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Sisters In Islam Attacked For Not Being Islamic

Sisters In Islam (SIS) is one of Malaysia’s best known NGOs. It is a women’s advocacy group, and from its name, it is assumed to be a Muslim NGO championing the rights of Muslim women.  Or is it?  Now other Muslim activists have filed a suit against Sisters In Islam, accusing it of not being Islamic and [...]

Sudan – 16 Year Old Silva Kashifa Caned For Wearing A Skirt

Sudan is in the news again. This time it involves the caning of Silva Kashifa, a 16-year old girl who was charged with wearing indecent clothing and sentenced to 50 lashes of the cane.  She was wearing a normal skirt.

Remember Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein?  She was a widow and former journalist who was charged with wearing indecent clothing, which [...]

Aceh – Sharia Law On Women Wearing Trousers To Be Implemented

From January 2010, if you are a Muslim woman and you wear trousers (pants), you may want to be extra careful if you happen to be in West Aceh, Indonesia. District head Ramli Mansur has signed a bylaw that prohibits Muslim women in West Aceh from wearing certain kind of trousers. He said recently: “We have [...]

Aceh – Revisiting Sharia Law On Stoning

On September 14, the outgoing Aceh Legislative Council passed a set of bylaws (Qanun Jinayat) that effectively replaces certain sections of the Criminal Code with Sharia laws for Muslims. Among other things, these bylaws call for death by stoning for those caught in adultery. The Aceh governor has refused to sign off on these bylaws, but [...]

Kartika Caning – Now Sisters In Islam Queried In Parliament

The caning sentence imposed by a Shariah court on Malaysian model Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno for drinking alcohol has taken another twist.  Whereas previously Kulim Bandar Baru MP Zulkifli Noordin of the opposition Partai Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) called  on the National Fatwa Council to investigate and declare Sisters In Islam (and others) as deviant Islamic groups and [...]

The Muslim Niqab – Custom Or Faith?

What is the difference between higab and niqab?  The higab is the headscarf that covers the hair.  The niqab on the other hand, covers the entire face, with slits for the eyes to see through.  It is said that 80% of Egypt’s women poplulation wears the higab.

But the Egyptian government is worried that increasing number of its [...]