Critical Mass of Badass: “Badass Muslimahs”

Last updated on: November 23, 2010 at 12:00 am By sarahaji

A recent addition to the thousands of Tumblrs intended mostly for the edification of their own creators, Badass Muslimahs began as a project in mid-October 2010. The site’s creator, Sara, has little besides a small blurb to describe her Tumblr’s purpose—but then, words are not really the currency of Tumblr. (Founded in 2007, the microblogging site has taken off since the beginning of 2009 and is now arguably the hottest and most accessible blogging portal available). “Badass Muslimahs,” as Sara... Read more

A Far-Reaching Film Fest

Last updated on: November 22, 2010 at 12:00 am By diana

In January of this year, philanthropist Leslie Sacks, human rights lawyer Catinca Tabacaru and a team of extraordinary women came together to create Women’s Voices Now, an organization based in New York whose aim is to “empower women and give voice to the struggle for civil, economic, and political rights.” This group of women has wasted no time in carrying out their mission. Already hosting what is being called the “first-ever international showcase of short films about Islam and women,”... Read more

Friday Links | November 19, 2010

Last updated on: November 19, 2010 at 12:00 am By fatemeh

Nicholas Kristof tells us about a Muslim woman fighting terrorism with microloans. A woman and her boyfriend will be lashed 100 times each, jailed and deported from the Emirates for committing unlawful sex. A Conservative local politician has been arrested after he called for a female Muslim journalist to be stoned to death. Mona Eltahawy thinks that Saudi Arabia’s spot on the UN commission for women’s rights is a joke. Eman Al Nafjan doesn’t. The New York Times profiles Daisy... Read more

The One Day, One Struggle Campaign

Last updated on: November 18, 2010 at 12:00 am By emanhashim

November 9th was the second international “One Day, One Struggle” campaign, organized by the Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslims Societies (CSBR). Fifty participants from 20 human rights organizations, universities, and municipalities from 12 countries from the Middle East, North Africa, South and Southeast Asia worked together to call for public attention for issues such as sexual education, sexual health, bodily autonomy, LGBT rights, sexual diversity in Islam, and sexuality and Shariah. On the press release, it states:... Read more

Lauren Booth Converts to Islam and Insanity Ensues

Last updated on: November 17, 2010 at 12:00 am By sana

Lauren Booth, half sister of Tony Blair's wife Cherie Booth, a human rights activist and a British journalist working for the Islamic Republic of Iran's state channel PressTV, caused an gasping uproar when she converted to Islam a little less than a month ago, after having an alleged spiritual experience while at the tomb of Fatima Masuma in the Shi'ite holy city of Qom. Read more

Muslim Women in Europe: Oppressed by Religion or Politics?

Last updated on: November 16, 2010 at 12:10 am By eren

Early this month Amparo Sánchez Rosell (President of the Islamic Cultural Centre in Valencia) met with the Special Commission on the Study of Gender Violence of Les Corts Valencianes. As reported by ABC Agencias and WebIslam, Sánchez asked the commission to eradicate the idea that Islam consents or encourages gender violence, which she believes is not true. Although for many Muslim women this may be a common-sense approach, this claim may rise more than few eyebrows. While some people in... Read more

Eid Saeed!

Last updated on: November 15, 2010 at 11:00 pm By fatemeh

Happy Eid Al Adha, everyone! May it be a blessed time for you and those you care about. Read more

ABC’s Show About Biases Reveals its Own

Last updated on: November 15, 2010 at 12:00 am By diana

ABC’s “What Would You Do?” creates controversial scenarios using actors, filming and then analyzing the resulting responses of bystanders to the situations unfolding before their eyes. Host John Quiñones stands by as people react to morally questionable situations by stepping in or backing out, catching them at the last moment to ask them to explain their reactions, whether heroic, shameful or passive. The show is usually entertaining and thought provoking, but the latest episode was simply offensive. The latest scenario,... Read more

Friday Links | November 12, 2010

Last updated on: November 12, 2010 at 12:00 am By fatemeh

An interview with the ladies of Naqa’a, a Saudi-based group fighting against climate change. The London Evening Standard discusses about the veil in the U.K. The New York Times covers a study regarding Muslim women’s health care needs and preferences. More from the USA Today. More great press for “The Hijabi Monologues.” The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) has welcomed human rights lawyer Cherie Blair’s comments in support of Muslim women. The recent election of Bahrain’s first female municipal councilor... Read more

A Review of Tamam Kahn’s Untold

Last updated on: November 11, 2010 at 12:00 am By nicole

Although the wives of the Prophet are held up as examples for Muslim women to follow, little is told about the human beings behind the women on pedestals. We all get told the same stuff—how Khadija supported her husband, Aisha’s work as a jurist and teacher—but the discourse focuses on their actions, not their persons. Tamam Kahn’s Untold: A History of the Wives of Prophet Muhammad, published by Monkfish Press, aims to tell the human stories of the Prophet’s wives... Read more