Bigotry Wrapped in Journalism

Last updated on: December 8, 2011 at 11:35 pm By Muslimah Media Watch

Israel Today published a story about an increase in honor killings among Palestinian women. The story itself seemed poorly researched and improperly cited (as in, there were no citations—the story cited “an old Jordanian law” that allowed men who confessed to honor killing to serve light jail time, and yet, they didn’t mention specifically which law permits this). It is my understanding that the purpose of journalism is to spread awareness and understanding, not rationalize bigotry. This article didn’t look... Read more

The Maldives’ Misstep

Last updated on: December 8, 2011 at 11:35 pm By Muslimah Media Watch

The Maldives’ state-run television stations will no longer employ women who wear hejab in an effort to quell the spread of militant Islam, as a response to a September 29 bombing in the country’s capital by fundamentalists. While their efforts include some good ideas (i.e., ceasing the glorification of a holy war), this one is a bad idea. Look at Turkey: the country has seen a rise in the very radicalism that the Maldives is trying to control. While this... Read more

Terra Incognita: Hymen Reconstruction in the U.K.

Last updated on: December 8, 2011 at 11:35 pm By Muslimah Media Watch

Recently, the U.K.’s Daily Mail ran a story uncovering the fact that between 2005 and 2006, 24* hymen reconstructions have been performed on “immigrants and British women of ethnic origin” by the National Health Service (NHS), which is funded by taxpayer money. Hm. (Personal thoughts: Do you think that if these 24 women were white non-Muslim British women, there would be any article at all?) There have been oodles of response articles and blog postings. But one in particular, written... Read more

Friday Links – November 16, 2007

Last updated on: January 21, 2012 at 2:53 pm By fatemeh

Benazir Bhutto is put under house arrest. Several Muslim businesswomen head to Dubai on a ladies-only tour. A shelter for women in Dubai gives shelter to women victims of domestic abuse, sex trafficking, and/or housemaid abuse. A story about Nafsheen Luhar, a Californian henna artist. Muslim Hedonist discusses the lack of voice that Muslim women have to discuss their experiences. Everyone’s just starting to figure out that Debbie Almontaser isn’t a terrorist. Offstumped raises hell over Mossamat Akhera Bibi’s cruel... Read more

Total Exposure: News Coverage of Abeer Sabri

Last updated on: December 8, 2011 at 11:35 pm By Muslimah Media Watch

If you’re familiar with Egyptian movies and television, you know about Abeer Sabri. She’s a television and movie star who announced in 2002 that she would quit acting, start taking religious classes, and start observing hejab. She did not stop acting, and I don’t know about the classes, but she did wear hejab. Until recently. In September, she appeared without hejab when she showed up at al-Ahram Studios for a drama series she was filming. Some Egyptian blogs claim she... Read more

A Hairy Predicament: Muslim Woman Suing Hairdresser for Employment Discrimination

Last updated on: January 21, 2012 at 2:53 pm By Guest Contributor

This originally appeared at FreeWriters. You may have seen it, you may have heard about it: the most recent discrimination case being fought by Muslim woman, Bushra Noah. Now the story goes a bit like this, Bushra Noah (19 year old hijabi) goes to Sarah Desrosiers (32 year old hippie) for a job as aPost Options hairdresser. Desrosiers tells her that her appearance (hijab-clad Muslimah) doesn’t quite fit with the image of the salon’s, and tells her that she will... Read more

Her Modesty: A New Fashion Magazine for Muslim Women

Last updated on: December 8, 2011 at 11:35 pm By Muslimah Media Watch

Her Modesty is a new fashion glossy created by and for Muslim women. The magazine evolved from a blog and an online magazine. The goal of the magazine’s creator is “to display how sisters can be covered but yet still feel good about themselves and how they look.” The magazine caters to Muslim women who observe hejab. The creator says that “all of the pictures will feature hijab – although we know that some sisters don’t wear it. We just... Read more

Pretty as a Picture: Ethnic Women as Consumable Art

Last updated on: December 8, 2011 at 11:35 pm By Muslimah Media Watch

Muslimah Media Watch thanks Racialicious for the tip! Moving into a new place? Or do you feel that you just need some “spice” in your old place? Well, AllPosters.com has just the thing for you to give your living space some added “color.” Posters of ethnic people! These colorful ethnic people have their own category! Seriously. The title for the category is “Ethnic People.” I hate the way “ethnic” is used here; it’s used as a synonym for “different,” “non-modern,”... Read more

Friday Links – November 9, 2007

Last updated on: January 21, 2012 at 2:56 pm By fatemeh

Turkish author Selin Tamtekin publishes a fictional book that deals frankly with a Turkish woman’s sexuality, and everybody gets their panties in a twist. A review of Margot Badran’s latest book Feminism beyond East and West – New Gender Talk and Practice in Global Islam. Muslim students organize Scarves for Solidarity event to showcase hate crime incidents toward hejabis. Women’s rights activists in Bahrain work to make sure the recently-set minimum marriage age is not repealed. Women in Egypt don’t... Read more

Be My Guest: Zaynab Hifni Interviewed on Saudi TV

Last updated on: December 8, 2011 at 11:35 pm By Muslimah Media Watch

Muslimah Media Watch thanks Melinda for the tip! Zaynab Hifni talks about her books, her life abroad, and the taboo of sexuality in this clip from Memri TV. I haven’t read her books, but she’s earned my respect just from this interview. She eloquently defends her views about Saudi society’s treatment of women and sex. I’m not going to talk about her ideas here. I’m going to talk about the disparaging treatment she received from the male interviewer. While I... Read more