This book examines the issue of gender and violence in the Middle East and North Africa. Drawing on case studies across the region, the authors examine the historical, cultural, religious, social, legal and political factors affecting the issue.

Moha Ennaji is a former Fulbright Scholar and visiting professor at Rutgers University. He is Professor of Linguistics, Culture and Gender Studies, co-editor of Women in the Middle East and North Africa: Agents of Change (2010) and author of a number of books on culture and gender studies in North Africa.

Fatima Sadiqi is Professor of Linguistics and Gender Studies at Fès University. A former Fulbright Scholar and recipient of a Harvard Fellowship, she is the author of a number of books on women in Morocco and co-editor of Women in the Middle East and North Africa: Agents of Change (2010).

Introduction: Contextualizing Gender and Violence in the Middle East Part 1: Conceptualization and Theoretical Background 1. Feminist Anthropological Perspectives on Violence Part 2: Armed Conflict and Gender Based Violence 2. Counter-Narratives of Palestinian Women: The Construction of Her-story and the Politics of Fear 3. Gender, Youth and Institutional Support in the Occupied Palestinian Territories 4. Impact of Armed Conflict on Gender Roles in Lebanon Part 3: Politics, War, and Violence against Women in Iraq and Afghanistan 5. War and Gender in Ba'thist Iraq 6. Violence Against Afghan Women: Tradition, Religion, Conflict and War Part 4: Religious and Social Violence Against Women 7. Religious-based Violence against Women and Feminist Responses: Iran, Afghanistan and Algeria 8. Strategy in the Battles over Her: Islamism and Secularism 9. Violence During Pregnancy in Jordan: Its Prevalence and Associated Risk and Protective Factors Part 5: Gender-Based Discrimination and Legal Reform 10. Legal Reforms on Violence against Women in Turkey: Best Practices 11. Violence Against Women in Morocco: Advances, Contentions and Strategies to Combat it Part 6: Language, Sexual Harassment and Media 12. Gendered Language Use, Hierarchization of Linguistic Space and State Building 13. Dismantling the Discourses of War: Palestinian Women Filmakers Address Violence