Saudi King fires cleric for criticizing breakthrough gender mixing initiative at a new university in Jeddah. Egyptian scholar is demanding death penalty for those caught importing virginity faking kits. Iranian Nobel laureate to deliver speech on women’s rights in Colorado. Afghanistan’s burqa boxers train for 2012 Olympic Games.
Saudi King Abdullah fired Sheikh Sa’ad al-Shethry, a hard line cleric from the Council of Senior Ulema on Monday. Al-Shethry criticized the groundbreaking policy of mixing of the genders at the new King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
Abdul Mouti Bayoumi, a leading Egyptian scholar has demanded the death penalty for those caught importing virginity faking kits. Made in China, retailing for about $15, the device releases a liquid resembling blood to make seem the rupturing of the hymen.
Shirn Ebadi, an Iranian Attorney and recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize for defending women and children rights in Iran is delivering a speech at Naropa University in Colorado titled, “Human Rights and Women’s Rights in Islam.” The school is hosting a symposium on women’s leadership in the Muslim world starting Friday, October 9th.
The 2012 summer Games will, for the first time, allow women to box under the Olympic banner. And who’s in training? Afghanistan’s burqa boxers. “At the moment there is nothing preventing women from wearing the full Islamic dress,” said an International Boxing Association spokesperson, as long as the face is uncovered.
Shazia Riaz is Associate Editor of Altmuslimah.
