Defying racist and orientalist stereotypes, women in the Middle East and North African region are at the forefront of the struggle for building a fairer, more equal and just society. “As we write, women are occupying squares and marching through the streets of war-torn Iraq, determined to play an active role in shaping their future,” explain Hala Marshood and Riya Al’sanah, both activists with the feminist movement Tal’at.