Stories about Women & Gender from September, 2009
Egyptians React to the Sudanese “Sin”
Sudanese UN female employee Lubna Hussein faced threats of imprisonment and flogging for the “sin” of wearing trousers in Khartoum - and her saga is far from over. Marwa Rakha sums up the reactions of Egyptian bloggers in this post.
Arab Women… Minors Until They Die
Though blessed with inner strength that enables them to deal with the shackles of their culture, some Arab women are dealt with as minors who will never reap the fruits of adulthood. Marwa Rakha brings us the voices of two bloggers who dared to speak up.
Azerbaijan: 9/11 and Islam
A day before posting, Scary Azeri tweeted that she needed to sleep on today's entry for the anniversary of 9/11. To mark the tragic event, the blogger takes a look at perceptions towards Islam in Azerbaijan and the U.K.
Indian Bloggers Confront Street Harassment
“Eve-teasing” is a term that is used in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh for sexual harassment or molestation in the street. The Blank Noise Project, which was started by an art student six years ago, aims to confront street harassment and change public perceptions of it.
Lebanon: Express Mail
The Arab Observer reviews Bareed Mista3jil, a new book published by Lebanon's lesbian support group Meem. The book, available in Arabic and English, presents the personal testimonies of 41 lesbians and queer women from all over Lebanon.
Bahamas: International Literacy Day
Bahamian bloggers Womanish Words and tings mash dedicate their posts to the marking of UNESCO’s International Literacy Day.
Venezuela: Another Miss Universe Crown
Miss Venezuela was selected as winner of the 2009 Miss Universe beauty pageant. Even though many Venezuelans are proud of the accomplishment, some bloggers question what this says about their own society.
Bhutan: Women As Executives
As a matriarchal society Bhutan has the least amount of discrimination against women among all the countries in South Asia. Considering that Tshering Tobgay wonders why Bhutanese women are not usually seen in the executive role or in any top position.
Philippines: Living with HIV
Blogs are increasingly being used in the Philippines to narrate the personal struggles of young Filipinos who tested positive with HIV. This promotes conversation among young people and it helps spread awareness about the reality of HIV/AIDS in the country.
Jamaica: The Beauty Battle
Although Long Bench is not a fan of beauty pageants, she finds “some of the criticisms about this year’s selection rather disingenuous and void of basic historical perspective. To suggest that a light-skinned woman is not authentically Jamaican – ie. is a foreigner – and therefore should not even be...
Jamaica, U.S.A., Canada: Health Care
Jamaican diaspora blogger Pamela Mordecai examines U.S. President Obama's health care plan and says of the controversial abortion issue: “If we truly want women not to have abortions, what we must do is create a social, economic, and moral context that will encourage them to keep their babies.”
Morocco: Four Perspectives on Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is defined by intimidation, bullying, or coercion of a sexual nature and is, by all accounts, something that happens the world over. Of late, bloggers in Morocco have been assessing the situation, where they offer a variety of perspectives on the issue.
