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Muslim feminist perspectives on International Women’s Day.
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Muslim women in Hyderabad, India, earn income through group cooperatives and microfinancing.
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Arab News looks at the difficult position of “married spinsters.”
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Women scholars and activists in Lucknow, India, draft a female-friendly nikahnama.
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Headscarf barrier lifted for those seeking Swiss citizenship.
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The Mansoojat Foundation helps put on a fashion show for traditional Saudi Arabian clothing.
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Arab News discusses the harmful implications of not allowing women to play sports.
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Radio Farda correspondent Parnaz Azima has been convicted by an Iranian court of “spreading propaganda” and is sentenced to one year in prison.
- U.A.E.’s Zayed University organizes a “Women as Global Leaders” conference.
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Papiya Sultana Alam talks about training to be the first female police officer from West Bengal.
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Inside Indonesia reviews Pieternella van Doorn-Harder’s book Women Shaping Islam: Reading the Qur’an in Indonesia.
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A group of Arab websites campaign against the hejab.
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A woman kills members of militants fighting against Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
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Women for Women International reports that the situation for women in Iraq is a “national crisis.”
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A woman is pressured by her family to be a wedding singer instead of a physician because it pays better. Priorities, people.
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Saha profiles the Moroccan Women’s Song Project.
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GlobalComment’s Natalia Antonova interviews Dilara Hafiz, author of The American Muslim Teenager’s Handbook.
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A Saudi woman posts a video of herself driving on YouTube in an effort to elicit a positive response from the Saudi government. See the video here.
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A woman gets her alimony after 20 years. Barikallah, at last!
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A mufti in Saudi Arabia talks a university into canceling a marathon for women. Boo!
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Imprisoned blogger Fouad al-Farhan’s daughter makes a heart-wrenching plea to see her father again.
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The Iranian womens karate team feels prepared for this year’s Morocco International Women’s Karate Championship.
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A young British woman who was forced into a marriage tells her story.
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Strong opinions and pushes for women’s equality in Muslim countries.
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Do you remember when a man was arrested after sending emails threatening to target Arab and Latino women in a shooting spree? Neither do I, because it wasn’t in the media.
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Al-Falasteenyia writes about how International Women’s Day doesn’t solve things for women.
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Former president Akbar Rafsanjani praises gains in women’s rights in Iran.
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MRzine publishes a statement of solidarity with Muslim women facing war and occupation.
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Saudi women refuse to let societal taboos hold them back.
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Zainab al-Suwaij speaks about growing up in Iraq and co-founding the American Islamic Congress.
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Saudi Arabia adds a female unit to the Commission for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice to patrol female-only areas.
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A father sabotages his daughters’ chances at getting married.
- The LA Times looks at domestic violence and threat of sex trafficking for women in Kosovo.
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I wrote about the British girl forced into marriage and the way the BBC reported it here.
Salaam sister,I came across your blog several weeks ago, and I always enjoy reading the posts you have made. It was especially to note that on your Friday links you had a reference to the Women as Global Leaders conference. I attend Zayed University and was a part of the International Student Committee that coordinated a roundtable discussion for the conference. It was great to see someone brining about awareness of the conference and other media items related to Muslim women. Also, the posts on your blog have really helped me to reevaluate the way I view myself as a Muslim and my interactions with other Muslims and non-Muslims. I just wanted to thank you and to let you know that your efforts are appreciated.Sincerely,Sara
The article about saudi women being prevented from marrying by fathers just makes me want to pull some hair out. The article refers to “custody” of the women being “taken” from the father and “given” to the courts in order to allow the court to stand as a mahrem for them when they choose to marry. But earlier in the article it says women of this age dont even need permission or a mahrem to be married…so the whole article contradicts itself many times regarding the status of women….are they property of the father to do with as he pleases or property of the court or free agents with the rights to choose or refuse suitors as they see fit? Unless and until women are seen as equal in humanity to men…then their status will never change from that of man owned property. I cant imagine why these same saudi women are fighting for the right to drive when they dont even have the right to marry whom they choose…or even get married if they choose…or to divorce if that marriage should fail? Whats more important…to have the right to choose the partner you will spend your life with…or the right to drive yourself to the mall?
Ba salaam, Sara, and thank you for your kind words! We at MMW feel very blessed to know that people like you read us!As for coolred38, you bring up an interesting point: why fight for the right to drive when there are larger rights to be fought for? I KNOW we have Saudi Arabian readers…ladies, please speak up! We’d love to know your opinion.
