Women’s rights

Lebanese mountaineer speaks up for women, children from Everest summit

Joyce Azzam became the first Lebanese woman to complete the Seven Summits challenge by climbing Mount Everest, and now she's going back to clean it up and set an example for others.

Lebanon

Should women cover up so men can fast in Egypt?

An online campaign calling for "girls to dress modestly during Ramadan" has provoked the ire of critics who see it as a veiled call for sexual harassment under the pretext of piety.

Egypt

Woman heads Palestinian Health Ministry for the first time

Only three women have been appointed to ministerial positions in the new Palestinian government, out of 18 ministries in total, raising the ire of activists.

Palestine

Case of runaway sisters highlights ongoing plight of Saudi women

After their case made international headlines this month, one of the Saudi sisters who fled abroad spoke to Al-Monitor about the kingdom’s “flawed justice system” and called on the leadership to carry through with better reforms.

Saudi Arabia

Small business lending on the rise for Egyptian women

Small business lending for Egyptian women has increased significantly in 2018, allowing more women, especially in rural areas, to start their own enterprises.

Egypt

Inspired photographer spotlights Gaza's quiet heroines

A self-taught photographer shares the stories of ordinary women in Gaza who have extraordinary stamina and drive.

Palestine

Jordanian parliament rejects raising early marriage age to 16

Jordan’s parliament voted against raising the minimum age of marriage in exceptional cases from 15 to 16, disappointing many women and human rights activists.

Jordan

Is Gaza set to break sexual harassment taboo?

Activists from the conservative Gaza Strip recently launched the #MeTooGaza hashtag on social media to encourage sexual harassment victims to talk about their experiences and share their stories.

Palestine

Has misogyny become official state policy in Turkey?

With Turkish police canceling the International Women's Day march in Taksim at the last minute and the president using the drama as an electoral distraction, it's time to ask if misogyny has become an official state policy in Turkey.

Turkey

Al-Azhar sheikh labels polygamy as unjust, stirs controversy

Egypt’s grand imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, provoked controversy in Egypt by saying that polygamy can do “injustice to women and children.”

Egypt

Istanbul's first Kurdish film festival casts light on women issues

From Saturday Mothers whose sons went missing in the 1990s to homeless children whose parents have been killed, Kurdish films provide a grim reflection on the situation on the ground in Turkey.

Turkey

Do clothes make the woman? An Iranian artist's search for identity

The works of Mona Hakimi-Schueler, an Iranian artist based in Berlin, depicts Iranian women not as victims but strong individuals whether in a hijab, summer dress or armor.

Iran