Virtually Islamic Blog

Gary R. Bunt

"Brown Girls Do It Too"

Podcast series on female sex and sexuality under review: Discover More…

Zoom 'Islamic Intimacy'

An interesting example of how webinars can be used to discuss complex and sensitive issues… Discover More…

Research on Muslim Women

Here's an abstract of ongoing research on Muslim women and the net Discover More…

Mia Khalifa

Junkee, The Internet Is Banding Together To Help Mia Khalifa … Discover More…

Iran Dress Code

Ongoing social media concerns Discover More…

FGM Sudan

Sudan FGM ban Discover More…

Pakistan Murder Case

Online footage leads to murder in Pakistan … Discover More…

Sheikha Minira Abdou

Farah Ibrahim, Scene Arabia, Her Voice Wasn't 'Aware: Meet Sheikha Minira Abdou, Egypt's First Radio Qur'an Reciter Excellent article
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'Million Women Rise' photos/video

From the March 2020 demo, with images of significant human rights and gender violence campaigns (including those associated with Muslim demographics). Discover More…

Recitation: Historic Recording

Rare recordings of a female Qur'an recitation from 1905. Discover More…

Online Relationships

BBC World Service, Outlook, A Syrian love story that started with a resume Discover More…

Harrassment Online

Tim Berners-Lee discusses gender-based online harrassment. Discover More…

Hair & Hijab Myths

Huff Post, Muslim Women Break Down The Myths Around Hair And Hijab Discover More…

Mecca Girl

'Mecca Girl' rap causes a social media stir Discover More…

Mixed-gender prayers

Developments in Paris Discover More…

KSA LGBTQIA Issues

Social media responses to this case (broadcast on TV) Discover More…

Baghdad protests

#هي_الثورة - hashtag launched by Iraqi women Discover More…

Advertising Inclusivity

Nike campaign Discover More…

TikTok #Muslim

The power of TikTok Discover More…

Turkey Legislation Concerns

Maya Oppenheim, Independent, ‘Marry-your-rapist’ bill to be introduced by lawmakers in Turkey Discover More…

Hijab & Representation Issues

TMV, Three reasons why stating that ‘hijab fashion is empowering’ is problematic Discover More…

Uber murder in KSA? - allegations

Uber-related murder in KSA? - allegations Discover More…

Conference from Hurma Project

Aysha Khan, RNS, ‘A long time coming’: These Muslims are bringing sex abuse by sheikhs out of the shadows
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Nikkietutorials

KSA and Kuwait social media on trans-issues. Discover More…

Fitness

SCMP, ‘People would tell me to remove my scarf’: Muslim CrossFit athlete Nastassia Kaddour readies for her first CrossFit Games
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Keep On Truckin'

Truck art in Pakistan Discover More…

Al Jazeera, Women under ISIL

Al Jazeera, Women under ISIL recommended series Discover More…

KSA and Gender

albawaba, 'Working With Women Will Arouse You!' Saudi Social Media Star Criticizes Mixed Gender Workplaces
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Brides 'for sale'

Brides 'for sale' Discover More…

Sudan Law Update

Independent, Sudan repeals law that allowed police to flog or execute women caught dancing or wearing trousers Discover More…

Yasir Qadhi Analysed

Garrett Kiriakos-Fugate, Yasir Qadhi, Homophobia, and Preaching a Muslim Men’s Heterosexual Piety
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FGM

BBC World Service - Outlook, Confronting my grandma and my nation over FGM


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'Immodest fashion'??

AlBawaba, Is a Saleswoman’s Outfit Enough to Enrage an Entire Country? In Saudi Arabia, It Is
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'Modest fashion'

BBC Newsbeat, Modest fashion: 'I feel confident and comfortable'
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KSA Promo

Reuters/VOA, Saudi Promo Video Labels Feminism, Atheism, Homosexuality as Extremist Ideas
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Online Harassment

Laura El Alam, Muslim Matters, Unsolicited: Online Sexual Harassment Poisons Social Media For Sisters In Faith, 2 Oct 2019
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Turkish Village Theatre

Sara Tor, Middle East Eye, The Turkish mother who brought the lives of village women to the world:

"Ummiye Kocaktaught herself to direct theatre, made a film about abuse and became a household name in Turkey."



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RIyadh Niqab 'ban'

al-Bawaba, Saudi Woman Banned from Working at Riyadh Season for Wearing Niqab Discover More…

MUIS Fatwas

Today, The former Catholic school student now shaping fatwas on modern Muslim life Discover More…

Instagram Influencers

Dhruti Shah, BBC News, The 'brown girls' out to conquer Instagram Discover More…

Tajikistan 'Sex-Video Trap'

RFE/FL, Sex-Video Trap Aims To Defame Female Activist In Tajikistan Discover More…

Mona Eltahawy Book

New and noted: Mona Eltahawy, The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls, Beacon Press Discover More…

KSA Abaya Online Debate

Mariam Nabbout, Stepfeed, Saudi scholar believes women 'shouldn't be forced to wear abayas'
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Israa Ghrayeb - updated

