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

Coptic Christian women attend the Coptic mass prayers for the Egyptians beheaded in Libya, at Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo, February 17, 2015. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi called for a United Nations resolution mandating an international coalition to intervene in Libya after Egypt's airforce bombed Islamic State targets there. Egypt directly intervened for the first time in the conflict in neighbouring Libya on Monday after an Islamic State group in the country released a vide

Egypt already may need to revisit women's inheritance law

The recently passed amendment to Egypt's Constitution regarding women's inheritance rights was hailed as a long-awaited breakthrough, but the topic might need additional legislation to ensure full equality for women, including Copts.

Turkey’s top religious body okays divorce via text message

Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs has issued several controversial opinions, most recently one stating that men may divorce their wives via a telephone call, fax, text message or email.

Turkish feminist artist takes on Mount Qaf

An exhibition in Istanbul by the Turkish artist CANAN defies gender stereotypes and sexual taboos, marrying the personal with the political.

Egyptian Muslim women take part in evening prayers called "Tarawih" on Laylat al-Qadr or Night of Decree, outside Amr Ibn El-Aas mosque, the first and oldest mosque ever built on the land of Egypt, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in old Cairo, Egypt June 21, 2017. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RC144969C2E0

Does Egypt really need a Women's Affairs Ministry?

Egyptian member of parliament Hiyam Halawa announced a proposal for the establishment of a Ministry for Women's Affairs, but some Egyptians argue it wouldn't help advance women’s status in the country.

A picture taken on November 16, 2017, shows an Israeli soldier driving a tank at an army position overlooking southern Lebanon in the northern Israeli town of Metula, along Israel's border with Lebanon. / AFP PHOTO / MENAHEM KAHANA (Photo credit should read MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images)

Israeli women take over IDF tanks

The religious Zionist movement objects to the Israeli army's decision to train female soldiers as tank crews.

Egyptian women shout slogans against the government during the funeral of Syed Tafshan, who died in clashes with residents of the Nile island of al-Warraq, when security forces attempted to demolish illegal buildings, in the south of Cairo, Egypt July 16, 2017. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RC133E8F7A70

Egyptian women get inheritance rights

The Egyptian parliament passed a law guaranteeing women’s rights to inheritance, which was widely welcomed, especially by women in Upper Egypt.

Turkey’s girls, women struggle with body image

A Turkish woman who died following gastric sleeve surgery has revived the debate about women’s body image in Turkey.

Women carve niche in Gaza's small theater world

Three determined Gazan women have established their own all-female theater production company.

#MeToo movement is stillborn in Turkey

The #MeToo movement has focused on violence in Turkey with significant support, but the attackers are neither named nor punished, and sexual misconduct is still a taboo subject, so its victims often suffer alone in shame.

Women dancers perform at a nightclub in Baghdad July 9, 2009. As the worst of the violence unleashed in 2003 has faded, a buzzing nightlife has returned to the Iraqi capital. Some 17 nightclubs have opened in Baghdad, most featuring provocative dancers, suggestive music and ample booze. Picture taken July 9, 2009. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ SOCIETY) - GM1E57F1OQY01

Nightclubs, cafes still risky business for Iraqi women

Young women working in Iraq's nightclubs, casinos and even cafes often find themselves at the mercy of unscrupulous business owners and even mafiosos, in addition to suffering from public condemnation and little government protection.

Women join opposition police forces in Aleppo’s liberated areas

With the help of Turkish trainers, the first batch of policewomen graduated from the opposition’s National Police and Public Security Forces in the areas liberated during Operation Euphrates Shield in the countryside of Aleppo.

Saudi reforms put spotlight on Iran's women's movement

Absent political will to engage in genuine reform, Iranian women face a long road ahead in achieving their rights.