For the first time in many of their lives, Muslim men can’t go to the mosque. They can’t feel the peace and serenity, the connection with God. They must create this for themselves at home, a place that is now a hive of activity; adults home from jobs, children home from school. Muslim men are experiencing, for the first time, what women have come to expect.
Tag: Islam
Rest in Power: Remembering Fatima Mernissi, Acclaimed Moroccan Feminist
Renowned Moroccan sociologist, author and Arab Muslim feminist Fatima Mernissi died on November 30 in Rabat, Morocco. She was 75. Born in 1940 in a harem in Fez to an affluent family, Mernissi attended Quranic and nationalist schools, followed by graduate studies in sociology at Mohammed V University in Rabat, and the Sorbonne. In 1973, […]
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Beyond the Headscarf: Let’s Discuss Social Justice Issues Muslim Women Actually Care About
Reprinted with permission from Bitch Three months ago, I found myself in the middle of an FBI interrogation. Josh*, a white gay male Republican Christian friend of mine who loves Ann Coulter, had never met a single Muslim person until he met me. So, in the summer of 2013, after over a year of communicating […]
H&M: Where Pseudo-Sustainability Meets Diversity Porn
The world’s second largest fashion retailer recently made a deliberate move to attract members of the world’s second largest religion, and people have taken notice. More specifically, H&M featured a Muslim hijabi woman for a split second in this video advertising spot that deftly disguises a sly cost-saving measure as an eco-friendly call for “sustainable fashion.” The […]
We Spleen: Pat Robertson’s Marriage Advice
Pat Robertson has never been a friend of feminists, but he’s just proved that he’s the absolute last person you should go to for marriage advice—unless, of course, you’re looking for an excuse to beat your wife. The televangelist, most notable for denouncing gays and lesbians, linking the destruction of Hurricane Katrina to the legalization […]
France’s New Minister of Women’s Rights Misses the Mark
When newly-elected French President François Hollande appointed Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, 34, to the high-profile positions of minister for women’s rights and spokesperson for the government, Muslims in the nation were optimistic. So optimistic that some polls estimate an astounding 93 percent of French Muslims helped boost Hollande into office. In a new era of socialist administration dedicated to […]
Women and the Egyptian Revolution: An Interview with Mona Eltahawy
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 […]
Breaking the Breast-Cancer Stigma in Saudi Arabia
In October of last year, more than 4,000 women in black abayas topped with pink ponchos gathered together in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to form a giant ribbon in support of breast cancer research–the largest human awareness ribbon to date. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the country–nearly one-quarter of all cancers–so the campaign […]
France’s Sham Veil Ban
On Monday, France’s controversial veil ban went into effect. Backed by President Nicolas Sarkozy, the law does not explicitly mention Islam, but it prohibits the act of covering one’s face in public and would outlaw the full-face veil, or niqab. Offenders must pay a fine of 150 € ($217.47) or take French citizenship classes. Supporters […]
Women on the Frontlines in Bahrain
The Persian Gulf island nation of Bahrain erupted on February 14 when protesters gathered at the “roundabout,” or Pearl Square, in the capital city of Manama. A country of one million, Bahrain’s citizens constitute only half the population, the rest being foreign workers. Tensions are intense between Shias–who constitute 70 percent of all citizens–and the […]