BBC News, Israa Ghrayeb: Palestinian woman's death prompts soul-searching
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SuperSisters

Nosheen Iqbal, Guardian, Lifestyle website for Muslim teens is covertly funded by the Home Office
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“Mistress of a Married Man”/"Maitresse d'un homme marié"

NYT, Bold Women. Scandalized Viewers. It’s ‘Sex and the City,’ Senegal Style. 22 Aug 2019.
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Internet and Muslim Women

Just been reading this useful paper, which came out earlier in the year: Eva F. Nisa (2019), Internet and Muslim Women. In: Woodward M., Lukens-Bull R. (eds) Handbook of Contemporary Islam and Muslim Lives. Springer, Cham Discover More…

Egyptian Female Digital Literacy

Stepfeed, Program in Egypt lets female orphans channel their inner tech goddess Discover More…

Iran Gaming Gender Inequity

Maziar Motamedi, Al Jazeera, Of course Iran has 'girl gamers', but they face unique barriers
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Palestinian 'Honour Killing'

Mohammed Daraghmeh, Associated Press/Yahoo, Palestinian women protest after suspected honor killing
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Bdood Bike App Iran

Independent, Iranian bike-sharing app sparks outrage after refusing women service
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Amina Wadud

Amina Wadud, The Divine Feminine in Islam: An Introduction - new and noted. Discover More…

Documentary on IS female followers

BBC, Panorama, Stacey Meets the IS Brides Discover More…

Amaliah Profile

Stylist, How I created a platform to amplify the voices of Muslim women Discover More…

#فتاة_العياط Fatat al-Ayat

Al Bawaba, Egyptians Defend Young Girl Who Killed Her Rapist In Face of The Law significant story on social media #فتاة_العياط

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Muslim Women in Contemporary Indonesia

New and noted: Eva F. Nisa, Muslim Women in Contemporary Indonesia: Online Conflicting Narratives behind the Women Ulama Congress, Asian Studies Review Discover More…

Podcast on IS

Apple Podcasts, Mother Jones, Betrayal. Torture. Escape. An American ISIS Wife’s Exclusive Tell-All. Discover More…

KSA Driving Issues

BBC News, Saudi Arabia: My experience as a female driver, one year on

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Jordan online LGBTQ+

BBC News, The online LGBTQ+ magazine blocked in Jordan
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Salam, Girl!

The National, ‘Salam, Girl’: the podcast created by two American converts to Islam
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KSA IMEI Tracking

Business Insider, Saudi Arabia is hunting down women who flee the country by tracking the IMEI number on their cellphones Discover More…

'What is 'Gendered Islamophobia'?"

Middle East Eye, What is Gendered Islamophobia? Produced by @aayaalshamahi
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'Advice for Jihadist Wives'

Elisabeth Kendall on al-Qaeda's 'Advice for Jihadist Wives' Discover More…

Religion in Wales

BBC 3, Young, Welsh and Pretty Religious, Series 1: Episode 1 recommended programme - I look forward to further episodes. Discover More…

Podcasting in The Middle East

TRT, Podcasting in The Middle East Discover More…

al-Qaeda Women's Magazine

Dr Elisabeth Kendall discusses al-Qaeda's women's magazine (May edition) on Twitter Discover More…

#SudanUprising

Updated information about the Sudan protests. Discover More…

Bangladesh Sexual Harrassment Case

BBC News, Nusrat Jahan Rafi: Burned to death for reporting sexual harassment
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The Arab world's silent reproductive revolution

Al Jazeera, The Arab world's silent reproductive revolution
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Inji Aflatoun Google Doodle

The National, Who was Inji Aflatoun? Google Doodle honours Egyptian painter and feminist
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Uber KSA Gender Preferences

The National, Female Uber drivers in Saudi Arabia can now choose their passengers' gender
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Male Guardianship Tweets

Stepfeed, Saudi father criticizes the male guardianship system in viral tweet
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Muslim Celebrity Culture & 'Trauma Tourism'

Vanessa Taylor, Al Jazeera, Opinion piece, The problem with Muslim Celebrity Culture
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Sadaf Khadem - Iranian boxer

Going viral this weekend - it's a great story


Le Parisien, Sadaf Khadem, première boxeuse iranienne de l’histoire, gagne son combat
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KSA Guardianship

Mrriam Nabbout, Stepfeed, Saudi father criticizes the male guardianship system in viral tweet
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Documentary on Saudi Women

ABC News (Australia), Four Corners, Women are trying to escape Saudi Arabia, but not all of them make it

There's a significant online element to this programme, which also features prominent blogger and writer Mona Eltahawy.


