The Colourful Drones of Mahwish Chishty

Last updated on: June 30, 2013 at 9:14 pm By anike

In the past few years, drones have emerged from virtually been unknown to becoming a symbol of modern warfare. Almost simultaneously, artists have subverted drones by turning them into art in a rising subculture: from the drone cinema that features films shot from hexacopters, and the Drones of New York and quadrocopters fly-dancing in Austria, to David Shook’s “Poetry Drone” project, which aims at raising $10,000 to buy a flying drone that will cruise over cities, raining down antiwar poems... Read more

Friday Links | June 28, 2013

Last updated on: June 27, 2013 at 8:39 pm By anneke

A court in Burma/Myanmar has found two Muslim women guilty of sparking sectarian violence; both are sentenced to two years in prison with hard labor. One of the women bumped into a monk earlier this year, which resulted in Buddhist monks raiding shops and homes in the region. Many Tajik marriages are arranged, but the country now has its first professional matchmaking services too; most of the clientele are divorced men and women. According to the British government about 20,000... Read more

Mothers, Brainwashed Wives and Tomboys: Muslim Women in Armed Conflict

Last updated on: June 26, 2013 at 5:30 pm By eren

In the past few years, images of Muslim women in war settings have become increasingly common, from depictions of Syrian female rebels to all-American girls being compared to Chechnya’s so-called “Black Widows.” Last year, while writing an article on the “Black Widows” I started reading reports about Muslim women’s participation in armed struggles and noticed that female violence is often attributed to the loss of male family members, emotional distress (which often goes unreported for their male counterparts) or brainwashing... Read more

On Corrupt Bureaucrats, Nikah Siri Marriages, and Indonesian Women

Last updated on: June 23, 2013 at 1:53 pm By afia

Late last year, Aceng Fikri, a district chief in the West Java province, ignited public uproar when news leaked that he had divorced a 17-year-old teenager, Fany Octora, via text message. Aceng had married Fany for only four days in an unregistered ceremony as a second wife. According to his lawyer, Aceng complained that Fany was not a virgin as she had said she had been. Aceng also complained that he had spent 250 million rupiah ($26,000) on their wedding... Read more

Racism and Responsibility: Seeking Solidarity with Black Muslimahs

Last updated on: June 23, 2013 at 1:41 pm By amina

MuslimasTRI (Tackling Real Issues) is a new channel on YouTube started by two American women, Dena and Erin. In one of their videos, Erin shares an extremely personal incident when a Pakistani man she was romantically interested in said he couldn’t speak to her because she was black. On her blog, Jamerican Muslimah offers an equally blunt description of similar experiences: “Beyond all the beautiful speeches given to me by my Indian, Pakistani, Caribbean Indian, and Arab brothers and sisters... Read more

“Do You Dream?” – A Police Campaign against Honour-Related Crimes

Last updated on: June 23, 2013 at 1:28 pm By tasnim

As the summer vacation begins in Sweden, so does a campaign against a broad variety of crimes that the police have been addressing under the category hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck – “honour-related violence and oppression.” In particular, the police have focused on forced marriage, which they believe to be a “seasonal” crime, as the risk of people being forced into marriage are greater during the summer with the long leave. As one article covering the campaign put it, summer vacation... Read more

Friday Links | June 21, 2013

Last updated on: June 20, 2013 at 2:42 pm By Krista

Feminist activists in Tunisia are working to frame women’s rights as “a social and political issue,” and call on Femen protestors to leave them alone. Index on Censorship highlights the work of thee Muslim women artists: painter Saba Barnard, filmmaker and stage performance artist Sabina England, and playwright Mediah Ahmed. Women activists in Aceh, Indonesia say that the way that Sharia Law has been carried out in their province has victimised women; they call instead for an implementation of Sharia Law... Read more

On (Not) Living Up to the Hijab Tutorial Ideal

Last updated on: June 20, 2013 at 3:17 am By Izzie

It was after my marriage that I decided to wear a hijab in public. Like most others who are evolving on their hijab journey, I had my fears – my biggest one being that it was going to make me look horrendous. After all my hair was my best feature. To help me on my hijab journey, one of my friends suggested that I look for hijab tutorials, online, so I started googling. This “easy” hijab tutorial told me that... Read more

Breaking Down Stereotypes: Somali Women Always Agents of History

Last updated on: June 19, 2013 at 11:40 am By sharrae

Recently, the Huffington Post re-published an Associated Press article on Sufi resurgence in Somalia. Following the withdrawal of the armed militant group Al-Shabab from the country’s capital of Mogadishu, Somalis are once again allowed to engage in Sufi practices without fear of death and violent repression. The article paints a landscape of men and women chanting in divine states of worship. The writer makes mention of women: “Beyond the circle of worshippers are dozens of women, some of them so... Read more

Victims, Criminals, Heroines: Indonesian Domestic Workers in Singapore

Last updated on: June 17, 2013 at 9:34 pm By syahirah

A few months ago, I came across an article about how more Burmese domestic workers in Singapore were running away from exploitative conditions. The caption of the photo told me a lot about how the mainstream media in Singapore (heavily controlled by the government) viewed these domestic workers as as causing a ‘commotion.’ This reminded me of research I had previously done as part of my Master’s thesis on Indonesian domestic workers in Singapore, where I analysed how mainstream media... Read more