This week, a cover story in Foreign Policy magazine, “Why Do They Hate Us?”, ignited an explosion of praise, criticism and feverish discussion about women’s rights and gender equality in the Arab world. The piece elicited responses from across the globe and the political spectrum, cracking open one of the region’s most pressing issues–one that […]
Arab Spring
Moroccan Spring Kindles Push for Women’s Rights
Rabat, Morocco. Zineb Belmkaddem hadn’t ever given much serious thought to political activism. She didn’t believe she could really change things. Then came the uprisings in nearby Tunisia. “I was in awe and shocked that young Arab people can actually do something to change the political scene,” said 27-year-old Belmkaddem in a cafe here earlier […]
A Muslim Sister in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood: Feminist Friend or Foe?
Azza El Garf, a prominent figure in the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Islamist group the Muslim Brotherhood, offers a profile in political contradiction. She shares her party’s family-first view of a woman’s place, but at the same time plays a pioneering role in the minuscule minority–just 1 percent–of women serving in the country’s post-revolution houses of parliament.
Egyptian Women Rally Around “The Girl in the #BlueBra”
This week, the world saw just how brutal the Egyptian military can be towards women who dissent. A video, which has gone viral, shows military police dragging a hijab-clad woman protester through the street, beating her senseless, then stomping on her exposed stomach as she lies motionless in her blue bra. That image has become […]
Sexual Assault of Mona Eltahawy Marks Uncertain Times for Egyptian Women
At dawn on Thursday in Cairo, award-winning Egyptian American journalist and feminist Mona Eltahawy tweeted: Beaten arrested in interior ministry And then… silence. After hours of #FreeMona trending on Twitter, Eltahawy emerged from Egyptian state custody with the defiant tweet: “I AM FREE.” Via tweets, Eltahawy began describing in chilling detail her horrific ordeal with the […]
How Will Women Fare in Morocco’s Pivotal Election?
In Morocco’s closely watched legislative elections today, polls have closed and votes are being counted. The results will prove a critical test of the new constitution, passed in July, which promised women more legislative capacity and more policymaking access. The July constitution sprung out of renewed demands for democratic change from Moroccan women and men […]
Egypt’s First Woman Candidate Begins Campaign
When post-revolution Egypt holds presidential elections next year, Bothaina Kamel is set to become the first woman in the country’s modern history to run for the highest office. Although she knows her chances of winning are slim to none, she says she’s doing it out of principle. “I intend to run for president to show […]
And the Nobel Goes To … Women’s Rights
When it comes to honoring women, the Nobel Peace Prize committee has some catching up to do. Since 1901 when the first Peace Prize was given, only 12 of the 121 awardees have been female. But today, the female-to-male percentage rose from just over 9 percent to a nice round 12 percent, as three women–all […]
Newsflash: King Abdullah Grants Saudi Women the Right to Vote–In 2015
On Sunday, 87-year-old King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia announced plans to allow women to vote, run for office in local elections and serve on the Shura Council, the 150-member king’s advisory board. However, the changes won’t take place until 2015, and some skeptics think the king will rescind the order by then. Regardless, the move […]
Women @ Africa’s Tech Revolution
Much digital ink has been spilled on the cultural impact of technology. People have been, ahem, atwitter about the use of social media in the so-named “Arab Spring.” Technology companies now have their eyes on the African continent as the next big market. Young people are key to Africa’s technology revolution. With 70 percent of the population under 30, the U.N. […]