International Women’s Day: How social media has helped amplify women’s voices

Muslim women take part in a protest against the recent hijab ban in few educational institutes of Karnataka state, in Kolkata. (AFP)
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Updated 08 March 2022
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International Women’s Day: How social media has helped amplify women’s voices

  • Social media platforms have provided an important forum for many women to share and raise their voices
  • Thanks to social media, a small protest by Muslim schoolgirls in India kickstarted a nationwide debate

NEW DELHI: When a group of Muslim girls at a school in a southern Indian state were barred from wearing the hijab in January, they staged a peaceful demonstration. Social media soon amplified their voices, igniting a nationwide debate over women’s rights.

The controversy began at a government-run secondary school in the Udupi district of Karnataka. Despite the protest, the local administration backed the school’s decision and issued an order in February that banned the wearing of the hijab and “clothes which disturbed peace” at educational institutions.

However, after social media users and news outlets picked up on the story, the small protest grew into larger public rallies, spilling over into other states, and quickly became a national issue. Petitions against the hijab ban have since been heard in the high court.

“The uproar on social media helped the news become global, focusing on the larger issue of the rights of Muslim women in this whole debate,” Hana Mohsin Khan, a Delhi-based commercial pilot and activist, told Arab News.

“In the hijab controversy, it is through social media that Muslim women found solidarity among people and right-thinking people. Because of social media, Muslim women found so much support.”




Students of government Pre-University college in Kundapur town wearing hijab arrive at their college in Udupi district in India’s Karnataka state. (AFP)

Social media platforms have provided an important forum for many women to share, raise their voices and communicate over a wide range of issues. In the process, it has created a more level playing field for women from different backgrounds and communities to participate in public debate, allowing them to organize and speak collectively. 

Perhaps the strongest example of this in recent years is the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women worldwide to speak out about instances of everyday sexism and harassment, encouraging solidarity and emphasizing shared experiences.

Thanks to the growth of this new digital space, women’s movements have become far more inclusive and representative, strengthening the collective voice of disparate communities and clearing the way for social reforms. 

Muslims make up about 12 percent of the population in Karnataka, where the vast majority of people are Hindu. Muslims and other religious minorities are often left feeling alienated by state regulations, which make it difficult for interfaith couples to marry and for people to convert to Islam or Christianity. 

The hijab ban has been viewed by many as discriminatory.




After social media users and news outlets picked up on the story, the small protest grew into larger public rallies, spilling over into other states, and quickly became a national issue. (AFP)

“Muslim girls have been wearing hijab in this part of the state and it has never been an issue. Now, because of that, some girls who were in their final year had to miss their exams,” Aamna Kausar, a postgraduate student in Udupi, told Arab News.

“The fact that the issue took a political turn is largely due to social media. No doubt social media highlighted Muslim women’s fundamental rights.”

While social media is designed for engagement, it has become a potent tool for fostering civic participation.

For Shayma, a Muslim activist and doctoral student at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, social media has provided a platform for those who would otherwise not have been heard.

“These kinds of small incidents have been happening on a smaller scale all the time, but this time women students found a way to break through their silence and put their voices forward, and the credit to a great extent goes to social media,” she said.




People take part in a demonstration against the gender violence in front of the Palace of Justice, in Lima Peru on March 5, 2022, ahead of the International Women’s Day celebrated on March 8. (AFP)

“Lots of people who are at the receiving end of the hijab controversy have been able to enunciate their issues.”

While women’s rights were the core of social media activism surrounding the hijab controversy, Nadeem Khan, co-founder of United Against Hate, a campaign group established by students, lawyers and intellectuals, told Arab News the issue has since grown into a debate over religious freedoms.

“The immediate attack was on the hijab, but, once the issue was raised on social media, the first question that was asked was about religious freedom,” he said.

“Social media highlighted the constitutional rights for practicing one’s faith, discrimination that is taking place against Muslim students in educational institutions and the issue of Muslim identity in India.”


