Dr. Laila Nicolas Rahbani provides an in-depth report and analysis on the state of Arab women in the media in the Middle East and North Africa.

Last week, Freedom House hosted an event featuring women activists from Egypt, Jordan and Iraq who spoke on the status of women’s rights and advancement in the region.

In October of 2009, Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi ignited a heated debate when he said the niqab was merely a tradition not linked to religion, and that women would be banned from wearing it in schools and universities.

A few days ago, an article was published on the Daily News Egypt website, about how some Egyptian women see the veil as a protection against sexual harassment on the streets. This is not a surprise, given the shocking statistics that were released a couple weeks ago that stated that 98% of foreign women and 83% of local women are sexually harassed in Egypt.

Damascus is getting trendier these day. As Syria opens up, western-style cafes and restaurants are mushrooming. Men and women gather together, sipping coffee and smoking and in the evenings, bars are filled with liberal-minded Damascenes gathering over a bottle of wine or Arak, the local aniseed-flavored spirit. Nights out may start with a lively debate about politics and end up on the dance floor. But as common as such scenes are these days in the capital, in much of the country they are not the norm.

Iraqi women are slowly increasing their involvement in government, political parties, and civil society, but they are still largely absent from the decision-making processes within these bodies.

The current issue of the Arab Reform Bulletin is out in English and

MUWATANA
Saudi Arabia

Iranian women and the kindness of the presidential candidates
By: Masieh Alinejad

What is the level of women’s participation in Lebanese politics? Does Lebanese law guarantee the right of women to participate? Also, what are the general political trends regarding this issue?