Women's rights

UN adopts post-Assad Syria resolution recognizing women searching for missing family

Syria’s representative to the UN, told the General Assembly ahead of the resolution’s adoption that Syrian women faced what he described as “the worst missing persons crisis in modern history."

|ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
Artists perform, as Kurdish female fighters attend a military parade to mark the 13th anniversary of the founding of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) in Qamishli, Syria, April 4, 2026.
Dr Manal Radwan at the Med-Gulf Summit 2026.

Saudi Arabia names women diplomat Manal Radwan as special envoy for peace efforts

Radwan is a veteran Saudi diplomat with 25 years of experience in foreign policy, multilateral diplomacy, and relations with the United States, the United Nations, and the Arab League.

|ByTHE MEDIA LINE STAFF
TOLOnews television anchor Tahmina Usmani, 23, poses for a portrait in Kabul, August 1, 2022.

Afghan journalist explains her escape from Taliban after restrictions on women in broadcasting

Censorship, threats, and tightening restrictions made it impossible for journalist Tahmina Usmani to continue working freely or safely in Afghanistan.

|ByARSHAD MEHMOOD/THE MEDIA LINE
Women wearing burqas pause at the side of a road in Kabul, Afghanistan October 26, 2021.

Five years after Taliban takeover, Afghan women remain trapped in deepening rights crisis

The Afghan women who spoke to The Media Line said that words could hardly capture the hardships they have endured in exile, while their loved ones continue to face difficult conditions back home.

|ByARSHAD MEHMOOD/THE MEDIA LINE

Professional advancement in Halacha: Why women should be allowed to take official exams - opinion

Women have been studying Halacha for many years, and they simply long for the chance to take official exams.

OCTOBER 28, 2025ByCHAMUTAL SHOVAL
‘SINCE THE war began, the questions have become even harder and more traumatic. I do my best to answer and to provide the questioner, male or female, with halachic guidance through these painful moments,’ says the writer.

Modi under scrutiny after Taliban allowed to exclude female journalists from Delhi press event

India's External Affairs Ministry said it "had no involvement in the press interaction" at the Afghan embassy.

OCTOBER 18, 2025ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Afghanistan's Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi speaks at the roundtable at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in New Delhi, India, October 13, 2025.

The Taliban bans women’s books - and too many Afghans applaud - opinion

Thinking naively that Afghans living in Dubai would be either refugees or have wised up - I asked one what he thinks of the Taliban. His answer? "Wonderful."

OCTOBER 5, 2025ByBARBARA SOFER
THE BLUE Mosque in Kabul.

The rabbinical courts: Sick system at the heart of society - opinion

The courts are staffed by judges who rule on momentous matters within a system that lacks proper training, transparency, and oversight.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2025BySIGAL RAZIN
PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG and Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef attend a ceremony inaugurating new judges in the rabbinical courts at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem in June.

‘I’m still trapped in August 2021’: Afghan women in exile share haunting memories

Afghan women who fled Taliban rule describe trauma, loss, and fear as they struggle for recognition abroad.

AUGUST 19, 2025ByARSHAD MEHMOOD / THE MEDIA LINE
Women with tape on their mouths protest in silence against the loss of fundamental rights for women and girls in Afghanistan. August 15 marks four years since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, August 15, 2025.

From exclusion to examination: Women gain access to rabbinic path

Historic win: Rabbi Seth Farber and female pioneers reflect on the fight to open rabbinic exams to women

JULY 26, 2025ByALAN ROSENBAUM
WOMEN LEARN in Migdal Oz. Having an official accreditation process, universal for halachic scholars of both sexes, is a good way to get more people to study Jewish law, notes Farber.

Afghan women battle the Taliban's Sharia laws with hair salons, underground businesses - report

From underground hair salons to selling makeup and jewelry online, a report by The Washington Post details the daily struggles that women in Afghanistan face.

JULY 24, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
FILE PHOTO: Two Afghan women in interview with Reuters.

Sisterhood died on October 7: Betrayed by the women’s movement - opinion

The Dinah Project counters the silence from international women's movements following the atrocities of October 7.

JULY 14, 2025ByRENEE GARFINKEL
MEMBERS OF the Dinah Project formally present ‘A Quest for Justice: October 7 and Beyond’ to first lady Michal Herzog at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem last week.

Israelis oppose gender segregation - opinion

The value of gender equality has eroded in Israel over the past two decades, but the majority of the public does not support separation measures.

JULY 10, 2025ByASIF EFRAT
WOMEN AND children at a separate beach in Haifa. Supporters of separation see it as pluralism allowing religious people to operate in the public sphere while maintaining their lifestyles, the writer notes.

'Iran can't be free unless all women are free': Oppression of women central to Iran - interview

British-Iranian journalist Jonathan Harounoff discusses his new book 'Unveiled: Inside Iran's #WomanLifeFreedom Revolt.'

JULY 9, 2025ByMATHILDA HELLER
People protest in Trafalgar Square on the first anniversary of the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman arrested by the morality police in 2022 for allegedly flouting mandatory dress codes, in London, Britain, September 16, 2023.