Women’s rights

Muzna Al-Atrash

Explainer

Meet Muzna al-Atrash, Syria's new Druze adviser for peace affairs

Atrash, from the Suwayda province and a member of the Druze community, will advise Damascus on peace affairs as it looks to assert authority in the south.

A woman walks past a wall painting in the colours of the Iranian flag in Tehran on February 25, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

How hijab dispute is opening new front in Iran-Azerbaijan tensions

Iran's longstanding unease over Azerbaijan's strategic ties with Israel is spilling into a dispute over religious freedoms and Baku's position in the Islamic world, testing already fragile relations between the two neighbors.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A shop owner assists one of his customers at Malta bazaar in the Fatih district in Istanbul, on Dec. 6, 2024.

Iran mum as Azerbaijan’s school hijab ban, Israel ties test alliance with Turkey

Azerbaijan’s restrictions on Islamic dress in schools have sparked an unusual public spat with Turkey, exposing tensions beneath the allies’ close political and security ties.

Protesters hold banners calling for child protection and justice

Culture

Rape of teenage girl shocks Tunisia: What to know

Violence against children and women remains a problem in Tunisia, despite a 2017 law aimed at helping the situation.

Latest News

Culture

Who is Fatima El Mansouri, Morocco’s first woman prime minister?

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, Morocco's newly appointed head of government

Meet Khalida Boufedech, the first woman to lead Algeria’s parliament

Speaker of the National People's Assembly, Dr. Khalida Boufedech, is pictured in this undated image.

Culture

Lebanon arrests man after video of public assault on wife goes viral

An activist takes part in a demonstration against sexual harassment, rape and domestic violence in the Lebanese capital Beirut on December 7, 2019. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

How ‘dog mom’ vacuum cleaner ad sparked culture war in Turkey

MURAT KOCABAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

A doctor examines a pregnant woman at a hospital in the province of Fayoum, southwest of Cairo, Egypt February 19, 2019. Picture taken February 19, 2019. REUTERS/Hayam Adel - RC15CBE129E0

Egyptian woman's egg-freeze decision creates debate on taboo subject

A woman's public confession that she had her eggs frozen has shocked Egypt and prompted public debate about an issue rarely discussed in the highly conservative society.

Child marriage nullified after social media outrage in Iran

After video of an 11-year-old bride surfaced online, a popular backlash prompted the authorities to investigate and prosecute the groom, the officiant and the girl's father.

People react as police try to disperse a march marking International Women's Day in Istanbul, Turkey, March 8, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1D15D67740

Outraged over mother’s murder, Turkish women demand protection

A brutal video of a mother’s last moments has reignited calls to better implement laws designed to prevent domestic violence in Turkey.

Southern Yemeni women enter storm of politics, war

Many women in Yemen's south would like to see a return of the more progressive rights they enjoyed before Yemen's north and south merged in 1990; could the Southern Transitional Council's gains against the Hadi government in Aden help bring this about?

Israeli society, ultra-Orthodox torn over gender separation

The issue of gender separation is not only an area of disagreement between the ultra-Orthodox and secular society in Israel, it is also a raging debate within ultra-Orthodox society itself.

Can Egypt's new marriage e-registry curb child marriage?

Women's rights activists, marriage registrars and information technology experts have mixed reactions about a new electronic marriage registry service in Egypt.

Beats for women: Turkey's star hijabi DJ leads dance revolution

Turkey's popular DJ Safir says women love the freedom of her all-female shows regardless of their politics or ideology.

Egyptian women speak freely about choice to veil at hijab summit

In a summit organized by an award-winning Facebook community called Surviving Hijab, many veiled and unveiled Egyptian women discussed the many considerations and challenges involved in the personal decision to wear hijab.

Palestinian students look at gender equality through cameras

A short film project in the West Bank urges high school students to examine gender issues through the lens of a camera.

How this Ramallah shop teaches women to fight against harassment

Palestinian-American Yasmeen Mjalli created BabyFist to speak out against street harassment in Ramallah, but the shop quickly turned into a safe space for women to share their stories and seek legal advice.

Palestinians elect first female head of village in Jenin

The election of a woman as head of the al-Judeida village council in the West Bank governorate of Jenin shed light on the inequalities between genders in leadership positions in Palestine.

Meet the mother of three who is Egypt's first female maestro

Eman Genedy has conducted several orchestras and made a name for herself in a conservative society that frowns upon women singing, let alone conducting an orchestra.