Hundreds of Muslim worshippers gathered in Jerusalem's Old City on Monday evening to witness the lighting of a giant lantern as part of the cultural events marking the month of Ramadan.

Ever since the Taliban recaptured Afghanistan, the question in much of the Western media has been, “What will happen to the women of Afghanistan?” Indeed, this is an important concern that merits international attention. The Taliban has already imposed many restrictions on women. At the same time, however, much of the Western media coverage appears to be reinforcing the idea that the U.S. military intervention helped expand the rights for Afghan women, while erasing the impact of years of resulting corruption and violence on their lives.

Over the past two decades, important strides have been made on women’s rights. There are now 3.3 million girls in education and women are politically, economically and socially engaged…However, major obstacles and challenges remain. Violence against women is rife, the participation of women at all levels of government remains limited and, according to UNICEF, 2.2 million Afghan girls still do not attend school.

“My parents warned me they will kill me if I ever leave this shelter,” Najla, a woman of about 30, told me. “The worst thing is that I don’t have anyone to support me.” She has been in a shelter in Afghanistan’s western city of Herat for several years, ever since she went to the police to report her husband, who had repeatedly beaten her. When I spoke with her, her husband was being prosecuted but the court had not yet reached a verdict.

"We want equal rights, we want women in government," dozens of female protesters chanted as they marched down a street in Kabul on Wednesday. A day earlier, the Taliban had announced their interim cabinet of ministers. There are no women in it, and they've also abolished the women's affairs ministry. "We cannot accept this, and that's why we came out," Sara (name changed) told the BBC. It was the second demonstration she was participating in over the past week.

Belal is a Palestinian artist who was born in Khan Yunis city in the southern Gaza Strip. He has been creating pieces made up of calligraphy for more than 15 years. "I started practicing this art when I was 14 years old," he explains. After graduating from university, Belal concentrate on this art form to become the first person to bring calligraffiti – the art of combining calligraphy, typography and graffiti – to Gaza. From cars, handbags, walls as well as human bodies, Khaled leaves his prints everywhere.

Among Muslims, the image of women as "cossetted hijab-wearing princesses" is frequently invoked. But Muslim women have long wanted to be more. In her essay, Karoline Roscher-Lagzouli explores how they can find a new approach to their Muslim femininity, beyond patriarchal ideals and the hackneyed Western debate on headscarves