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Taliban Gender Stance

Global Village Space, Will Taliban soften their stance on women’s rights? Discover More…

IS and Aftermath

Arab Weekly, After Baghouz, what do you do with ISIS families? Discover More…

KSA Prosecutions

Guardian, Saudi women's rights activists go on trial in Riyadh

G Discover More…

aQ on 'International Women's Day':

al-Qaeda on 'International Women's Day': Discover More…

Iraqi Women Online

Lara Fatah, Middle East Eye, In ‘virtual civil society’, Iraqi women are the leaders, 8 Mar 2019

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International Women's Day

Posters for International Women's Day - Pakistan Discover More…

KSA Viral Video

al-Bawaba, Saudi Woman Goes Shopping Without Her Abaya Challenging Mandatory Dress Code
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Amaliah 

Stylist, How I created a platform to amplify the voices of Muslim women
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Yazidi Women

Guardian, 'We are now free': Yazidis fleeing Isis start over in female-only commune
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Shamima Begum Case - update

For details of the Shamima Begum case, click here:
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Managing the hate online when you're young, female and Muslim

BBC News, Ruqaiya Haris: managing the hate online when you're young, female and Muslim
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KSA Gender

Madawi al-Rasheed, Middle East Eye, Why women are fleeing Mohammed bin Salman's Saudi Arabia
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German ISIS wife interview

CNN, German teenage ISIS wife wed at 15. Two children later she faces uncertain future Discover More…

Iranian women

BBC News, Iranian women - before and after the Islamic Revolution
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10 Commandments

The Specials featuring Saffiyah Khan - 10 Commandments

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Absher

The New Arab, 'Want to track and detain your wife or sister? There's a Saudi app for that' Discover More…

'Gender balance' UAE

Opinion/analysis: Moya Crockett, Stylist, Go ahead and mock the UAE’s all-male gender equality awards – but don’t forget the West’s track record
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KSA Documentary

BBC iPlayer, The Real Saudi Arabia: Why I Had to Leave Discover More…

Gaza photos

Roads & Kingdoms, Gaza Girls Discover More…

Nojoud al-Mandeel

Al Jazeera, Another Saudi woman takes to Twitter to 'escape abusive family'
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Rahaf al-Qunun: updated

Rahaf al-Qunun situation updated: Discover More…

KSA activism appeal

NBC, Sister of jailed female activist appeals to Pompeo on eve of Saudi trip
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KSA Women

NYT, Saudi Women, Tired of Restraints, Find Ways to Flee
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'How to be a Muslim Woman'

Here's information on the podcasts of the excellent BBC Radio 4 series How to be a Muslim Woman. Discover More…

#MeToo Egypt

CNN, Egypt's #MeToo moment targets street harassment
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Rohingya Situation Page - Updated

I'm collecting Rohingya related stories here (many derived from my Twitter @garybunt). It forms an important element in relation to online activism, as well as being a human rights catastrophe. It's not possible to cover everything here, but over-time I intend to write about the digital dimensions of this issue.


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Crowdsourced Twitter study reveals shocking scale of online abuse against women

Amnesty, Crowdsourced Twitter study reveals shocking scale of online abuse against women Discover More…

Syria's forgotten women

Independent, Forgotten Women: The displaced Syrian mothers still fighting for change – who say ‘I want you to feel our suffering’, 17 Dec 2018
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Women Making Space in the Mosque

BBC World Service, Heart & Soul, Women Making Space in the Mosque

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Single Muslim Mums

SingleMuslimMums.co.uk

New and noted.
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KSA 'inside-out abaya'

A prominent campaign has appeared on social media from SaudiArabia relating to dress codes over the past week.

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Facebook auction of child bride

Reuters, Facebook auction of South Sudan child bride could inspire other families: activists, 13 Nov 2018 catching up on this story Discover More…

Lebanon Shame on Who? Lebanese Campaign Exposes 'Victim Blaming' Attitudes to Rape

albawaba.com, Shame on Who? Lebanese Campaign Exposes 'Victim Blaming' Attitudes to Rape Discover More…

'Honour Killing' video

'Honour killing' video shocks Syrians Discover More…

Yes, I'm Hot in This.

ImamsOnline, One Muslim Woman’s Mission For Better Representation "One of the best ways that we as Muslims can improve our status in the media is to support people who present a more positive outlook of Islam in the West. One such person is a Muslim artist named Huda Fahmy, aka “Yes, I’m Hot in This“. The name is a play on the question that plagues many a hijabi, where non-Muslims will constantly ask us “Aren’t you hot in that?” and I love the way she takes ownership of who she is, and how she’s feeling."
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Gender specific propaganda

Nikita Malik, Forbes.com, Why Do We Underestimate The Role Of Women In Terrorist Organizations?, 26 Sep 2018 "It is important to remember, moreover, that Islamic State was the first terrorist organization to spearhead a systematic campaign to reach out to women – using gender specific propaganda to do so. The group later inspired others, including the Pakistani Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban, or TTP) to follow suit and produce content tailored specifically for its ‘jihadi sisters’, and elaborate on their role in promoting the mujahideen (fighters)."

Debunking Myths on Gender and Extremism

Rachel Bryson, Debunking Myths on Gender and Extremism, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, "In this collection of papers, experts weigh in on assumptions about women’s roles in violent Islamist extremism that hold back informed policymaking."

Contesting identities within cultural insecurity

Currently taking a look at this interesting thesis, which draws on a number of elements associated with the study of cyber Islamic Environments. Kathleen Woodhouse-Ledermann, Contesting identities within cultural insecurity: The case of Muslim women in contemporary France (Rutgers, 2018) [PDF download]
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