There can be little disputing that Malalai Joya, also known as “the bravest woman in Afghanistan”, has earned her name and reputation.

The brave and outspoken Malalai Joya

An Afghan activist for women’s rights (among other relevant issues) is presently on tour to promote her incredible book A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan Who Dared to Raise Her Voice.

At the age of 25, she stood up at a 2003 constitutional assembly in Kabul and denounced Afghanistan’s warlords. In 2005,  Malalai went on to become the youngest person ever elected to Afghanistan’s new Parliament. Two years later she was suspended from parliament for her relentless denunciation of her country’s warlords and drug barons.

Today, she continues to fight the good fight: the fight for the good of all her fellow Afghans. In the process, she has survived four assassination  attempts, is chaperoned by armed guards and can only sleep in designated safe houses.

Activism in the Blood

This amazing young woman grew up in refugee camps in Iran and Pakistan. The daughter of an activist, Malalai was inspired to follow in her father’s footsteps and taught in the cellars of secret girls schools in Afghanistan.

She hid her books under her burqa to stop the Taliban wouldn’t discover them and helped set up a free medical clinic and orphanage in her impoverished home province of Farah.

Malalai’s path hasn’t been an easy one – like so many of her fellow Afghans who have lost loved ones, she lost one of her orphans who was sold into marriage by family members.

A Journey Into Afghanistan

In Woman Among the Warlords, Malalai Joya takes her readers by the hand and leads us into Afghanistan,  revealing desperate everyday situations Afghans face.

She  highlights some of the many acts of rebellion that are helping to change the country. These include amazing women who bravely take to the streets in peaceful protest. And it’s not just female resistance to the regime:  men who step forward and claim “I am her mahram,” so fundamentalists won’t punish a woman for walking alone. Finally, she applauds the families that convert their basements into classrooms for female students.

40 Bahraini women have joined a Jordanian initiative to defend the rights of Palestinian children in Jerusalem. This educational project will renovate rundown schools in East Jerusalem and was started by Queen Rania last month, in tandem with the launch of the Arab Women’s Network.

The Power of Combined Talent and Strength

The AW network is made up of women from all over the Arab world, who will organise functions and charity events to raise funds for the project.  Forty Bahraini women have taken on the task of raising awareness for the initiative and the status of education for Palestinian children in East Jerusalem.

Queen Rania is an avid speaker for the rights of people living in the Middle East, particularly those in Palestine.

Each Bahraini team member was hand picked by Queen Rania’s office, which oversees the project in accordance with the schools listed for renovation, sponsored by Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs.

An Honorable and Inspiring Initiative

Bahraini chapter member Dalia Kanoo spoke to the Gulf Daily News about her pride in being part of the initiative:

“When I received the call to be part of the network, it was an amazing feeling because Queen Rania is an inspiration to us all,” She said.

“Everyone in the chapter is honoured to be working for this cause and they are ready to do the necessary to make the initiative a success.”

It seems that the women have a clear goal-oriented game plan:

“In Bahrain we are working towards organising events to collect donations, which will be used for the children of Palestine and to raise awareness on the condition of education there.” Dalia affirmed.

Helping Palestinian Children: Every Arab’s Responsibility

Dalia hopes all Bahrain residents will pitch in and help with the initiative to improve the lives and education of these Palestinian children, citing it as the responsibility of each and every Arab.

“It doesn’t matter what religion they are or where they live, we need to take on this cause as an Arab initiative and help those whose voices can’t be heard,” she said.

“It’s high time we stepped up and did the right thing because education for them is the most important thing… This is an issue of the Arab community as a whole and it’s our responsibility to take a stand.”

Fighting the Good Fight

The women join Palestinian, Jordanian and Lebanese counterparts who will work to inform all layers of society about the precarious situation faced by Palestinian children when it comes to education.

“People might know what’s going on in the political arena, but they don’t know the details of how children fight on a daily basis just to reach their schools and get an education in a proper environment. Despite all their efforts, they are still not receiving the education they deserve. So how can we know this fact and not do something about it?” Dalia told GDN.

FUNdraising!

The Bahrain chapter has already organized two successful events to collect donations and are planning a third, a Gala dinner on May 29^th 2010, sponsored by Royal Charity Organisation (RCO) chairman and Supreme Council for Youth and Sports first vice-president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Chapter member and Jordanian Ambassador’s wife Enas Majali will host the event, and entertainment will be provided by Bahraini singer Najma Abdulla and Lebanese singer Jehad Aqeel.  An auction of paintings will be held, featuring pieces by renowned Bahraini artists, plus a raffle with the opportunity to win airline tickets, Blackberries and Tiffany’s jewellery among other goodies.

