Tag Archives: muslim women

Naked Islamic Woman In Body Paint Veil Causes Controversy For Foreign Policy Magazine

Jessica WakemanApril 27, 2012 //
Lara Logan's Assault
CBS reporter Lara Logan was sexually assaulted while reporting in Cairo. Read More »
Shut Up, Howard
Howard Stern helpfully tells women journalists to stay out of Egypt. Read More »
Sex With Dead Wife's Body
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Egypt is considering a law allowing a man to sleep with his dead wife. Read More »
Foreign Policy body paint niqab pics photo

Wonk-y magazine Foreign Policy‘s most recent issue, The Sex Issue, is right up our alley with a cover story article about the how the real war on women is in the Middle East. Author Mona Eltahawy is an Egyptian-American writer who was beaten and sexually assaulted by police while protesting in Tahrir Square in Cairo. Her piece, “Why Do They Hate Us?“, is worth a read on its own.

But images used for the piece are also causing controversy: an attractive, naked woman is covered in body paint made to look like a niqab (a body-covering veil), with only her eyes showing. Newsweek‘s Tumblr lauded the images as “powerful,” while a Tumblr blogger who goes by the name That Sassy Arab chastised the magazine: “Nope, newsweek [sic], this is not stunning and powerful, or awesome. This is highly offensive and completely misguided.”  Other critiques of the images used by FP, and the article by by Eltahawy hereself, are here, here and here.  

What do you think, Frisky readers? [Foreign Policy]

Today’s Lady News: Muslim Women Protest At Sex-Segregated Mosque

Jessica WakemanMarch 9, 2010 //
  • A group of Muslim women at the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C., risked arrest on Sunday when they staged a “pray-in” in the main area of the mosque, which is usually reserved for men. The all-female group of Muslims first tried to share the main area at a “pray-in” in February and this Sunday, they once again pushed themselves into the men-only prayer area. The mosque’s imam interrupted the prayer and police arrived minutes later. [AFP]
  • Gay and lesbian couples are at last allowed to legally marry in Washington, D.C. The District began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples last Tuesday. [Washington Post]
  • Blogger Dayo Olopade at The Root asks: Why are there so few black women politicians? [The Root]

Keep reading »

Dubai Company Creates Cosmetic Line For Muslim Women

Leonora EpsteinSeptember 17, 2009 //

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. Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: No Burqas In The Swimming Pool!

Jessica WakemanAugust 13, 2009 //
  • An Islamic woman in France has accused local officials of religious discrimination after she was banned from wearing her “burqini,” a bathing suit that fully covers her arms, legs, and hair, in a local pool. Earlier this summer, French President Sarkozy announced that head-to-toe burqas were “not welcome” in the country. In this case, local officials said they forbid her body-covering garb for hygienic reasons. [Yahoo]

Keep reading »

French Parliament Debates Burqa Ban

Catherine StrawnJuly 8, 2009 //

Toward the end of last month, French President Nicolas Sarkozy addressed Parliament, stating his position on burqas. He said the face-covering, body-length Muslim veils are an unacceptable symbol of “enslavement,” and that it’s not a religious issue, but simply a “sign of the subjugation, of the submission, of women.”

This discussion has resulted in threats from Muslim groups outside of France, but Parliament hasn’t made a decision on the matter just yet. A committee held its first meeting today, and Jean-Francois Cope, the head of the governing conservative party UMP, suggested a two-stage ban of burqas. Meaning there would be “six months to a year of dialogue, explanation, and warnings” before the ban would go into effect. Keep reading »

Saudi Women Get Designer Abayas From John Galliano, Nina Ricci And More

Catherine StrawnJuly 1, 2009 //

Despite the fact that French President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed a ban on burqas in France last week, saying the body coverings imprison women, Paris held a fashion show showcasing specially made designer abayas, the black overgarments worn by some Muslim women. Keep reading »

Sarkozy Says Burqas Aren’t Welcome In France

Carrie WasterlainJune 22, 2009 //

President Nicholas Sarkozy stood before the French Parliament today and proposed a ban on burqas, garments that completely cover a woman and mask her face, in France. According to The New York Times, he stated: “We cannot accept in our country women imprisoned behind bars, cut off from social life, deprived of identity. That is not our idea of maintaining the dignity of women.” Keep reading »