1) Dolce & Gabbana and The Muslim Woman: In what Forbes says is their “smarted move in years,” fashion industry titans Dolce & Gabbana have launched their first collection of abayas and hijabs with a strategic eye to the booming Middle East market. In 2015, sales of personal luxury goods reached $8.7 billion in the Middle East, up from $6.8 billion the previous year.
2) Professor Offers Muslims Solidarity and Receives Job Threat: Last month college professor Larycia Hawkins wrote on her facebook page that Christians and Muslims “worship the same God.” Ms. Hawkins is a tenured political science professor at Wheaton College in Illinois, known as the “evangelical Harvard.” The school has penalized Ms. Hawkins for her views, putting her on administrative leave and are in the process of termination.
3) U.S. Education Department Takes Stand Against Islamophobia: In response to the current climate of Islamophobia and anti-refugee sentiment in America, the U.S. Education Department sent a letter to colleges and K-12 schools addressing harassment issues and discrimination based on race, religion or national origin, calling attention to students most in need of protection — “those who are, or are perceived to be, Syrian, Muslim, Middle Eastern, or Arab, as well as those who are Sikh, Jewish, or students of color.”
4) In Cairo, Yemen’s Press Lives On: In a secret location in Cairo, three journalists from Yemen have fled their home-country, narrowly escaping arrest due to “subversive activities,” and are preparing to launch a new website called Almashahid.net (The Viewer) with the goal of providing independent news to people inside and outside of Yemen.
5) And lastly, Professor Jackie Ying Wins Top Islamic Science Award: Professor Jackie Ying, 49, executive director of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), has won the Mustafa Prize, the top science and technology award of the Islamic world, awarded to individuals whose research has improved humanity and “expanded the boundaries of our perception about the world.
