Now that president Saleh has agreed to step down, this could be the moment to ban child marriage in Yemen, Nadya Khalife argues. But the unrest and instability has put the whole issue of child marriage on back burner, according to a report by Human Rights Watch. Last week, the Egyptian unrest has been in […]

“It’s a matter of principle.” Women have to uncover their faces during the Canadian citizenship ceremony, according to an announcement from the Canadian Minister of Citzenship and Immigration last Monday. Conclusions from a conference on Saudi women, by a male speaker (of course): “Do not look at Muslim women through Western prism!” A major city […]

Gulnaz, an Afghan woman who was imprisoned for adultery after having been raped, is freed with no conditions. In theory, she does not have to marry her rapist (originally a condition of release). May Allah give her strength. Nigerian newspaper ‘Leadership’ features an interview with Muslim politician Binta Bello, on the Nigerian North-South divide and the […]

With a female literacy rate of only 14%, girls in rural Balochistan, Pakistan, are desperate for education, but many teachers have left the area due to the dangerous circumstances. In Swabi, Pakistan, girls are determined to stay in school, even though the schools are regularly targeted by the Taliban. After almost 9 years of war, […]

Is there something like Islamic fashion? This question has kept Turkey occupied for the last four months, after a major magazine catering to observing Muslim women featured a model in hijab on the cover. 50.50 features an interesting article on the rise of female Islamic leadership. Muslim women in Sarawak, Malaysia do not have to […]

In Afghanistan a widow and her daughter were stoned and shot to death, because they were accused of ‘moral deviation and adultery’. May Allah grant them both justice. Rape cases are soaring in refugee camps in Somalia. Conflicting statements on women’s issues, such as single mothers, make one wonder what the future really will be […]

During this years hajj, not only did women outnumber men, for the first time there were trained female hajj guides available. On the first day of the Hajj alone, 20 women miscarried and 7 gave birth. The oldest woman to do hajj this year must have been a 110 (or 109) year old Turkish woman. May […]

Saudi activist Suhaila Zein al-Abidin objects to the segregation of men and women in the Shura Council, questioning why ‘mixing’ is accepted in other settings but not in matters related to the Shura council. Arab News answers the question why Saudi men prefer to perform hajj alone: not only are women an additional cost, they are a […]

A 70-year-old female military commander in Afghanistan keeps the men in line. What the Playland hijab incident tells us (if you totally simplify the hijab and make narrow assumptions about why people wear it.)  In other news, four people accused of “disorderly conduct” in the incident have pleaded not guilty. Linda Sarsour, an aspiring municipal […]

It’s been a busy Eid week, readers. We’re sorry to divert from the normal Friday links, but are presenting a shortened version this week. We’ll be back to our regular programming next week! A Latina fights stereotypes in her own community about what happens when a woman converts to Islam: “As soon as I started […]