...Or Does It Explode?

...And in Other News

Morocco's new Minister of Health - herself a woman - has approved the morning after pill.

From Beirut, Compare & Contrast on Nonviolence

Photos do the talking...

Scenes from a Saudi Breakthrough Concert

Bet you thought you'd never see this:

Here's the story: "Public Classical Music Concert Breaks Taboos in Saudi Arabia"

It's worth noting that the pianist, Hiroko Atsumi, did not wear an abaya (nor, apparently, did many women in the audience). You go, girl!

Saudi Arabia's Underground Women's Basketball Scene

Giving new meaning to the expression "She Got Game"

The Jeddah United women's basketball team trickled onto the court, each player wrapped in a black abaya and head scarf. Within minutes, the women had shed their cloaks and were in uniform – white pants and jerseys with their names in red – practicing layups, passes, and foul shots.

The team, made up mostly of Saudi students and housewives, is preparing for a local tournament this month. But what the women would really love to do, many said, is compete internationally and represent their country abroad, something Saudi Arabia does not permit.

"We want to reach Olympic levels," said Shatha Bakhsh, a law student. "We have a lot of potential, but not the chance to show it."

Saudi Arabia follows a strict version of Islam that bans men and women from mingling and does not allow women to drive or to travel without a male guardian's permission. Powerful religious clerics also ban sports for girls in public schools, deeming it un-Islamic, and recently canceled two rare all-women's events, a soccer match and a marathon. Gyms for women were closed in the early 1990s and have been allowed to reopen, but only when affiliated with hospitals. Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries competing in the Olympics without a female delegation...

There are more than a dozen women's basketball teams in this Red Sea city, the country's most liberal, involving several hundred players. Some operate legally but quietly under the umbrella of women's charitable societies or as part of private high schools and colleges, but others operate without a government permit, as in the case of Jeddah United.

Hoop Dreams, indeed. Congratulations to Jeddah United!

Moroccan Activists Slam Kingdom's Human Rights Failures

The verdict is harsh:

Morocco is failing to undertake democratic reforms, lobby groups said Wednesday, accusing Rabat of "hypocrisy" on human rights.

Speaking in Geneva during a United Nations Human Rights' Council assessment of the northwest African country's rights record, non-governmental organisations hailed reforms in the fields of family law, the media, criminal procedures and nationality rights.

"But we have worries about the implementation of this arsenal of laws," said Youssef El Bouhairi from the Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH). "Until now, the state has not demonstrated a political will to implement these reforms," he added...

Saida Drissi Amrani, the president of the Democratic Association of Moroccan Women, said she welcomed the reform of the family code, but thought "these achievements are still fragile."

Polygamy continued to be tolerated, she said, while homosexuality and changing one's religion were still penalised.

It's important that these human rights watchdogs are speaking out to the international community. It's also a sign of progress for Morocco. El Bouhairi and Amrani will go home from Switzerland and continue with their outspoken work. If they were Saudi citizens, returning home after saying statements like this in Geneva could involve a one-way trip to the slammer.

600 Activists Demand Release of Khadijeh Moghaddam

A major show of solidarity from Iranian activists:

Hundreds of Iranian civil rights activists have signed an open letter calling for the release of a women's rights advocate arrested for "acting against national security", reports said on Saturday.

Women's rights and environmental activist Khadijeh Moghaddam, 56, was arrested on April 8 and bail has been set at one billion rials (108,000 dollars).

Some 600 activists have signed the letter demanding that "Khadijeh Moghaddam's illegal detention end as soon as possible," the reformist Sarmayeh newspaper said...

"She has been active for years in creating jobs for women and forming women's cooperatives," it added. "Who would believe Moghaddam has harmed national security or caused public offence?"

Moghaddam has also been involved with the "one million signature" campaign -- an attempt to change Iranian laws that discriminate against women by collecting signatures online and in person.

The Meaning of Egypt?

Musings: How to process the bizarre scenes that have engulfed parts of Egypt over the past few days? Most surprising has been the general lack of interest from Western reporters and pundits. Was it simply that Petreus Senate hearings rule supreme in news selection? Or could it be that we are tired of hearing about reform in the Middle East, hopes being raised and then dashed too many times? The week's events could, in retrospect, mark a seminal moment - a huge breakthrough after a few years of relative quiet. Maybe not, but we should at least be debating out loud, no?

Woah!

Taking a Stand against Censorship

31 civic groups have united to protest shenanigans on the UN's Human Rights Council to limit free expression. Their joint statement is a bit wordy, but has this nice nugget, simple yet profound:

...Freedom of expression itself is one of the most effective recourses and tools against abuses of human rights, including abuses of the right to equality.

Happy Chaharshanbeh Soori!

It's almost New Year's time - Norouz, that is - and the kids are out on the streets in Iran celebrating an ancient regional holiday in a manner that can't be pleasing to the mullahs.

That's one brave young woman - dropping her mandatory hijab to join the circle dance.

Here's another daredevil.