With all the stories on the Internet it can be difficult to always stay in the know. To help, we’ve searched the web for interesting pieces of news, videos and tips to help you start off your week on the right foot. 1. Rocking Stereotypes in Niqab [tweetthis]She wears the…
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Fifteen towns in France have issued bans on the full-body swimsuit worn by some Muslim women and nicknamed the “burkini,” citing public order and security concerns. According to the ordinance in Cannes, “Beach attire that ostentatiously displays a religious affiliation, while France and places of worship are the target of…
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France has recently carried out discriminatory raids and house arrests against Muslims under its sweeping new state of emergency law. As these and other policies and social norms across Europe have created economic hardship, stigmatized those targeted, and traumatized children, voices that bring these issues to the forefront are more…
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Is mainstream French feminism racist? … Even before the 2004 law meant scarf-wearing teenagers would be excluded from schools – thus violating their fundamental right to education – France’s established feminist groups did not accept scarf-wearing women in their meetings. They decided early on these women could not be feminist,…
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When a French journalist posed online as a young woman interested in Isis [sic], she was soon contacted by a fighter in Syria. He proposed marriage – but could she maintain a double life? It was 10 o’clock on a Friday night in spring 2014 and I was sitting on the…
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After Suzanne Daley and Alissa J. Rubin reported on the struggles women in France face as a result of prejudices and laws there restricting the wearing of veils, more than 1,000 New York Times readers shared their opinions on this particularly sensitive and divisive subject in the comments of the article and on Twitter…
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“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Reflecting on Dr. King’s words in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attack throws them into sharp relief. If the French are to heal and do not want the…
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I have no doubt that you are terribly proud of yourself at the moment. Aren’t you? Not only have you gained the attention of the international media, but you have managed, in your own mind, to avenge the honor of the Prophet. You know what? I’m with you! Avenge the…
Read MoreNaturally it is gratifying, for those of us who spend significant amounts of time in the Arab world, to see the region get the recognition it deserves. Last month, it was good to see commentators in Europe seize on Syria and Egypt as examples to be followed. The reason for the praise? Syria’s decision to ban the niqab from university campuses and to bar teachers who wear the niqab from teaching in public schools.
Read MoreThis week, Saudi clerics seek more Muslim maids and say its okay for women to uncover their faces in the presence of burqa bans. Two French women in burqinis were refused entry into a pool, and two Muslim women in England are not allowed onto a public bus.
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