Muslim women news stories on Newser

First Turkish Woman Strips for German Playboy

Rob Quinn — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 02:57:42 CDT

Germany's debate over multiculturalism just got a lot spicier. Soap opera star Sila Sahin has become the first woman from the country's 3.5 million-strong Turkish community to strip for the German version of Playboy , reports Time . Sahin says she "feels like Che Guevara" and she wants the photoshoot to...

2 Arrested Under France's Burka Ban

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 08:35:41 CDT

Hours after France enacted its new burka ban today, two women wearing the full face veils were arrested. Several others who were protesting the new law in front of Paris's Notre Dame cathedral were also arrested after police attempted to break up the unauthorized protest, the Telegraph reports. Women face...

One Woman Leads the Way in Yemen's Uprising

Kevin Spak — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:16:04 CST

Women are second-class citizens in Yemen, yet it’s a woman leading the country's latest round of protests, the Washington Post reports. Tawakkol Karman, a 32-year-old mother of three, is the country’s best-known activist, and she organized the first protests at Sanaa University following the ouster of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali...

Woman Owns, Operates Bahrain's 1st Sex Shop

Nick McMaster — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 13:27:02 CST

Khadija Ahmed is a 33-year-old Bahraini wife and mother of three. But she is also a pioneer: the owner of the first public sex shop in Bahrain and possibly the Persian Gulf as a whole. Khadija Fashion House, which began as a profitable online outlet, supplies lingerie, massagers, sex toys,...

Afghan Cops Catch Man Who Helped Cut Off Teen's Nose

Kevin Spak — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 13:17:13 CST

Afghan police have captured one of the men who allegedly sliced off the ears and nose of a teenage Afghan girl. That girl, now-19-year-old Bibi Aisha, became the maimed face of Taliban oppression when Newsweek ran a story on her this summer (summarized here .) Police have now arrested her...

Saudis to Allow Female Lawyers in Court

Kevin Spak — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:43:05 CST

Saudi Arabia is planning to issue a law “in the coming days” that will allow women lawyers to argue family-related cases in court, according to the country’s justice minister. Previously, female lawyers could only operate behind the scenes in court offices and government offices; now they’ll be able to work...

Sarkozy Pushes for Burka Ban

Harry Kimball — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:23:24 CST

Nicolas Sarkozy restated his support for a ban on the wearing of burkas in his country in a New Year's address today—while stressing that any decision should await the results of a parliamentary inquiry on the subject, which are expected later this month. While Sarkozy’s own party is advocating...

France Moves to Ban Burkas

Rob Quinn — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:03:00 CST

Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling party has introduced a bill to outlaw the wearing of full-length Islamic veils in public places. Burkas and all-covering niqabs will be banned under the bill, which would fine women who fully cover their face in public, the Christian Science Monitor reports.

Indonesia 'Polygamy Club' Boosts Influence

Rob Quinn — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:56:11 CST

A controversial club preaching the benefits of men taking multiple wives is growing fast in Indonesia. Polygamy is legal but tightly controlled in the Muslim nation. Now the "Global Ikhlwan" club aims to make it more mainstream. Members, both male and female, hail the benefits of polygamy and say the...