Arab millenials: less religion and more feminism

Published April 14th, 2016 - 04:14 GMT
According to the results of 2016's Arab Youth Survey, Arab millennials want less religion in public life and more rights for women.  (AFP/File)
According to the results of 2016's Arab Youth Survey, Arab millennials want less religion in public life and more rights for women. (AFP/File)

Arab youth view ISIL as a major Mideast obstacle, want less religion 

Arab youth think there is too much religion in public life. Only 29% actively disagree with this sentiment. This finding tracks with the findings I reported from Pew– that the Arab Millennials are generally somewhat less observant than their parents, and in the generation gap on this issue is particularly large in Tunisia and Lebanon. Interestingly, the youth of the conservative Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman) feel more strongly against religion in public life than do Levantines and North Africans (though in N. Africa twice as many people feel there is too much religion in public life as demur.)

Continue reading on Informed Comment

 

'I am not a slave': nude protestor calls for solidarity 

On March 31, Iranian theater and film actor and director Moujan Mohammad Taher staged a nude protest near Tehran’s Milad Tower. Soon after, the protest attracted widespread attention, with videos and photographs being posted across social media, views of Tehran clearly visible in the background.

“I am not a slave,” the 36-year-old wrote across her body. She modeled her protest on public acts by Femen activists, known for their topless protests against religion, authoritarianism and the sex industry. According to Mohammad Taher, this is the first nude protest in Iran, a defiant “no” to the Islamic Republic’s anti-women laws.

Continue reading on IranWire

 

President Hadi's dubious leadership 

Headlines on the critical state of Yemen's current affairs highlight the catastrophic humanitarian situation, war atrocities and the precarious upcoming peace talks. But there is another calamity brewing in Yemen that is receiving little attention: the unreliable leadership of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.

Hadi's latest New York Times op-ed, and his cabinet reshuffle both demonstrate that his own survival comes first on his agenda, overlooking the importance of winning the hearts and minds of the Yemeni public.

Continue reading Afrah Nasser's Blog

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