Victims of bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan cannot rely on the Kyrgyz legal system for help, even though the practice is legally forbidden. One reason for this is that many of these marriages are religious marriages only, and are not registered as civil marriages. According to Kyrgyz official up to 8,000 girls are bridenapped annually, based on figures in 2010 and 2011, but it is unclear where he gets his figures from.
An article on tunisialive tries to deconstruct virginity in Tunisian society by addressing cultural and social taboos, hymen reconstructions, religious standpoints and the fear of Tunisian girls of being “penetrated.”
The predominantly Muslim African country of Niger is the worst country to be a mother, according to a report by Save the Children. Some other Muslim-majority countries in the bottom ten are Yemen, Chad, Afghanistan and Sudan.
Iran is going to give permanent residence status to children born from unions between Iranian mothers and foreign fathers. This means that these children will have citizen’s rights to education and a health insurance, among other benefits.
Around 100 girls’ and mixed gender schools in Eastern Afghanistan have closed recently, according to the Afghan government due to a Taliban campaign against the education of girls.
Six Islamist groups in Indonesia are stalling the pending gender equality bill, saying that some of its articles are going against Islamic values. One of the concerns is that when women are encouraged to find employment outside the home, that the divorce rate will increase, as “women will feel superior to men”.
A Kansas City, US.. Muslim woman was rewarded a $5 million verdict in her case against AT&T. A jury found that the telecommunications giant had created a “hostile work environment”, after she converted to Islam in 2005, having worked at AT&T six years previous.
Deutsche Welle features an interview with Massouda Jalal, former Afghan Minister of Women’s Affairs, on the plight of Afghan women and on her plans to start a political party, which focuses mainly on women’s issues.
After her husband allegedly cut off all her fingers from her right hand, because she had enrolled in college without his consent, Bangladeshi Hawa Akhter was determined to continue pursuing her dream to become a lawyer. She is recovering well, and has recently been able to write again with her left hand. Her attack is an example of a growing trend in Bangladesh of violence against educated women.
Kurdish migrant women in Istanbul often meet isolation, as many of them do not speak Turkish, some cannot read and write and cultural barriers have kept many women from getting occupational skills.
An 18-month old girl from the US, was ordered off a plane, as she was supposedly on the no-fly list. Her parents think is because of her Middle Eastern Muslim background.
A group of young Muslim men in Berlin, Germany, work to promote equal rights and sexual self-determination. Through role-playing at schools and youth groups, they hope to change the rigid sense of honor, that especially affects young women and girls in the community. Just wonder how you can promote equal rights, when you are a group only consisting of men….
Conservative and reformist Muslims in Kerala, India are clashing over the right of Muslim women to enter mosques and offer prayers.
Kuwaiti women can now apply for entry level jobs at the Justice Ministery, after the reversal of an order banning women from working these entry-level positions. It is an important victory in the fight against legally-sanctioned discrimination in the Gulf state. But it remains a controversial issue; some are worried that women will be appointed as judges and prosecutors, which would be very worrisome indeed. /sarcasm
Iranian journalist Mahsa Amrabadi has been summoned to serve her one-year jail term, while her husband and fellow journalist Masoud Bastani is serving a a six-year sentence in another prison.
Malawi Muslim women are urged to be vigilant about HIV/AIDS, which has affected the community at large.
Several Moroccan commercials are accused of inciting wives against their husbands and ridiculing mother-in-laws. Especially uneducated women are at risk, as they will follow the commercials’ advice without thinking, according to Monsef Farouhi, an admin of a Facebook page on this issue.
Muslims in India have a better sex ratio than Hindus (the sex ratio is the number of women per thousand men in a given population at a given time), according to the 2011 Census, but overall the child sex ratio in India is worsening. Economist and journalist Rupa Subramanya argues that this might have to do with the higher fertility rates among Indian Muslim families.
After protests in Egypt last weekend, about a dozen women were detained and some of these female detainees say that they have been (sexually) abused.
During Australia’s Fashion Week, several Sydney designers have worked together for a fashion show, focused on “flattering fashion,” which is aimed primarily, but not only, at Muslim women.
A new satellite channel, called “Maria,” will be launched in about a month, and will be only employing fully veiled women, on screen and off screen. According to Sheikha Safaa, the manager of the channel, the reason for this is that veiled women suffer marginalization, and this initiative would empower them and offer them suitable work opportunities.
The Bangladeshi teacher responsible for burning the legs of her students, after they failed to pray regularly, has been arrested.
Community activist Faiza Ali uses faith to unite religious coalitions in New York.