Muslim women

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Saudi Women Learn to Sell Bras—But Still Can't

Women push for the right to work in underwear shops

(Newser) - Two dozen Saudi women are pushing change in Saudi Arabia, one underwear at a time. The graduates of the first lingerie class in the kingdom—where women can't sell such products—learned essentials such as how to measure bra sizes during the 10-day class. An Australian woman taught the course,...

Burka Is 'Not Welcome' in France: Sarkozy

Prez says religious covering a sign of female 'subservience'

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy today spoke out strongly against Islamic coverings for women, like the burka, the BBC reports. In a rare speech to parliament, which is considering a ban, the French president said, “we cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting. … The burka...

France Considers Burka Ban
 France Considers Burka Ban 

France Considers Burka Ban

(Newser) - France’s parliament is making noises about banning head-to-toe Islamic women’s dress such as the burka and niqab, the Times of London reports. Opponents called the the dress “a moving prison” and a “tomb," and say it's cropping up more in big cities. If the burka...

Obama the Messiah Twists History
Obama the Messiah
Twists History
OPINION

Obama the Messiah Twists History

Hovering from on high, he finds fault with US: Krauthammer

(Newser) - "He's sort of God," a Newsweek writer said of Barack Obama on MSNBC recently, which for Charles Krauthammer is only a mild overstatement of how the president sees himself: "hovering above mere mortals, mere country, to gaze benignly upon the darkling plain beneath him." In his...

This Woman May Take Down Ahmadinejad

Wife of reformist candidate strikes a blow in Iran

(Newser) - Tomorrow Iran goes to the polls in a critical presidential election that could see Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tossed out of office. As Der Spiegel reports, Mir Hossein Mousavi, a former prime minister with a reputation for clean governance, is riding a wave of support—thanks in part to his wife, a...

CIA Official Accused of Raping Two Muslim Women

Station chief in Algeria under investigation

(Newser) - A CIA station chief in Algeria is under investigation for allegedly raping two Muslim women after knocking them unconscious with date-rape drugs, ABC News reports. The agency sent him back to the US in October after the women came forward a month earlier about the separate attacks. The allegations surface...

Egyptian Man Gets Hard Labor for Groping

Landmark case eggs Cairo women to report rampant teasing

(Newser) - Women face rampant harassment on Cairo's streets—83% of Egyptians and 98% of foreigners say they've been groped, hassled, or assaulted—but the 3% who go to the cops are usually met with indifference. A landmark case in which a man got 3 years of hard labor for reaching out...

Girl Group Rocks Saudi Taboos
 Girl Group Rocks Saudi Taboos 

Girl Group Rocks Saudi Taboos

The Accolade still underground but gaining popularity as youth push boundaries

(Newser) - The Accolade sounds like a typical female rock band: Its members have teased hair and facial piercings, and their clothing shocks passers-by as they tell a New York Times reporter about their new song with lyrics about a failed relationship. But the Accolade’s home base is conservative Saudi Arabia,...

French Muslims Find Freedom in Catholic Schools

Students get better education, and allowed to wear headscarf

(Newser) - France has Western Europe's largest Muslim population, but its strict separation of church and state means that Muslim girls are forbidden from wearing the headscarves in public schools. In response, many Muslims have turned to an unlikely solution: the nation's large network of Catholic schools. "There is respect for...

Oprah Stirs Saudi Women
 Oprah Stirs Saudi Women 

Oprah Stirs Saudi Women

Star's message of empowerment hits home in male-controlled kingdom

(Newser) - The Oprah Winfrey Show has become a Saudi sensation, giving hope to women isolated in their homes with the talk show queen to keep them company, reports the New York Times.  Women in the conservative kingdom are delighted to see Oprah tackle taboo subjects like sex and race. Many...

