RECENTLY, Yanar Mohammed, a pioneer for women’s rights in Iraq and the rest of the Muslim world, was standing outside her home when she was killed by armed men who sprayed her with bullets. The 66-year-old activist had returned to Iraq from Canada a few days earlier. In her long courageous career, Yanar Mohammed had advocated against ‘honour’ killings, domestic violence and religious extremism. She had established safe houses in Iraq that saved hundreds of women from exploitation and abuse. In an interview in 2022, she spoke about the continued hardships of women who had survived enslavement and abuse by IS. As she put it, at least 10,000 women were victims of IS.

I began this column on the topic of International Women’s Day (March 8) with news of this grotesque assassination becau­­se it defines the kind of woman that is hated in many Muslim countries, including Pakis­tan. It is no secret that advocating for women’s issues is dangerous work in these countries. Yanar Mohammed and others like herself received hundreds of death threats. This trend continues. If you are a woman speaking up for women in the Muslim world, threats issued by men ap­­pear on your Instagram, email, SMS messages, etc. The activists learn to ignore them and........

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