Stories about Women & Gender from February, 2008
Poland: Giertych's Fear of Feminism
The beatroot reports on Maciej Giertych's fear of feminism.
Saudi Diplomacy
Saudi blogger Saudi Jeans discusses a talk by Saudi King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies head Prince Turki Al Faisal on Saudi diplomacy.
Sri Lanka: On Marriage
Me & Me Blog from Sri Lanka on why marriage is an outdated concept.
Iraq: New Crush
Iraqi blogger Abbas Howazin has a new crush. Click here to check out who the dumb girl he can't take his eyes off is.
Brazil: Sexual tourism, dreams-come-true, sour goodbyes and illegality
Sandra Paulsen writes[PT] from Stockholm at Blog do Noblat[PT] about Swedish sexual tourism in Brazil and Tailand and sad stories about Brazilian women that travel back with their “boyfriends” to their home Sweden, just to face a hard and bitter break-up and illegality in a foreign and lawful land. Blog...
Barbados, Jamaica: Abortion Debate
Blogging from Barbados, Gallimaufry draws attention to the issue of legalising abortions in the Caribbean.
India: Changing names
A range of gender issues at Mumbai Girl – from changing names once married to the idea of skimpy clothes being provocative.
Armenia: Women March for Ter-Petrossian
The Armenian Patchwork posts photographs of yesterday's march by female supporters of former president Levon Ter-Petrossian following last week's disputed presidential election in Armenia. Meanwhile, reporting on the same rally, my Armenia Election Monitor 2008 revisits the Babe Theory of Democratic Movements.
Kuwait: Power and No Style
Thouq from Kuwait posts the pictures of three gulf politicians, two from Kuwait and one from Bahrain, comments: “With all respect to all our brave women working in politics: you certainly have power, but not style!”
Bahrain: Wise beyond her years?
Bahraini blogger emoodz questions the appointment of a female judge – who only graduated in 2005.
Morocco: Hijab as a Choice
Much has been said about "the veil," or hijab. Perhaps too much - mention it, and suddenly everyone - Muslim or not - is an expert. In Morocco, hijab is certainly a choice. Young and old alike don the headscarf, and in big cities, seeing it is as common as not seeing it. Although in rural areas it is more prevalent, all women have (legal) freedom of choice whether or not to wear it.
Middle East: Wishing Kosovo all the Best!
Bloggers and some politicians in the Middle East were quick to draw parallels between Kosovo's independence from Serbia and the Palestine Question. Following the news from the Balkans, here's a snapshot of more reactions from Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Barbados: Hair Them Out
“Why should these young men be barred from finishing their studies and leading productive lives because they made a hairstyle choice?”: Cheese-on-bread! blogs about the latest controversy in Barbados – students being banned from classes because of how they choose to wear their hair.
Iran:14-Year-Old Girl Stoned to Death by Father
According to[Fa] Varesh, the authorities say that when a man found out about his 14 years old daughter’s relationship with a boy, he took her to the mountains around the city of Zahedan in Iran and killed her by stoning.Read more in English here.
Turkey: Hijab Ban Lifted
Erkan's field diary discusses Turkey's lifting of the headscarf (Hijab) ban in his country.
Ethiopia: On Afar women
Zenobia review an article by The Telegraph about female genital mutilation in Ethiopia: “The Telegraph did an article about Afar women , female genital cutting (FMC) and their “life of drudgery” as they called it, but neglected to mention how successive Ethiopian regimes have done little to develop their desperately...
Uganda: Bloggers tangle with mainstream media
The blogren had their collective eye on Uganda's mainstream media this week. One blogger "treads where the brave dare not go" by posting photos from a tragedy near the capital, while another criticizes the government paper for its seeming support of rapists.
Somalia: Can a hijab-wearing blogger get a respectable job in the US?
This is our second roundup of Somali blogs discussing various topics including Somali politics, the challenges of wearing a hijab in the United States and the first Somali female pilot.
Saudi Arabia: No Coffee for Women
From Saudi Arabia, Lalla Mona posts two pictures of signs: one from 1931 America which says “Public Swimming Pool: Whites Only” and the second from modern day Saudi Arabia which says “Following the directives of The Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, offering coffee to women in...
South Asia: Against domestic violence
Out Against Abuse – dedicated to discussing issues of domestic violence affecting the South Asian community urges readers to share their stories.
