Stories about Women & Gender from December, 2007
Bangladesh: Women and the Police
black and gray on Eliza Sharmeen, who is the first woman in the country to command a passing out parade in Bangladesh.
Zambia: We need Enlightenment to end this instanity
Zambian blogosphere continues to grow and bring diverse voices and opinions online as our new Zambian author, Brenda Zulu, shows us in her first roundup.
Afghanistan: From Bhutto to Christmas, Child Marriage to the Plight of Women
Joshua Foust briefly considers the murder of Benazir Bhutto, then looks at what else is affecting the country—notably, the growing problem of child sexual exploitation.
Egypt: Bidding Farewell to Bhutto
Egyptian bloggers couldn't stop themselves from writing about the assassination of one of the bravest women in the Muslim world, and may be the whole world. Carmen – Diasporic Discontents – wrote about her own experience when she met Bhutto [En]. I met Benazir Bhutto when I was in grad...
Jordan: Film Festivals, Citizenship Law and More
From a film festival in Dubai, a Jordanian film maker is making his debut at Sundance. Mohammad Al Azraq reports on that as well as the citizenship law in Jordan, babies born out of wedlock and a book feast in the Netherlands.
China: Official Olympics channel's unveiling ceremony crashed
How did a couple's marital issues become today's top sports story? She's a prominent Beijing television broadcaster, he's one of Chinese sports news' top official faces for the Olympics; she just crashed his high-profile unveiling of China's new Olympics channel, and someone's put the video online.
Poland: Bhutto's Tractor Scam
the beatroot writes about a 1990s Polish-made Ursus tractors scam, in which Benazir Bhutto was allegedly involved: “Benazir had launched the Awami Tractor Scheme for the welfare of poor farmers in Pakistan and allegedly received 7.15 percent commission in the purchase of tractors through their front men – Jens Schlegelmilch...
Nari Jibon: Women bloggers and the dowry problem in Bangladesh
This week we look at some brilliant articles from Nari Jibon’s women bloggers. They discuss the menace of wedding dowries, which make the lives of poor families difficult by forcing parents to consider female children as burdens. Also, one NJ participant dreams of becoming president and changing the present society to an enlightened, educated and dowry-free society.
Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, Pakistan: RIP Bhutto
“Benazir Bhutto was for me an inspiration. She was fierce. She was bold. She was beautiful and smart and fearless”: Puerto Rican born blogger Liza Sabater recognizes Bhutto as a “sheroe”, while Coffeewallah, blogging from Trinidad, says: “Whatever Ms Bhutto may have been, she was seemingly trying to change Pakistan...
Armenia: Corrupt Politics
Martuni or Bust reminds it readers that the former judge now turned radical opposition activist as the February 2008 presidential election in Armenia draws closer has a few skeletons in his own closet. In particular, the blog quotes an interview conducted with this author on concerns that the judge in...
Afghanistan: Tribal Law
Mohammad Fahim Khairy reports on a shocking case — resident of Paktia province of southern Afghanistan shaved his wife’s head, cut it her nose and ears by a knife and burn her down with boiled water in the first day of Eid.
Dubai: Sex Slaves Exist
Bahraini Esra'a says slavery isn't a thing of the past and that sex slaves exist in our modern day and age. She also posts related videos which expose the sex trade in Dubai.
Jordan: Laws for Unmarried Mothers
What happens when an unmarried woman gives birth? Lina from Jordan investigates.
Taiwan: An Ironic Human Rights Day
In this article, I will carry on the subject from my last article in bringing you information on human rights in Taiwan. Top Ten News on Human Rights The Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR) released their picks for “Top Ten News on Human Rights in 2007″ just before the...
Bahrain: The debt owed to the Indians of the Gulf
This is the second post from Bahrain this week; the first covered various celebrations, and demonstrations. In this post we'll be examining the official population statistics, hearing about a frustrating experience in Saudi Arabia, seeing what role graffiti can play in political mobilisation, and acknowledging the debt owed to South Asians in the Gulf.
Jordan: Views on Wearing the Hijab
“I'm not Anti-Hijab or Anti-Hijabi or anything. But I really find it weird that some ladies are so keen on wearing it, while they live up to nothing that it represents,” writes Qwaider, from Jordan.
Russia: “Nashi” and Feminism
Natalia Antonova writes about Nashi pro-Putin youth movement – and about feminism in the former Soviet Union: “So is there feminism in Russia today? Yes. Only in many instances, it doesn’t go by that name. And perhaps never will. Is there feminism among Nashi members? I don’t believe the members...
Barbados: Matters of Race
Barbados-born pop star Rihanna's revelation that she was bullied at school for being “white” causes Barbados Free Press and What crazy looks like to blog about “the intersections of race, colour, class and gender in the Caribbean.”
Russia: Politics and Style
James of Robert Amsterdam's blog reviews recent coverage of “the marriage of Russia's emerging political culture and style.”
India: Women and Islam
Indian Muslims on Islam, women and the Quran.
Kyrgyzstan: Women and Youth Score Worst in Elections
GenderStan opines that the way Kyrgyz society is structured does not allow for diversity in the parliament. The party called “New Power” won as little as 0,23% of the votes. It has included mostly women and young people and was not able to invest into a large-scale campaign.
