This week Washington, D.C. women storm the men’s section of a local mosque, a women in hijab is fired from her retail position in California, a women’s terrorist group is said to be uncovered in Egypt, Malaysia looks to hold a conference on women’s caning, Pakistani women’s clothing is highlighted, and Iran’s first female Olympic skier is profiled.
This week, The Newser reports that police were called to a Washington, DC mosque when a group of protesting women insisted on praying in the men section rather than the cut-off women’s section. The stand in was lead by a group of women seeking to integrate American mosques.
The Christian Science Monitor reported that the clothing company Hollister fired a Bay Area Muslim woman for wearing the hijab. The company told Hani Khan, a college student, that the scarf violated the company dress code. Khan filed a federal complaint alleging that she was the victim of religious discrimination.
The New Jersey News Room reported that a group of Muslim women terrorists has been uncovered in Egypt. The group of women is alleged to serve as messengers for the Muslim Brotherhood, a group that the paper called a “banned radical group.”
USA Today reports that after three Malaysian women were caned in Malaysia for having sex outside of marriage, the country’s women are seeking to hold an international conference on the issue of women’s caning. Malaysia’s Women’s Minister, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil is seeking approval from the country’s Cabinet.
The Los Angeles Times reported that for Pakistani women the dupatta, or scarf, functioned in the country as a cultural symbol as well as a religious one. The story noted that the dupatta has become such a staple in women’s dress that many Pakistani women feel naked without it.
The Gazette reported that Marjan Kahlor, Iran’s first female competitor of the Winter Olympics, finds that finding the money to fund her competitions is more challenging than the struggles she encounters as a female skier in Iran. Kahlor is a 21-year-old physical education student. She carried Iran’s flag during the opening ceremony of the event.
Rabea Chaudhry is Associate Editor of Altmuslimah.
