Feminism

By Raziye Akkoc | – Ankara (AFP) – When Turkish pop star Sila reported her partner’s physical violence to police, it was a rare moment in Turkish history: a celebrity speaking out against her abuse. Ahmet Kural, a famous actor, is accused of beating the singer, whose full name is Sila Gencoglu, in October. Kural’s […]

Feminism

‘Muslim women are stuck between Islamophobes and Islamic fundamentalists’

Open Democracy

By Nandini Archer | – (OpenDemocracy.net) – From France to Malaysia, Muslim women’s rights activists are challenging those who ask them to ‘choose between being a Muslim and a feminist’. “Muslim women are stuck between Islamophobes on the one hand and Islamic fundamentalists on the other”, Suri Kempe, an outspoken rights activist from Malaysia, told […]

Feminism

Paradoxes of Women and Iran’s Islamic Republic: More Education but a hundred Glass Ceilings

AFP

By Amir Havasi and Eric Randolph | – Tehran (AFP) – Saba was just 25 when she left her design job in New York to work on a project renovating an art gallery back in her hometown Tehran. Within months, she won three more contracts to do up galleries and the lobby of an apartment […]

Feminism

Social Media Ridicule: Emirates’ Gender Equality Award Winners All Men

TeleSur

The award was meant to promote female participation in government, however, this year only men were honored. A storm of tweets bombarded the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after it was clear women had been completely excluded from this year’s gender-equality awards ceremony. “Gender balance has become a pillar in our governmental institutions,” said UAE vice […]

Feminism

Saudi Women Trample Face Veils in Social Media Protest

Middle East Monitor

Saudi women are stepping on the face veils some are made to wear in the conservative kingdom and posting it on social media with the hashtag “the niqab under my foot“. The campaign marks the latest protest against strict dress codes for women in Saudi Arabia, who are required to wear abayas – loose, all-covering […]

Feminism

Syrian Kurdish Women March to End Gender-Based Violence

AFP

Qamishli (Syria) (AFP) – Hundreds of female protesters took to the streets of the Syrian Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli on Sunday to call for an end to violence against women. Some banging large drums and others ululating, they marched through the streets, an AFP correspondent said. “Underage marriage is a crime,” said one sign held […]

Feminism

Keeping Nasty Women out of Textbooks

Gail Ukockis

Satire. (Informed Comment) – In the midst of the current political turmoil, I was both relieved and delighted to read that a Texas education committee had voted to keep Nasty Women such as Hillary Clinton out of the mandatory social studies curriculum. The idea of impressionable children hearing about her pantsuits made me shudder with […]

Feminism

After arrest of Feminists, Saudi Arabia sets Harsh Penalties for Sexual Harassment

AFP

Riyadh (AFP) – Saudi Arabia is preparing to outlaw sexual harassment, officials said Tuesday, less than a month before the conservative kingdom lifts its decades-long ban on women driving. The kingdom’s Shura Council, which advises the cabinet, approved a draft law on Monday which would introduce a prison term of up to five years and […]

Feminism

Israel wins Eurovision with #MeToo inspired song

Daniel Silva

Lisbon (AFP) – Israel won the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon early Sunday after singer Netta Barzilai beat 25 other contestants with her uptempo song “Toy” whose lyrics were inspired by the #MeToo movement. The winning track, which contained refrains such as “I am not your toy, you stupid boy”, summed up the concerns of […]