Saudi Arabia Allows Women in Olympics, But Will Any Qualify?
For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, women from all competing countries will be offered an opportunity to take part in the international event. That’s because the Saudi Arabia...
View ArticleTaliban Publicly Executes Woman Accused of Adultery
Update: Women and men flooded the streets of Kabul Wednesday to protest the public execution of an Afghan woman accused of adultery. The protest included a march from the Afghan Ministry of Women’s...
View ArticleIsraeli and Palestinian Women Defy Checkpoints to Socialize
On a warm Saturday morning, 15 Jewish Israeli women drove their cars into West Bank Palestinian towns and villages. There, more than 30 Palestinian women and children carrying pots of home-cooked food...
View ArticleWhere Are the Global Girl Activists? Don’t Ask
Where are the young women in the fight for global women’s rights? Don’t ask me this stupid question today. Most days I could calmly and politely explain to you where and how young women are doing this...
View ArticleMalala Yousufzai: A Girl and a Country
The Swat Valley In 2007 when the Tehrik-e-Taliban forces marched into the town of Swat, the rest of Pakistan watched, aghast and unbelieving. The town was very popular as a tourist destination, its...
View ArticleNEWSFLASH: Afghan Women’s Affairs Official Murdered
Najia Sediqi, the acting head of women’s affairs in Laghman Province in eastern Afghanistan, was on her way to work on Monday when she was shot to death by two motorcyclists. This is the second time in...
View ArticleBaby Steps Toward Women’s Rights in Saudi Arabia
Women are now allowed to ride bikes in Saudi Arabia —with a few tiny restrictions. They’re only allowed to bike if they are: in a restricted area, with a man, have covered their bodies completely...
View ArticleHats Off (But Dresses On) to Our Kurdish Feminist Brothers
A remarkable and unusual sort of civil disobedience has been triggered in Marivan, a city in the Kurdistan Province of Iran. On April 15, an Iranian court in the city forced a male convict to wear...
View ArticleThe Women of Turkey Won’t Give Up Without A Fight
When tens of thousands in Turkey took to protesting the government, beginning at the end of May, the demographics were astonishing to many global observers: At least half of the protesters are women....
View ArticleFirst Anti-Domestic Violence Campaigns From Saudi Arabia
(Right) @ItsLoosh: “I just fell down the stairs.” (Left) @Anoufenani: “I wish I could tell her.” “Treat her like a queen, not a punching bag.” “He who hits a woman is a coward.” These are some of the...
View ArticlePolicewoman Murdered in Afghanistan; Others Threatened
UPDATE: Five men have been arrested in connection with the shooting death of Lt. Negar. No other details have been made public at this point. Sub-inspector Lt. Negar of the police criminal...
View ArticleOn This International Day of the Girl, Remember Afghanistan
As Nicholas Kristof stated, “Talent is universal; opportunity is not.” On every corner of the earth, there are millions of talented children who are denied getting an education due to war, poverty,...
View ArticleNo Woman, No Drive
It’s not news to most that Saudi Arabia is notorious for taking basic human rights away from its female population. It currently forbids them from traveling abroad, opening a bank account and even from...
View ArticleThe Pakistani Superhero Who’s Battling Polio
In Pakistan, a woman superhero is saving the day on television screens, spreading awareness about women’s issues and fighting for gender equality. Launched last summer, award-winning animation Burka...
View ArticleMasha Hamilton: Amplifying the Voices of Afghan Women
This March, for Women’s History Month, the Ms. Blog is profiling Wonder Women who have made history—and those who are making history right now. Join us each day as we bring you the stories of iconic...
View ArticleAfghanistan’s Women: Safe Enough to Thrive
By Catherine Powell, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon and Hannah Chartoff At a White House press conference in March, U.S. President Barack Obama, standing beside Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, announced that he...
View ArticleDo Women in Muslim Countries Have More Reproductive Freedom than American Women?
When the U.S. House of Representatives voted recently to pass a law that would tighten restrictions on abortions performed after 20 weeks, it followed the lead of state legislators across the country....
View ArticleWomen in Saudi Arabia Register to Vote for the First Time
In 2011, Saudi Arabia’s late King Abdullah officially granted women the right to vote and run in elections starting in 2015. Now, that decree is taking effect and voter registration is beginning across...
View ArticleWheels of Change: Afghan Women Ride Bikes Despite Threats and Opposition
Even before the Taliban ruled in Afghanistan, women were banned from riding bicycles. Though they’re no longer officially banned, women’s cycling is still frowned upon in the conservative country. But...
View ArticleArab Women Defy STEM Stereotypes
This summer, I spent a week in the Persian Gulf state of Abu Dhabi, which is part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). People in the West might know that the Gulf states have a high percentage of...
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