The first thing I am asked about my life in Egypt when I go back to a western country is what is it like as a woman living and working in Egypt.

When I first moved to Cairo, I still carried a very post-9/11, North American attitude – I felt it important to break stereotypes about the Middle East and was defensive about the misconceptions attached to Muslim women living in this part of the world.

I would quickly answer that life was very normal for me in Cairo as a woman; I didn’t feel as though it was tougher for me than for a man, and that I was surviving very well, thank you very much.

Four years on and having travelled throughout the Middle East, I am more honest about my experience – it is without doubt tougher for women to live here than for men.

From the daily sexual harassment on the street, to the fact that the presence of a man is needed to carry out certain errands, to guarantee a fair price or garner respect, in many way everything has remained patriarchal. The Arab world has progressed at a snail’s pace.

Just this month, a decision by the state council courts to forbid women from being judges saw newspapers rehashing the same arguments about the ability of a woman to hold such a position: What will happen if she leaves the home? Is she too emotional to work in such a profession? Does her menstrual cycle make her too crazy to pass judgement?

Not only are they arguments from the Stone Age, they were already debated seven years ago when the first female judge was appointed to the supreme court, and then again in 2007 when the first batch of women judges arrived in the constitutional court.

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By Hadeel al Shalchi
The National

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Every Saturday since last June, Farzaneh Zeinali met with a group of mothers at Laleh Park in Tehran.

The women dress entirely in black and silently make their way along pathways by candlelight. In their hands, they carry photos of their children – all political dissidents either killed or imprisoned in the aftermath of last year’s disputed presidential election.

This group is known as the Mourning Mothers of Iran. But Zeinali doesn’t march with them anymore.

In January, she was one of 32 arrested by the Revolutionary Guard. While most of the others have since been released, it is believed Zeinali remains in the notorious Evin Prison – a place synonymous with years of torture and abuse.

This is just one example of the human rights abuse carried out by the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Revolutionary Guard. Iran has well-known history of jailing political dissidents, putting down protests with violence and enforcing oppressive laws through the religious police.

It should be pointed out this occurs without the help of a nuclear bomb. Yet it is proliferation over human rights that produces countless rounds of diplomatic talks and tops meeting agendas at the United Nations.

There’s no doubt that Ahmadinejad’s nuclear ambitions are a concern across the political spectrum. But while treaties, sanctions (even military action) have been put forth as possible solutions, it’s what we’re overlooking that could be the greatest threat to Ahmadinejad’s regime - the years of human rights violations committed against his own people.

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By Craig and Marc Kielburger
TheStar.com

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Susan notes: I'm deeply saddened by the death yesterday of one of my heroines, war zone journalist and camerawoman Margaret Moth. She was an amazing woman in every sense of the world. I am grateful for her life so fully lived.

See the three-part CNN docuentatry video of her life here: Margaret Moth (Journalist/Camerawoman); and my September 2009 blog on her story here: The Margaret Moth Story: FEARLESS (or: A Heroine Just Walked Into My Life). This is part of Moth's obituary which ran yesterday on CNN.com; click on the link below to see the complete article.

Susan notes: this story is part of The Female Factor, a year-long series of investigative stories, articles, and mulit-media reports by the International Herald Tribune.

The series includes an international forum where women around the world share their views on topical issues - definitely worth a visit.

Thank you www.amazingwomenrock.com fans, members, and friends around the world for supporting AWR and my mission to celebrate, motivate and inspire women around the world.

Mid-morning today, the AWR Facebook fan page reached 10,000 fans  - I captured the achievement in the screen shot below :)

Thanks to all the amazing women out there, and of course to all the amazing men who appreciate us. This is really a landmark day for me and for the site and I'm so pleased to share it with all of you.

Big love from me to you,

Susan