You can find more info on the initiative at: www.madrasati.org.

“It was the most joyful moment in my life… tears flew down my cheeks, and I bowed to Allah right there.”

Naseem Hameed

These are the words of a triumphant, Naseem Hameed, the Pakistani Muslim athlete who became the pride of her nation when she won gold in the 100m sprint at the 11th South Asian Games in Bangladesh, in February 2010.

Running to Make History

Naseem not only won the race, but also set a new South Asian record with 11.81 seconds, making her the fastest woman in South Asia. To top it all off, she also became became the first ever woman gold medalist in the 62-year history of Pakistan.

“I have no words to be thankful to Allah. It is just because of His grace and the prayers of my parents, that I have achieved this all,” she said in an article in IslamOnline.net.

Victory Through Dedication and Faith

This inspirational female athlete is a devout Muslim turned  national celebrity. Her story is one of rags to riches and fame through dedication and faith.

A massive crowd gathered at the Quad-I-Azam International airport to welcome Naseem home from Bangladesh chanting: “Long live Naseem Hameed” and “Welcome sprint queen.”

The rally lasted hours as the heroine made her way home from the airport to her tiny house in a low-income area of Karachi, where her proud family was anxiously waiting to welcome her.

Gifts Galore for the Golden Girl

Pakistani President Asif Zardari hosted a reception in Naseem’s honor and awarded her Rs 1 million ($12,000). Cash rewards worth million of rupees and a house have also been bestowed by the Pakistani provincial government, state-owned corporations, private businessmen and the army.

“It is only because of Allah that I have got wealth and fame together.” – was her humble response to the showering gifts that rained down on her.

Alongside her faith, Naseem also believes her family has made her what she is today: a symbol of faith and hope for Pakistan:

“My father is a laborer with asthma. He worked so hard for us, and my mother equally supported him by making paper envelopes at home. It’s they who should actually be credited for whatever I am,” the Muslim girl said humbly.

Nearly 2000 athletes from 8 countries competed in 23 different sports in the 11th South Asian Games from January 29th to February 8th. India won 175 medals, including 90 gold medals, followed by Pakistan and host Bangladesh.

Out of true respect to her Muslim values, Naseem the sprint queen ran the 100-meter race in full dress: wearing a green shirt and white trousers to emulate the colours of the Pakistani flag.

Niqab-wearing Saudi Muslim housewife Hissa Hilal caught the attention of the Arab world this month, when she shot to the finals of televised Arabic poetry competition, Million’s Poet.

The bizarre hit reality TV show is based on Nabati, an obscure form of Gulf Arabian poetry with ancient Bedouin roots, which is now delivered in modern Gulf dialect. Surprisingly enchanting, Million’s Poet attracts 70 million viewers from across the Arab world.

Versus Verses

The popularity of Nabati poetry has been boosted of late by heavy funding from Gulf governments and ongoing dissemination of Gulf culture throughout Arab World. What’s more, a backlash against all forms of televised entertainment echoing from the Levant and Egypt has given Million’s Poet a risqué edge and a cult following.

Hissa Hilal came third in the finals, but stole the hearts of the audiences and viewers. This plucky housewife earned kudos from the jury and audience, in what could be viewed at a pinch as the poetic equivalent of Saudi Arabia’s Got Talent…

Yet, Hissa’s road to poetic glory and stanza stardom has not been without its fair share of obstacles, as the verses she composes and recites criticize the Saudi Arabian religious establishment.

Rhyme and Reason

Despite the controversy her appearance has roused, Hissa (whose name poignantly means “lesson” in Arabic) and her resonant talent and voice have done wonders for the advancement of women in the Gulf region.

This brave Saudi Muslim woman spoke out to millions from behind her veil to present and defend one of the poems she recited:

“The subject of my poem today requires some courage. Many are afraid, many keep silent in the face of the dangers that encircle our nation, many poets are preoccupied with personal and temporary concerns but platforms such as this are the stage for more critical subject matter”.  – She declared.

Despite receiving death threats and online slander, Hissa has been bolstered by the staunch support of her husband, her family and millions of voters who helped her advance to the final.

Ironically, she also got flack for removing her niqab in order to appear on TV, to which she responded: “It doesn’t cancel my mind, thoughts or art”.

The Saudi poetess asked people not to judge her on her choice of attire, asking that the matter “be kept to one side”, in order to focus audience attention on her poetry.

Pan-Arab Prime Time

There’s an interesting article on Hissa’s eloquent endeavours in The Guardian. It compares and contrasts her appearance on Million’s Poet to the misery endured by contestants on Lebanon-based Star Academy.

