Here is a nice piece from HuffPo that tries to understand why Muslim women wear the hijab. I think it is still a bit essentializing, but overall is very good.
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Child Marriage in Arabia
Brian’s comments are spot on. What is this reform of which you speak? After public outcry over the marriage of an 8-year-old to a 50-year-old, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Justice has vowed action: “The justice ministry aims to put an end to arbitrariness by parents and guardians in marrying off minor girls’, Justice Minister Mohammad Al Eisa told Al Watan newspaper, partially owned by members of the royal family… “The minister’s comments suggested the practice of marrying off young girls would not be abolished. The regulations will seek to ‘preserve the rights, fending off blights to end the negative aspects…
More on Women and the Veil
This one is an interesting take on a non-Muslim woman who has to wear the veil in Saudi Arabia. I’m curious about somethings. Towards the end, she is on the sidewalk unattended by a male. Is that not a problem? She can’t be in the bank with her male escort, so she’s left unescorted outside? Also, isn’t the abaya supposed to be the thing that hides women? Are they be veiled and separated in a different room? I know all these things intellectually, but to read her story helps to highlight the contradictions. Technorati Tags: veil, Saudi Arabia, women in…
Irtiqa: Blogging from Pakistan: Female Cabbie and “Firefly” video
Irtiqa: Blogging from Pakistan: Female Cabbie and “Firefly” video. The article provides just a glimpse of the class and gender struggles in Pakistan. But then again, Pakistan has a history of amazing women leading from the front on issues of human rights and gender equality, and now even the blasphemy law (for example, the indomitable Asma Jahangir, Mukhtaran Mai, Shereen Rehman, etc.).