Friday Links | April 15, 2011

• So…the burqa ban has gone into effect in France as of Monday. Arrests have already been made, and a whole lot of people are talking about it: see here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. The Washington Post looks at American women who wear niqab, and The West Australian looks at Australian women who do so.

You might think that the burqa ban was the only/biggest thing to happen to Muslim women this week, by  looking at the media attention surrounding it. But there was other stuff, too!

• A woman’s group is stirring controversy in Turkey with a campaign to elect headscarf-wearing women to parliament.

• Syrian women march to demand release of men held in security.

• Australia’s Attorney-General launched the Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights, which will advocate on human rights issues and provide welfare services to Muslim women.

• The Guardian highlights youth activism that young British Muslim are undertaking to help girls like themselves.

• Dutch girls are not allowed to wear headscarves in church-affiliated schools.

• CounterCurrents.org interviews Indian Islamic feminist Sheeba Aslam Fehmi.

• More magazine highlights Daisy Khan.

• How did we miss this?!

• A story about French Muslim women that isn’t about the niqab ban!

• Inside Higher Ed looks at Muslim women scholars and knowledge.

If you found any news about Muslim women this week that we missed, feel free to leave it in the comments!