Friday Links — April 25, 2008

A Yemen Times editorial that looks beyond the story of Nujood (the eight year old girl who was forcefully married and successfully took her own case to court to obtain a divorce) to the vulnerability of girls in Yemen.

The Independent discusses ways that women’s rights can realistically come about in Saudi Arabia, and Women’s eNews looks at Saudi women’s rights activists who are doing just that.

Muslim women in India are given the chance to tell their stories and transform their lives through self-help groups and training for public relations skills.

The Egyptian Center of Culture and Art tries to preserve “Zar,” a traditional folkloric musical ritual for women.

A fascinating portrait of a revolutionary woman by The Times of India entitled, “A Feminist’s Worst Nightmare.” Are her actions feminist? Islamic? Islamically feminist? Decide for yourself.

Muslim women in Kerala, India, assert their rights through awareness brought by literacy and globalization.

E-Pao! profiles female Muslim activist Nazima.

A Saudi woman who was married too young must return dowry money to her husband if she wants a divorce, rules a Saudi judge.

Bilal Randeree for Thought Leader ponders the hejab as the new symbol of a cultural revolution in France.

A woman cuts off her lover’s penis because he married someone else. Ouch!

Iranian women’s rights activists receive suspended lashing and jail sentences.

Shabana Mir writes about American women the way many of them write about Middle Eastern/South Asian/Muslim women. It’s an entertaining read.

A woman divorces her husband because he posted nude pictures of himself and chatted with women online.

Buchi Okoli Abuja examines the rights of inheritance for Nigerian women, comparing them to that of Indian and Bangladeshi women.

A women’s basketball team in Saudi Arabia wishes they could play internationally.

Baraka for other/matters talks about childhood visits to Lahore.

The Iraqi Basketball Association tries to revive the sport for women.

Saudi Arabia’s seventh National Dialogue Forum calls for more job opportunities for Saudi Arabian women.

Sign a petition against sexual harassment in Egypt (petition website is in Arabic).

Indonesian women form a coalition to petition the government to abolish polygamy.

Women in the Arabian Peninsula try to pry open a male-dominated world: banking.

The Afghan government considers banning jeans and makeup, following recent bans of Indian soap operas.

Egyptian authorities release a girl held in detention for forming a Facebook group to protest price hikes.

MidEast Youth’s Rasha examines “Women Shadows” in Saudi Arabia.

A government ban on passport pictures with headscarves and beards runs counter to Shari’a law, say Muslim scholars in Algeria.