Caledoniyya

Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.

Needed: Lapdancing Researcher

I love it when these jobs emerge from time to time in academia – there was a similar instance a few years ago when a US scholar completed his PhD on an analysis of the economy and Playboy centerfolds.

Putting  titters and giggles aside for a moment, the findings were quite fascinating, concluding that in times of dire national economic straits the centerfold ladies were more voluptuous, and in times of economic boom less so.

Anyhow, the University of Leeds has gone one better with the following:

Research Officer – The rise and regulation of lap dancing and the place of sexual labour and consumption in the night time economy

You will work on an ESRC funded study on the rise and regulation of lap dancing and the place of sexual labour and consumption in the night time economy. The post will involve qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. It is based in Leeds, although some travel to other cities may be necessary.

You will have, or be about to complete, a postgraduate qualification in the social sciences or relevant subject and some appropriate research experience. You will be mainly responsible for access and fieldwork. Good interviewing, communication and organisational skills are essential as is the ability to work independently and as part of a team. Experience of interviewing and conducting surveys is essential, as is prior experience of conducting research in the female sex industry. [Source]

And why ever not?

Here’s to interesting findings and even potential improvements in terms of security in the female sex industry milieu.

Filed under: Culture, Europe, Frivolities & Miscellaeny, Pop culture , , ,

The Good, Cohesive Old Days

I tell a lie – the second book is a little gem and while it scores less on the academic front (in terms of analytical and theoretical framework) I am secretly deeply charmed by it.

Comprising 20 first-person narratives by Muslim women in a northern British town, their insights are gentle, engaging and by turns compelling.

And as I near my conclusion, one quote jumped out more than others.

Reflecting on meeting her Algerian husband at the age of 16 (circa 1980s), Rabia notes the manner in which religion in the context of relationships has emerged to the fore:

I never asked him anything about Islam. […] Nowadays, I think a young girl meeting a Muslim boy, it would be the first point of conversation [...] I was just interested in him as a person but not where he’d come from or his culture or his religious background.

The final sentence is possibly the most innocent and beautiful I’ve read in a while.

Sure, it’s no Kundera, but its simplicity and veracity are so touching.

Maybe that’s how we used to be before 9/11.

Just a society falling in love for who the other person was, not where they were from or what denomination or faith.

I want to go back to that.

Because I am there already, even if certain elements in society still have to catch up to it.

Filed under: Bookwormery, Culture, Frivolities & Miscellaeny, Islam, Layla , , , ,

Catholicisms vs. Protestantisms

Only 600 more words to go and the infernal review of two books summoning collectively the charisma and pertinence of a garden pea will be over.

In the meantime, breaks like the one below are providing much-needed wickedly funny sustenance:

Filed under: Frivolities & Miscellaeny , , , ,

Feast, Be Merry… But Keep Your Hands Off

Is the general message after an Eid Al-Adha that has thrown to light some alarming figures:

The Egyptian media reported that about 300 cases of sexual harassment against women occurred over the recent Adha holiday. The cases, which the Interior Ministry would not confirm or deny, varied from verbal taunts to assaults. Al Destour newspaper said the number of incidents was higher than what was reported during the Fitr feast in September.

The biggest incident came during last year’s Fitr, when 150 men and boys were arrested for going on a harassing spree in the streets of Mohandeseen in Cairo. A few of the defendants, who assaulted girls and cut their clothes, were taken to court and one was sentenced to a year in jail.

The number of harassment cases during the feasts echoes a study carried out by the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR) last July, showing that 83% of Egyptian women and 98% of foreign females residing in the country reported being harassed.

Egypt’s penal code sets imprisonment punishments for anyone who sexually assaults minors, but many assaulted women have seen their cases blocked as judges and prosecutors blamed similar incidents on the “provocative” way some girls are dressed. But the ECWR’s study refutes such allegations, saying that 71.5% of women who reported sexual harassment were wearing veils (head scarves) and non-revealing clothes, and 19.6% of them were even wearing niqabs (face veils). [Source]

This is distasteful on so many levels.

First: it is a religious holiday, a time for family and piety; that harassment ’sprees’ are now as much a part of Eid as mooning on a stag night in Riga is bitterly ironic.

Second: “judges and prosecutors blamed similar incidents on the “provocative” way some girls are dressed” – define ‘provocative’. Define ‘rights’. And now define ‘justified harassment’. Put it altogether and you have a collection of judges that have misspelled their original titles of ‘chauvinists’.

Third: consider the figures 83%, 98%, 71.5% and 19.6%. No woman is safe it seems, even if they do follow the draconian advice of the above.

Fourth: and tangentially, it is interesting to note that as religiosity increases in Middle Eastern societies (think the demise of the blessing of “Sa7a!” in favor of its more religious counterpart), so too, seemingly, does the debauchery. 

Not only are cases of harassment increasing, but they are increasing on Eid, a religious occasion.

It’s almost as though men have an adverse reaction to being pious: either they break out in hives or they simply must pinch the nearest bottom. 

Control yourselves, menfolk. Because God sees and notes everything.

Yup – everything.

Filed under: Africa, Egypt, Middle East, Religion , , , , , , , ,

Twitter: The Next Conflict Frontier

One of the fastest evolving and most fascinating aspects of modern-day conflict is the role the new media technologies assume.

