• Speaking of cows, a new breed of miniature cows has been bred in Ireland. Each cow is no taller than a German shepherd. • The prospect of being forced to marry a 75-year-old man in exchange for her own father to have the older man's 13-year-old daughter has driven a Saudi teen to suicide. • Arwa Mutabagani, a professional show jumper, has been appointed to the Saudi Olympic delegation (a first for a woman) and intends to use her position to open Saudi Arabia up to female athletes. • Meanwhile, Condoleezza Rice says she hopes to someday see Saudi women in the Games, which she think will happen after they are given the right to vote. • The lack of "artificial birth control" in the Philippines is expanding the amount of poverty in the region, where more children for a family can mean a great financial stress. • A 27-year-old Egyptian woman in Alexandria gave birth to sextuplets. • Mark O'Connell, author of the book The Marriage Benefit, believes that there are emotional and physical benefits to staying married. • "The Hardwood Cabin" a six-bedroom sex club in the Pacific Northwest, was shut down last month. • A group of South Korean lawmakers have introduced a proposal to ease a ban established in 1987 to prevent doctors from telling parents the gender of their fetus to stop abortions of unborn female children. • Some women work too hard in their positions to be seen as "leaders" and thus get promoted at their jobs. • Does Kim Novak get ignored by film critics because she was "the object of voyeuristic male gaze" in the '50s?

Blogger Duniya at MMW contends that the Saudi and Brunei ban on women competing makes all Muslims look bad. "It is embarrassing that these Muslim countries have such a ban. Considering that most Muslim countries allow women to participate, Saudi Arabia and Brunei have no excuse to exclude women, other than misogyny of course. And in the meantime, all Muslims will once again be labeled as misogynist."

As the Washington Post points out, many Muslim women competing in Beijing wear the headscarf (like Egyptian fencer Iman Shaban, pictured), so people who argue that a woman cannot compete in sports and remain modest are dead wrong. "Some of those Muslim female athletes in Beijing wore headscarves, as did Sheikha Maitha Bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the 28-year old who carried the flag for the UAE and who will compete in tae kwon do," the Post notes.

There seems to be some grass roots protesting going on, as Saudi women's rights activist Wajeha al-Huwaider has created a video decrying her country's ban on women in the Olympics. Al-Huwaider is already Youtube-famous for a video she made earlier this year, where she drives around the Saudi countryside, openly defying the ban on female drivers. Al-Huwaider's sports protest video is directly below.

Let The Women Play [Washington Post]
Muslimahs At Beijing Olympics [Muslimah Media Watch]
Bar Countries That Ban Women Athletes [IHT]

• Former biology teacher from San Marcos, CA and Army Reserve Capt. Laura Peters receives a medal from the state of California for her time spent as a liaison in Iraq. • Wajeha Al Huwaider is a Saudi activist who has made a YouTube video against Saudi Arabia's banning of women practicing sports in public. • Older female actresses are finding success and critical acclaim in television dramas where all five of the Emmy nominees for lead actress in a drama were women over 40 years-old. • An author of So Sexy, So Soon talks about the sexy images that young girls are exposed to at a early age. • Related: 6 ways to prep your kids for an oversexed world! Basically, just talk to your kids in a mature way about sex.

Another reason Gulf women are raking in the cash is because of Muslim inheritance laws. Time notes, " Shari'a dictates that a married woman's wealth is her own; spending on her household is her husband's responsibility." However, Graham Bell, a Dubai-based wealth manager tells Time, "This is not about women's liberation. It's about money."

Everything, of course, is not all coming up roses, as Arab women are often denied capital from banks and must get investment cash from family or relatives. But, as feminist theorists like Linda Hirshman love to point out, wealth and power go hand in hand. Monetary gain is the "the marker of success in a market economy," Hirshman has said, and as Arab women become financially solvent on their own, they will likely increase their political power.

