Last week the intense battle against ISIS in the Syrian town of Kobane made headlines everywhere. Mayssa Abdo, a female Kurdish fighter, is said to lead the battle of the Kurdish troops against the Islamic State. Another Kurdish fighter, Rehana, is said to have killed over a hundred ISIS fighters single handedly in Kobane. Kurdish Shirine […]

Last weekend marked one of the major holidays on the Islamic calendar, Eid ul-Adha. The Egyptian women’s council offered a hotline for females to report sexual assault during the four days of the holiday, during which harassment usually is more prevalent. One teenager was killed defending women from  sexual harassment in Egypt last Sunday. Over […]

This week, the execution of an Iranian woman was postponed for ten days. Reyhaneh Jabbari was scheduled to be hanged last Tuesday for killing the man who tried to sexually abuse her. Online abuse aimed at Pakistani women often turns into violence in the “real” world; activists are calling on social media companies to be more […]

Another week, and more news on women and ISIS. In Iraq, ISIS has publicly executed women’s rights activist Samira Salih al Nuiami, after a “court ruling” which found she was an apostate. Mariam Al Mansouria, UAE’s first female pilot, has led air strikes against ISIS in Syria. One Syrian woman has filmed footage of life under […]

Much of the news involving Muslim women last week was focused on the female involvement in the current wars in Iraq and Syria. The Guardian featured an item on ISIS targeting the predominantly Somali community in the US heartland for female recruitment. Another article focuses on the social media presence of female ISIS supporters. Meanwhile, it […]

News that Scottish student Aqsa Mahmood has joined ISIS in Syria shocked many, but she isn’t the only woman to do so. The Guardian features an article on the reasons why young women choose to go to Syria and what kind of life they are living there. Human Rights Watch reports that African Union peacekeepers in Somalia have sexually […]

The attack on Gaza continues; among the hundreds of victims and wounded are many women and children. Asmaa el-Helou initially survived the attack on her home, but succumbed to her severe injuries later this week. Her father, mother, brothers and sisters had already died from the attack. One reporter shares her experience being around women […]

This past May, I was blessed to give birth to a beautiful baby boy. It took a bit of adjusting, but as we already have two girls, I do view myself as a slightly experienced parent and as such, I was prepared. I knew what to expect, kind of. Compared to my previous experiences, this […]

July 11 was World Population Day, and for this occasion IPS featured an article on early marriage and teen pregnancy in Pakistan. Meanwhile rights activists in Pakistan are fighting a losing battle to end child marriages, which affects both girls and boys. The BBC speaks to several female Kurdish fighters, who are taking on ISIS […]

As Israel continues its offensive on Gaza, the death toll is rising fast; many of them are women and children. Nigeria’s military has released the news that it has arrested several female Boko Haram recruiters. As well, about 60 women escaped their presumed Boko Haram captors earlier this week. The escaped women were captured mid-June of […]