As noted in the post on HonestReporting, the Internet has become a new theatre and the IDF is adjusting accordingly:

New IDF unit to fight enemies on Facebook, Twitter

The Israel Defense Forces Spokesman’s Office is to begin drafting computer experts with an eye toward establishing an Internet and new media department unit, Army Spokesman Brig. Gen. Avi Benayahu said Monday.

The new unit, as well as an initiative by the Information and Diaspora Ministry to train people to represent Israel independently on the Internet and in other arenas, were presented Monday at the conference during a panel discussion on Israeli public relations abroad.

Responding to criticism of Israel’s ability to face hostile entities on the Web, Benayahu said the new program would be able to deal with the problem. He said that from each group drafted to the Army Spokesman’s Office, between eight to 10 young people who are experts in Web 2.0 – YouTube, Facebook and Twitter – to be identified before induction, would be assigned to the new department.

The Spokesman’s Office has also contacted bloggers who are known as opinion-makers and sent them information and pictures directly.[Source]

Propaganda – its potency is rarely underestimated.

Filed under: Conflict Zones, Culture, Israel, Middle East, Palestine, Pop culture , , , , , , , ,

Kamilya Jubran

No words, just sound:

Sublime.

Filed under: Culture, Frivolities & Miscellaeny, Middle East, Palestine , , ,

Mulukhiyah wa Couscous

With a dash of harissa, naturally.

Mulukhiyah: looks questionable, tastes amazing:

And perhaps the strongest test of a man’s resolve come dinner experimentation time.

Which The Man passed with flying colors.

Even if the meat was as tough as an old boot…

Filed under: Africa, Culture, Frivolities & Miscellaeny, Layla, Middle East , , ,

Beautiful Secret

I’ve been enamored by PostSecret for almost two years now, but despite the length of time, the profundity of certain submissions still draws a gasp.

And today I believe I read one of the most beautiful of all:

It gives shivers of delight.

Filed under: Best of the Rest, Frivolities & Miscellaeny , , , ,

Ben Ali’s Democracy #5

Well, five at the last count and given the burgeoning numbers of bloggers and activists being censored it seemed the natural next step to start a catalogue, nay, a scrapbook of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s illustrious forays into ‘democracy’.

This week’s case invariably involves a critique of the President, a questionable trial and a subsequent jail sentence:

A prominent critic of Tunisian leader President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has been jailed for six months after a trial criticised by rights groups.

Taoufik Ben Brik was convicted of assaulting a woman in public.

But he claimed he had been framed and Amnesty International has described him as a “prisoner of conscience” and condemned his sentence.

The 49-year-old journalist was said to be ill and in need of medical treatment after his arrest in October. [Source]

Censorship is bad enough; when scurrilous charges are trumped up to consolidate an otherwise baseless case it becomes all the more abhorrent.

And still the West sees little reason to comment; rather, a slight wrinkling of the nose before turning the head away.

‘It’s only little Tunisia, after all; what of the rights of its people?’ seems to be the sentiment du jour.

See also: Dirty Business in Tunisia, Of Ben Ali and “Special Attention”, Blogger Abdallah Zouari Rearrested, and Slim Boukhdhir: the Plucky Blogger.

Filed under: Africa, Censorship, Politics , , , , , , , , ,

Best of the Rest: A Legal Framework Against Sexual Violence

This subject is raised time and again, yet progress is virtually non-existent.

As a woman whose final weeks in Jordan were marred by a similar incident, I cannot support such a call for action enough:

Despite the ratification of CEDAW, it is evident that the Jordanian government continues to fail to take this convention seriously.

Researchers should focus on analyzing: the notion of GBV and the dynamics of acts of SV in the Jordanian society, with the aim of providing feedback for a comprehensive action program on this issue.

Also, they should refine the concept of SV through workshops, which would prepare the ground for qualitative field research in Jordan that could help examine the link between cultural norms of gender, ethnicity, and age. [Source]

CEDAW is not just a box to tick – it requires action on the ground.

How many more women must endure the degradation and trauma?

How many more must be afraid to walk to the kiosk under the cover of darkness, just because a man cannot control his lusty urges?

And for how much longer can such men pray on a Friday before committing the same act the very next night?

As with honor killings, it seems the safety of women is of scant importance to the authorities.

How far does this have to go before it is deemed unacceptable?

Filed under: Best of the Rest, Jordan, Middle East, Womyn, note-to-self , , , , , , , ,

Pages

Archives

Categories

RSS The Daily Star Lebanon

  • An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. Try again later.
Blog for Amnesty - Protect the Human

Layla’s Reading…

Flickr Photos

Eid al-Adha

Mulukhiyah wa couscous

Couscous wa pomodoro

Rynek Główny

More Photos

Tweeteries

  • Off to Christmas festival to feast upon toasty chestnuts and quaff mulled wine, possibly. 2 days ago
  • Credit for 2,993 words goes to The Man who held carrot in form of Christmas Market. No deadline, no hot chestnuts. Say no more. 3 days ago
  • It's over. At last. The infernal review is confined to the flash drive to be printed and committed to the annals of doom in the morn. Sigh. 3 days ago
  • Dinner, finish review then celebrate with Viva Laldjérie (2004). 3 days ago

Blog Stats

  • 72,623 curious visitors