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Women, feminism and Islam

 

©2006 K. Diab

The position of Muslim women is a complex and varies greatly from country to country, from group to group and even from person to person.

 

Many of the issues facing Muslim women are familiar to women everywhere – the difference is often a question of degree. What is clear is that debate, dialogue and reform are sorely needed if Muslim women are to attain the equality they deserve.

 

This special focus delves into some of the issues facing Muslim women and seeks to hear the voice of society’s more silent half.

 

The virginity dialogues

January 2008 – How Egypt’s obsession with sex and virginity relates to the broader socio-economic picture. Read on

 

Inside an American harem

November 2007 – Forget the ‘mystical’ East. In the 21st century, the harem meets the American dream. Read on

 

Empowering the average Mo

November 2007 – In the traditional Arab mindset, men who do not fit the conventional ideal of manhood are regarded as inferior. Read on

 

Femme caramel

October 2007 – A film set in a Beirut beauty salon holds up a funny and endearing mirror to the love lives of a group of Lebanese women. Read on

 

Love is blind…

September 2007 – Intermarriage often gets a bad press. But you just can't beat fusion love. Read on

 

Scars that refuse to heal

September 2007 – Female genital mutilation is on Egypt's political agenda again, after the death of two young girls. But can legislation banish it? Read on

 

Testing times

June 2007 – Across Europe, the real challenge when dealing with minority groups is not integration but marginalisation. Read on

 

A war on error

June 2007 – It is time to dispel the myths surrounding Muslims – namely, that we are all terrorist anti-feminist teetotallers. Read on

 

A war on error (2)

June 2007 – It is time to dispel the myths that conservative Muslims often propagate about 'the west'. Read on

 
International Women’s Day –

A tale of two sisters

March 2007 – To mark International Women’s Day (8 March), Khaled Diab reflects on the status of women in Egypt. Read on

 

Under the veil of sexuality

December 2006 – In modern-day Muslim societies, the struggle for greater sexual liberty is hampered by social taboo. Two recent titles attempt to remove the veil of modesty and secrecy surrounding homosexuality and the oft-neglected issue of female sexuality. They deliver surprises both to critics and defenders of Islam. Read on
 
Pitch gender battles in Iran

October 2006 – Jafar Panahi’s Offside is a football film that is about almost everything but the beautiful game. It is onside and on target when it comes to providing a farcical and perceptive insight into the position of women in contemporary Iranian society. Read on

Het stadium is geen plaats voor vrouwen!

‘Offside’ van de regisseur Jafar Panahi is een voetbalfilm die bijna alle onderwerpen behandelt behalve het spel. De film biedt een lachwekkend en diepgaand inzicht, een schot op doel, in de positie van de vrouw in de hedendaagse Iraanse samenleving. Lees meer

 
More to life than window dressing

August 2006 – Badra Djait, an advisor to Flemish integration minister Marino Keulen, was born and raised among Gent’s small but close-knit Algerian community. Here, she recounts what it was like growing up as a woman in two cultures and traditions. Read on

Het pad naar persoonlijke onafhankelijkheid
Badra Djait, een adviseur van Vlaams Minister van Inburgering Marino Keulen, is in Gent geboren en opgegroeid als een lid van de kleine en hechte Algerijnse gemeenschap daar. Hier, vertelt ze haar ervaring als een vrouw die leeft tussen twee culturen. Lees meer 

 

Dutch government limps on

July 2006 – The ruling Dutch centre-right coalition has decided to limp on to early elections in November after shooting itself in the foot with its hardline immigration policy that almost cost one of its parliamentarians – the controversial Ayaan Hirsi Ali – her Dutch nationality. Read on

 

Out but not down

May 2006 – Caught between a rock and her own hard line, the outspoken Ayaan Hirsi Ali is being stripped of her Dutch nationality and has been forced to give up her seat at the Dutch parliament following allegations of identity fraud. Read on

 
Conversion is not a crime

December 2005 – Muriel Degauque has the dubious distinction of being the first white European female suicide bomber. Shocking as this is, suggestions that we have reached a dangerous turning point and that converts are brainwashed fanatics and their partners are comic-book villains are unfair to the vast majority of converts and to non-converts married to Muslims. Read on

 

A woman’s handbook to Yemen

By Katleen Maes

July 2005 – In the first of a two-part series, Katleen Maes recounts her experiences travelling alone through the mysterious man’s world of Yemen. Read on

 

Why anti-religious dress codes are no road to liberty

February 2004 – The French government has proposed a law that will ban Muslim girls from wearing headscarves in school. Such a ban will not help the cause of multicultural tolerance in the EU. Read on

 
Veiled intentions

January 2004 – Some prominent politicians – first in France and now in Belgium – are calling for Islamic headscarves to be banned in schools. Rather than simply guaranteeing the separation of church and state, such a ban is more likely to alienate the Muslim community – particularly women – and harm multiculturalism. Read on

 

Peace unto womankind

March 2000 – March 8th is International Women’s Day. However, this year it is planned to be more than just a symbolic gesture. Read on

 

A question of individuality

February 2000 – A compromise has been reached on the personal status law that will give Egyptian women some long-awaited rights, but raises questions on how long it will take for more reform to occur. Read on

 

 

 

 

ã2006 K. Diab. Unless otherwise stated, all the content on this website is the copyright of Khaled Diab.