Friday Links | May 27, 2011

Last updated on: May 27, 2011 at 12:00 am By fatemeh

Arab women’s participation in political resistance isn’t a new thing, mkay? Britain’s first female Muslim Lord Mayor has taken up the historic post in the city of Bradford. More here. Middle East Online looks at other kick-ass British Muslim woman creating positive changes in their communities. Shaista Aziz asks whether “halal” speed-dating can work. Arab News reports on Manal al-Sharif’s imprisonment. More from Al Jazeera. Free Detroit Press examines the tragic death of Jessica Mokdad. May Allah give her peace... Read more

Sexism and Islamophobia: An Under-Reported Link in Strauss-Kahn Coverage

Last updated on: May 25, 2011 at 9:01 am By Guest Contributor

This was written by Kevin Healey and originally published on the USC blog Trans/Missions. Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s religious identity has made news since 1991, when the Jewish Tribune reported that each morning he asks himself how he can be “helpful to the state of Israel.” He should have refuted the quote, he says, since it has only emboldened critics who deride him as “a leading French Jew” and a “devout Zionist.” Such views, coupled with allegations of aggressive womanizing, would surely... Read more

Women in the 2011 Arab Media Forum

Last updated on: May 24, 2011 at 12:00 am By samya

There was something quite exciting about this year’s Arab Media Forum (AMF), which recently concluded in Dubai and was attended by over 2,000 media leaders from around the region. This year marked the tenth anniversary of the forum, which has served as an annual platform for debating Arab media issues and concerns for the past decade. In addition, almost all of this year’s panels have echoed ongoing transitions in the Arab world and their implications for the media landscape. I... Read more

Shutting Down Misconceptions about Clothing & Culture’s Effect on Breast Cancer

Last updated on: May 23, 2011 at 12:00 am By Azra

Earlier this month, Ms. Magazine ran an article that looked at breast cancer stigma in Saudi Arabia. The article provides breast cancer statistics in Saudi Arabia (without citation or link), breast cancer statistics in the United States, and American expat Carol Fleming’s experience with breast cancer in Saudi Arabia. Fleming suggests that promoting pink products for breast cancer awareness might help to curb the stigma associated with the illness in Saudi Arabia. An nameless image of a pink burqa-clad woman... Read more

Friday Links | May 20, 2010

Last updated on: May 20, 2011 at 12:00 am By fatemeh

The head of the IMF sexually assaulted a Muslim woman working at his hotel. Laila Lalami speaks eloquently on the subject. Female entrepreneurs are helping Bangladesh shake off a “Least Developed Country” label. A Saudi Arabian student in the U.S. is arrested for assaulting people at a Wal-Mart. A young Australian artist is profiled for her poignant artwork. An estimated 2,555 women in Yemen die annually during childbirth because they do not have access to proper health facilities or experienced... Read more

Arab Women: They’re in Niqabs, Gettin’ in Ur Democracy

Last updated on: May 19, 2011 at 12:00 am By fatemeh

The Atlantic featured this picture on its latest magazine, which includes an article about the Arab Spring and the future of democracy in the region. The article does talk briefly about women’s rights in the region, but it seems hardly fitting that there should be a woman wearing niqab on the cover with the fearmongering caption, “Is this the face of Arab democracy? Why the new Middle East is more hopeful–and more hazardous.” DUN DUN DUUUUUUN. Read more

Jezebel Turns Osama bin Laden’s Daughter into a Killing Machine

Last updated on: May 18, 2011 at 12:00 am By Lara Alamad

Though one expects a whopping media event like the death of Osama Bin Laden to produce speculative stories on an industrial scale, it is to be hoped that the speculation is at least based in reality. Blogs engage in wild speculation, but serious media blogs are still behooved to be based on facts; otherwise, we might as well read slash fiction. None of this quibbling for Anna North at Jezebel, who ponders the future of Osama bin Laden’s 12-year-old daughter,... Read more

The Sexy Business of Political Uprisings: Sijal Hachem’s “Khalas”

Last updated on: May 17, 2011 at 12:00 am By ethar

I lived through a revolution. I saw my 21-year-old brother holding a gun. I slept with a knife under my pillow. I have a close friend who was shot and is now blind in one eye. I was lucky. I didn’t have thugs break into my house. I wasn’t tear-gassed. I wasn’t shot at. But I have friends who were. I have friends who have friends who died. And compared to the revolutions going on in Yemen, Syria, Bahrain, and Libya,... Read more

Bin Laden’s Wife and the Stereotyping of Muslim Women

Last updated on: May 16, 2011 at 12:00 am By Sara Yasin

This was originally published at The Guardian’s Comment is free. Women played an interesting role in the account of the final hours of Osama Bin Laden’s life. Three wives, as well as nine of his children, lived in the compound where he was killed, along with the families of two Pakistani brothers. Initially, it was erroneously reported that Bin Laden had used one of his wives as a human shield. However, as we began to learn more about the compound... Read more

Friday Links | May 13, 2011

Last updated on: May 13, 2011 at 12:00 am By fatemeh

Female Somali entrepreneurs carve a niche in Boston. On divorce in Malaysia. Dr. Jay profiles Hind and Reem Beljafla’s clothing line. The Florida Times-Union writes a patronizing article about women of faith who exercise. Shanaaz Copeland wants her Aussie Rules hijabs sold as official AFL merchandise, which could become a possibility. Girls fight for the right to wear headscarves in one Bangkok school. More from the Bangkok Post. Women of Scotland’s Blackhall Mosque work in conjunction with the National Trust... Read more