On February 16, 2014, Khaled Almaeena announced his resignation as head of the editorial team of the Saudi Gazette, and appointed Somayya Jabarti as the first woman editor-in-chief in the history of the Saudi press.  In a tweet, Almaeena said: “For 25 years, I have been looking for the best journalistic skills and qualifications, and […]

Radio Amina and Aisha’s Song are two documentary-style short films produced by Grain Media, a London-based production company, as part of the Girl Effect campaign, a movement that states that the 250 million adolescent girls who live poverty are the most powerful force for change on the planet. Following that theme, Radio Amina and Aisha’s […]

Last week was Valentine’s Day, and for some Muslims this is, and has been, a heated topic. Islamic leaders in countries such as  Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Turkey have spoken out against the celebration, saying that it leads to fornication, “baby-dumping” and general immorality. In Uzbekistan, students were “asked” to sign contracts affirming that they won’t celebrate […]

“This is a man adored by Egyptians. And if he wants to take four wives, we’re at his service.” The man in question is none other than the Egyptian Minister of Defense, General Abd ElFattah Al-Sisi (promoted recently to Field Marshal), and the “we” in “we’re at his service” refers to Egyptian women, according to […]

This post was originally published at wood turtle. Finally, here’s the fourth post in my series on the media stereotyping of Muslim women. It was an absolute joy to speak to these phenomenal women and it was so exciting to pick their brains. If I had the power, I would have invited everyone for a massive party. […]

This post was originally published at wood turtle. This is the third post in my ongoing series on the media stereotyping of Muslim women. There are amazing media makers in the Muslim blogosphere and this is by no means a comprehensive list of all the fabulous people out there challenging stereotypes. In fact, I’ve had to split […]

February 6 was the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. The UN called for a complete end of genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). UNICEF reports that more women are taking a stand against FGM in Sudan, and this has resulted in a decrease  in cases of FGM over the last years. Fourteen communities in Mali […]

This post was originally published at wood turtle. This is the second post in my series on the media stereotyping of Muslim women. While some media argue that (identifiable) Muslim women are more likely to suffer Islamophobic attacks than men, I also recognize that Muslim men and non-Muslim men are also recipients of racial and anti-Muslim violence. This post looks specifically at […]

This post was first published at wood turtle. Last summer I spoke at a conference about some of the media stereotyping of Muslim women and the consequences that negative images and Islamophobia have on Muslim women and their families. Over a series of posts I’ll be sharing some of my research looking at the various ways Muslim […]

In a new report by Human Rights Watch, Iraq gets slammed for its treatment of its female prisoners, who are often subjected to torture, including sexual abuse. A relatively small change in Afghan law will have huge consequences for victims of domestic violence, as it will enable men to abuse their female family members without […]