Last Monday, Christian militiamen in the Central African Republic (CAR) attacked Muslim herders north of the capital Bangui. Among the victims were several women and children; one pregnant woman was disembowelled. A UN vote will be held on whether and what kind of action is required to restore the situation in CAR. For rich Kazakh men, having multiple wives is becoming a status symbol; for many young Kazakh women, becoming a second wife is a means to escape poverty. Many Syrian... Read more
Growing up in Mexico, I had a very rudimentary understanding of religion and religious diversity. While the national census showed that about 80% of Mexicans practiced Catholicism, I was raised an atheist. My parents, born Catholics, had left religion during their teenage years for various reasons. My paternal grandfather (who was never really religious either) still likes to tell his story: His grandmother had a painting of Virgin Mary in the living room and would tell my grandpa to say... Read more
A few weeks ago, I went to a small, local cinema in my city to catch a film. I’ve always liked going to this particular cinema because they screen international and independent films – a fresh change from the standard Hollywood fare at the bigger cinema. The film was about to start, so I quickly ducked into the ladies’. After I washed my hands, imagine my shock at seeing the following poster pasted behind the door: The text on the... Read more
A young Saudi woman is fighting to able to remain in Yemen, after she entered the country illegally, defying family and tradition, to be with the (Yemeni) man she fell in love with. According to a report by Amnesty International, most Indonesian (predominantly female) domestic workers in Hong Kong are exploited and do not receive much protection from either of the governments involved. The Chinese authorities have started a new campaign to convince veiled Uyghur women of the joy of... Read more
I recently penned a letter to a Canadian journalist whose article was sent to me by a friend. For the most part, it was a fantastic piece commenting on the funding inequalities of women in sports – particularly soccer. As a player, coach and supporter of women’s soccer. I was pleased to read it. Until the last paragraph of this intelligent, well researched articles plunged into a racist, Islamophobic, ridiculous abyss lined with veils. I responded on Twitter, addressing the... Read more
Editor’s note: Many of us at MMW have previously cited Lila Abu-Lughod’s 2002 article “Do Muslim Women Need Saving?” in some of our blog posts, and we were excited to see the recent release of her book of the same title. This is the first of a series of responses to the book by a few different MMW writers. In the introduction to her recent book Do Muslim Women Need Saving?, Lila Abu-Lughod writes: “I am often bewildered by what... Read more
It has been reported Boko Haram, the Islamist group predominantly active in Nigeria, forces girls to convert to Islam and join their group as “slave-wives.” According to a study, Muslim women are more likely to be subjected to Islamophobic attacks than Muslim men. A group of housewives in the Neelum valley in Pakistani-administered Kashmir fights the activity of Islamic militants in the region, saying that it only attracts Indian fire. Mauritanian rapper Leila Moulaye has been arrested after she appeared... Read more
With the recent controversy surrounding Arabi Kalayanam (the term used to describe the practice of marrying young girls from Kerala, India to Arab men for a lesser dowry), and legalizing marriage for Muslim girls younger than 18 years of age, I was reminded of T.V Chandran’s 2003 movie, Padam Onnu Oru Vilapam (Chapter One: A Wail). It is probably the only Malayalam movie which dives deeply into the multiple social evils that are still prevalent among Muslims in the Malabar... Read more
For a few years now, I have been observing depictions of the veil, the niqab and the burqa, not only in the media but in pop culture. Muslimah Media Watch has written extensively about these depictions because they are so prevalent everywhere. Just last week, Nicole wrote about a controversial ad featuring a niqabi woman and a soldier. Similarly, as I have discussed in another post, niqabs and hijabs have made it to stardom through famous people like Lady Gaga and Madonna.... Read more
Growing up as a queer-identified South Asian Muslimah and a survivor of domestic violence, I’ve occasionally felt that merely existing was, in and of itself, an act of rebellion. But I’ve been fortunate. I’ve not only survived, but thrived, now living the life of a resident physician. I can’t take all the credit for where I am because, simply put, I’m standing on the shoulders of giants. Through my life, I’ve consistently found media depictions of Muslim women and others... Read more
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