“A reporter must ignore critics and write the truth, Mustafa said. ‘Even if it is a tiny little drop in the ocean, you know you have made a contribution,’ she said. ‘So then you can have a clear conscience.’” – From an article on Zubeida Mustafa by the International Women’s Media Foundation The past couple of weeks have been difficult for Pakistan’s newsrooms, particularly in terms of the law and order situation in the country. In addition to the monotonous... Read more
Last week, the Toronto Star reported on the first helpline in Canada specifically for Muslim women. The project stems from the Women’s Resource Centre, which is part of the Mercy Mission organisation. At the moment, this program is only available in Ontario, specifically in the Toronto area. Noor Javed, the author of the article, interviewed Sabah Kazmi, the centre’s program director, who describes that she realized that Muslim women were in need for someone to talk to. Despite the fact... Read more
After the parents of 6-year-old Bibi Roza in Pakistan’s Swat valley protested against the decision of local elders to marry her off in order to end a feud, a local court found the decision by the elders to be illegal, and since then five arrests have been made. As long as victims of domestic violence are not believed and systematically mistreated, Turkey’s high profile project to combat domestic violence is doomed to be a failure, activists say. A conservative Muslim... Read more
This is my marriage contract, certifying that my husband and I went through a “marriage ceremony peformed under Islamic rites”, and that he had agreed to certain “special conditions” otherwise known as ta’aliq. We didn’t pay much attention to the conditions provided to us by the kadi (judge) from the syariah court, dismissing it as a formality. But this article prompted my husband to promptly tear up the contract. Last week, an organisation dedicated to converts in Singapore was accused... Read more
Last July, Mexico had elections. Six years ago, the Mexican conservative government was accused of electoral fraud to maintain power, while this year the party that ruled Mexico for over 70 years through undemocratic elections has returned to power. Very much like the “democratic” regimes in the Middle East, Mexico has never really known democracy. Whether it is the American government “preferring” certain candidates, irregularities in elections, or the plain and simple effects of poverty and economic disparity, democracy has... Read more
France is and will always be my special soapbox, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised when crap like this comes out. On November 1st, the magazine ran a cover with a niqabi (OF COURSE) on the front, with the headline “Cet Islam sans gêne” (This Brazen Islam), with a sub-headline of examples of where Muslims are behaving badly: schools, cafeterias, pools, schools, school programs. Note that in France these are always the examples of Muslims behaving badly, the actual... Read more
Last week, PBS aired the premiere of Solar Mamas, an inspiring documentary of one woman’s journey to transform her life after being offered the opportunity to become a solar-energy engineer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGMgHZ1WzxA Rafea Ehnad is a 32-year-old mother, and a second wife to an unemployed husband; she lives in one of Jordan’s poorest desert villages. With only five years of formal education, she used to spend her days living off a meagre government assistance fund in a drafty tent, struggling to... Read more
The decision that women could not enter the Haji Ali dargah, a Sufi shrine, just off the coast of Mumbai, India, has caused international outrage. While some claim that this is just enforcing Islamic law (according to some, women should not visit graves), others were worried that other shrines would soon follow suit. On Thursday the state decided that it is up to the clerics to decide whether or not women can enter the shrine. The leadership of Syria’s main... Read more
“When someone wants to be an artist, because they cannot let what’s going on around them stay the same, achieving fame in the world of art becomes unimportant.” –Alma Suljevic I am a lover of all art forms, including cinema; the Women Make Movies initiative, and the kind of varied and thought-provoking cinema they help produce, has always captured my interest. Alba Sotorra’s 2009 film Unveiled Views was a movie I could sit and proudly watch on my own, or... Read more
My review of the Half the Sky documentary for MMW last month made little mention of any redeeming aspects of the film. On the whole, I felt that the film was sadly overshadowed by the American actresses—and George Clooney!—who accompanied and provided commentary for the Nicholas Kristof production. It became more about the celebrities than the actual women from around the world—a damning example of exactly how not to discuss the health and well-being of women from around the world.... Read more
Muslimah Media Watch
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