Friday Links — February 5, 2009

• Girls in Sudan risk sexual exploitation.

• A Jordanian court sentenced a 19-year-old man to 10 years in jail for stabbing his sister to death. May Allah give her peace and justice.

• Hijab Style interviews the founders of Vela.

• Sheema Khan asks for a Canadian approach to the burqa.

• Speaking of burqas, a cleric in India says that it is permissible for women to have identification pictures taken without a face veil.

• Nadya Khalife writes about Dubai’s shameful record on rape. More from the Los Angeles Times.

• A Small Magazine interviews Muna Abu Sulayman.

• In Turkey, a conference discussed the impact that women have had on the country’s politics.

• Something’s not right: A 12-year-old girl has dropped her request for a divorce just one day before a court hearing to annul the marriage.

• Iranian director Rakhshan Bani-Etemad dedicated a recent award to “Iran’s mourning mothers.”

• Lebanon’s Cabinet approved the adoption of a women’s 20% quota for the municipal elections.
  

• Rabia Chaudry explains why Americans will never have security in the current political climate.

• Aafia Siddiqui has been convicted of attempted murder. More from The New York Times, Al Jazeera, and GOATMILK.

• Sign a petition to stop domestic violence in Lebanon.

• A father who murdered his daughter six years ago was given six years in prison, while her brother (who also participated in the murder) was set free. May Allah give her peace and justice.

• Bloomberg believes it sees a demographic shift in Arab women and their careers. More from Forbes.

• The Media Line reports that Saudi Arabia is considering a women-only bus system. As is Egypt.

• The majority of the U.A.E.’s first Ph.D. candidates are women.

• A conference in Nigeria urges Muslim women to gain knowledge.

• Some girls’ schools have reopened in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

• A Malaysian court overturned a government ban on a book written by Sisters in Islam that was deemed “a misinterpretation of Islam.” Reactions to the un-banning here.

• RAWA reports the disturbing reality that women are for sale in Afghanistan.

• The National highlights a martial arts class for women in Dubai.

• Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani says she’s afraid of repercussions if she returns to Iran.

• elan magazine profiles female Omani equestrians.

• A Saudi Arabian woman whose brothers divorced her from her husband has been reunited with her family after a Saudi court overturned the divorce ruling.

• A female surveillance officer for the Paris police who was suspended for wearing a headscarf on duty will face a disciplinary committee. Via Islam in Europe.

• Saudi Arabia has drafted a relaxed marriage law that may allow Saudi men to marry non-Saudi women more easily. Predictably, the “relaxed” rules are not as liberal for Saudi women.

• The Christian Science Monitor profiles Egypt’s Divorcee Radio.

• Afghanistan does not have a future without women at the table.

• On the lack of choice Saudi women have in regard to driving.

• CNN interviews the Emirates’ first female film producer.

• The BBC reports that many Muslim women in the U.K. are in Islamic marriages not recognized by British law, which may leave them legally vulnerable.

• The Sharjah Art Museum is hosting an exhibit entitled “Women & Art.”

• Many women in Yemen are unaware of regulations against sexual harassment.

• Iran hosted the first International Conference of Women Scientists from the Islamic World.

• Egypt works to prevent underage marriages.

• How the internet has shaped Saudi women’s lives positively.

Like always, if we’ve forgotten any important news about Muslim women, feel free to post it in the comments!