US denounces French inquiry into social media platform X, vows to defend free speech

Updated 26 July 2025
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US denounces French inquiry into social media platform X, vows to defend free speech

  • Paris cybercrime prosecutors called for the police into billionaire Elon Musk's social network X on suspicion of foreign interference
  • “Democratic governments should allow all voices to be heard, not silence speech they dislike," US State Department responds

WASHINGTON: US officials issued a harsh condemnation Friday of France’s criminal investigation into the social network X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, on suspicion of foreign interference.
“As part of a criminal investigation, an activist French prosecutor is requesting information on X’s proprietary algorithm and has classified X as an ‘organized crime group,’” the US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor wrote on their X account.
“Democratic governments should allow all voices to be heard, not silence speech they dislike. The United States will defend the free speech of all Americans against acts of foreign censorship.”
Paris cybercrime prosecutors called for the police probe July 11 to investigate suspected crimes — including manipulating and extracting data from automated systems “as part of a criminal gang.”
The social media company last week denied the allegations, calling them “politically motivated.”
X also said it had refused to comply with the prosecutor’s request to access its recommendation algorithm and real-time data.
The investigation follows two January complaints that alleged the X algorithm had been used for foreign interference in French politics.
One of the complaints came from Eric Bothorel, an MP from President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party, who complained of “reduced diversity of voices and options” and Musk’s “personal interventions” in the platform’s management since he took it over.
X said it “categorically denies” all allegations and that the probe “is distorting French law in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech.”
Tesla and SpaceX chief Musk has raised hackles with his forays into European politics, including vocal backing for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of February legislative elections.
“Democracy is too fragile to let digital platform owners tell us what to think, who to vote for or even who to hate,” Bothorel said after the investigation was announced.
 


Pregnant Palestinian journalist killed in Israeli strike

Updated 24 July 2025
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Pregnant Palestinian journalist killed in Israeli strike

  • Walaa Al-Jaabari was killed along with her husband, 4 children and unborn child during a bombing on her house in southwest Gaza City
  • According to local reports not independently verifiable, the explosion was so powerful it reportedly ejected the fetus from her womb

LONDON: Palestinian journalist Walaa Al-Jaabari, who was reportedly pregnant, was killed along with her immediate family in an Israeli airstrike on Wednesday.

Al-Jaabari, a newspaper editor for several local media outlets, died when her home in the Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood in southwest Gaza City was bombed. The strike also killed her husband, Amjad Al-Shaer, their four children, and her unborn baby.

According to local reports, the explosion was so powerful it reportedly ejected the fetus from her womb. Arab News could not independently verify this claim or the authenticity of photos circulating online that appear to show a fetus wrapped in a shroud.

Her death is the latest in what human rights and press freedom organizations have described as the systematic targeting of journalists in Gaza.

On Wednesday, the International Federation of Journalists renewed its call for Israel to stop killing media workers and to allow international reporters access to the territory, which has been under an Israeli-imposed blockade for 21 months.

More than 180 journalists — almost all Palestinians — have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli offensive, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Other organizations estimate the toll to be as high as 231.

In at least a dozen cases, rights groups say there is evidence that Israeli forces deliberately targeted journalists, which they warn may constitute war crimes.

No independent reporters have been permitted entry into Gaza throughout the war, apart from a handful of tightly controlled, brief “embed” visits with Israeli troops.

Israeli authorities have repeatedly refused to lift the ban, citing security concerns and the risks of allowing journalists to operate freely in the conflict zone.

The blockade has placed immense pressure on local reporters, who face extreme working conditions, including limited access to electricity, food, and Internet connectivity.

On Thursday, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters and the BBC issued a joint statement urging Israel to allow journalists access to Gaza and permit the entry of humanitarian supplies.

“We are desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families,” the statement said. “For many months, these independent journalists have been the world’s eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering.”


Gaza staff face starvation: Joint statement from AFP, AP, BBC, Reuters

Updated 24 July 2025
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Gaza staff face starvation: Joint statement from AFP, AP, BBC, Reuters

  • Statement calls on Israel to allow journalists in and out of Gaza, permit adequate food supplies into territory
  • Over 100 charity and human rights groups say Israel’s blockade pushing Palestinians in Gaza toward starvation

Four leading news organizations said Thursday their journalists in Gaza are facing the threat of starvation as the Israeli assault on Gaza grinds on, while top US envoy Steve Witkoff was to meet with key negotiators from the Middle East for talks on the latest ceasefire proposal and the release of hostages.

