Friday Links — October 1, 2010

Last updated on: October 1, 2010 at 12:00 am By fatemeh

emel discusses the differences between the French and Syrian niqab bans. More on the French niqab ban from The American Muslim. Sakineh Ashtiani’s son begs for a global ban on stoning. The Australian has the latest on her case. Tehran hospital fires nurses for “improper Islamic covering.” A planned kite-flying in support of Afghan women’s rights was hijacked by local police. On the women in Malaysia’s fiscal industry. More from Reuters. A psychological exam was ordered for an Indianapolis woman... Read more

A Little Old Lady vs. A Burqa-Clad Mob: The Sweden Democrats’ Banned Campaign Ad

Last updated on: September 30, 2010 at 12:00 am By tasnim

A political ad that portrays a pensioner hobbling forward for a share of the national budget only to be overtaken by a crowd of burqa-clad women pushing baby carriages has been rejected by a Swedish TV channel on the grounds that it promotes religious hatred. The campaign ad for the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) party begins with a number signifying Sweden’s national budget rapidly decreases onscreen, while a female voice over notes that “all policies are about prioritizing.” As the... Read more

The Islamic Commission of Spain’s Sausage-fest Situation

Last updated on: September 29, 2010 at 12:00 am By eren

Once again, everybody is entitled to speak on behalf of Muslim women except themselves. A few days ago, El Mundo reported that this year’s Comisión Islámica de España (Islamic Commission of Spain) did not include any women in their board. The Commission plays an important role in lobbying with the Spanish government in anything regarding the country’s Muslim population. Therefore, they are a unique organization that has access to the sphere of power and is in charge of negotiating with... Read more

A Poignant Poet: Anida Yoeu Ali and the 1700% Project

Last updated on: September 28, 2010 at 12:00 am By diana

The headlines are hard to ignore: “Muslim Cabdriver Stabbed in New York Bias Attack;” “Vandalism at Madera mosque one of several incidents under investigation by Justice Department;” “Obama Weighs in as Plan to Burn Quran Sparks Debate.” These are just to name a few stories of hate that seem to be a part of the never-ending attack on Islam and Muslims. Fighting back against this anti-Muslim rhetoric and against these acts of violence is a most unlikely character. Her name... Read more

Discussions About Muslim Women Should Include Them: To the Contrary!

Last updated on: September 27, 2010 at 12:00 am By Sara Yasin

In July, two women in France were asked to leave a holiday camp because of an attempt to swim while wearing burqinis, because of “hygiene” issues. While such an incident occurred last summer, this time around it comes hot on the heels of the ban on the burqa and niqab. The PBS program, To The Contrary, is described as a platform for discussing primarily political reasons concerning women. The purpose is to discuss local and international issues from a diverse... Read more

Friday Links — September 24, 2010

Last updated on: September 24, 2010 at 12:00 am By fatemeh

Tajik women who dress in hijab and niqab face pressure from authorities. Hijab revival in the Maghreb region: fashion, religion or strategy? In Mangalore, India, allowing Muslim women to offer prayers inside the Noor Masjid in Hampanakatta got ugly. Our guest post about Marie Claire is featured in Mother Jones. In the Netherlands, the National Ombudsman has ruled that Muslim women who are arrested and required to remove their headscarves when they are detained in a cell should not be... Read more

An Artful Collaboration: Plataforma de Mujeres Artistas & Unión de Mujeres Musulmanas

Last updated on: September 23, 2010 at 12:00 am By eren

Contrary to the common assumption that only Muslim women are victims of gender violence, some organizations acknowledge the fact that gender violence is not restricted to one religion, ethnicity or nationality. According to El País, gender violence is very prominent in Spain. This resulted in the approval of the Law against Gender Violence on 2004. The law provides protection and support for victims of gender violence, which include support at work for victims, creation of support networks, suspension of gun... Read more

Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow: A Young Woman’s Portrait of Muslims in France

Last updated on: September 22, 2010 at 12:00 am By Krista

I’ve been working on a curriculum project involving novels and memoirs about Muslim women, so the next few posts from me will probably be focusing on some of the books I’ve come across, even if none of them were published especially recently. So, for those of you who like following our posts about literature (some directed specifically to young adults, although not all of it): enjoy! Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow is written by Faïza Guène, a young French woman of Algerian... Read more

3ayza Atgawez: A “Spinster Crisis” Comedy

Last updated on: September 21, 2010 at 12:00 am By tasnim

One of the most anticipated Ramadan series this year was 3ayza Atgawez, (“I Want to Get Married”), based on a blog-turned-bestselling-book by Ghada Abdel Aal. The series stars Hend Sabry as Ola, an Egyptian pharmacist under pressure to marry having reached the age of thirty and facing the social stigma of spinsterhood. Each episode focuses on a prospective husband and the series of unfortunate events that occur before Ola gives up the suitor as a lost cause, with Ola as... Read more

Revisiting Marie Claire’s Coverage of Muslim Women

Last updated on: September 20, 2010 at 12:00 am By Guest Contributor

This was written by Arwa Aburawa. Regular readers of Muslimah Media Watch may remember last year’s article criticizing the coverage of Muslim women in Marie Claire. Guest contributor Asma Uddin pointed out that the magazine’s coverage showed Muslim women as “sequestered, brainwashed, and victimized, if by no one else than their own, naive, unknowing selves.” She went on to assess four articles from the U.S. edition of the magazine that illustrated this, which you can read here. This is where... Read more