If FOX News does anything well, it's make its bias clear. A recent article entitled "Muslim Women in U.S. Struggle to Balance Western Freedoms and Islamic Culture" makes no attempts to hide the opinion of the writer and the message she wants to convey to her readers. Each line is so riddled with assumptions and misconceptions, I don't know where to begin. Read more
I wrote a little while ago about the media coverage of the Toronto sexual assault case in which the female complainant was ordered by the presiding judge, Justice Norris Weisman, to remove her niqab while testifying. At the time that I posted my earlier article, hearings were underway in Ontario’s Superior Court to appeal the judge’s decision requiring her to testify with her face visible. Last week, the decision of this latest hearing was released, and made its way through... Read more
This was written by Youssef Rakha and originally appeared in The National. “Happy Mother’s Day! Happy Mother’s Day, Mama,” the woman spewed forth, her face taking up far too much of my TV screen. “Thanks so much for breast-feeding me for so long.” The woman was too emphatically ordinary to be convincing as a representative of the Egyptian middle-class, and she stood in the middle of a supermarket which, like most stores on Egyptian TV, was far more spacious and... Read more
Asma Uddin writes for Patheos about the difficulty of being a modern Muslim woman. Muslim Lookout takes down The Ottowa Citizen for their coverage of the Afghan Shi’a law. Gulf News profiles Fatima Obaid Al Jaber as a role model for Emirati women. Hurriyet Daily News covers Jasad magazine. The American Civil Liberties Union, along with domestic violence groups and religion organizations, petitioned to change a proposed rule that allows judges to bar Muslim women from wearing niqab while testifying... Read more
During an election campaign, we often get articles focusing on the wives of male candidates. It is never surprising when there are an abundance of articles on how they dress and how much they support their husbands. The Guardian’s recently published piece focusing on Zahra Rahnavard does not differ much from this norm. However, the conclusions reached in article seem to differ wildly from the same conclusions that would be drawn about Rahnavard’s counterparts in the U.S. or Britain. What... Read more
This is part two of our series on Muslim Personal Law in South Africa. Today, we will analyze media coverage of the bill. Check out part one here. Several mainstream newspapers across South Africa have been reporting on the MPL matter. How have Muslim women been portrayed in these articles? The Cape Argus article, for one, opens with a shocking statement: Justice bosses are rushing through laws that will stop Muslim women from being treated as second-class citizens. This startled... Read more
This is the first of a two-series post on South Africa’s Muslim Personal Law bill. Today’s post will cover the history of the bill. The issue of Muslim Personal Law (MPL) in South Africa, which has been under scrutiny in the media recently, is a contentious one, with a volatile history that spans over two decades, a revolution, and four government changes. The ongoing debate has sparked controversy in the Muslim and non-Muslim media alike. The MPL Bill defines its... Read more
Shahina Siddiqui’s article “True Muslim society protects women,” published this past weekend in the Winnipeg Free Press, presents one woman’s response to some of the sexism and misogyny within Muslim communities that has been in the media recently. Siddiqui condemns the murder of an Afghan women’s rights activist, the flogging of a young women in Pakistan, and other crimes committed by Muslims against Muslim women. She does so from her point of view as a Muslim woman, and argues passionately... Read more
Salam waleykum, readers. It’s with a heavy heart that I spread the word about Delara Darabi’s execution. She was executed today, on May 1st, according to news reports. There isn’t a lot out there, but here’s a linkup of all the news stories at this time: Amnesty International Stop Child Executions Save Delara Blog There are several demonstrations planned internationally. You can check out the Save Delara Facebook group for information. May Allah give her peace and justice. Update May... Read more
Salam aleykum, readers! You can now follow us on Twitter! You can also follow me and Sobia. Happy Twittering! Read more
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