Middle East: Women's Money Talks [Time]

Love finds a way. The teenage girls interviewed for this story are sneaky and clever, as teenage girls are. Some dress up as men and visit men-only establishments. And while unmarried men and women may not speak to each other because Islam forbids a stranger to hear your voice, this is the era of Facebook and cell phones. Instant messaging and text messaging bring some young people together. Not everyone is comfortable with it, however. Sara al-Tukhaifi, 18, says: "One test is that if you're ashamed to tell your family something, then you know for sure it's wrong. For a while I had Facebook friends who were boys — I didn't e-mail with them or anything, but they asked me to "friend" them and so I did. But then I thought about my family and I took them off the list."

While there are penalties for being caught with an unrelated member of the opposite sex (arrest, flogging) — the worst is the dishonor that would be invoked. Explains Enad al-Mutairi, a 20-year-old police officer: "One of the most important Arab traditions is honor. If my sister goes in the street and someone assaults her, she won't be able to protect herself. The nature of men is that men are more rational. Women are not rational. With one or two or three words, a man can get what he wants from a woman. If I call someone and a girl answers, I have to apologize. It's a huge deal. It is a violation of the house." Enad's cousin, Nader al-Mutairi calls himself "a romantic person." He feels that the way things are set up in Saudi Arabia, "there is no romance." Yet his ring tone is a love song; he is engaged to Enad's sister and they text message each other. When she calls, or writes a message, his phone flashes "My Love" over two interlocked red hearts.

Meanwhile, the Times also interviews a 17-year-old girl named Shaden (seen veiled in the photo above). Her favorite DVD is Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet. "It's a bit like our society, I think," She says. "It's dignified, and a bit strict... When Darcy comes to Elizabeth and says 'I love you' — that's exactly the kind of love I want."

One has to wonder: In a country which offers young men very little in the way of entertainment — no movie theaters, few sports facilities and with shopping malls off-limits — couldn't Love be a worthwhile pastime? If only it were not so difficult to find? As one commenter on the Times blog noted, "[It] is dangerous... to have too many young men in their twenties who have too little to do. They become prey to ideologues of seventh-century political cults, and ultimately, willing cannon fodder." When you don't take Love for granted, when Love is all you need, can Love save the day?

Love On Girls' Side Of The Saudi Divide, Q&A: Love in Saudi Arabia, Young Saudis, Vexed And Entranced By Love's Rules, Love In Saudi Arabia (video) [NY Times]

ANNA: A few weeks ago a reader wrote in to me complaining about the items we've
done on women in, specifically, India, saying that she was sick of the fact that we link to the more horrific stories regarding women and girls on the Indian sub-Continent...rape, murder, abuse, etc. The blog post she was upset about regarded a piece in a British paper we linked to about pre-teens selling their virginity to adult men in India in order to financially help their families. The reader referred to our — and by "our" I mean the editors and the commenters — "smug First World selves" and railed against our collective "ignorance" and "condescension". I responded to her saying that I understood where she was coming from but that in terms of stories about women and India, we were strapped: 99% of the stories that concern women that we find coming out of that area of the world are negative and/or upsetting, and we don't even post 90% of THOSE. I added that we work with what we can find, which, in the English language media, is coming either from American news sources, British news sources, or news sources in India that are available in English. We want to acknowledge the problems and horrors faced by women in other countries, but we often get attacked for doing so. What are some tactics that we — and other American, Western media properties — can approach these with more sensitivity?

LATOYA: Ha. I completely understand where she is coming from. Often times, western media tends to promote the things that are sensationalist like teen girls selling their virginity to feed their families or what Ebony magazine termed "disaster pornography" - things like famine, starvation, and suffering that tend to get people to wince and then open their wallets. I can't specifically speak to India, but since I notice this a lot with stories about the African continent. For example, take the elections in Kenya that happened late last year. If you were paying attention, you would know that there was a lot of tension leading up to those elections - so an allegation came in that someone won unfairly and riots broke out. However, when this news was reported, the headline was "Tribal Warfare Breaks Out in Kenya!"

