The battle to defeat the Indecent Dressing Bill in Nigeria marks another point in the struggle between feminists and the cultural conservatives and faith based fundamentalists who argue for control over individual behaviour
Face-covering prohibitions in Europe are typically passed on the basis of three arguments: security, women’s rights and secularism. Rational as they may seem, these arguments do not stand up to scrutiny.
As a political instrument of power projection and status, nuclear weapons carry a peculiarly masculine symbolism. In the 1980s, Greenham women were at the forefront of challenging masculine ideologies of defence and security. We need to seize the initiative and again become the agents of security
What are the implications for women's reproductive rights of the strong legacy of Catholicism acting as a marker of Polish nationhood and identity?
A delicate papal visit to Britain was in the end a diplomatic success. All the more reason to examine the ideas it advanced, says Michael Walsh.
Just as borders, once drawn, become subject to militant patrol, so are the lives and bodies of women once they are marked by religious tensions. The need to address the nexus between religion, gender and conflict is becoming vital to peacebuilding
In Chechnya there is official support for attacks on women when they are considered to have ‘flouted’ Islamic rules by not wearing a headscarf or covering up enough. Tanya Lokshina listened to some of the women’s despairing accounts.
In Latin America a close network of religious leaders from different traditions, political elites and civil organizations has formed to protect the traditional sexual order. Women's bodies continue to be a key battleground
The direct involvement of African Christians in battles over social policy in the USA is mirrored by the involvement of the American Christian Right in Africa, as they collaborate to oppose progressive forces in civil society and shape government policy
The Rt. Rev. Dr David Zac Niringiye, bishop of of All Saints Cathedral in Kampala, talks to Ute Seela about diversity and common ground in Uganda
Several European states - France, Italy, Belgium and Britain among them - are involved in legal, social or political disputes over the dress-codes of Muslim women. A detailed and alert survey of the variegated experiences and attitudes involved is the best way to understand a complex issue, says S
This is a tragedy that belongs to modern powerplay and the current moment, and that calls for a much more thoughtful response from outside observers
