The idea of Saudi Arabia marketing itself as the new face of feminism in the Arab world is, in a word, obscene. In reality, despite some recent changes, Saudi women are still struggling for even the most basic of human rights.
Tag: Middle East
Picturing Women, Picturing Dissent: The Moroccan Photographer Breaking Barriers—Inside the Museum and Out
As the Moroccan government has increased repression of journalists, activists and artists who challenge norms, Moroccan photographer Fatima Zohra Serri continues creating work that makes women’s bodies and experiences visible, from menstruation to marriage to street harassment.
Nasrin Sotoudeh’s Latest Dispatch from Prison to the U.N. Is a Desperate Plea
At some risk to herself and her family, Iranian human rights attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh has written a letter to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres sounding the alarm about rampant executions in Iran.
“Hell on Earth”: Feminist Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh Returned to Iran’s Qarchak Prison
On Wednesday, as celebrations erupted around the world in response to the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Nasrin Sotoudeh, the Iranian human rights attorney, was quietly moved back to Qarchak women’s prison—known as one of the worst and most harrowing carceral institutions in the world—after a brief respite in the hospital where she was seeking medical care.
The Ms. Q&A: Ziauddin Yousafzai’s Giving Girls Around the World Every Opportunity a Boy Would Have
Ziauddin joined Malala Yousafzai in creating the Malala Fund for girls education.
“I was encouraging Malala not just to be an educated girl, but to be a girl who is a girl known by her own name.”
The Ms. Q&A: Nobel Laureate Nadia Murad Fights for Justice for Yazidi People and for Survivors of Sexual Violence
Nadia Murad is a survivor. In 2014, when she was just 19 years old, ISIS militants carried out a genocide against her Yazidi community, a minority group of 500,000 people in Northern Iraq.
Today, Murad is working to bring ISIS to justice for their genocide against the Yazidi community and rebuild what ISIS destroyed in Iraq through her organization Nadia’s Initiative.
Qatar and Us: The Violation of Women’s Bodies Has a Long History Among Western Nations
After multiple women were subject to invasive physical examinations after a newborn infant was found in the trash in Hamad International Airport in Qatar, it was framed as a one-off example of a human rights violation.
What those women endured in Qatar was horrifying, but the practice is one with a long global history.
“Governments should be as outraged at the conduct of the United States and their ongoing invasive and unnecessary inspections of female genitalia as they are at Qatar.”
Nasrin Sotoudeh, Iranian Women’s Rights Attorney, Freed from Prison After Two Years
In a huge victory, Iranian women’s rights attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh—jailed two years ago on bogus spying and propaganda charges—has been temporarily released from Qarchak prison on medical leave.
Sotoudeh’s release is due in large part to international pressure from the tireless efforts of activists and human rights groups.
“Nasrin”: Speaking to the World From a Prison in Iran
Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent human rights attorney in Iran, was arrested and sentenced to 38 years and 148 lashes. Her crime? Defending the rights of women.
Later this month, the documentary “Nasrin” will be released. Shot by filmmakers inside Iran who quite literally risked their lives to capture the footage, the film is a powerful homage to a woman who has suffered the most extreme consequences of laws that she has worked hard to change.
Afghanistan Will Now Include Mothers’ Names in Children’s Birth Certificates
Afghan mothers will have their names printed on their children’s national identity cards, thanks to the #WhereIsMyName campaign, which challenged taboos around women’s names.
President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday signed into law an amendment long sought by women’s rights campaigners.
Until now, Afghan law dictated that only the father’s name should be recorded on ID cards.
Using a woman’s name in public in Afghanistan is traditionally frowned upon and can be considered an insult.