Sensationalist stories grab our attention a lot faster than regular, day in the life stories. It's like the piece with Malawi I posted on last year - the article about how badly the World Bank and donor nations (US) screwed Malawi over in terms of offering them aid money with conditions attached that would keep them dependent on foreign aid dollars. Since people in Malawi were starving, the government made an executive decision to risk losing the money - and we are talking hundreds of millions of dollars - and to instead try to save their people from starvation. And they did it! That article got no play, whatsoever. Buried in the world section of the NY Times.

Late last month I read that profile of Madonna in Vanity Fair and saw all of these assertions about Malawi - and by extension Africa - and they rang false to me because of articles and books I had read earlier. And the article Madonna/Vanity Fair had all kinds of biased reporting - saying Africa when it really meant one specific country, asserting that Africans practice witchcraft when most Africans are Christian or Muslim, saying AIDS is killing the continent but never discussing how things like cuts to international family planning funds, the global gag rule, and allowing faith based programs to use development dollars to take their "abstinence only" ideas overseas. But, as many of my readers pointed out, they would have never made the connections from one thing to the other; since we have all been fed the idea that Africa is poor just because, we never question things like asking WHY African nations are so indebted or WHY AIDS is still spreading at alarming rates. We would just rather fill in our assumptions and keep reading about Madge's new album.

So part of the battle is asking the question "Why?" You'd be surprised at where that will lead you.

It's important that we begin to familiarize ourselves with international policy and politics. Keep in mind, when we read newspapers and other forms of media, there are subconsciously things that we skip - things that don't really pertain to our lives and don't make sense to us. Keep in mind, I read most of the same news sources you do. But the things I read make more sense to me because I acquired some background knowledge on some of the more intimidating topics.

Finally, realize that things aren't always death, destruction and horror - those are just the discussions that jump out at us the most. Over the last month, I've read articles about the development going on in African nations that revolve around technology. The NYT Magazine did a great article on Jan Chipchase who studies human behavior for Nokia and goes into developing nations to figure out how to sell them cell phones. Fast Company just published a piece on how Google is moving to create an internet presence in Africa, even though only 5% of people have access to internet. They feel it will be a huge growth project. Another business magazine talked about how the internet played a huge role in the rise of India's development - by mastering English, the population has been able to take advantage of the lucrative outsourcing market. And they also discussed the rise of cities and changes in traditional culture, as well as how "call center culture" has launched chick-lit novels and movies and the new prototype of the young urban Indian professional. So there is tons of information out there in mainstream media sources - we just tend to overlook it.

ANNA: I hear you on this. I think what I keep coming back to is 1. Issues of
time (we don't have the luxury of time to educate ourselves as broadly and quickly as we'd
like - blogging is quick business!) and 2. Women-specific issues (most of the stories we find regarding women are negative in nature because women around the world are, for the most part, not treated very well.). But here are some other questions: Is it "disaster pornography" to pick up on the stories written by actual, mainstream media outlets about the plight(s) of women around the world? Do we have to ALWAYS ALWAYS question them, at least those that seem pretty clear-cut? Why can't 12-year-old girls selling their virginity in India just be what it is, which is — to many cultures — horrific? Why CAN'T people put value judgments on such things sometimes without being accused of being colonialist, paternalistic, patronizing...even racist? And lastly, what do you think the inherent problems are with Westerners reporting back from non-Western countries, particularly on women's issues? Can a white, European woman living and working the Mideast never tell the full "truth" of her adopted society because of her background? Can an Asian-American woman in, say, South Africa not do the same? And lastly, because so many areas of the world (particularly the female populations in those areas) are in need of support, both financially and politically, what is so wrong with getting people to wince and open their wallets, particularly in an era in which superficial shit like celebrity adulation is so rampant that we have pageant contestants calling Iraq "the Iraq" and a decline in newspaper and book readership?

