· July, 2007

Stories about Women & Gender from July, 2007

Palestine: Palestinians Celebrate Alan Johnston's Release

From the sad news of a death of a 31-year-old mother waiting to cross into Palestine from the Rafah Crossing to celebrations over the release of kidnapped BBC journalist Alan Johnston, Palestinian blogs this week are abuzz with activity. Ayesha Saldanha reports how one Canadian-Palestinian blogger is ashamed to be an Arab and how another expresses her disbelief at how veiled women are being discriminated against in Jordan.

Bahrain: Wearing Hijab Part-Time

There is one subject that unites everyone living in Bahrain: traffic congestion. In the last few years, the roads on the island have become clogged by the weight of traffic, and roadbuilding to relieve that congestion in the long term is making it far worse in the short term. Every single person has a story of frustration to tell, writes Ayesha Saldanha. Wearing a part-time Hijab, professionals ending up in the wrong jobs and the perks people get in summer are other topics discussed.

Korea: Advantages for Servicemen in Civil Service Exams?

  7 July 2007

As I wrote in an earlier posting, military service is a sensitive issue in Korea. Recently, a lawyer became a hero in Korea through his outspoken comments about these two issues. Recently, the government considered adding two points to civil service exam results for those male candidates who had gone...

Russia: Cheerleaders

The Accidental Russophile attempts to sound “intellectual” as he posts pictures of the Russian cheerleaders. Siberian Light points out in a comment that some of these cheerleaders “haven't quite figured out where to put the kneepads yet…”

India: Stripping on the street

  6 July 2007

To Each Its Own on a woman who had to strip down to her undergarments to ensure cops took notice of her grievances related to dowry demands from her husband and in laws.

Jordan: Are Books Too Expensive?

“You see a girl, wearing fashionable clothes, driving a brand new car, carrying the latest mobile phones, going out often, spending money here and there, yet when it comes to books, 8 JD's is too much!!” writes Ola Eliwat from Jordan.

Arabeyes: Hamas and Fatah Dig Up Some Dirt

The war between Fatah and Hamas has just got dirtier, 33 Muslim Brotherhood students are arrested in Egypt, a video sheds light on how all the different hues of Egyptians are really one, an exhausting wedding in Saudi and the appearance of a dead grandmother in a dream are just some of the goodies in store for us in this week's Arabic translation of blogs.