Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta denounces fatwa on marital intimacy A fatwa by an unofficial body on the number of times a husband must have intercourse with his wife sparked controversy on social media, prompting Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta to denounce the fatwa as it belittles women’s rights. A correspondent in Egypt | Egypt | Oct 26, 2021 Ragab Uwais poses for a picture with his bride before a video cameraman for their wedding video along Al-Gamaa Bridge connecting the Egyptian capital Cairo with its twin city of Giza, Egypt, June 11, 2020.
Palestinian NGO to form network in Gaza for women affected by war The Center for Women's Affairs in the Gaza Strip announced that it will establish a national network to develop plans to support women in times of crisis and war. Rasha Abou Jalal | Palestine | Oct 21, 2021
Female volunteers in northwestern Syria raise awareness of breast cancer Volunteers raise breast cancer awareness among women in opposition areas in northwestern Syria, where access to health care is limited. Khaled al-Khateb | Syria | Oct 20, 2021
Gazan women find haven at ladies-only pools More resorts in the Gaza Strip are offering ladies-only swimming pools, allowing women to relax and enjoy the sun away from public eyes. Hadeel Al Gherbawi | Palestine | Oct 18, 2021
Gaza's few beauty salons struggle to meet demand Demand for plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures is rising in the Gaza Strip despite a lack of clinics. Hadeel Al Gherbawi | Palestine | Oct 17, 2021
Egyptian rights advocates welcome fatwa forbidding short-term marriages Women's rights campaigners are hoping a recent fatwa forbidding tahleel marriages will pave the way for a law criminalizing the archaic practice. Shahira Amin | Egypt | Oct 15, 2021
Qatar says Taliban rights abuses 'very disappointing' Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani lamented the Taliban's "backward" steps. Al-Monitor Staff | Qatar | Sep 30, 2021
'Hymen reconstruction fatwa' stirs controversy in Egypt A fatwa by a senior Muslim scholar permitting hymen repair in certain circumstances has sparked controversy on social media, with critics fearing it may encourage girls to engage in sex out of wedlock. Shahira Amin | Egypt | Sep 6, 2021
Qatar calls on Taliban to respect women's rights Qatar said that the gains women made under the previous Afghan government should not be undone by the Taliban, which is notorious for its treatment of women. Adam Lucente | Qatar | Sep 2, 2021
Senators call for release of 'unjustly imprisoned' women in Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia Democratic lawmakers condemn four Middle Eastern states for the politically motivated imprisonment of a number of women and call for the prisoners' release. Adam Lucente | Washington Pulse | Aug 11, 2021
Turkish-backed rebels leave trail of abuse, criminality in Syria’s Afrin The serene topography of the Syrian enclave of Afrin belies the power vacuum and violence now afflicting many of the territories under the control of Turkish-backed forces in the war-torn country’s northeast. Dan Wilkofsky, Amberin Zaman, Mohammed Hardan | Syria | Jul 22, 2021
Who is Masih Alinejad, target of an alleged Iranian kidnapping plot? Prosecutors say the four Iranian defendants plotted to forcibly take the Brooklyn-based author and activist to Iran where her "fate would have been uncertain at best.” Al-Monitor Staff | Iran | Jul 14, 2021
Relatives murder Syrian girl in honor killing The killing of an 18-year-old girl who refused to marry her cousin at the hands of her relatives in the countryside of Hasakah sparked anger and ignited controversy on social media. Sultan al-Kanj | Syria | Jul 12, 2021
Egypt arrests TikTok influencer over 'human trafficking' A Cairo court sentenced university student Haneen Hossam to 10 years in prison and fined her 200,000 Egyptian pounds. Al-Monitor Staff | Egypt | Jun 23, 2021
Syria's Idlib University bans mixed-gender online groups Idlib University, managed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s government in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, issued a decision banning mixed-gender groups on social media, causing uproar and division among students. Sultan al-Kanj | Syria | Jun 22, 2021
Intel: US lifts Iran-related sanctions, says no connection to nuclear deal Elizabeth Hagedorn | Iran | Oct 8, 2021
Ragab Uwais poses for a picture with his bride before a video cameraman for their wedding video along Al-Gamaa Bridge connecting the Egyptian capital Cairo with its twin city of Giza, Egypt, June 11, 2020.
