When Muammar Gaddafi went to speak at the U.N. General Assembly in September, he drew controversy—he was protested, shut out of local housing, and his nearly two-hour speech was disparaged in the news. But the Libyan leader may have found a new way to speak his message to the people.

While attending a U.N. global food summit in Rome, Gaddafi reportedly brought some 200 women to a local villa, where he lectured them for two hours about his country and women’s roles in the Islamic faith.

Beyonce has postponed an Oct. 25 performance in Malaysia after Muslim conservatives in that country accused her show of being “immoral.” The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, Malaysia’s largest opposition group, has called for the cancellation of the show because they say it would promote “Western sexy performances.” A statement released by Marctensia entertainment company says the decision to postpone was made solely by Beyonce. In 2007, she canceled a planned performance after protest threats from the Islamic opposition party, but said at the time it was a result of scheduling conflicts. Female performers in Malaysia are required by law to cover up from the shoulders to the knees, without any visible cleavage. And, last month, Marctensia said Beyonce and others involved had “come to an amicable understanding” about her performance costumes. (But the postponement suggests this wasn’t true.) If the problem here is Beyonce’s bedazzled leotards, we can’t wait to see the more conservative, body-covering versions she comes up with. Can Sasha be Fierce without showing off her legs, booty, and cleavage?

There are many reasons why women look for cosmetics without this or that—maybe they’re vegans or maybe they’re very eco-conscious. Another reason? Religion.

For Muslim women, there’s apparently been a gap in the market, due to the lack of non-halal makeup. (Halal refers to the law forbidding, among other things, certain pork and animal products and alcohol.) That said, many Arab women already wear makeup—lots of it. We’re guessing that, perhaps, they’re not all so strict about conforming to Islamic law.

While three sister wives may seem like one big, happy family on Big Love, try having 86! Mohammed Bello Abubakar, an 84-year-old Muslim preacher in Nigeria, has married more women than years he’s been alive and most of his wives are, surprisingly, in their twenties. Can you imagine trying to feed the 170 children he’s fathered?!  Neither he nor his wives work, but they somehow manage to pay for the $915 (26.5 lbs) worth of rice they consume each day.  Needless to say, the Islamic Authorities in his home state consider him a cult leader, but he fancies himself a shaman who doesn’t believe in modern medicine. Abubakar credits his healing powers with his ability to attract so many women. He told the BBC, “I don’t go looking for them, they come to me. I will consider the fact that God has asked me to do it and I will just marry them… That is why I have been able to control 86 of them.” Um, what a romantic? [BBC]

Egypt has appointed its first female official to certify marriages and divorces. Amal Soliman applied for the “maazun” position because it would allow her to work close to her home and three children, not because she wanted to start a debate, which she has. “It is wrong to have a woman in this position,” one man said. “My sheikh tells me that if we are to get married that we must avoid her because she can’t do the job.” Part of the issue some people have with her appointment is that women aren’t allowed to enter mosques or read Quaranic verses when they’re menstruating. Amal says she plans to conduct home visits during those times and will also have an assistant who will be able to enter the mosque when she cannot. Ten others, all men, applied for the job, but Justice Minister Mamdouh Marei said Amal was chosen based “on her abilities rather than on her gender.”