State control

Kuwait: Debate over the headscarves of female ministers

Islamic MPs are obliging Education Minister Nouriya Al-Sabeeh and Housing Minister Moudhi Al-Homoud to wear hijabs during parliamentary sessions in implementation of Islamic rules and regulations.

Niger: Le droit des femmes à l'éducation non respecté

L'état des lieux en matière de respect du droit des femmes à l'éducation est désastreux au Niger, dix ans après l'adoption, par le gouvernement, d'une Loi d'orientation du système éducatif national (LOSEN) révèle une étude consacrée à cette question.

UPDATE: Mauritania: Africa Democracy Forum issues statement on coup d'etat in Mauritania

The Africa Democracy Forum (ADF), a World Movement regional network of over 450 democracy and human rights organization throughout Africa, has issued a statement (below) condemning the coup d'etat in Mauritania.

Pakistan: WAF Statement on Dr. Afia Siddiqui’s disappearance

All chapters of Women’s Action Forum (WAF) express their deepest shock and concern in the case of Dr. Afia Siddiqui, a Pakistani citizen who disappeared from Karachi in 2003 along with her 3 children, one only month old.

Mauritania: Women's group condemns the coup d'état

L'Association des Femmes Chefs de Famille (AFCF) and calls for the restoration of constitutional government in Mauritania.

UK: Defending secular spaces

"In the rush to be tolerant or sensitive to religious difference, the space is created for the most reactionary and even fundamentalist religious leaders to take control."

Algérie: Youcef Chahine : « C’est l’Algérie qui a relancé ma carrière… »

Ambassadeur itinérant du cinéma égyptien et arabe, dont il est l’auteur le plus prolifique, Chahine se trouve depuis lundi dernier dans le coma après une hémorragie cérébrale qui a nécessité son transfert en France.

Laos: "Hidden Beyond the Mekong: Muslims in Laos"

A report on the Muslim minority community in Laos, by Yoginder Sikand.

Iran: Reporters sans frontières demande aux autorités de cesser leurs menaces à l'encontre des cyberféministes

Reporters sans frontières demande aux autorités de cesser la répression qu'elles exercent à l'encontre des responsables de publications défendant les droits des femmes en Iran.

Iran: Continued Harassment of Campaign Activists

The One Million Signatures Campaign has reported several actions against Iranian women’s rights activists during the past week, including the arrest of one women's rights defender, indicating increased pressure against the women’s rights movement.