LATOYA: Anna, you have to understand that those excuses are just that - excuses. Here's why I say that - you all are great (seriously, fucking great) at calling out sexist assumptions about women in the media. You read an article and can instantly pick up on all the bullshit buzzwords and baseless assumptions that someone has concocted to prove their points about women being weaker/less intelligent/more emotional, etc. It's second nature to you, right? But I bet it wasn't always that way. You have to educate yourself about these issues in order to have that framework in your mind to challenge them. So the same way you learned to critically dissect the lies that women's magazines use to sell issues - it's the same thing. No one wakes up with a working knowledge of sexism, power dynamics in sexual relationships, eloquent critiques of impossible beauty ideals and a deep understanding about how strict adherence to gender roles in society causes tons of issues. You had to learn that.

So, in this case, the answer is learn. You aren't going to be able to fully comprehend everything about everything out of the box. Like I said in one of my posts on Racialicious, it took me about three months to stop fighting against the mass media programming that poorer nations are just a bunch of whiny complainers who want to be like America. So it will take a while.

Women are treated like shit around the world, this is very true. Women are also treated like shit in beacon of freedom America, particularly when you start considering issues like race, class, and immigration. But, just like there are kick ass things American women do every day, there are kick ass things that women around the world are doing too.

But to specifically answer your questions:

1. Yes, we always have to question because if we don't, we contribute to that whole narrative that the US is this great paragon of equality and every place else is some kind of human cesspool. Again, back to the Madonna/Malawi example - you could post on "starving babies in Malawi" and people go "oh no!" because that's what they are conditioned to do and we go buy a $24.00 bracelet that sends a dollar overseas, we mention about the horrendous situation there with our friends over cocktails and then roll right back into whatever stuff is affecting us right this minute. And no one talks about the World Bank, which is the leading reason why kids in Malawi are starving to death, and business moves as usual.

I am not saying that every other nation has no problems and nothing bad ever happens. But, it is kind of strange when we can post about the horrible shit that goes on in say, Italy (like your post on how 70% of Italian gynos refuse to perform abortions, even though they are legal) and have counterposts talking about cool/interesting things like how the Italian police department petitioned for more fashionable uniforms or the issues with modern dating in Italy. It provides a balanced view of the country. But that kind of balanced view never manages to make it over to African or South East Asian countries. So while we can read the literature and watch the movies coming out of those countries - there has to be SOMETHING else going on, some kind of larger social/cultural scene that is creating these works of art and lit - for some reason, our news reporting pretends that the only time they are worthy of our notice is when someone is suffering or something horrendous goes down. The answer is not to stop reporting on these events completely - just to be aware that these events do not exist in a vaccuum.

2. Value judgments are a tricky thing. In general, there is a problem with people conflating two separate issues and making them one. So, for example, let's take the treatment of women in Saudi Arabia. I think we can all generally agree that it is fucked up when some citizens are entitled to more rights than others based solely on gender, and that's what Saudi Arabia does. However, the problems come in when people start sticking blanket value judgments that don't necessarily apply to that situation - like saying Islam is responsible for the situation in Saudi Arabia. Umm, no. Some fuckheads in power got together and said this is how it's going down and we're going to justify it using Islam. There are 52 nations that are Muslim Majority countries and that's not how they roll. Look at Turkey - it is a nation that is 99% Muslim. 99%! And they have a very secular government system. Malaysia, Ethiopia, Morocco, Indonesia, Bangledesh - plenty of nations are Muslim and they have different systems set up. But people tend to stick one issue in because that's what they think that is what is happening and miss the bigger picture.