This pan-Arab offering, labeled “one of the most depressing programmes on Arab television” by The Guardian hand picks young Arab men and women and plonks them in a shared house.

Whilst living communally, contestants are taught to dance, act and perform everything from classic Arabic songs to the latest Rihanna hit single. Victory is conceded to he or she who emerges from the Star Academy experience with a short-lived pop or acting career.

Give me poetry any day…

Here’s an interesting and rather ingenious initiative: Ismahan Abdulkadir, a female Muslim resident in Chadstone, Australia had the bright idea of applying to the local government for a grant to run a Girls Only Gym.

And she got it: $2000 Australian to set up the program and give young Muslim women the chance to exercise freely and comfortably.

Make Yourselves Comfortable, Ladies…

Ms Abdulkadir pointed out to local authorities, that Muslim women couldn’t exercise the way they wanted to in the presence of men, as they had to cover all but their hands and face.

Now, these young ladies are fighting fit and uninhibited, happily exercising in their new “girls-only” environment. They can wear what they like and work out to their hearts’ content.

“When you’re wearing everything to cover you, you get a bit sweaty and it’s hard to exercise properly.” Ms Abdulkadir told the Waverley Leader.

Taking the Initiative

Ismahan, an Australian University student applied for a grant through Youth Foundations Victoria – a partnership initiative of the State Government and Bendigo Bank. She received her grant at the beginning of this year. The initiative offers funding to youth-orientated community activities in the region’s suburbs.

Ms Abdulkadir openly admitted she was “thrilled” to be running the course this year

“I feel like I’m giving the girls I know a great opportunity,” she said.

“Most of my friends come from Muslim backgrounds and I just wanted to make an environment where we were comfortable and could work out.”

Exercise for Everyone!

The weekly Girls Only Gym sessions will run for 20 weeks and will be led by a female instructor. Muslim or non-Muslim, any young woman from the local area who would like to work out in a female-only exercise class is welcome to enroll.

“It is open to anyone,” Ms Abdulkadir said.

On April 10th, 2010, Dubai-born Elham Al-Qasimi bid farewell to her career as an investment manager in order to pursue her life goal of becoming the first Arab woman to reach the North Pole!

Her two-week expedition began at the Borneo Russian ice station and will culminate in the North Pole on April 24th. This intrepid Arab exploress set out on her brave mission accompanied by a single guide: the two of them took to the snow unassisted and unsupported on cross- country skis pulling small toboggans called pulks.

External and Internal Challenges

In order to build her physical and mental endurance for the expedition, Elham embarked on a high-performance training programme prior to setting off, in order to optimize strength and power whilst enhancing agility and speed.

The training plan was specially designed to factor in the idiosyncrasies in climate and potential personal health issues. During the expedition both she and her guide will face risks such as thin ice, open water, polar bears, frostbite, hypothermia and injury.

Temperatures could reach around -30ºC (somewhat of a contrast to the climate of Elham’s homeland in the United Arab Emirates). In order not to freeze, she is using a layering system to provide more layers when she’s static, but also enable her to effectively use the heat my body generates while on the move.

In an interview with IslamiCity.com, just prior to setting off on the expedition, Elham explained that one of the biggest challenges while skiing is to avoid overheating.

“If you sweat and your base layer gets moist it will turn into an ice sheet when you stop for a break, and your circulation and hence body heat drops.” – she said.

A Giant Step for Man, A Giant Leap for Arab Women…

In the interview, Elham also described what the prospect of becoming the first Arab woman to reach the North Pole means to her:

“…To be here today and have the opportunity to send a message to Arab women is humbling. I would stress that I did not reach this point by focusing on external challenges, but rather by focusing on my internal challenges. 
It has been a liberating experience for me and I’m not done yet.”

Elham and her guide will typically ski for an average of eight hours a day, with a 10-minute break every two hours to snack. They’ll cook all their our own meals, pitch their tent and generally live with little to no environmental footprint.

Here’s sending all our positive energy that Elham achieves her goal and puts Arab women on the most extreme point of the world map!

Haifaa Al-Mansour is Saudi Arabia’s first female film director in a country where cinemas are illegal. Now, this brave director hopes her work will serve inspire other women in Saudi Arabia to tread the road less travelled by.

Being a film director and a woman in Saudi Arabia has posed various challenges for Haifaa: She’s received hate mails, offensive text messages and even death threats. Accused of making Westernized, biased films, of criticizing Islam and even tarred as a blemish on Saudi society, she remains unwavering in her aspirations. Haifaa is proving she isn’t the sort to give up easily.

