Women’s rights

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.

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

Culture

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

Her appointment marks the first time a woman has served as Morocco’s head of government and the second time a woman has held the position in the Arab world.

Latest News

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

Analysis

Is Syria’s Sharaa poised to outdo Turkey in formalizing gains for Kurds?

Kurdish people waving Kurdistan flags gather to celebrate Nowruz on the hill of Urkesh in the countryside of Amuda in northeastern Syria on March 18, 2026. Nowruz, meaning "new day," is an ancient festival that marks the start of spring and the new year on the vernal equinox, which usually falls on March 20 or 21. It is celebrated by more than 300 million people worldwide and has been observed for over 3,000 years across regions including the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus and parts of Eastern Euro

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Iraqi female activists launch women's magazine in Ninevah Plains

Woman of Ninevah, a magazine that aims to give voice to women in the region, was launched on March 8, on International Women's Day.

An old cemetery is seen in Hasankeyf, which will be significantly submerged by the Ilisu Dam, with new Hasankeyf in the background in southeastern Batman province, Turkey, February 20, 2020. Picture taken February 20, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC2P7F95MH1O

Women bid goodbye to their submerged homes in ancient town of Turkey

Women whose houses are left underwater due to the Ilisu Dam vow to keep their memories alive.

Egypt faces calls for stricter laws after young girl dies from genital mutilation

Public anger over the death of a girl after she underwent female genital mutilation has forced both the Egyptian government and top clerics to take a stand.

Iraqi protests blush pink as feminists flood streets

As hardline clerics rail against women attending the nationwide protests in Iraq, feminists held rallies in Baghdad, Nasiriyah and other cities in support of women's participation as well as the ongoing protest movement.

New Jersey woman takes on traffickers in Iraq's Kurdistan region

The Kurdistan Regional Government, with the help of a former US State Department official, is fighting human trafficking.

Sky over Irbil On December 2018, A trip inside Kurdistan, between Irbil and Sulaymaniyya: a Country that is not a State. (Photo by Alessandro Annunziato/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Erbil court acquits pro-polygamy cleric despite women's protests

An Erbil court acquitted a Kurdish cleric who called Kurdish women "dinosaurs."

How local activists are reviving life in Raqqa

Three years after Raqqa was liberated from the Islamic State, civil society organizations have launched a campaign to revive the city’s cultural and popular aspects.

How this Palestinian initiative helps women deal with their scars

Alorkedea, an initiative in Gaza, provides psychological support, health tips and networking opportunities for women with physical disfigurations.

Gaza men choose family councils but keep women out

There have been no elections in Gaza since 2006, but family groupings in the enclave have started holding votes for a leader and board to administer family affairs.

Women's group brings equality to Talmud study

Over 3,000 women participated in a gathering to celebrate the completion of a seven and a half years of Talmud study put on by the Hadran association, dedicated to make practice inclusive of women.

Viral song spreads vivid debate on misogyny in Egypt

A satirical song called "Salmonella" has stirred up public debate on misogyny and male chauvinism in Egypt.

Hebron tribes oppose UN pact, 'suspicious' feminists

Tribes in Hebron rejected the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and some threatened to shut down feminist organizations after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas set the minimum age for marriage at 18.