The Muslim Woman

The authorities of Iran would not tolerate setting-up of any kind of activities around International Women’s Day, which is on eighth of March. On fourth of this month, some activists were detained outside a court in Tehran where they were protesting the detainment of four other activists. Thirty-three protestors were arrested after gathering outside the court to show their solidarity with the four women who were facing trial for their activities protesting Iran’s laws that discriminate against women. Irene Khan, Amnesty International’s Secretary General said, Rather than arresting peaceful demonstrators, the Iranian authorities should be taking seriously women’s demands for equality before the law and addressing discrimination against women wherever it exists in the Iranian legal system. Under Iran’s constitution, protesters have the right of assembly provided they are not carrying arms or defaming Islam. Yet Nusheen Ahmadi Khorasani, Shahla Entesari, Parvin Ardalan, Sussan Tammasebi and Fariba Davoodi Mohajer went on trial Sunday on charges of acting against national security by participating in an illegal gathering. Image Read

Female circumcision is a ‘rite of passage’ for young girls from childhood to adulthood. This cruel practice involves the removal of the clitoris and other parts of the female genitalia. Followers of this practice believe that it is an effective way to curb a woman’s sexuality. It is often referred as female genital mutilation by the Amnesty International and the World Health Organization. The word mutilation is used to reinforce the idea that this barbaric practice is a violation of the human rights of girls and women. Though, locally the term used widely is the less judgmental ‘cutting’. After all, no parent likes to think that they are mutilating their own daughters. Apart from the Middle East, female genital cutting is widely practiced in African countries, especially in the region from Senegal in West Africa to Somalia on the East coast. But now, due to immigration this practice is not confined to any specific region and has spread to Europe, Australia, and even the United States. British police are of the opinion that in Britain alone 66,000 girls face the risk of genital mutilation. According to Amnesty International, approximately 130 million women all over the world have been affected by some form of genital mutilation or the other. Despite the practice being banned in most countries, it is still a very enduring tradition, and more than 2 million such procedures are being performed every year. A very large section of tradition-bound families make their daughters undergo this genital cutting when they are on a vacation in their home countries. By doing so, the people involved in this crime can cover up their tracks and the girls get enough time to recover. Unfortunately, till the time this barbaric practice is completely stopped, millions of innocent girls worldwide will continue to suffer physical and emotional trauma all in the name of culture. via: Y!News