Saudi Arabia in the Spotlight

Before 2005, Haifaa produced three short films. Her very first film Who? (2003) dealt with what would become a recurring theme: the restrictions placed on female clothing in the Kingdom. Her breakthrough came with the release of Women without Shadows, a controversial documentary that spotlights the stringent Saudi rules on how women should dress.

Women without Shadows has been screened at various international film festivals and won several awards: including The Golden Dagger at the Oman Muscat Film Festival. Naturally, it got EVERYONE talking from Damascus to Dublin.

There’s a great article about Haifaa in Womendialogue.org, in which she reveals her extraordinary story on the rocky run up to the big screen and the red carpet.

Putting Saudi Arabia on the Film-Producing Map

The film industry in Saudi Arabia is highly restricted: cinemas are banned and film production is practically non-existent. The first ever Saudi Arabian film came out in 2006. Keif al-Hal? ( How are you?)  was filmed in the UAE and featured Jordanian actors as the leads – with Haifaa Al-Mansour credited as Associate Producer.

Haifaa is currently working on her first fiction feature – a children’s film, part funded by and filmed in Saudi Arabia. Like her other films, it highlights the struggle of women in her homeland.

Al-Mansour grew up in a very liberal family, with 11 brothers and sisters. Her father is a legal advisor and also a well-known poet. As a child Al-Mansour watched her mother defy the rules by sometimes not wearing a headscarf. Her father even allowed her eldest sister to travel abroad to study.

Iranian Inspiration

Haifaa cites Iranian films as one of her great sources of inspiration. Directors like Abbas Kiarostami and Samira Makhmalbsf are two of many Iranian directors who have used children’s films as a basis for allegorical social narrative. This is something Haifaa admires and hopes to emulate as she tells Womendialogue:

“Saudi Arabia and Iran have, of course, two different histories, but our societies share many common traits: both are extremely conservative and the political situation in the two countries is also comparable. Iran, though, has a very long tradition of film-making, and in this respect our two countries differ greatly.”

Sara Khoshjamal is what you call a real fighter. In 2008, this 21-year-old Iranian women’s tae kwon do champion took her fight from the outskirts of Tehran to the Beijing Olympics.

She was the first Iranian woman ever to earn a spot at the Olympics, just losing out in the quarterfinals but winning the respect of women around the globe for her extraordinary journey and determination.

Sara featured as number 22 in Time Magazine’s Top 100 Olympic Athletes to Watch. Making the Olympic qualifiers in Vietnam and beating the world’s top-ranking woman in her weight class in 2008 transformed her into a national icon. In a country with limited options for competitive female athletes, she personifies the potent combination of talent and ambition.

Tae Kwon-Do Iran-Style: The Rules and Regs

Tae kwon do has caused a buzz among women in Iran in recent years, and in 2008, around 120,000 Iranian women practised the sport. This particular martial art form is one of few sports in which Iranian women are allowed to compete on an international level.

They are banned from taking part in most Olympic sports, but allowed to internationally in rowing, riflery and chess. Oddly enough, however, the Iranian authorities view tae kwon do as being compatible with Islam.

In keeping with Iran’s religious rules, Khoshjamal trains and competes wearing a hijab and a protective helmet. She is prohibited from training with men,  so she practices in her living room with her older brothers.

“I worked very hard, I practiced very hard and my coach is very great. Now I go for the Olympic games. & I’m very happy,” she told ABC News in 2008.

A Fighting, Kicking Female Role Model

“Sara is becoming a role model for young girls in Iran,” Kiarash Bahri of Iran’s Tae Kwon do Federation told ABC News, standing near a larger-than-life poster of the fighter.

Sara has trained since the age of 8, and temporarily put university studies on hold to prepare for the Olympics. She promised her parents she would resume her education later on.

Her practice schedule takes six hours a day and includes studying videos of her past matches. She has travelled from Australia to Beirut for competitions, and dreams of visiting the United States.

Khoshjamal’s parents joined millions of admiring women and men across Iran, the Middle East and the world watching her sweat it out in Beijing. They are extremely proud and supportive of their daughter.

“I was worried about her safety when she first started tae kwon do,” said Sara’s father in an Iran Focus article. “But my sons did tae kwon do, then my daughters did tae kwon do and in the end there’s no difference.”

I recently discovered a groundbreaking group of female Tunisian filmmakers that are drawing international acclaim, but are barely heard of in their native land and I felt I just had to give them some kudos here!

Dora Bouchoucha, Kalthoum Bornaz, Nadia el Fani and Moufida Tlatli were names I’d never heard until I read a fantastic article in The Christian Science Monitor.