Fatemeh, the publisher of the Muslimah Media Watch blog also points out how condescending it is to want to "help" women in a foreign country without listening to them. We tend to infantilize them (example here) and act as those these poor poor women don't have minds of their own and can't speak for themselves, never realizing that they are actively engaging in these issues - just not necessarily where we can see. From the little I know about Muslimah feminism, people who still actively adhere to Islamic principles tend to work within those guidelines while fighting for equality. Our idea of equality may not be the same as what they want. So, for western people, it's a really big fucking deal if Muslim women take off their veils and wear lipstick. To them, it's kind of whatever, they want to focus on employment options and pay equality.

3. In terms of wincing and wallets, let me just say that there is nothing wrong with being informed. The problem is that we respond, crack the wallet, and we aren't informed. So who knows where the money is going and what it is being used for? Think about it this way - we give out billions of dollars in foreign food aid per year - so why haven't we solved world hunger yet? We waste enough food in America to feed quite a few nations, so the issue is more complicated than just food. We need to critically look at where this money is going and who is benefiting. There are also great ways to get involved that don't involve much money and make a longer lasting impact. Want to end hunger? Start lobbying congress, volunteering with NGOs, raise awareness about how the IMF is "the Typhoid Mary" of international development. (Yes, Jeffrey Sachs' said that — read this sitting down.) Or, looking at how governmental organizations and non governmental organizations have tons of money but can't seem to get it together do fix actual problems, even when said problems could be fixed for about $10,000 (see here). So, there are steps to take that would be more helpful in the long run but people just don't ask questions.

By the way, westerners can report on non-western issues, as can expats living in other countries. The issue is not that they are not entitled to have an opinion, it is just that many times that opinion may be ill-informed and may not have the whole story. So, I think western journalists in particular have an obligation to tread lightly in areas that are not directly our own - after all, since we shape of lot of world policy, our words may have serious consequences.

Related: Meet The Neo-Colonialists: Madonna And Vanity Fair [Racialicious]

Despite the rose-red fabrics, the reviews from the few female journalists attending the hotel's opening ceremony aren't completely rosy. They are miffed that the hotel was inaugurated by seven princes, instead of one of the many princesses who actually own it. One female journalist says there is already a backlash forming. "You know what they're saying about this place," she says. "That it's the hotel for lesbians."

In other gender news in Saudi Arabia, although the Saudi Government has announced that women will be able to drive by themselves without a male relative in the car, the law will not be passed without a number of caveats. The Saudi legislature, the Shura Council, has recommended that women be permitted to drive, but only if the following conditions are met, says the Middle East Media Research Institute:

• The female driver must be under 30.
  
• The female's driving is conditional upon the permission of a relative [father, husband, brother, or son].
  
• The female driver must obtain a driver's license from the center for teaching women to drive.
  
• The female driver must be modestly dressed.
  
• The female driver will be permitted to drive alone in the cities, but outside the cities she must be accompanied by a relative.
  
• The female driver will be permitted to drive Saturday through Wednesday between 7:00 AM and 8:00 PM.
  
• The female driver must have a cell phone with her, so she can call for help in an emergency.
  
• The female driver must pay a certain sum when her license is issued; this sum will be set aside for car repairs.

Saudi Arabia Opens Its First Women-only Hotel [Reuters]
Saudi Shura Council Recommends Allowing Saudi Women To Drive With Limitations [MEMRI, via The F Word]

Earlier: Milestones
Safe Driving Is A Rare Luxury For Many Iraqi Women

As the head of the the Eagle Forum, a self-proclaimed "leading pro-family organization," Schlafly and Co. put out a press release condemning the U.S. government's "endorsement" of International Women's Day, because "IWD serves to advance radical feminism in the form of promoting pro-abortion and pro-gay rights legislation, ratification of ERA, affirmative action for women, Title IX, government babysitting services, and government wage control, commonly camouflaged as 'pay equity' or 'comparable worth.'" Oh man, all the lesbian bonerkillers are certainly making so much progress in the Bush Administration with their commie agendas. Schlafly should be worried!

