Gender Issues and the Hijab/Burqa
New Austrian Conservative-Green government doubles down on anti-immigration, anti-Islam stance
Sebastian Kurz, Austrian Chancellor and leader of the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) has pulled off a remarkable political feat: having governed in a coalition with the far-right nationalists of the Freedom Party (FPÖ) since 2017, he has not only emerged unscathed from the rubble of his ÖVP-FPÖ government, which collapsed amidst a corruption scandal….
The « reopening » of French debate on veil: a national debate without any Muslims?
“Not here, not today”. This is what a local elected politician from the Rassemblement National(a far-right party) told to a veiled mother, who accompanied her son’s class for a school visit in the regional parliament in Burgundy (eastern France) the 11thof October. The politician urged the mother to remove her headscarf or to leave the…
Contestations regarding the stereotypes of Arab and Muslim women, and the breaking of them.
In a comment piece by Claudia Mende in Qantara.de, Mende complains that the “Stereotype of the oppressed Arab woman continues to dominate public discourse”. Mende highlights that the lives of women in the Islamic world are often reduced to forced marriage, honour killinngs and male violence, and often implied in the media and literature is…
Women’s March’s decision to remove Board member Zahra Billoo due to criticism of Israel draws ire from American Muslims
The Women’s March, the American non-profit organisation that grew out of the prolific march that took place in March 2017 after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, has removed Zahra Billoo, from its Board, which it announced on twitter: Zahra Billoo has been removed from board membership effective immediately. We found some of her public statements incompatible…
Women led prayer in France: an analyse of an unprecedented event
Saturday the 7th of September, for the first time in France a prayer has been led by two female Imams, in front of more than 50 believers and non-Muslims personalities invited for the occasion. This event, presented as the symbol of emergence of a French “liberal” or “progressive” Islam, has been quite well received by…