A photograph in the “Toronto Star” shows three rows of young Muslim females, all students at Valley Park Middle school, prostrating their heads in unison on a crisp white sheet in the school cafeteria as they say one of the five daily prayers. A short distance behind them, are eight girls wearing modest clothing and neatly wrapped headscarves who sit quietly, conspicuous in their observation, rather than active participation, in the communal prayer. (No comments)

I find myself rummaging through a suitcase in the guest bedroom of a quaint brick row home in Blackburn, England. My husband and I are visiting his relatives en route from New Jersey to Rome. I whip out a tank top and dash off to the bathroom. The reflection staring back at me is dressed for Rome and not for my husband’s ultra-conservative (albeit, lovely) burka and thobe-clad extended family. Had he only mentioned this little tidbit about our hosts, I wouldn’t find myself scrambling to adjust my wardrobe by slipping on my tank top backwards beneath my blouse. This subtle act of conformity does the trick though, raising both my neckline and my comfort level. (No comments)

From the Pink Chaddi Campaign to What-Color-Is-Your-Bra? to Boobquake, Facebook’s edgier women’s campaigns are brilliant in gathering tens of thousands of supporters in a matter of days, but are they ultimately helping or hurting the feminist cause? (3 comments)

This week, beloved activist Aminah Asslimi dies in car accident, a group of Muslim scholars oppose full-body scans at US airports, Indian Muslim women's group leads campaign to educate impoverished women in Muslim slums, male hairdressers banned from serving female clientele in Gaza, and an essayist writes an exposé on the lives of three ordinary Iranian women. (No comments)

This week, a study finds that abstinence-focused sex education in American schools can persuade youth to delay sexual activity, sixteen-year-old Turkish girl buried alive for talking to boys, French authorities deny citizenship to man who forces his wife to wear a full veil, and female government leaders have done little to advance women's rights in Southeast and South Asia. (2 comments)

This week, Ayaan Hirsi Ali is interviewed by the LA Times to discuss women's rights in Islam, and Beyonce's Malaysian concert is postponed. (6 comments)

This week, sharia law is extending to Indonesian province and is (yet again) enforced in Malaysia, psychiatric plea likely for Muzzammil Hassan's January trial, new site, "Flying While Muslim," recently launched, America's first Special Representative to Muslim Communities is sworn in, Jerusalem sees increased rate of Arab-Jewish dating, and Abercrombie is under fire for rejecting hijab (1 comment)

On a beautiful summer afternoon in Moorestown, NJ on Sunday, June 28th, Altmuslimah held its Painted Gala, featuring a successful art auction with pieces donated from all over the world, a delicious meal, a fashion display, henna art, and live performances by The Kominas and sitar player Omar Waqar. (2 comments)

This week, insurgents in Thailand recruiting through football, couture abayas in a Paris fashion show (sorry, Sarkozy), and a Turkey court case over a football referee who outed himself on television. (No comments)

This week, women on the front lines of Iran's post-election protests, the French consider a burka ban, and a Muslim waitress in Britain who refused to wear a revealing dress for her job (and was awarded £3000) is caught wearing one on Facebook. (No comments)

This week, a hijabi runs for office in Italy, imprisoned daughter-in-law's fight back in England, and the status of women scholars around the world grows, from India to Egypt. (No comments)

This week, an Islamic American Idol, an Islamic (inner) beauty pageant in Saudi Arabia, women-led protests against the Taliban in Pakistan, and a tour of female Muslim musicians concludes in Birmingham, England. (No comments)

This week, a "let's get her fat" protest in Saudi Arabia (along with the divorces of child brides there), an interfaith effort to prevent deportation of a Muslim student and his family, and cruel and unusual torture in Iraq. (1 comment)

With all the interest surrounding this month’s feature pieces on gender roles in marriage, Altmuslimah decided to take these issues directly to the Muslim community. Altmuslimah conducted its first poll at this past weekend’s MSA National’s East Zone Conference in Philadelphia, PA, to see how the next-in-line to-wed think. (6 comments)

This week, Afghan women take to the streets to oppose new marriage laws, the Saudi's begin to turn the law against unregulated child marriages, more from the Talibanized Swat Valley of Pakistan, and a Pink Eid in Amsterdam (No comments)

This week, a disturbing video from the Swat region of Pakistan, discriminatory laws against Muslims in India and Afghanistan, and a rise in domestic violence in Gaza, following Israel's attack on the strip (and since Hamas rule began two years ago). (No comments)

This week, gang-rape victim Mukhtar Mai gets married, Iran sends a female skier to the upcoming Winter Olympics, and the UAE's campaign to counter the prevalence of "manly" women. More news briefs for the week of March 16, 2009. (No comments)