A former Dutch MP and prominent critic of conservative Islam, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, has cancelled a speaking tour of Australia and New Zealand citing security concerns. The Somali-born author was to appear on Australian TV on Monday before starting her tour, titled “Hero of Heresy”. But she pulled out due to “a number of reasons … Read more
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Somali-born women’s advocate and leading critic of Islam, on Monday cancelled a tour of Australia and New Zealand at the last minute citing security concerns. She was due to appear on an Australian Broadcasting Corporation current affairs panel show on Monday evening before speaking engagements later this week. But organisers Think … Read more
By Samuel Ayobami Ogunlana From the film ‘Hidden Figures’ I learned a lot of lessons on gender parity as it relates to societal development and that is why I recommended it, and I still want more people to go and watch that film especially guys. America and Russia were in a hot space race around … Read more
The Swedish government has defended its decision to have its officials wear headscarves during a trip to Iran, saying that failing to do so would have broken the law. Trade Minister Ann Linde led a business team last week and faced criticism for wearing a headscarf, or hijab. Sweden says it has the world’s first … Read more
An eight-year-old has been forced to stay indoors all his life because he terrifies other children and suffers from horrific pain if he touches anything due to a rare condition. Mehendi Hassan, a Bangladeshi boy, has been shunned by the society because of the acute skin disease that is effectively turning him to stone. While … Read more
Five people were killed after gunmen opened fire in a Quebec City mosque during evening prayers, the mosque’s president told reporters on Sunday. Earlier, a witness told Reuters that up to three gunmen fired on about 40 people inside the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Center. Police put up a security perimeter around the mosque. Quebec … Read more
Asra Nomani is an immigrant, a Muslim and a life-long liberal. She is also, as she told CNN’s Carol Costello Friday, a “silent secret Donald Trump voter.” Nomani, a former Wall Street Journal reporter and co-founder of the Muslim Reform Movement, first made her self-described “confession” in a Washington Post column on Thursday. Since it … Read more
Five pictures that show how social media can be a minefield play videoBBC Arabic staff give their views on some social media photos Social media can be fraught with risks for women in conservative societies. Pictures that a woman in the West would post without a second thought might, in parts of North Africa, the … Read more
The National Organizer of Ghana Muslim Students Association(GMSA), Madam Kafaya Salami, has urged young Muslim women not to drop their Hijab after their second cycle education. She said many young ladies at the senior high schools usually refrain from wearing the long outfit after graduating , and that the act is immoral and must be … Read more
‘The glory of a woman only manifests when she is married’. These were the exact words of my mother some few years back while she was trying to advice one of my older sisters and I happened to eavesdrop on the conversation. I have grown to also accept that marriage is a good thing and … Read more
A group of Sudanese women are engaged in a Facebook campaign to denounce regulations that penalise them for failing to wear a hijab. The anonymous activists are opposed to what they term as “legal, social and religious coercion” to compel women to wear the attire. Through their Arabic language Facebook page, Sudanese Women Against Hijab, … Read more
The French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, has accused the New York Times of painting an “unacceptable” picture of his country with an article about discrimination against Muslim women. The report was prompted by the debate over controversial bans on Islamic swimsuits in many French Riviera towns. Mr Valls said such bans were part of a … Read more
Five women wearing the Islamic headscarf have been prevented from entering a nursery school in Corsica by other parents, local media report. Police intervened to calm the incident in Bonifacio, local media reported. Staff and pupils at French schools are banned from wearing religious symbols – but parents are not. Tensions between Muslims and other … Read more