Koran More Feminist Than Bible: Scholar

Muslim text 'more modern' than Christian regarding women

(Newser) - Certain passages in the Koran give women more freedoms than the Bible, a Dutch philosopher tells Radio Free Netherlands. On the site bibleandkoran.net, Marlies ter Borg compares texts on economic independence, marriage, and divorce from both books to dispel what she calls misconceptions about the Islamic faith. "In...

Hey Saudis, Let the Women Play!
 Hey Saudis, Let the Women Play!
Opinion

Hey Saudis, Let the Women Play!

Time for the IOC to enforce it's no discrimination rule

(Newser) - The most beautiful sight in the Olympics' opening ceremony came when Egypt’s 26 female competitors strode into the stadium, writes Mona Eltahawy, an Egyptian Muslim, in the Washington Post. Women also carried flags for Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, filling Eltahawy with pride. And then came Saudi Arabia—...

'Radical' Muslim Woman Can't be French Citizen

Officials say religion doesn't jell with French values like sex equality

(Newser) - France has rejected a Muslim woman’s application for citizenship because her “radical practice of her religion” doesn’t fit French values, especially in terms of gender equality, the Guardian reports. Faiza M., who wears a burqa, speaks French and lives in Paris with a French national husband and...

Workers Bar Muslim Women From Obama Backdrop

Pair not allowed to sit behind candidate over headscarves; campaign apologizes

(Newser) - Two Muslim women were barred from sitting behind Barack Obama during a rally Monday, with campaign volunteers concerned about headscarves appearing on TV and in pictures, Politico reports. One woman was told the "political climate" made her presence problematic; another was told headwear of any kind was off-limits in...

More Muslim Women Seeking Surgery to 'Restore' Virginity

Demand for operation rises at private European clinics

(Newser) - An increasing number of Muslim women in Europe, caught between the sexual freedom of the West and the traditions of their families, are undergoing hymenoplasty  to "restore" their virginity after lapses, the New York Times reports. The surgery to repair the hymen, if done properly, won't be detected when...

Mozart Helps Snap Saudi Taboos

Mixed-gender concert signals opening to outside world

(Newser) - Mozart hasn't challenged cultural taboos for more than 200 years, but last night he caused quite a stir in Saudi Arabia. A German-based quartet gave the nation its first public classical concert where men were allowed to hear Mozart and sit next to, gasp, women. "The concert is a...

In Saudi Arabia, a Hotel for Women

Men-free Luthan Hotel 'meeting a very big demand' in conservative Muslim kingdom

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia’s first hotel catering exclusively to women—right down to its plush spa—opened this week in Riyadh, the Independent reports. The conservative kingdom enforces strict Islamic segregation of sexes in public, but women can stay at the Luthan Hotel without a male guardian—nor any men on...

Tehran's Top Cop Nabbed in Brothel
Tehran's Top Cop Nabbed
in Brothel

Tehran's Top Cop Nabbed in Brothel

Man charged with 'moralizing' Iran capital caught with prostitutes

(Newser) - The man in charge of "moralizing" Iran's capital city is out of a job after being arrested during a raid on a Tehran brothel, Ynetnews reports. Police chief Reza Zarei, who had led crackdowns on women who disobeyed strict Islamic dress codes, was caught naked with six prostitutes in...

Harvard Begins Women-Only Gym Hours
Harvard Begins Women-Only Gym Hours

Harvard Begins Women-Only Gym Hours

Controversial move to make Muslim females more comfortable

(Newser) - Harvard is trying out women-only gym hours at one of its facilities to make exercising easier for Muslim women. Six of the 70 hours a week that the Quadrangle Recreational Athletic Center is open will be barred to men so that Muslim women feel free to dress appropriately for working...

Saudi Officials See Red Over Valentine's Day

'Immoral' holiday sparks temporary ban on color

(Newser) - In preparation for Valentine's Day, Saudi Arabia has temporarily banned all things red. The morality cops are out in force in search of the color of love, reports CNN, with plans to confiscate everything from flowers to stuffed toys. The ban is part of a yearly effort, complete with raids...

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