The agenda promoted by IWD is especiallly relevant in places like Saudi Arabia, where, despite plans to lift the ban in the future, women are still not allowed to drive without a male accompanying them. Wajiha Huwaidar, an activist who has been agitating for the right to drive, posted this video on YouTube on Friday, showing herself riding nonchalantly though the Saudi countryside in honor of International Women's Day. (Any readers out there who speak Arabic and can translate her dialogue, drop us a line!).

And Saudi Arabia isn't the only country where the status of women is often in peril. The Toronto Star named the ten worst countries for women, and in addition to Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Nepal, the Sudan, Somalia and Mali also made the list. The best countries for women include Iceland, Norway, Australia, Canada, Japan and Sweden. Anyone have any ideas as to why the U.S. wasn't on that list?

[Image via Global Center for Woman's Politics.]

IWD Ignored By News [WIMNs Voices]
Talking Politics, Power On Intl. Women's Day [NPR]
International Women's Day: Code for 'Advancing Radical Feminism Around the Globe' [Earth Times]
Wajeha Al-Huwaider For Women's Day 2008 [Youtube]
Saudi Woman Defies Driving Ban To Mark Women's Day [Breitbart]
Ten Worst Countries For Women [Toronto Star via Jules Crittenden]

The Human Rights Watch has come to the aid of Falih and has appealed to the Saudi government to halt the execution. "The fact that Saudi judges still conduct trials for unprovable crimes like 'witchcraft' underscores their inability to carry out objective criminal investigations," Joe Stork, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, told CBS.

This obviously isn't the first time that the Saudi government has come under international fire for their legal system's foibles. Last year, another Saudi woman was sentenced to lashings and imprisonment after she was gang raped. She had been sentenced because she was riding in a car alone with a man to whom she was not related, which at that point was illegal according to stringent Saudi laws concerning male/female contact. That woman was eventually pardoned, and on the bright side, the Saudi government has plans to lift its ban on female drivers.

The death sentence of the Saudi "witch" comes on the heels of an edict from the UN yesterday, in which the Saudi government was encouraged to provide a legal framework to stop violence against women. According to Reuters, Yakin Erturk, the U.N.'s human rights expert on violence against women, said, "The lack of written laws governing private life constitutes a major obstacle to women's access to justice...The need to address women's rights will grow increasingly urgent as the voices of women in Saudi society are heard."

When women in Saudi Arabia are reliving the Salem witch trials, it's definitely time for international intervention. What's next, dunking women in the Persian Gulf to see if they float?

Saudi Woman Faces Death For Witchcraft [CBS News]
Saudi Woman Faces Death For Witchcraft [Telegraph]
U.N. Tells Saudis To Tackle Violence Against Women [Reuters]

Earlier: Saudi Rape Victim Pardoned Due To "Psychological Effects"
Milestones

Meanwhile, in the US, women who are the daughters of immigrants also make choices their parents just can't understand, according to an article in Newsweek. Katherine Chon's family arrived in New Hampshire from South Korea when Ms. Chon was 2 months old. Ms. Chon was premed at Brown when she decided to form the Polaris Project, now one of the largest anti-human-trafficking organizations in the country. "It was really hard for my parents," says Katherine, now 27. "They gave up a life in Korea; they were working 80 to 90 hours a week, and had so many life stresses so their children could get a great education and have a comfortable life."

Do children have a responsibility to fulfill the dreams of their parents? What if the parents risked their lives or made huge sacrifices to make sure the child had opportunities not afforded to the older generation? Or is your life yours, to do with as you please, no matter what your parents expect or had to go through?

Consider Irshad Manji, who was raised in Canada after her parents emigrated from Uganda during Idi Amin's crackdown on South Asians. Her mother is a devout, mosque-going Muslim. Ms. Manji is an openly gay broadcast journalist who wrote a book called The Trouble With Islam. "There are so many people who don't talk to me [because of the book]," Ms. Manji's mother, Mumtaz says. "But who cares? My daughter comes first."

