accused of being party to the rape and murder of an Iraqi girl and her family. He has been found guilty and may face the death penalty.
- Iranian presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaei has selected one of Imam Khomeini’s granddaughters as his campaign advisor on women’s issues.
- Global Voices Online highlights Libya and gender in the blogosphere.
- Construction has begun on West Africa’s first clinic for reconstructing clitorises for survivors of female genital cutting.
- Janet Afary schools UCLA on how the Islamic Revolution helped Iranian women.
- The Huffington Post reports on Saudi Arabia’s “Miss Beautiful Morals” pageant. More from Yahoo! News, Jezebel, and LA Times.
- The British dentist who required women to wear hejabs at his clinic and denied those who didn’t treatment is called before the General Dental Council on charges of misconduct.
- Asharq Alawsat interviews Dalia Mogahed.
- Two female Kuwaiti parliamentary candidates are contesting seats in parliament after two failed attempts in legislative elections.
- Shameless profiles Aliya-Jasmine Sovani.
- The Christian Science Monitor reports on how Lebanon’s women-only taxis are helpful for women, but what’s with all the pink?
- Dar Al Hayat lauds the role of Saudi women in pushing for disability rights within the kingdom.
- Results of field research on violence against women in Egypt. In a related note, a blogger is organizing an independent documentary to monitor and record harassment in Egypt.
- The rising costs of bride price in Afghanistan means tougher times for Afghan brides.
- Girls in the Swat valley have been allowed to return to school–with provisions.
- More on the “We the Women” campaign, which aims to change mindsets against Saudi women driving. Via DeenPort.
