state control

Iran protests latest: Pictures showing Tehran woman removing hijab during anti-government rally hailed as symbol of defiance

An Iranian woman pictured removing her hijab in an apparent protest against the country's mandatory Islamic dress code has been hailed as a "hero".

Aminata Manneh Gender Activist Went Missing After filming a Police Officer Maltreating a Child

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Aminata Manneh commonly known as Minah is a 3rd Year University of The Gambia student, a gender activist and also an intern at the American Corner, Banjul, has gone missing.

Trans[ition] in Iran

By Rochelle Terman

TEHRAN, Iran—When Shadi Amin was growing up in pre-revolutionary Iran, she began experiencing sexual feelings toward other girls. “I thought there was something wrong with me,” she says. “I thought, maybe I should change something.” By “something,” Amin was referring not to her identity or lifestyle, but to her gender. “If I was that young girl living in Iran today, I would have considered having a sex change operation,” even though she has never identified with being male.

India: Activists Press for Participation of Muslim Women

Groups working with Muslim women in the city came together to demand more inclusion in the state's women draft policy that is currently under review.

CSW 57 Panel - Global Campaign to Stop Stoning: Why Stoning Is Violence Against Women

On March 8^th, 2013, Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) and its partner organisations gathered in New York during the 57^th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to launch The Global Campaign to Stop Stoning Women.

Saudi Arabia: "There is not one law in Saudi Arabia that regards violence toward women as an illegal activity": what's really behind Saudi's domestic abuse problem?

Saudi Arabia has introduced a campaign aimed at tackling domestic violence against women in the kingdom. The King Khalid Foundation funds the campaign, which is a royal, family-run organization with clear ties to the Saudi government.

Tunisia: Amina Tyler, Tunisia’s ‘topless jihad’ Activist, Caught and Under Arrest

After months of reportedly going into hiding, the outspoken Tunisian feminist who sparked a trend of “topless jihad” has been found and arrested by Tunisian authorities earlier this week and may be charged for conducting “provocative acts.”

Malaysia: Outrage After Sharia Court Allows Rapist to Marry His 13-year-old Victim

Local prosecutors are pursuing a statutory rape charge against 40-year-old restaurant manager Riduan Masmud, who allegedly had sex with the girl in a parked car outside the Sabah state capital Kota Kinabalu in February. The girl is now 13 and his defense is that he married her.

Iran: Iran’s ban on female presidential candidates contradicts Constitution

Mohammad Yazdi, a clerical member of Iran’s Council of Guardians, a constitutional body responsible for ensuring that legislation adheres to Iran’s Constitution, as interpreted by Iran’s religious scholars and Islamic law, and for vetting presidential candidates has announced that Iranian laws “do not allow women to become presidents”.

Protesters demand male brothels for women in Turkey

In Turkey, a women's rights group has petitioned parliament for the creation of a male brothel. The call has heated up the discussion over whether the state should run brothels at all.