Saudi women defy driving ban across country

Saudi activists are calling the campaign the most successful in years, despite threats [AFP]

Bravo to the dozens of women in Saudi Arabia who today took the wheel and defied the ban on women driving in that country. It's a sign of how backward Saudi Arabia is that 1400 years ago no one had a problem with the Prophet Muhammad's wife, Khadija, driving camels, but fundamentalist clerics today refuse to let women drive cars--which in my experience are rather easier to drive than camels. -Nicholas Kristof

Saudi women defy driving ban across country

www.aljazeera.com

Dozens of women across country participate in "drive-in" campaign, despite threats and warnings from government.

Kuwait's 'gay-o-meter,' 'women who drive risk damaging their ovaries' and other strange news from the Middle East...

1. 1. Kuwait 'gay-o-meter'? Clinical screenings to 'detect' and ban - RT.com

      1. rt.com/news/homosexuals-kuwait-banned-gays-887/‎

         Oct 8, 2013 - Routine clinical screenings may be used to 'detect' homosexuals and bar them from entering Kuwait and other Gulf member states, according ...

      Saudi cleric says women who drive risk damaging their ovaries ...

      1. 1. www.reuters.com/article/.../us-saudi-driving-idUSBRE98S04B20130929‎

            Sep 29, 2013 - RIYADH (Reuters) - A conservative Saudi Arabian cleric has said women who drive risk damaging their ovaries and bearing children with ...

            
            

            The above stories are true (as odd as they may seem), but now for a bit of satire:

            
            

      The Pan-Arabia Enquirer - Satire From The Middle East

      1. 1. 1. www.panarabiaenquirer.com/‎

               As the Middle East's premier source of made up news, The Pan-Arabia Enquirer attracts more than 200,000 page views a month. And, according to research, ...

Kuwaiti politician: Men should be allowed sex slaves. Female prisoners can serve the role.

Men should be allowed sex slaves and female prisoners could do the job – and all this from a WOMAN politician from Kuwait

Outrageous ideas: Salwa al-Mutairi’s suggestions have provoked discussion

A Kuwaiti woman who once ran for parliament has called for sex slavery to be legalised – and suggested that non-Muslim prisoners from war-torn countries would make suitable concubines. Salwa al Mutairi argued buying a sex-slave would protect decent, devout and ‘virile’ Kuwaiti men from adultery because buying an imported sex partner would be tantamount to marriage. And she even had an idea of where to ‘purchase’ these sex-salves – browsing through female prisoners of war in other countries. The political activist and TV host even suggested that it would be a better life for women in warring countries as the might die of starvation. Mutairi claimed: ‘There was no shame in it and it is not haram’ (forbidden) under Islamic Sharia law.’

For more images and to read the full story click here.

OPENS TONIGHT!

click on Art Kuwait's link for more information:

FA Gallery: I Am Spring Opening is Saturday, 25 May 2013 at 7pm. FA Gallery have the great pleasure to present I AM SPRING, a collaborative event which bring together artists and filmmakers in support of women’s rights and empowerment in Kuwait.

The 3rd Exhibit of PrettyGreenBullet opens tomorrow...

This should be a good show! Here is what the artist says about her new exhibit, "I started PrettyGreenBullet.com four years ago thinking it was merely going to be a blog for posting my works. I'm happy to say that it's become something more consuming than that. It has wrapped itself around my life and been a great help in allowing me to express myself through more ways than simply drawing on paper or painting on canvas. And it has given natural birth to my PGB exhibitions. I invite you to take a bite of my PGB apple by joining me this November. Bon appetit!"

Pos

Kuwaiti MPs Propose Bill Banning Female Judges

Kuwaiti women:  you now have the right to vote, so what do you think of this proposal?

Kuwaiti MPs Propose Bill Banning Female Judges

insidethemiddleeast.blogs.cnn.com

From the Kuwait Times newspaper: Five lawmakers proposed amendments to the current law that governs judiciary work in Kuwait, which if implemented, will disqualify female citizens from being appointed as judges or prosecutors.

niqāb sellers at the Friday Market, Kuwait

Blind Chinese legal activist escapes!

A HERO!

Chen Guangcheng, a blind Chinese legal activist who has escaped from home imprisonment, is believed to have gone into hiding in Beijing, amid unconfirmed reports he has taken refuge in the US embassy. Chen had been restricted to his village home in Linyi in the eastern Shandong province since September 2010 when he was released from jail. A self-schooled legal advocate, Chen had campaigned against forced abortions.

Chinese activist 'in hiding' in Beijing

aje.me

Supporters of blind legal advocate Chen Guangcheng believe he is in the US embassy after escape from home imprisonment.

Thousands of Women Mass in Major March in Cairo

A poster showing a woman attacked by officers was carried by one of several thousand marchers Tuesday in downtown Cairo.

Thousands of Women Mass in Major March in Cairo

www.nytimes.com

The demonstration that grew by the minute into an extraordinary expression of anger at the treatment of women by the military police.

3 women awarded 2011 Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize for Women's Rights

TheRandomFact.com

Three influential women from Africa and the Middle East were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 on Friday in a decision which firmly draws attention to the suppression of women’s rights around the world....

Saudi Arabia gives women right to vote (but not to drive!)

This is a big move in the right direction, but if you read the article, everyone's rights, but especially the rights of women, are still very limited in Saudi Arabia:

Saudi Arabia gives women right to vote

www.guardian.co.uk

Saudi women will have the right to stand for office and vote in future local elections, says King Abdullah

"I am the Other," May 3, 2pm