women’s rights

3 Arab women filmmakers causing a stir

You may have seen the news of the recent successes of Syrian wife, mother and filmmaker Waad al-Kateab’s remarkable documentary, For Sama. We thought this would be an excellent opportunity to showcase and celebrate Waad’s story and her success, along with some of the other great achievements of Arab women in film in recent years. Below are three incredible films from inspiring female directors from the Arab World that you absolutely need to watch!

Halah Hamrani: The Saudi boxing instructor teaching women to ‘Fight Like a Girl’

Halah Al Hamrani is a Saudi martial arts instructor and owner of the FLAG (Fight Like…

The Iranian women’s movement is seeing a slow revolution

It’s hard to imagine a society that prohibits the participation and viewing of sports based…

Freedom Is an Inside Job: Iraqi Activist Zainab Salbi on how to heal the world

Zainab Salbi is an Iraqi humanitarian, author and activist who founded Women for Women International…

Farewell, Damascus: On the Road to Freedom

Set in 1960s Damascus, Ghada Samman’s novel is an eminent celebration of life and female emancipation, but it also serves as a poignant reminder that the same rights and freedom of women are still being fought over both in the Syria and around the world.

10 badass Middle Eastern women you need to know about on International Women’s Day

To celebrate International Women’s Day, we’ve put together this list of 10 Middle Eastern women…

The painful truth about FGM in the Middle East

One of the greatest obstacles standing in the way of the pursuit of gender equality…

Leena Al Ayoobi – The Bahraini Artist Recreating The Image Of Women In The Gulf

Contrary to common stereotypes, there was a time when bright colours reigned in the Arabian…

“Driving while female”: Manal Al Sharif and the fight for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia

“Rain begins with a single drop.” If you’re looking for some inspiration this week, look…