Last week, I finally saw the film version of “The Help,” based on the best-selling novel by Kathryn Stockett about the lives of African-American maids working in white people’s homes in 1960’s Jackson, Mississippi. I hadn’t read the book prior to watching the movie which I really loved. Although the movie showed the racist and unfair treatment of primarily black […]
‘The Help’ 2011? Domestic Worker Abuse Widespread Read More »
I was interviewed by British NGO A Safe World for Women Founder, Chris Crowstaff recently on some topics very close to my heart: Bangladesh, Islam and feminism. Chris and I connected over Twitter (go social media!), and we made an appointment to have a conversation about these issues. The full interview is divided into four
Working to Make A Safe World for Women Read More »
People are always shocked to learn how widespread and easily available mobile technology is in “developing nations” like Bangladesh, Kenya, and Afghanistan. When my husband visited my city of birth, Dhaka last year he could not believe how many people had cell phones in a country where more than half of the population cannot access
A Beating for a Phone: Women Struggle to Access Mobile Technology Read More »
The spirit of the Arab Spring broke the steel gates of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today as one by one Saudi women started their engines, defying the country’s notorious ban on women driving, the only place in the world where women are not permitted to drive. Today’s protest is the culmination of an online
Starting the Engine: Saudi Women Drive for Their Rights Read More »
There is no doubt that the recent revolution in Egypt got the wheels of the Arab Spring rolling. But just as quick as women were to flood the corners of Tahrir Square and the streets of Cairo in the hopes of a democratic Egypt, their voices were soon sidelined. This is nothing uncommon. Even in
Virginity Tests: Time to Let Gender Out of Revolution’s Closet Read More »
Very little surprised me about IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn‘s attempted rape of a New York hotel maid, and even less shocked me about his sketchy record on harassing women. Hello, can we say rich-white-male-power-entitlement-issues? Apparently Strauss-Kahn’s “woman problem” was an open secret amongst journalists, especially female ones. His reputation was even celebrated and excused in France
Strauss-Kahn: Powerful Men & the Women Who Defend Them Read More »
Just when you thought there could be no more bad PR for the war in Afghanistan, a crippling “60 Minutes” investigation about celebrated author and humanitarian, Greg Mortenson’s best-selling works, Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools is casting doubts not only on the books themselves, but aid organizations in the region. On Monday
Three Empty Tea Cups? Possibly Read More »
Two Indonesian women, Selly Yustiawati and Melinda Dee are making headlines in the Indonesian press for their alleged involvement in a scam across several cities in the country involving millions of rupiah. One of the women, Inong Melinda, 47 who went by the alias of Melinda Dee, is a former Senior Manager at Citibank. While
Sex & Crime in Indonesia: Why We Punish Women & Not Men Read More »
The unbelievable story of Eman al-Obeidi, the Libyan woman and lawyer, who is accusing embattled Libyan leader Gaddafi’s soldiers of gang-raping her, continues to develop in horrifying detail. After al-Obeidi famously stormed into the hotel in Tripoli where foreign journalists were staying to let the world know about her assault, she disappeared for more than
Eman al- Obeidi: One Woman Embodies Libya’s Struggle Read More »
**This is a developing story and has been updated** Hena Begum, a 14-year-old old Bangladeshi girl, was publicly flogged recently in Shariatpur, 35 miles outside of the capital, Dhaka after being accused of having an affair with her 40-year-old old married cousin. According to the BBC, a village court made up of Islamic clerics and elders
Bangladeshi Rape Victim Flogged To Death Read More »