· August, 2008

Stories about Women & Gender from August, 2008

Pakistan: On the Hijab

Degrowchyowl from Pakistan on the intricacies of wearing a hijab – as an assertion of identity or as a reminder of one's faith.

31 August 2008

Saudi Arabia: Independent women

While there are no doubt restrictions for women living in Saudi Arabia, they do not necessarily match the oppressive image that many foreigners have of the country. In this post we have advice for women wanting to visit Jeddah alone, a review of a women-only hotel in Riyadh, and a plea to those foreigners who feel they want to speak on behalf of oppressed Saudi women.

29 August 2008

Saudi Arabia: Off the road

Desert Flower, an American Muslim living in Saudi Arabia, is tired of not being permitted to drive: ‘…it gets down right stupid when you have to schedule an appointment to...

27 August 2008

MENA: Veiled Athletes in Beijing

Despite the Saudi Arabia's decision to ban Saudi women from taking part in the Olympics this year, Blogger Dilshad D. Ali writes about the emergence of hijab (veil) at the...

26 August 2008

Arabeyes: The Olympics, Pride, Equality and Hope

Millions around the world were glued to their television screens watching their favourite athletes at this year's Beijing Olympics, which just closed. What did Arab bloggers have to say about the world's premier sporting event and their country teams? Following are a few reactions.

24 August 2008

Breastfeeding in Thailand

absolutelybangkok.com is worried that Thailand has the lowest exclusive breastfeeding rate in Asia and one of the lowest in the world.

24 August 2008

Bahrain: Eyes on Ruqaya Al Ghasra

She may have placed sixth in the qualifying heats and her dreams of becoming the first Gulf Arab woman to run in an Olympic final may be dashed, but Bahrain's Golden runner Ruqaya Al Ghasra has sure created a stir online. A rough start meant that Ghasra, who was Bahrain's flag bearer at the opening ceremony, was eliminated from the women's 200 metres race - but for tens of thousands of Arab and Muslim women - and men - out there, running her heart out fully covered has brought her more than just gold medals.

23 August 2008

China: Victims of Sport

Xueyong traced the fate of two sportswomen, Guo ping and Zhou Chun-Lai, both were medal carriers and suffered from hardship after their retirement in early age. According to statistic, 40%...

22 August 2008