Pursuing Happiness Behind The Veil [LA Times]
The New Generation Gap [Newsweek]

The book's similarities with Gossip Girl don't end at using the internet as a literary device to move the story forward — according to a review in the UK Independent of the English translation of Girls of Riyadh: "Like their New York sisters, the girls of Riyadh live lives of branded plenitude," writes reviewer Alev Adil. "They watch Hollywood blockbusters, carry miniature pedigree dogs in designer handbags, go to the gym, console themselves with rhinoplasty and chemical peels, drink daddy's secret stash of Dom Perignon and dance the night away in Badgley Mishka or Roberto Cavalli. However, sequestered under Sharia law with little in the way of basic human rights, they must display a great deal more ingenuity than their Western counterparts in order to meet men."

So the acquisition of $3,000 handbags is so important that it's worth circumventing Sharia law. Obviously. It's unclear why disgustingly expensive accoutrements have become such a staple of the chick-lit genre. A book about young, urban women can, in fact, be published without referencing Manolo Blahniks. Guess the notion that women are frivolous label whores transcends cultures!

Saudi Girls Gone Wild [Forbes]
Girls Of Riyadh, By Rajaa Alsanea, Trans. Marilyn Booth: Funny And Chilling: Sex In the Saudi City

The victim, known in Saudi Arabia as the "girl of Qatif", certainly experienced "psychological effects." Her husband described her as a "crushed human being" whose myriad health problems have only been exacerbated by the ordeal. According to the Guardian, "Qatif girl" even tried to commit suicide in the aftermath of the attacks — sometime after her own brother tried to murder her. After the controversial sentence was handed down, the Saudi justice ministry explained that "Qatif girl" provoked the attack because she was "indecently dressed." They also ignored a camera-phone video taken by the assailants of the attack, adds the Guardian.

Conservative Muslim websites are already decrying the pardon, claiming that King Abdullah threw over the tenets of Islam to appease Western critics. Canada came out vocally against Qatif girl's sentence, and although President Bush admitted that he pondered how he would react had Qatif girl been Jenna or Barbara, he never spoke directly to King Abdullah about his concerns.

As for Qatif girl's loyal lawyer, Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, he is still facing a disciplinary hearing for his role in her defense. He is accused of "insulting the Supreme Judicial Council and disobeying the rules and regulations of the judiciary" because al-Lahem brought the case to the media. It's plainly obvious, though, that without international publicity, Qatif girl would have been greeting a New Year filled with corporal punishment.

Saudi King Pardons Rape Victim [NY Times]
Saudi King Pardons Gang-Rape Victim [Guardian]
Saudi King 'Pardons Rape vVctim' [BBC]
Report: King Pardons Rape Victim [CNN]

Earlier:
Saudi Rape Victim: "You Could Say She's A Crushed Human Being"
Justice Minister Claims Saudi Rape Victim Confessed To Extramarital Affair

Canada has spoken out against the woman's sentence, calling it "barbaric." The United States, on the other hand, has yet to make an official statement, though they did call it "astonishing." Astonishing? Baby pandas and X-Men are described as "astonishing." There are far better adjectives for this situation, like "awful," "horrific," and "unacceptable."

The Saudi justice minister also "expressed his regret about the media reports over the role of the women in this case which put out false information and wrongly defend her." Why doesn't he just come right out and say she was asking for it?

Saudi Rape Victim 'Having Affair' [BBC News]
Earlier: Saudi Rape Victim: "You Could Say She's A Crushed Human Being"

The raped woman's husband recently spoke to CNN about the verdict on the condition of anonymity. " "From the outset, my wife was dealt with as a guilty person who committed a crime...She was not given any chance to prove her innocence or describe how she was a victim of multiple brutal rapes." The husband also said his wife has been suffering from severe depression. "You could say she's a crushed human being."