“We are desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families,” said a joint statement by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters and the BBC. “For many months, these independent journalists have been the world’s eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering.”

The statement called on Israel to allow journalists in and out of Gaza and allow adequate food supplies into the territory.

The statement came a day after more than 100 charity and human rights groups said that Israel’s blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip toward starvation.

Also Thursday, Hamas confirmed it had sent its latest ceasefire proposal to Israel, with an Israeli official calling it “workable,” although no details were provided. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on record.

Israel’s war in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Its count doesn’t distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children.


Major media say Gaza staff face starvation as US envoy prepares to host ceasefire talks

Israel has barred international media from entering Gaza independently throughout the 21-month war. (FILE/AFP)
Updated 24 July 2025
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Major media say Gaza staff face starvation as US envoy prepares to host ceasefire talks

  • Four leading news organizations said Thursday their journalists in Gaza are facing the threat of starvation as the Israeli assault on Gaza grinds on

Four leading news organizations said Thursday their journalists in Gaza are facing the threat of starvation as the Israeli assault on Gaza grinds on, while top US envoy Steve Witkoff was to meet with key negotiators from the Middle East for talks on the latest ceasefire proposal and the release of hostages.
“We are desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families,” said a joint statement by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters and the BBC. “For many months, these independent journalists have been the world’s eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering.”
The statement called on Israel to allow journalists in and out of Gaza and allow adequate food supplies into the territory.
The statement came a day after more than 100 charity and human rights groups said that Israel’s blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip toward starvation.
Also Thursday, Hamas confirmed it had sent its latest ceasefire proposal to Israel, with an Israeli official calling it “workable,” although no details were provided. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on record.
Israel’s war in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Its count doesn’t distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children.


Magazine editor criticizes arrest of protester holding cartoon satirizing Palestine Action ban

Updated 23 July 2025
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Magazine editor criticizes arrest of protester holding cartoon satirizing Palestine Action ban

  • Retired teacher, 67, held under terrorism laws

LONDON: Ian Hislop, the editor of the UK’s satirical magazine Private Eye, has condemned the arrest of 67‑year‑old protester Jon Farley, who was detained under terrorism laws for displaying a cartoon that joked about the government’s proscription of Palestine Action.

Farley, a retired teacher, was held under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act after holding a placard displaying the cartoon from Private Eye at a silent Gaza demonstration in Leeds. 

Hislop slammed the arrest as “mind boggling” and a “blatant misunderstanding of satire,” noting that the cartoon was “an example of freedom of speech” against a government policy, according to a report by The Guardian.

Hislop added: “So, it’s not difficult to understand. It’s critical, but it is quite clearly a joke. (It) seems to me absolutely extraordinary that someone could be arrested for holding it (the cartoon) up.”

Farley, a regular demonstrator, said he took the cartoon to a protest in Leeds after hearing that 32 Palestinians seeking aid had been killed by Israeli forces that day.

“I saw it in Private Eye and thought, ‘That’s really well thought-out — it has nuance.’ But I don’t think the police do nuance,” he told The Guardian, referring to the cartoon styled as a mock guide titled “Palestine Action Explained”, which contrasts UK’s harsh response to protest actions with its tolerance of deadly force against Palestinians.

Farley added that officers handcuffed him and escorted him into a police van before he could explain the placard’s satirical origin.

He was released six hours later without charge but under bail conditions barring him from rallies supporting Palestine Action, a group that the UK government classified as a terrorist group after it broke into a military base and vandalized military aircraft.

Farley is among dozens who have been arrested since the ban for holding placards purportedly supporting the group.

The retired teacher called for an apology and expressed concern over the “murky lack of clarity” in the police’s actions.

West Yorkshire Police said it would review the incident, and acknowledged confusion following Palestine Action’s designation as a proscribed organization earlier this month.