· February, 2009

Stories about Women & Gender from February, 2009

Global: Appointment of Saudi Arabia's First Female Deputy Minister Makes Waves

  16 February 2009

As millions of women the world over marked Valentine’s Day with gifts from their loved ones, one woman - in a country that has banned the holiday and labels it a ‘sin’ - has good reason to never forget February 14, 2009. Meet Noura Al Fayez, teacher extraordinaire, a product of the US education system, who last Saturday became the first ever woman deputy minister in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Eunice del Rosario round up local and international reactions to the appointment.

Barbados, Grenada: Domestic Violence

  16 February 2009

Ongoing attention to the Rihanna/Chris Brown incident prompts Blah Bloh Blog [Grenada] and Barbados Underground to focus on the issue of domestic violence in the Caribbean.

Armenia: Be Free

  16 February 2009

Unzipped: Gay Armenia says that while the voice and music of local singer Shprot might be nothing remarkable, her performances are. Challenging traditional notions of gender, sexuality, religion and nationality in the South Caucasus country, the blog says that the controversial singer's message is one that all Armenians should take...

Lebanon: A Civil Marriage Valentine

  15 February 2009

Renewed calls for Lebanon to allow civil marriages were made in a Valentine ceremony at a Beirut bar over the weekend. Several inter-religious couples staged mock weddings at a bar in Beirut's trendy Gemmayze district to protest the country's stiff marriage laws. Antoun Issa has more in this post.

Egypt's Leading Women

  14 February 2009

Egyptian women, like many other women, have great potential once they unleash their power. Eva habil, Passant Refaat, and Radwa Saad El Din are three women who took the lead in three different fields. Marwa Rakha has more in this round up from Egypt's blogs.

Indonesia: Divorce and polygamy

  14 February 2009

I feel guilty writing about divorce and polygamy on Valentine’s Day. But these two unmentionable topics are also realities of love and relationships. In Indonesia, more women are divorcing their husbands because of polygamy.

India: The Pink Underwear Resistance

  13 February 2009

In some parts of India, celebrating Valentine's Day could be considered harmful to women's and couple's health, as Morality Police decide to hunt down couples and women that may be holding hands or in pubs. The Pink Chaddi campaign is a step towards demonstrating that women can and will take matters into their own hands to make sure the situation changes.

Egypt: Bloggers Rally Against Sexual Predators

  13 February 2009

Sexual harassment makes the headlines of Egyptian blogs once again after a blogger was harassed on the street by a group of young men, high on hash. Marwa Rakha reviews reactions from the blogs, who are urging the blogger not to drop charges and fight for the rights of women and children attacked by sexual predators.

Barbados: Supporting Rihanna

  12 February 2009

Living in Barbados says that Rihanna's assault “is deeply felt here as a personal beating up on many individuals”, while Cheese-on-Bread! learns that “Rihanna is back home to recover from the trauma of the past few days.”

Jamaica: Dancehall Ban

  12 February 2009

Following the broadcast ban on Rampin Shop and other sexually explicit songs, Raw Politics…Jamaica Style! thinks that dancehall must rehabilitate its public image, while Long Bench believes that while the ban should have been enforced a long time ago, now it's being done “for the wrong reasons, and under the...

Philippines: Baro At Saya

  11 February 2009

One Sixth Sense posts photos of a doll donning different variations of the baro at saya, the Philippine national dress.

Oman: New Job

  11 February 2009

Paradise in Me, from Oman, writes about her first few days in her new job in this post. “A lot of fainting, morning sickness, food, weird craving absent minded pregnant women is what I surround myself with for average 8 hours a day,” she explains.

Pakistan: Using Radio To Spread Fundamentalism

  11 February 2009

Ambreen Kazmi at Chowrangi reports that a cleric in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan is using FM radio to influence the minds of an illiterate society especially the women, who are largely his listeners.

Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival is Woman

  11 February 2009

Another great podcast from Trinidad's Caribbean Free Radio, where Georgia Popplewell and the 3 Canal crew talk about everything from the role of women in Carnival to the “fine line between self expression and censorship”.

Trinidad & Tobago: Dead Dead Wine

  10 February 2009

“It has never before struck me how much wining was a thing of beauty until I am confronted with its recently acquired ugliness”: Attillah Springer is afraid that “the death of the wine is a dire and desperate indication of the weakness of our collective Trini backbone.”