Friday Links | December 21, 2012

Last updated on: December 20, 2012 at 9:00 pm By anneke

This week was the second anniversary of the Arab Spring. Several articles were dedicated to the relationship between women and the Arab Spring movement. One article by the BBC focuses on the fact that women still are waiting for their benefits from the revolution and an article by WeNews mentions the increasing conservative Islamist influence in post-revolutionary countries. Last Tuesday 6 polio vaccination volunteers were killed in Pakistan, 5 of whom were female. On Wednesday another female polio worker and her... Read more

A Woman’s Quiet Revolution: An Interview with Journalist Zubeida Mustafa

Last updated on: December 19, 2012 at 12:48 pm By merium

Several weeks ago, I wrote a brief profile on Zubeida Mustafa, recipient of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF). My initial coverage of Mustafa’s achievements was based on snippets I had read from a number of profiles online. Since then, however, I have had the unique privilege of interviewing her on behalf of Muslimah Media Watch. Although much of our conversation took place on email and telephone (she resides in the south of the... Read more

It’s Almost 2013 and Yet We Still Have to Write About This Stuff

Last updated on: December 19, 2012 at 12:28 pm By nicole

I do feel a twinge of guilt at the hipster irony of being the white girl here (there’s a joke somewhere I am sure) but can we talk about this article from The Telegraph? With the title “The Unique Advantage of Female War Reporters in Muslim Countries,” we are treated to the special version of the weak sauce “third gender” argument, because, you know, all Muslim men only respect white women professionals, the third gender; and we (white women) have... Read more

Muslim Women in Amy Waldman’s The Submission

Last updated on: December 18, 2012 at 1:34 am By tasnim

Amy Waldman’s The Submission is a novel that struggles to tell “a post-9/11 story” with a potentially implausible concept and a cast of characters lined up as representatives of certain types and injected with nuance with varying degrees of success. The title is a play on words, a speculation on ”what would happen if a jury in charge of selecting a ground zero-like memorial were to choose, from among the many anonymous submissions, a design that turns out to have... Read more

“Islamists Do Not Want Anyone To Sing”

Last updated on: December 17, 2012 at 1:39 am By anike

Mali is a country well known for its strong musical traditions. In a country where music is viewed as part of a cultural heritage, it is especially used as a means through which history is recorded. Music is considered to be Mali’s “greatest and most important export product”. It is also a tool of resistance. While most of Mali’s popular musicians have been from the southern part of the country, northern Mali holds up as its own. A few of... Read more

Friday Links | December 14, 2012

Last updated on: December 13, 2012 at 9:03 pm By anneke

While Mali is preparing itself for peace talks, or war, Malian women demand to be included in the negotations, as they are the primary victims of violence in northern Mali. Malian refugee women in Mauritania share their stories of assault and the imposition of the “Islamic” dress code. A report by the British government finds that ethnic minority women are more than twice as likely to be unemployed in the UK than white women. The report shows that especially black women... Read more

Afghan Women Post-American Occupation and the Saviour Discourse

Last updated on: December 12, 2012 at 4:56 pm By eren

After the almost 12-year American occupation, there has been a lot of speculation on the future of Afghanistan. While some have deemed the war “unwinnable”, others have talked about responsibility specifically in terms of Afghan women. Upon the close withdrawal of American forces (if they do not delay it again), Canadian and American media articles continue to inquire on the future of Afghanistan without Western guidance. In an attempt to justify the importance of Western presence in Afghanistan, some articles... Read more

Highlighting Cases of Wartime Sexual Violence in Bosnia

Last updated on: December 12, 2012 at 12:16 am By woodturtle

It’s been 20 years since the start of Bosnian war. All year, journalists have used this anniversary not only to revisit their coverage of the region, but also to highlight how communities and individuals continue to experience the aftermath of a conflict that uprooted families from their homes, saw widespread wartime sexual violence and resulted in the deaths of over 100,000 people between 1992-1995. Unprotected, a recent documentary by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, looks at the harrowing experience of a Bosnian woman to highlight the way people are treated when called as... Read more

Women and the Talibanization of Shrines in India

Last updated on: December 11, 2012 at 12:10 am By merium

Every year, millions of visitors undertake pilgrimages to religious shrines dedicated to Sufi saints. The Indian sub-continent in particular is home to several such mausoleums. Women and men from various ethnic groups and religious denominations visit the shrine(s) and pray, often finding solace in the presence of a blessed personality. Many undertake visits in hopes of having their most fervent prayers answered, placing garlands or perfumed cloth over the burial mound out of respect and reverence. Of late however, reports... Read more

Mak Nyahs: Transgendered Muslims in Malaysia

Last updated on: December 10, 2012 at 1:47 am By syahirah

Mak nyah is the term that transgendered women in Malaysia use to identify themselves. Mak means ‘mother’, and nyah is derived from the literal meaning of ‘running away’ to refer to ‘transition’. Khartini Slamah, a well-known 49-year-old activist and counselor to other transgendered women, explains how and why this term came about in the late 80s, in her chapter in the book Sexuality, Gender and Rights: Exploring Theory and Practice in South and South East Asia by Geetanjali Misra and Radhika Chandiramani (2005):... Read more