Last week in the news, female Saudi cartoonist challenges societal views of women, New York husband gets his neck slashed by Pakistani wife for religious abuse, women must wear socks (but not bras) in militant controlled parts of Mogadishu, and Kuwait rejects call to require women MPs to cover heads.
CNN reports: Hana Hajjar breaks cultural convention as Saudi Arabia’s lone cartoonist for the English-language publication, Arab News. Hajjar uses caricatures to shed light on gender inequalities and injustice.
According to another CNN story, militant Somali group, Al-Shabaab, continues to impose radical interpretations of Islamic law in areas of Mogadishu that are under its control. Socks are the latest addition to Al-Shabaab’s dos and don’ts of dress; women were flogged for not wearing them, CNN reported. Last week, over 180 men and women were detained for chewing khat leaves and for improper dress.
MSNBC published a story about Rabia Sarwar, 37, who slashed her husband’s neck while he slept in their New York home because he forced her to eat pork, wear short skirts, and drink alcohol in violation of her religious beliefs. She pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and was freed on $25,000 bail.
According to Reuters, on Wednesday, Kuwait’s Constitutional Court rejected the call to force women MPs to wear head covers. Two of the four women elected to Kuwait’s parliament last May do not cover their heads. One of them, Aseel al-Awadhi, pleased with the ruling told Reuters, “wearing the veil or not does not have an effect on our performance and dedication to serving citizens who elected us.”
NOTE: Altmuslimah’s direct reporting occurs in its articles, not its news briefs. Altmuslimah’s news briefs are a compilation of news reports put out by other sources.
Shazia Riaz is Associate Editor of Altmuslimah.
