News and Views by Region
Egypt: Revolution Women March Against Religious Strife
Arabic - Below
(Cairo, May 10, 2011) A large number of Egyptian women participated in a march entitled "No to sectarian strife" which appeared with its ugly face in the district of Imbaba. They participated in this march to stress the values of citizenship and tolerance and to prevent the strife that has been witnessed in the district and in many different places in Egypt after the revolution.
Middle East/North Africa: Journalists & Cyber Activists In the Line of Fire
Article XIX Statement: From Morocco to Bahrain, everyday people have taken on the cast iron hold of dictatorships and absolute monarchies resulting in an extraordinary collective awakening that has paved the way for epochal change in the region. The youth movement, which lies at the core of the uprisings, continues to play a prominent role in the pro-democracy and pro-reform demonstrations, which have swept through the region, unabated by government clampdowns or concessions.
Palestine: Mass arrests of Palestinian women by Israeli troops
![Palestinians inspect damage to their home in the village of Awarta after an Israeli raid last month [REUTERS]](/files/images/201147214256637427_20.thumbnail.jpg "Palestinians inspect damage to their home in the village of Awarta after an Israeli raid last month [REUTERS]")
More than 100 women from a village near Nablus were held by Israeli troops searching for killers of settler family.
Iran: Draft law undermining independent NGOs
The Iranian parliament must scrap a draft law which will seriously undermine independent non-governmental organizations in Iran, Amnesty International said today.
The bill, which has been extensively analyzed by the Netherlands-based NGO Arseh Sevom, requires all NGOs in Iran to register with a new and unaccountable body linked to the Intelligence Ministry and to the Basij, a volunteer paramilitary force, which will also be able to revoke registration.
Egypt: Film shines light on sexual harassment
A film lifting the lid on sexual harassment on the streets of Egypt is gaining plaudits around the world.
"Cairo 678" tells the story of three fictional women from different backgrounds as they search for justice from daily sexual harassment.
UN: Bachelet Addresses Challenges, Provides Recommendations for Pathway to Democracy in Egypt
Cairo — During a high-level UN delegation led by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Egypt 19-21 March, UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet engaged with women activists, youth leaders and civil society at interactive roundtables to discuss the challenges ahead in light of the country’s recent political uprising as well as the practical and strategic role women must play to set the path for democracy and gender equality in Egypt.
Saudi Arabia: Let Women Vote, Run for Office
(Beirut) - The Saudi government's refusal to let women vote in municipal elections in September 2011 unlawfully deprives women of their rights to full and equal status under the law, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch called on the election committee to allow women to vote and to run for seats on the municipal councils.
Yemen: Communities Unite Against Child Marriage
Two community educators prepare for a training session on the safe age of marriage. Twenty men and 20 women were selected from a group of religious leaders, nurse midwives, and civic leaders. (Photo: Basic Health Services Project)
Egypt: Women Protesters Forced to Take "Virginity Tests"
Amnesty International has today called on the Egyptian authorities to investigate serious allegations of torture, including forced ‘virginity tests’, inflicted by the army on women protesters arrested in Tahrir Square earlier this month.
After army officers violently cleared the square of protesters on 9 March, at least 18 women were held in military detention.
Middle East: Women and the Revolution
Among the most prevalent Western stereotypes about Muslim countries are those concerning Muslim women: doe-eyed, veiled, and submissive, exotically silent, gauzy inhabitants of imagined harems, closeted behind rigid gender roles. So where were these women in Tunisia and Egypt?