Friday Links — May 23, 2008

May 23, 2008 By fatemeh

  • Ha Ana Za! looks at the survival and growth of Islamic feminism.

  • South Africa’s The Times speaks with Fatima Hassam, who is fighting for inheritance rights for multiple wives.

  • The U.S.’s Condoleezza Rice initiates the “One Woman Initiative,” which is a fund that aims to empower Muslim women around the world through funding education and business developments.

  • The Independent’s Deborah Orr talks about life for women in Kabul, Afghanistan.

  • None of the 27 women who ran in the Kuwaiti parliamentary elections were voted in.

  • Ziya Meral for the Turkish Daily News observes how men call the shots when it comes to women’s clothing in both Iran and Turkey.

  • H&M plans to open a women-only departments store in Saudi Arabia, which aims to bring more Saudi women into the workforce (and, uh, make a lot of money).

  • The UN Population Fund says that Yemen needs thousands more midwives in order for Yemeni women to attain universal access to skilled care at birth.

  • Al Arabiya focuses on Afghan women who turn to prostitution to feed themselves.

  • A maid whose sponsors abused her and amputated her fingers and toes receives paltry compensation in court. May Allah grant her justice.

  • The family of a rape survivor will not take her back due to social stigma surrounding rape. May Allah protect her.

  • Ireland’s school districts examine the inclusion of a headscarf in school dress code.

  • A local Saudi Arabian NGO announces a new program to aid women in finding employment, which a special emphasis on divorcees and widows.

  • The Columbia Spectator profiles graduate Khadijah Abdul-Nabi.

  • AKI uses a Saudi-style niqab to illustrate a story about Amnesty International urging Iran to overturn convictions of women’s rights activists. Idiots!

  • Saudi mothers push to get more parents to read to their children.

  • Arab News’ Abeer Mishkas tells Saudi women that they can learn from Kuwaiti elections.

  • The BBC examines the proposed ban on judges wearing religious symbols (including headscarves) in Denmark.

  • A woman’s jealous cousin stabs her to death on her wedding day. May Allah grant her peace and justice.
  • Asian News looks at Sisterhood, the collaborative mix tape presented by Muslim women. We gave our two cents on it last week.

Filed Under: Friday Links

BBC’s Slideshow Misses the Bigger Picture

May 22, 2008 By Muslimah Media Watch

The BBC has a slide show that examines the Western Saharah independence on its 35th anniversary.

The slide show is an interesting one, but troublesomely without context: we have no idea when these pictures are taken or by whom.

Anyway, the real point of this post. The picture below (like all the others) appeared with a caption that has nothing to do with it (them):


The caption reads: “Since then there has been a ceasefire in the mineral-rich former Spanish colony. A whole generation of Saharans has grown up in this limbo.”

Is this a Saharawi who’s grown up in “limbo”? Which part of the disputed territory is she from? What are her perspectives on her country’s condition and future?

We have the same problem here: “With years of negotiations having made little progress, many Saharawis remain uncertain about their future.”

Are these women soldiers? Outlaws? Matching dressers? What? I mean, do these women feel uncertain about their future? Did their views about their future govern their decision to decide the organization that they’re in (that presumably furnished them with these snappy outfits)?

It doesn’t matter, because these women, like all the other Saharawis in this slide show, are merely “exotic” wall paper to illustrate the viewer’s shallow educational journey about the fight for Western Sahara.

Filed Under: News, Web

Get Smart: IQ2US Includes Women’s Voices in Debate about Islam

May 21, 2008 By Muslimah Media Watch

A few days ago, I caught an Intelligence Squared U.S. debate on the radio. The series evaluates a claim through Oxford-style debate. The resolution was “Islam is dominated by radicals.” The wording of the issue is flawed, as participant Reza Aslan (against) pointed out in his opening speech, and the supporting team’s attempts to clarify the intent of the resolution led to inconsistent interpretation on both sides of the debate.

Nevertheless, the debate was commendable in its choice of participants. For an issue about Islam, both sides included Muslims — more notably, Muslim women.

Asra Nomani argued on the “for” side, and Edina Levovik, with Aslan, represented the Muslim voice on “against.” The debate also included the opinions of non-Muslims: two top figures in conservative think tanks (for) and a Columbia University history professor with an emphasis in Muslim countries (against).

It’s important that Muslim women’s voices be a part of all discussions of Islam. This resolution did not focus on women, so it was surprising (but refreshing) to see women comprising the majority of the Muslim debaters. This sends the message that women are an engaged part of Islam, not passive victims. Because Muslim women were shown on both sides of the debate, it’s clear that that within that community, there’s a diversity of opinions.

The live debate was held April 15. You can read more about it, see profiles of the debaters, and listen to the full debate here.

Filed Under: Music/Radio, Politics
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