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

Turks up in arms over religious green light for 9-year-old brides

Huge public outrage forces Turkey’s top Islamic authority to step back from its endorsement of marriage for girls as young as age 9.

In rural Egypt, women seek fertility help from the dead

Desperate women in Upper Egypt turn to ancient superstitions to boost their fertility with practices that can be both grisly and dangerous.

Was 2017 really the 'year of Egyptian women'?

Despite the issuance of several laws related to improving the status of women in Egypt, there is still a long way to go.

Iranian women no longer face jail for dress code violations

Iranian police will no longer round up poorly veiled women and take them to detention centers.

Graphic novel brings human side of Yemen to life

Despite the ravaging war, real life in Yemen remains mysterious to outsiders, and two Italian authors are sharing their take with "The Yemeni Bride."

What does Gulf crisis have to do with Tunisian women?

Banning Tunisian women from flying on Emirates airline may have more to do with UAE geopolitics than possible terror threats.

Sinai women become breadwinners

The Egyptian Ministry of Social Solidarity has allocated all of its profits from its yearly handicrafts exhibit to the development and rehabilitation of north Sinai homes that were destroyed in terrorist attacks.

Lebanon's mothers see glint of hope in custody ruling

A Shiite mother in Lebanon was recently granted temporary custody of her two children in what human rights advocates say could indicate a long overdue, small step forward in personal status laws.

'Don't send us to our death' Saudi sisters beg Turkey

Two sisters from Saudi Arabia are fighting deportation from Turkey, where they fled violence back home, but the court order still stands.

How Israel enables discrimination against ultra-Orthodox women

Those praising Israeli democracy must remember that women are constantly discriminated against by ultra-Orthodox parties that are part of the ruling coalition.

The Giza Pyramids are pictured behind the River Nile, houses and hotels on a cold day around in Cairo, Egypt December 5, 2016. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RC163ED1B870

How Egyptians are fighting forced marriage

Forced marriage in rural areas, especially in Upper Egypt, has become so rampant that several women and civil institutions launched campaigns to raise awareness about the dangers of such practices.

Egyptian women’s groups unite behind domestic violence bill

Women’s organizations have prepared a bill to fight violence against women, but the measure is likely to face religious and social pushback in Egypt's conservative society.