Women’s rights

A woman walks past a wall painting in the colours of the Iranian flag in Tehran on February 25, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

How hijab dispute is opening new front in Iran-Azerbaijan tensions

Iran's longstanding unease over Azerbaijan's strategic ties with Israel is spilling into a dispute over religious freedoms and Baku's position in the Islamic world, testing already fragile relations between the two neighbors.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A shop owner assists one of his customers at Malta bazaar in the Fatih district in Istanbul, on Dec. 6, 2024.

Iran mum as Azerbaijan’s school hijab ban, Israel ties test alliance with Turkey

Azerbaijan’s restrictions on Islamic dress in schools have sparked an unusual public spat with Turkey, exposing tensions beneath the allies’ close political and security ties.

Protesters hold banners calling for child protection and justice

Culture

Rape of teenage girl shocks Tunisia: What to know

Violence against children and women remains a problem in Tunisia, despite a 2017 law aimed at helping the situation.

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, Morocco's newly appointed head of government

Culture

Who is Fatima El Mansouri, Morocco’s first woman prime minister?

Her appointment marks the first time a woman has served as Morocco’s head of government and the second time a woman has held the position in the Arab world.

Latest News

Meet Khalida Boufedech, the first woman to lead Algeria’s parliament

Speaker of the National People's Assembly, Dr. Khalida Boufedech, is pictured in this undated image.

Culture

Lebanon arrests man after video of public assault on wife goes viral

An activist takes part in a demonstration against sexual harassment, rape and domestic violence in the Lebanese capital Beirut on December 7, 2019. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

How ‘dog mom’ vacuum cleaner ad sparked culture war in Turkey

MURAT KOCABAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Is Syria’s Sharaa poised to outdo Turkey in formalizing gains for Kurds?

Kurdish people waving Kurdistan flags gather to celebrate Nowruz on the hill of Urkesh in the countryside of Amuda in northeastern Syria on March 18, 2026. Nowruz, meaning "new day," is an ancient festival that marks the start of spring and the new year on the vernal equinox, which usually falls on March 20 or 21. It is celebrated by more than 300 million people worldwide and has been observed for over 3,000 years across regions including the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus and parts of Eastern Euro

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Should women cover up so men can fast in Egypt?

An online campaign calling for "girls to dress modestly during Ramadan" has provoked the ire of critics who see it as a veiled call for sexual harassment under the pretext of piety.

Woman heads Palestinian Health Ministry for the first time

Only three women have been appointed to ministerial positions in the new Palestinian government, out of 18 ministries in total, raising the ire of activists.

Case of runaway sisters highlights ongoing plight of Saudi women

After their case made international headlines this month, one of the Saudi sisters who fled abroad spoke to Al-Monitor about the kingdom’s “flawed justice system” and called on the leadership to carry through with better reforms.

Small business lending on the rise for Egyptian women

Small business lending for Egyptian women has increased significantly in 2018, allowing more women, especially in rural areas, to start their own enterprises.

Inspired photographer spotlights Gaza's quiet heroines

A self-taught photographer shares the stories of ordinary women in Gaza who have extraordinary stamina and drive.

Jordanian parliament rejects raising early marriage age to 16

Jordan’s parliament voted against raising the minimum age of marriage in exceptional cases from 15 to 16, disappointing many women and human rights activists.

Is Gaza set to break sexual harassment taboo?

Activists from the conservative Gaza Strip recently launched the #MeTooGaza hashtag on social media to encourage sexual harassment victims to talk about their experiences and share their stories.

Police try to disperse a march marking International Women's Day in Istanbul, Turkey, March 8, 2019. REUTERS/Kemal Aslan TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1663BEFF40

Has misogyny become official state policy in Turkey?

With Turkish police canceling the International Women's Day march in Taksim at the last minute and the president using the drama as an electoral distraction, it's time to ask if misogyny has become an official state policy in Turkey.

Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb leaves Al Rawdah mosque during the first Friday prayer after the attack in Bir Al-Abed, Egypt, December 1, 2017. Picture taken December 1, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RC170C5C7C20

Al-Azhar sheikh labels polygamy as unjust, stirs controversy

Egypt’s grand imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, provoked controversy in Egypt by saying that polygamy can do “injustice to women and children.”

Istanbul's first Kurdish film festival casts light on women issues

From Saturday Mothers whose sons went missing in the 1990s to homeless children whose parents have been killed, Kurdish films provide a grim reflection on the situation on the ground in Turkey.

Do clothes make the woman? An Iranian artist's search for identity

The works of Mona Hakimi-Schueler, an Iranian artist based in Berlin, depicts Iranian women not as victims but strong individuals whether in a hijab, summer dress or armor.

Egypt celebrates its own Women's Day

As Egyptian women celebrate the 100-year anniversary of their participation in the first march during the 1919 revolution, the National Council for Women sheds light on their achievements.