Women of the Middle East
Bringing you the stories of strong, independent women as well as those who have no voice, this column covers news and developments of women's issues throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
The most dangerous myths about women and war
"Sustainable peace is impossible without deliberately engaging women," writes Leigh Cuen in this thought-provoking piece.
Naked activism – is it too much?
This is the story of Amina Tyler, a 19-year old woman who has brewed a storm of controversy in Tunisia. About 10 days ago, she posted two photos of herself topless...
VIDEO: Iranian women's fight against the hijab
Omid Habibinia talked to Jamileh Nedai, an Iranian writer, producer, and director, about women's historical struggle against mandatory hijab in Iran. Jamileh was...
Why don’t men cover their faces?
Yemeni blogger and journalist @HindAleryani tells her intimate story about what's feminine and masculine in the Middle East.
The fight against sexual assault on Tahrir Square
Sexual assaults on women have surged in the vicinity of Cairo’s Tahrir Square in recent months, peaking in scale and brutality on the January 25 protests commemorating...
Lebanese housewives enter the business world
Every morning Mira wakes up, changes her son’s diaper, prepares her daughter for school and makes coffee for her husband. It seems like the typical Lebanese...
Emirati women entrepreneurs need to think bigger
All over the world, female entrepreneurs are contributing to their societies and seizing business opportunities by starting up their own enterprises. Emirati women...
Shani Peleg: of guts and music
Shani Peleg grew up with one certainty – her life had to be about music. At the age of 14, when a cousin got a guitar she immediately demanded her own, and...
The Scream: Yemeni women make their voices heard in documentary
At the peak of the uprising against now ousted Yemeni strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, Khadija al-Salami left her diplomatic post in Paris to film the mass participation...
TEDxBaghdad focuses on women
For Iraqi women, financial circumstances, religious and tribal rules, and social mores can be obstacles to fulfilling their dreams. At last week's TEDxBaghdad, a...
Saudi designer brings the turban back in style
25-year-old Saudi entrepreneur and fashion designer Rand AlBassam has an ambitious goal. She wants to revolutionise the hijab worn by many Muslim women — and...
Islamic feminism: fighting discrimination, inspired by faith
Islamic feminists embrace their faith, culture and tradition while fiercely advocating for legislative reforms and interpretations that reflect a more modern understanding...
Arab women taking the film industry by storm
With the 2012 Doha Tribeca Film Festival still underway, this annual event of the Doha Film Institute, one of the Middle East's largest film festivals is showcasing...
The Free Syrian Army's Superwoman
The uprising in Syria is a subject I wish I could avoid. It is a topic that makes my blood boil, for I still cannot understand how it is humanly possible for the...
Hush breaks the silence of abused Palestinian women
Photographer Samar Hazboun is capturing harrowing first hand accounts of abuse from the West Bank’s only women’s shelter as part of a photo documentary...
Scars of war leads to depression and drug abuse among Iraqi women
Decades of violence in Iraq have taken their toll on the country and its citizens, leading many to do things out of necessity for survival that otherwise would never...
Saudi women in court – better late than never
On October 16th, the Saudi Ministry of Justice ruled that Saudi women will be allowed to plead cases in court (for the first time in Saudi history) beginning next...
Creating an Egypt free of harassment
While it was not long ago that Egyptians were proud of the safety and dignity of their neighborhoods, sexual harassment in the country has now reached a crisis level....
Saudi to allow women lawyers to plead cases in court
Women lawyers in Saudi Arabia will be be allowed to plead cases in court for the first time from next month, according to a justice ministry directive published...
Arab women wage cyber uprising demanding rights
Taking their cue from the Arab Spring, but fearing a backlash from Islamists the uprisings brought to power, Arab cyber activists have embarked on a daring campaign...
The voice of Egypt’s women
“It’s just the beginning”, read one of the power-point slides that introduced a panelist session that would take us, the audience, back to the...
Bedouin women face-to-face with patriarchal culture
Deep in the dusty south of the Negev desert, Bedouin women are working hard to weave their traditional rugs, which are on high demand all over the world. The Lakiya...
A woman in the crossfire
Damascus, March 16, 2011. Samar Yazbek participates in a protest in front of the Interior Ministry building. As soon as she faces the violence brought on by a crackdown...
Comment: Women on the road to political leadership in Tunisia
There are currently 59 women in the Tunisian National Constituent Assembly (NCA), out of the 217 deputies elected last fall to draft a new constitution. These 59...
At Dubai forum, Arab female entrepreneurs are urged to break from traditional choices
There are a number of cultural challenges facing women in the Middle East who want to become entrepreneurs, but those belonging to the middle class face a peculiar...
Response to Mona Eltahawy’s “Why Do They Hate Us?”
Many women are doing incredible things for their gender in the Middle East and in a way, Eltahawy’s article waters down their accomplishments by reinforcing...
The Need to Unleash the Economic Potential of Women in the Middle East
According to the latest Economist Intelligence Unit report “Women’s economic opportunity 2012,” the female labor participation rate in the Middle...
Lebanese parliament fails to protect women from violence
A draft law criminalizing family violence has been seriously distorted by the Lebanese parliament, gender equality campaigners have warned. “We wanted a law...
Too much luxury and little substance at Arab equality forum
Women have occupied a central role in the popular uprisings that have raged across the Arab world in the last year. The faces of political activists like Yemen’s...Women on the frontline, part II: Anna Day, freelance journalist and human rights activist
Your time in Libya this year must have been incredibly fascinating. Did you ever feel uncomfortable or vulnerable as a female journalist reporting from a conflict...Book review: Beirut 39 - New Writing from the Arab World
"We experience the aches and pains of imprisoned freedom like birds in a cage; stifling societies, sexual frustration, corrupt regimes, poverty and illiteracy. And...Women on the fronline, part I: Alex Crawford, Sky News Foreign Correspondent
Alex Crawford’s brave and in-depth coverage of uprisings in Libya has become some of the most famous in the world. In March 2011, during attacks by pro-Gaddafi...The Women Left Behind
“Amira is 17 years-old. Her family was facing dire financial problems, when a man came to her father with an offer to hire Amira for 200 US dollars a month...
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Five inspiring Arab fashion designers
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Saudi opens luxury rehab centre for Al-Qaeda militants
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Atiaf Zaid Alwazir: The flawed media narrative on Yemen
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The ties that bind Obama to Bush run across the Middle East
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Why don’t men cover their faces?
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The Narcicyst and Omar Offendum: Our internationality is our nationality
