Friday Links | December 9, 2011

Last updated on: December 8, 2011 at 4:44 pm By anneke

Gulnaz, an Afghan woman who was imprisoned for adultery after having been raped, is freed with no conditions. In theory, she does not have to marry her rapist (originally a condition of release). May Allah give her strength. Nigerian newspaper ‘Leadership’ features an interview with Muslim politician Binta Bello, on the Nigerian North-South divide and the struggles (Northern) women face. Women in Pakistan’s Swat Valley face a dual burden, providing income and keeping the household running. In Sweden, Donna Eljammal is... Read more

Niqab, Courts, and Sexual Assault

Last updated on: December 8, 2011 at 6:31 pm By Krista

Today, the Supreme Court of Canada heard submissions regarding the case of N.S., a complainant in a sexual assault case who is fighting for the right to testify without having to remove her niqab. There’s a summary of the hearing here, and you can look at a couple of my previous posts on MMW for further background. This podcast is also a good resource. For those who are interested in writing letters of support to the complainant, there is a... Read more

Nadia Jebril and the Eurabia Cassandras

Last updated on: December 6, 2011 at 9:50 pm By tasnim

Nadia Jebril was once known as “that Muslim girl with the Skåne accent.” With her new show Rena Rama Arabiskan (“Pure Arabic”) Jebril has both moved beyond that simplistic label and inadvertently added to the clamor and the clangor of the bells of doom tolled by Eurabia cassandras in Sweden. Like comedian (and now TV and radio show host) Gina Dirawi, Jebril began her career as an internet celebrity. At the age of 15, she created a site about Islam in Swedish, which... Read more

Riding in Cars with Satan

Last updated on: December 6, 2011 at 10:43 pm By Sara Yasin

2001: Driver’s Education on a warm spring day. Despite years of riding in cars, I felt the tremors of Western decadence between my legs once I sat behind the wheel. My hijab felt a little looser, and I was overwhelmed with so many haraam thoughts that I could not hear a word that my driving instructor was saying. My brush with life behind the wheel showed me a darker element to driving. Professor Kamal Al-Subhi recently warned against lifting the... Read more

Women, War & Peace Reviewed

Last updated on: December 5, 2011 at 10:53 pm By Azra

In October and November of this year, PBS aired a five part series, “Women, War & Peace,” in the United States. The series website explains: “Women, War & Peace spotlights the stories of women in conflict zones from Bosnia to Afghanistan and Colombia to Liberia, placing women at the center of an urgent dialogue about conflict and security, and reframing our understanding of modern warfare.” Several of the episodes in the series focus on conflicts that Muslim women face and... Read more

Hijab: As Seen on TV

Last updated on: December 1, 2011 at 7:17 pm By Guest Contributor

This post was written by wood turtle and originally published at her blog. Introducing the Hijab 5000! Your life will be transformed within seconds of putting it on! Not only will it protect you from the untoward gaze of lustful and sexually uncontrollable men, but you’ll sure turn heads when everyone hears of your hijab’s scientific miracles. With just one application, the hijab will deep condition and protect your gorgeous locks from pollution; keep you warm by helping you retain... Read more

Friday Links | December 2, 2011

Last updated on: December 1, 2011 at 7:06 pm By anneke

With a female literacy rate of only 14%, girls in rural Balochistan, Pakistan, are desperate for education, but many teachers have left the area due to the dangerous circumstances. In Swabi, Pakistan, girls are determined to stay in school, even though the schools are regularly targeted by the Taliban. After almost 9 years of war, approximately nine percent of Iraqi women are widows, and often living in extreme poverty and without much aid. The Shafia case in Canada, where four female... Read more

“An Exotic Veiled Woman”: An Honest Look at the Experience of Muslim Women in Activism

Last updated on: November 30, 2011 at 10:14 am By symahabib

An article recently published in Bekhsoos magazine is a jarring and honest reflection of a young trans man’s experience with being a veiled woman (prior to identifying as trans) and a queer member of the feminist activist community. His reflections on having worn the veil in feminist spaces echo those of Muslim women who choose to outwardly express their faith experience; it seems as though when a Muslim woman joins an activist circle that isn’t related to justice in South... Read more

Who’s Behind Online Dating, and Why Does it Matter?

Last updated on: November 30, 2011 at 10:44 am By eren

Online dating has become increasingly popular among Muslims and non-Muslims. Nowadays, there are not only matchmaking sites but a number of pages and blogs that review dating sites. Many of the discussions on Muslim matchmaking sites revolve around their appropriateness and effectiveness in comparison to “traditional” methods. Yet, these discussions oftentimes overlook or ignore the gender discourses that are endorsed not only through the sites themselves, but through the media coverage, theological analyses and opinion pieces that comment on their... Read more

Proving Muslim Women Are (wait for it) Normal

Last updated on: November 28, 2011 at 5:44 pm By diana

The Huffington Post’s coverage of Islam and Muslims has sometimes missed the mark, and at other times has made some good points. This is due in part to the utilization of op-ed writers in various sections, including the Religion and Science section, which leaves coverage and conversations open to the inspiration of a wide variety of beliefs and opinions. In an op-ed piece posted earlier this month in the Religion section, the HuffPost once again missed the mark, unfortunately falling... Read more