Tlatli is now one of Tunisia’s most famous directors, after her 1996 film “Silences of the Palace” earned her oodles of acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival. “Red Satin,” produced by Bouchoucha in 2002, was a hit in the US around the globe. Nadia el Fani’s  “Bedwin Hacker,” released in 2003, portrays a computer-hacking Tunisian woman and earned her international admiration and accolade.

Bornaz’s current flick, “The Other Half of the Sky,” depicts the last remaining legal difference between men and women in Tunisia – inheritance laws. According to the Koran and Tunisian law, a daughter is entitled to half the amount of inheritance as her brothers.

Girls Against the Grain

The women’s films are full of cultural and political references to their native Tunisia, and are largely funded by the Tunisian government, but in a bizarrely cruel twist of fate, you’re unlikely to see them in any of Tunisia’s 27 cinemas.

Old Egyptian comedies and action flicks draw crowds to the big screen in Tunisia, leaving these brave women’s movies to the realms of European art house or American film festivals (not that that isn’t an accomplishment in itself, mind).

Setting the Scene

“These women are extremely political in their agendas,” Robert Lang, a professor of cinema at the University of Hartford, who is writing a book on Tunisian cinema, told the CS Monitor.

He goes on to explain how these incredible women set their flicks n the Medina, which dresses them for sale in Paris or the West, and set them in the past, as it evades the government censors.

“Tunisian cinema is unique in the Arab world because it’s unafraid to put sexuality at the front of the narratives.” Says Mr Lang.

Breaking the Mould

While distinctly feminine in their approach, Tunisia’s talented female filmmakers are quick to assert that they are not feminists. They insist they want to be known as great filmmakers, regardless of their gender.

A new generation of young filmmakers are now joining the ranks of these inspirational, unafraid Tunisian women, but their challenges go further than mere gender.

Bornaz tells the CS Monitor that lack of funding is the biggest challenge she is facing, rather than gender discrimination. Tunisian domestic interest in the big screen is also waning. Ten years ago there were 100 cinemas in Tunisia.

Concerned about the dwindle in Arab Cinema, Bouchoucha took matters into her own hands and set up an elite screenwriters’ program for Middle Eastern and African writers to build a regional talent pool.She notes that films from Asia or Iran are more popular with audiences, particularly in the West, where she says a negative image of the Arab world throws a wet blanket over the promotion of Arab films.

How great it is to know that women like these are out there working to counteract this unjustified stereotype.

I was quite surprised when I visited Tashkent a few years back. Girls were wearing a wide range of clothing:  I saw plenty in traditional Uzbek garments, a fair few hijabs and also a lot of very snappily dressed gorgeous Uzbek girls in bright, modern garb.

Yet when I went to go look at the clothes on offer to girls, hoping to snag myself a souvenir, I have to say the choice was kinda limited. It seemed that there weren’t hardly any clothing stores. The ones I did see were much more expensive than I had expected.

I read in Ferghana, the Russian news agency, trade constraints mean the flow of quality girls’ clothing into Uzbekistan was curtailed in 2002-2003, As such Uzbek traders had to shift to local low-quality goods and poorly fashioned clothes.

Tashkent has about 20 specialized clothes shops for a population the 2,5 million population that live in the Uzbek capital. Although most of the clothes belong to old collections, their prices stay unreasonably high, costing as much as or even more than new collections.

“Gone Shopping… Back in a Couple of Days.”

Even clothes manufactured in Turkey are so rare and expensive that local merchants advertise them as exclusive with “Made in Turkey!”  slogans to attract shoppers.

So where do fashion-conscious Uzbek girls go for clothes that don’t cost the Earth?

Not surprisingly, Uzbek bargain hunters often go abroad to do their shopping, as the selection is better and more reasonably priced in neighbouring countries.

Style Uz Please!

The good news is that girls who want to dress to impress might not have to go so far in future. Something extraordinary has emerged on a national level that promises to make Uzbekistan a major player in the fashion industry.

Still in its infancy, Style.uz is a week long, annual, mega-cultural event that began in 2006, and each October hosts upscale fashion events in Tashkent and Samarqand. These ultra-trendy events encompass art, design, style, music, food, classes, parties and photography, catapulting the country to heart of the glamour cosmos.

As The Fashion Time reports, the first Style-Uz event, which showcases the best of the Uzbek fashion world, saw Rod Stewart and Julio Iglesias perform to an ecstatic Uzbek crowd.

When Iglesias sang, To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before, a million Uzbek fashionistas swooned in unison: “We like being on top of the fashion world and we want more.”

Style.uz is making it loud and clear that Uzbekistan intends to be a couture conoisseur on the International Fashion Scene for years to come. Good news, eh girls?