Middle East

A region of 18 countries extending from Egypt to Iran, including the Arabian Peninsula and Turkey. The greater Middle East and North African (MENA) region also includes countries in northern and east Africa and east of Iran. Some European countries north of Iran are often associated with the Middle East because of socio-political reasons.

With War Escalating, Iranian Political Prisoners Demand Their Release—Before it’s too Late

As Israel’s military campaign escalates and air raid sirens sound over Tehran, prisoners like by Reza Khandan, husband of renowned human rights attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh, are sounding an alarm of their own. Citing existing Iranian legal codes, they make an urgent, clear-eyed case for the immediate release of non-violent inmates—many of whom are political prisoners or behind bars for peaceful dissent. With bombs falling nearby, and prison facilities ill-equipped to safeguard detainees, their letter warns that inaction could turn incarceration into a death sentence.

From Natural Process to Nightmare: How Gaza’s Women and Girls Cope With Their Periods in a War Zone

Since March 2, 2025, Israel has imposed a total aid blockade on Gaza that has caused the complete depletion of hygiene supplies, including sanitary pads for menstrual health. Almost 90 percent of water and sanitation infrastructure in Gaza has been either destroyed or partially damaged, and fuel for water pumping and distributions has now run out. 

As nine in 10 households face severe water shortages, women and girls are forced to manage their periods without clean water, soap, supplies or even privacy. Many now describe menstruation as a source of anxiety and isolation.

One adolescent girl expressed the deep frustration and helplessness so many feel: “Every time my period comes, I wish I weren’t a girl.”

Worldwide, Many Women Relied on the U.S. for Financial Support. This Afghan Woman Dares to Speak Out.

I’ve been writing for decades about America’s on-again-off-again support for the reproductive healthcare of women around the world, focusing on the Republican presidents who have slashed funding and jeopardized women’s lives.

When I spoke by phone to Seema Ghani in February, there was something more. Unlike many women I had reached out to this year in countries that have relied on the United States for financial support, Ghani was not afraid to speak to me—even though her homeland, Afghanistan, is the world’s most oppressive for women.

Sundance 2025: Timely, Incisive and With Unexpected Humor, ‘Coexistence, My Ass!’ Offers a Singular Perspective on Conflict in the Middle East

Coexistence, My Ass!—which received a World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression at Sundance this year—chronicles five years in the life and work of activist and standup comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi.

Born to Romanian and Iranian Jewish parents, Shuster-Eliassi grew up in the Oasis of Peace, also known as Neve Shalom (in Hebrew) and Wahat al-Sallam (in Arabic), a social experiment in the form of a small village where Palestinians and Jews live intentionally as neighbors, and their children attend a bilingual school where they take classes on peacebuilding.

But Coexistence, My Ass! is far from a myopic biography of one activist comedian; instead, it becomes something much more expansive. The film encapsulates the deep complexities, horrors and challenges of the crisis in the Middle East and the conundrums of peacebuilding facing its many interlocuters without coming across as either naïve or completely hopeless.

Afghan Women Are Trapped Between Two Prisons: Home and Society

“Hopelessness echoes from their [Afghan women’s] voices.”

Since the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in 2021, Afghan women have been systematically erased from education, employment, and public life, making Afghanistan the only country where girls above sixth grade are barred from school. Once vital contributors to the nation’s progress, women are now trapped in a cycle of oppression that not only devastates their futures but also weakens Afghanistan’s economy and global standing. The world must take urgent action to combat this gender apartheid and support Afghan women in their fight for basic human rights.

Wombs for Hire: Inside Europe’s Underground Surrogacy Networks

and

The legal landscape of surrogacy remains a complex patchwork across nations, with some countries embracing it while others maintain strict prohibitions. This inconsistency in regulations has created gray areas.

Scientific research highlights the possibility of abuse arising from gaps in legal frameworks and disputes, whether surrogacy is legal or not. It points to unethical practices such as trafficking of women, coercion of both surrogates and prospective parents by agencies, lack of respect for bodily autonomy or informed consent, ‘sham’ procedures and multiple embryo exchanges.

Amid this contentious landscape, the European Parliament Council took decisive action on Jan. 23, 2024, reaching a provisional agreement to classify exploitative surrogacy practices as human trafficking. The measure was formally adopted on May 27, 2024. The new framework imposes strict penalties on those who exploit women through forced surrogacy or deceptive practices, while establishing comprehensive support systems for victims. E.U. member states must implement these protections into their national legislation within two years.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio Will Be a Disaster for Women

and

On Wednesday, Marco Rubio appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing as the next secretary of state. Rubio is expected to be confirmed without any serious opposition, thanks to the rarity of Cabinet nominee rejections and public support for Rubio, even among Democratic senators. (Rubio served for years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as a senator from Florida, and Democrats like Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Cory Booker of New Jersey greeted him warmly on Wednesday.)

But make no mistake—Rubio’s history of hostility toward reproductive autonomy and his recent embrace of “America First” nationalism heralds a State Department that decimates women’s health, human rights and well-being.

‘The Women Are Talking!’ Up Close and Personal With Women World Leaders at the 2024 Reykjavík Global Forum

Every November, political and community leaders from around the world bundle up and head to Reykjavík, Iceland, for the annual Reykjavík Global Forum on women’s representation and leadership, a beautifully curated, invitation-only opportunity to discuss our world’s most pressing issues, from a woman’s perspective.

This year, I not only had the opportunity to attend but also to sit down for a private conversation with three absolute legends: Mary Robinson, President of Ireland (1990-1997), Dr. Michelle Harrison, CEO of Verian and the Reykjavik Index for Leadership, and Senator Donna Dasko (Canada). Pull up a chair and join me to hear what these powerhouse women leaders have to say.

‘When Power Curdles Into Violence’: Escaping the Tradwife Lifestyle

Brides shouldn’t be thinking about homework just before their wedding day. But when I entered into an arranged marriage with a 28-year-old stranger, I was still just a 17-year-old girl who loved her private British school and her books and cricket—and so I found myself thinking about a creative-writing assignment I had recently finished. I’d written a story about a young woman who wore jewelry in the shapes of snakes. I wrote that they suddenly came to life and they slithered up to her throat, strangling her. 

As someone who was forced into a life I never chose, I am appalled that women, who are more empowered than ever, are effectively choosing a life without choice—putting themselves in a prison of their own making.