Friday Links — July 18, 2008

Last updated on: January 5, 2012 at 8:48 pm By fatemeh

Women’s eNews looks at female Muslim comedians and a New York photography exhibit that showcases photographs taken by Muslim women. Al Arabiya reports on the movie Towelhead, in which Saudi-born Summer Bishil stars. Sepia Mutiny reveals honor killing to be “bride killing.” altmuslim’s Wajahat Ali speaks with Shirin Ebadi about her new book and the future of Iran. Bosnia commemorates the thirteenth anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre. An Indian Muslim couple gets married via mobile phone. An online form for... Read more

Modesty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Last updated on: December 8, 2011 at 11:34 pm By Muslimah Media Watch

Recently, Anam Majeed wrote a two-part piece for the The Western Muslim on the concept of modesty in the West, with the first of the two entitled Islam, Modesty and Sex in the West. The piece made some valid points, as well as some questionable ones. Overall, Majeed states that modesty is loathed in the West and thus the the hyper-focus on the sexuality of women has made sexuality uninteresting and asexual. If modesty was still held in high regard,... Read more

We want more of the oppressed, helpless Muslim woman

Last updated on: December 30, 2013 at 10:07 pm By faith

I don’t frequent forums as much I use to because I find it so much harder to deal with stupid comments. Another reason why I don’t frequent forums, however, is because I often encounter people who I really think have the best intentions but who also have a hard time acknowledging the various privileges they have and questioning the biases they have. I think in order to help yourself and help others–I mean really help yourself and others, and not... Read more

Does hymen restoration = virginity restoration?

Last updated on: July 15, 2008 at 3:56 pm By fatima

This sunday, Time published a story about the rising rates of hymenoplasty in France. the operation seeks to reconstruct hymens that have been broken by vaginal penetration, and are pursued generally to avoid the potential shame attached to not being a virgin at the time of marriage. I could go on and on about why hymenoplasties are an affront to women’s bodies and sexualities: the fact that a man’s virginity can never be tested–or perhaps that women often break their... Read more

hi my name is fatima.

Last updated on: July 15, 2008 at 8:34 am By fatima

before last week’s post about the most recent incident of domestic violence in atlanta, i completely forgot to introduce myself as a new contributor to mmw. when i found out that mmw was looking for new contributors, i jumped at the opportunity. i frequented the site often before i started writing, and some of the things that were posted on here were often topics of discussion with my sister or my friends. having been raised in a strict pakistani muslim... Read more

Citizenship and Submission

Last updated on: July 15, 2008 at 12:00 am By Guest Contributor

This was written by matttbastard and originally published at bastard.logic: I’m having trouble reconciling the following with “Liberté, égalité, fraternité”: France has denied citizenship to a Moroccan woman who wears a burqa on the grounds that her “radical” practice of Islam is incompatible with basic French values such as equality of the sexes. […] The woman, known as Faiza M, is 32, married to a French national and lives east of Paris. She has lived in France since 2000, speaks... Read more

Islamophobia: Let’s talk about gender

Last updated on: January 5, 2012 at 8:48 pm By Krista

I recently came across this report called Muslims Under Siege. It was written as an accompaniment to a BBC Channel 4 Dispatches show called It Shouldn’t Happen to a Muslim, which was aired last week. (Folks in the UK and Ireland can watch the show here; unfortunately, I’m in Canada and couldn’t access it myself.) The report is definitely worth a read. It talks about rising Islamophobia (and the acceptability of Islamophobia) in the UK, and focuses heavily on the... Read more

Friday Links — July 11, 2008

Last updated on: January 21, 2012 at 2:27 pm By fatemeh

A look at some of the organizations that are working to improve Muslim women’s lives. The Times of India profiles Daud Shabina Khanum, who came up with the idea for an all-women jamaat (court). A woman detonated her explosive vest in the Iraqi city of Baquba. May Allah give peace to the victims. Arab News looks at the need for women-only gyms in Saudi Arabia. A roadside bomb killed a young girl in the Pakistani city of Quetta. May Allah... Read more

Giving a Minority Report

Last updated on: December 8, 2011 at 11:34 pm By Muslimah Media Watch

Since 1971, the year of Pakistan’s partition, not a single film about Hindus has been made in Pakistan. But now it has and it’s getting a great deal of international attention, including being shown at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. The director, Mehreen Jabber, (pictured on the right) daughter of a Pakistani filmmaker, is someone familiar to many Pakistanis but has only now gained international recognition through her film Ramchand Pakistani. Based on a true story the film depicts a... Read more

Polygyny and Black Muslimahs

Last updated on: December 8, 2011 at 11:34 pm By Muslimah Media Watch

About a month ago NPR did a story on polygyny among African American Muslims in Philadelphia. Coming from Philly, this story hit close to home. In fact, one of the women interviewed is a family friend that I have known since I was a child. Polygyny among Black Muslims is rather complex. Some women, like myself, can’t imagine ever being a co-wife and stipulate in their marriage contracts that they wish to remain the only wife. Other women actively pursue... Read more