The Iranian government’s campaign against “bad hejab” is back on. Related: in recent months, 71 “improperly dressed” women have prevented from boarding Iranian planes. An American doctor discusses the idea of “honor” in Turkish society. Women in Bristol march against female genital cutting. Emirati women take to Twitter to change negative perceptions of their countrypeople. […]

Isobel Coleman’s recently-released Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women are Transforming the Middle East presents a case-study of sorts, highlighting the work of Muslim women who are engaged in combating patriarchal culture as a means to change societal norms and achieve empowerment. A large part of Coleman’s argument emphasizes the role of Islamic Feminism, where […]

A Belgian court rules a company can fire woman for wearing headscarf. Bahrain hosts the region’s first sex shop. The Star profiles Huwaida Osman as she works to bridge gaps between Somali and Canadian societies. Arab News reports that Saudi society is to the blame for the country’s high female unemployment. Five female news presenters […]

In Egypt, female candidates for the mid-term Shura Council elections want more support. Shazia Awan has been named the U.K.’s best female Asian entrepreneur. Saudi Arabia’s religious police have arrested 10 “emo” women for allegedly causing a disturbance in a coffee shop. A Nigerian blogger responds to the Yarima-polygyny debate. The Washington Post writes about […]

This is what happens when you paint niqabs and the women who wear them as evil. Cultural issues keep Arab-American women away from health care. Iran has sentenced in absentia award-winning women’s rights activist Shadi Sadr. A Saudi woman gives a morality officer a taste of his own medicine. More here. Miss USA link dump! […]

Joseph Mayton writes about how women in the Middle East are used as scapegoats. The American Academy of Pediatrics has rewritten their policy on female genital cutting to allow a “ritual nick.” Uh… Doctors defend their position here. About 40 women competed in a rare track meet in Hamas-ruled Gaza. In Saudi Arabia, the Ministry […]

The International Muslim Organization for Women and Family in Jeddah says the organization is receiving a growing number of runaway girls and young women. The Nation asks who murdered Benazir Bhutto. The Associated Press reports on polygyny in France. Hissa Hilal publishes a book on women’s Bedouin poetry about divorce. Uzbek-British Hammasa Kohistani is the […]

Belgian politicians have voted overwhelmingly to ban the wearing of full face veils in public. Several Afghan schoolgirls have been poisoned. May Allah keep them and give them justice. More here and here and here. A Saudi woman who was granted a scholarship to study abroad has lost custody of her son because of it. […]

A 16-year-old schoolgirl has been banned from classes in Spain after refusing to remove her headscarf at school. File this under “Duh”: The Washington Post reports that Afghan women believe European countries’ efforts to ban niqabs and burqas are appalling. European dress code link dump! The Associated Press, Bikya Masr, AFP, Al Jazeera, CNN, ThinkSpain, […]

Salam alaikum, readers! Sorry for the silence all week! But don’t worry–we’ll be back to our regular schedule next week, and we didn’t forget about the Friday Links! A female suicide bomber killed herself after fatally shooting a police officer in Russia. The National reports that Oman’s government will grant free land to women to […]