In the news, Emirati woman is charged with illegal sex after reporting rape, Saudi women face off with virtue police, Sarkozy cautions against hurt feelings as cabinet passes veil ban, Miss USA speaks to NPR about controversy surrounding her, and Sex and the City 2 is accused of being anti-Muslim.
An 18-year-old Emirati woman was charged with having illegal sex after reporting that she was raped by six men last week, reports The National. If found guilty of consensual sex, she faces lashes or up to life in prison. The six accused men were charged with rape, though charges against one have been dropped. The judicial forensics unit cited evidence of assault in their examination of the woman. This week, the woman who has no legal representation retracted all of her statements. It is up to prosecution to decide whether to withdraw the charges.
Times Online reports of two cases where Saudi women attacked morality police last week when questioned for being in public with males with whom they are not related. The first case occurred when a member of the volunteer morality police force stopped a young couple in an amusement park and questioned their relationship. According to reports, the young man was so frightened that he passed out, but his incensed female companion started striking the morality policeman in the face so hard that he had to be taken to hospital. The second was a case of a Syrian-born Saudi woman going one step farther. After meeting a man in a public area, she was spotted by religious policemen, at which point she pulled out a gun and started shooting at them, giving her male companion time to flee.
As the cabinet approved the veil ban, last week, President Nicholas Sarkozy urged French Muslims to not feel hurt or stigmatized, reports the Globe and Mail. The bill which could become law this fall, would fine women who hide their faces €150 and men who force women to veil face jail and €15,000 fine.
Rima Fakih speaks to NPR on making Miss USA history last week. She discusses her liberal family background as well as providing the story behind the racy pictures taken and spread by her friend who was eager to get in the spotlight. She described the pole dancing as part of a promotional event for women’s dance classes that are similar to aerobics classes.
Early reviews of the movie, Sex and the City 2, premiering at the end of this week, indicate a controversial and condescending depiction of Arab Muslims with portrayals of misogynistic men and jokes about niqab-wearing women, reports the Telegraph. The movie was filmed in Morocco as film-makers were refused permission to film in Abu Dhabi, where the story is set. The first Sex and the City movie was not shown in the United Arab Emirates as there is a high sensitivity to plots considered too racy.
Shazia Riaz is Events and Publicity Editor for Altmuslimah.