Coolred38,I understand your argument, but I think it’s important not to belittle the importance of driving. The right to drive not only increases a woman’s mobility and the freedom and access she has to make decisions independently, but it also is a matter of safety. I’ve read that many Saudi women (and their children) face sexual abuse by hired drivers, and therefore remain in the home to avoid it. The further women are confined to the home, the more difficult it may be for them to interact with one another and the legal system as a whole and fight for other rights, such as those you address.
Salaams MMW – just came across your site – it’s great! I was also thrilled to see that you picked up Global Comments interview w/ me (Dilara Hafiz) & ‘The American Muslim Teenager’s Handbook’. My kids & I wrote it for Muslim teens who aren’t involved w/ a mosque or active Muslim community…but it turns out that more non-Muslims are enjoying it as an easy intro to Islam.Nice to see so much positive press about strong, confident Muslim women…I’m honored & humbled to be included. Thank-you.
MelindaI do appreciate the importance of driving…my own husband prevented me from driving for 9 years of my marriage…I only obtained a license when I went back to the states and got one cause I didnt need his permission there…but I feel the Saudi ladies(and men) should put their efforts into obtaining rights where they make the most impact…on their very personal life decisions…Im all for driving…its a gift that shouldnt be restricted to the male blind Formula 1 drivers of Saudi…but it seems there are so many more important issues that should be dealt with and brought out into the public eye…thats just my opinion though. This is a great site. Love it.
man, it’s links like this that make me veer away from my liberal roots and think that really, there’s something to islamophobia. i know most of the issues stem from patriarchy – but i cannot believe that Islam itself doesn’t support patriarchy in many ways.
Forsoothsayer—because men have institutionalized misogynistic interpretations of Islam and mixed misogynistic cultural practices with Islam over the past several centuries, you think that perhaps it’s acceptable to exclude Muslims from mainstream processes and culture based on the colonialist view that Islam is inherently sexist, barbaric, violent, and unchanging, and thus inferior to religions and cultures of the West, or that there is nothing wrong with this exclusion and dehumanization of peoples based on this view of Islam?http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/islamophobia-a-definition/
Zeynab, I understood forsoothsayer’s comment as not necessarily an affirmation of all beliefs associated with Islamophobia but instead specifically that the truth of Islam is that women aren’t fully equal — that it is not culture alone but inherent parts of the religion that give rise to patriarchy.Forsoothsayer, please let me know in case I understood it incorrectly.
Melinda, I understood Forsoothsayer’s points, but I thought they were delivered poorly, so I tried to illustrate why her words didn’t strike me the right way.Saying that there “might just be something to Islamophobia” is insensitive to those who are affected by Islamophobia. It’s like saying that there just might be something to sexism because of Girls Gone Wild videos.
Zeynab,Ah. Your point is well taken. I think we all need to communicate more effectively.
can i just say, i followed the link here from feministe, and it is amazing! so many well written and well thought out articles! thank-you for posting this for those of us who want to read more about these issues!
I agree with Zeynab on the interpretation. Not to mention that she is implying that liberalism means denying Islamophobia. Which is ironic considering that here, in the West, liberalism implies recognizing and, in Canada, fighting Islamophobia. So infact, my “accepting” Islamophobia one would be moving toward liberalism, not away.
of course you ladies know that there are as many interpretations of liberal as the day is long. by “liberal” i meant – unbiased and not prejudiced towards any particular culture or faith. however, my comment meant as melinda said.i do not think Muslims should be excluded from anything, as u know well, zeynab. but think that all of the problems of islam stem from misogynistic interpretations of the faith? no, i will not. the text itself i find to be distressing, and the various explanations for the many inequalities i have found to be weak. i have no position on Islam being violent; but sexist, yes, for reasons i need not enumerate probably. i think it might be possible for more feminist interpretations to become popularized, but i think they would have to really stretch the text and particularly the jurisprudence (which people seem pretty keen on).
I guess the issue was with your dismisal of Islamophobia. It was seen as hurtful to those of us who have been victims of that hate. Islamophobia is extremely real and very much alive and thriving in the US (and in other parts of the West as well). As far as your beliefs about sexism in the text you can believe what you feel comfortable with. There are Muslim feminists who believe that the text itself is not sexist or misogyistic but rather the interpretations which are. I fall into that category. And then there are Muslim feminists who say, like you, that the text itself is sexist. And as long as one can provide proof for their views then that is fine. Believe what you feel comfortable with. But feminism proports respect for all experiences of oppression. Oppression is what feminists fight against whether it be oppression because of one’s gender, race, religion, class, ability, age sexual orientation etc. Therefore, to dismiss the existance of Islamophobia is going against some basic feminist principles.