Hillary Clinton has called upon the Bush Administration to publicly condemn the Saudi government for its treatment of the woman. "It's an outrage," Clinton said. " "I urge President Bush to call on King Abdullah to cancel the ruling and drop all charges against this woman." The official Saudi news agency released the following statement: "The Ministry of Justice welcomes constructive criticism ... The system allows appeals without resort to the media." They also added that the woman "contently accepted" the verdict.

Saudi defends verdict against gang-rape victim [Reuters]
Saudis Say Punishment of Rape Victim Justified[CNSNews.com]
Clinton: Saudi rape verdict 'an outrage'[CNN]

Earlier: Horrors

• When it comes to choosing Mr. Right, women are more interested in a guy with good manners than good looks. Whatever, we like a hottie who can burp the alphabet. Can we get a 'true dat', Audrina? [Daily Express]
  
• Ninety-five percent of women have "issues" with their period. For women with more than the average "Ugh, you mean I have to run out and spend $6 on tampons again?" annoyance with their cycle — like severe cramps, diarrhea, and suicidal-PMS — CNN offers up the latest treatment methods. [CNN]
  
• The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence wants water births to be an option for all expectant mothers since they are the safest form of pain-relief during labor. Sidebar! Is birthing a baby in a pool just as funny as farting in a hot tub? Doubt it. [The Independent]

• An increasing number of Asian women are committing suicide in the London neighborhood of Southall by jumping onto train tracks. A women's organization attributes the rise in suicide to domestic violence within the community. [Times of London]
• Two Saudi women told the religious police to talk to the hand when the officers said they were inappropriately-dressed. Of course they were arrested (because that's what happens in Saudi Arabia when women dare to talk back). We hope they threw in two snaps and a circle, for good measure. [BoingBoing]
• Feministing cuts America's Next Top Racist a break, which is nice of them. We still think Adrienne Curry is a useless, bigoted fucktard, though. [Feministing]
• We can't believe this is even up for debate, but the US Court of Appeals is currently hearing testimony as to whether the state of Missouri can deny incarcerated women the right to timely and safe abortions. Bitch robbed a bank, let's punish her with an unwanted baby. [Ms.]
• The Acting Surgeon General appointed by President Bush is a hard-core emergency contraception opponent. Big fucking shocker. [Ms.]
• Pervy Polygamist Warren Jeffs was convicted as an accomplice to rape. Guess we know what's going to happen on Big Love next season! [NY Times]
• A long-term study has found that women who take the breast cancer drug Herceptin triple their chances of survival. Hmm, what are the chances our shitty health care insurance companies cover this wonder drug? [Daily Mail]
• Researchers have discovered 350 genes linked to female fertility which may help them figure out the mysteries of infertility. Biggest head-scratcher: Why is it that so many women who really want babies have a hard time (like Nicole Kidman!) but women who are completely devoid of a natural inclination to parent (like Brit) turn 'em out like flapjacks? [Science Daily]

There is no law in the country that explicitly states that women cannot drive — the ban comes from a strict interpretation of the patriarchal requirement that women be accompanied by a legal guardian in public.

Islamic scholars argue that allowing women to drive would mean they might interact with non-related men such as police officers or car mechanics - and that would be the start of a slippery slope.

Critics counter that the alternative is to use drivers who are also likely to be strangers. Women who cannot afford the $150-$200 a month needed to employ a driver must rely on male relatives to drive them. The ban applies to foreign women residents as well as Saudi citizens.

Over on Feministing, editor Samhita Mukhopadhyay notes that since Saudi Arabia's economy is based on oil consumption — and Western nations are so friendly with the Saudi government — it is particularly disturbing that women there can't drive. All we have to say is thank Allah we don't live in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Women Fight Driving Ban [Guardian]
Related: Women in Saudi Arabia Still Can't Drive [Feministing]