Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.
May 13, 2010 1 Comment
Deluged with deadlines though I am, it is nigh impossible to ignore the news that Elham al-Qasimi has become the first Arab woman to reach the North Pole.
A former investment banker in the UAE, Elham completed the trip unsupported and unassisted.
A truly admirable woman striking a blow for womankind through a journey that is as exhilarating geographically as it is spiritually.
April 20, 2010 2 Comments
At least according to the latest conclusions by Iranian cleric, Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi :
Many women who do not dress modestly [...] lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which increases earthquakes.
What can we do to avoid being buried under the rubble? There is no other solution but to take refuge in religion and to adapt our lives to Islam’s moral codes. [Source]
As the world is wrought by global catastrophes, it’s reassuring to know that not all are losing their heads.
Keep it real, Sedighi.
March 30, 2010 Leave a Comment
Two Best of the Rest posts in one week – if that wasn’t a source for joy, then the following certainly is.
As I write this the fog is curling moistly against the window and the still naked trees are mooching despondently, waiting for summer.
It is then, the perfect recipe for a grey day, the perfect time for a trip to the doldrums.
Until this post appeared, that is, and set alight a warm glow in the midst of the bleak cold.
Ostensibly a meander through the tales behind Christy’s scars (with a few pearlets of wisdom thrown in), it is a much-needed critique on the perception of post-birth bodies:
I, personally, am bored with the message that the act of childbirth has left me less than who I once was, that my body needs repair, and that becoming “mommy” left the greatest scar on who I am as a woman and as an individual. I can assure you (and Dr. Perky) that if there is any ugliness here that needs fixing, it isn’t because I’m a mother. A woman’s beauty is damaged, even destroyed by many things. I would suggest to you that childbirth is the least of these. [Source]
Quite why a woman’s body is not revered post-childbirth as much as before is a source of consternation.
Far from being lambasted for stretch-marks and pot-bellies, women should be showered with snow-drop petals and bear entourages of fawning, grateful men clasping palm-frond fans.
The act of giving life is one of the greatest miracles of all: the pain, danger, gift and blessing that women bear and bring forth is incredible.
That the aftermath should merely be focused on the perkitude of their breasts is beyond comprehension.
Christy captures this, and more, gorgeously – read on here.
March 27, 2010 Leave a Comment
It’s been a while since a Best of the Rest post, but this one cannot pass without note.
Feminism is a term much branded and bandied, but rarely do we stop to honestly reassess what it means to be a contemporary feminist, foibles and all.
In the following post Natalia expands previous explorations of ‘fucking while feminist‘ and ‘dating while feminist‘ to the less-covered, though more significant ‘loving while feminist‘.
The genius of the subject lies in its frankness – I know that I can see myself glaring back petulantly in sections such as this:
Oddly enough, feminism does play a huge role in the most personal, the most painful moments of my life. It’s when I’m screaming things like “you just want a woman you can CONTROL!” that I’m being a real feminist, not the flirtatious “hardcore” girl you might meet at the theater or in a club, but someone who, when the layers of make-up and mini-dresses are stripped away, just wants to be treated like a human being, goddamit. And it’s when I’m crying about a guy who faked friendship for a chance to be with me that the phrase “but you can get by on your own” becomes the equivalent of a warm and reassuring hand squeezing my shoulder. [Source]
Equally, she touches upon the struggle between sustaining the battle-hardened feminist values that have sustained us, but bring future happiness into peril.
The Fly of Feminism, Lurking
We want to independent, but all too often this proves irreconcilable with the conventionality of relationships.
Although it may seem a pitiful call from a 1950s male, I often wonder whether The Man has a point when he states that my “fierce independence diminishes his masculinity”.
While it infers that we should soften our approach as female companions (as girlfriends, fiancees, wives), it is easier to imagine than done.
On the one hand it makes sense and works: when I shelve an outburst that would otherwise strike a point for feminism, life runs smoother and more sweetly.
Consessions are made, but not easily.
Feminism, as Natalia notes, gets us through the bad times.
It is our moral and political saviour: picking us up when dejected, strengthening our resolve as women in the inexorable march towards a seemingly unobtainable goal.
But what price with love?
On a personal level each concession feels a risk: if I give this time, would it constitute another step towards doormatdom, or merely the compromise that renders relationships workable?
And therein lies the crux: love is a risk that involves compromise.
I just loathe that the indomitable feminist has to be that sacrifice, even if partially.
March 8, 2010 13 Comments
With the Oscars now officially over for another year, the opulence and gaiety is once more locked in the drawer and summer rolls mercifully forth.
But what if the Oscars were not merely forgotten for another year; rather, they assume a central point in the debate surrounding gender in the entertainment industry – more specifically, in the allocation of prizes?
In the following article, Elsesser argues that the industry has no legitimate onus to split the Oscars acorrding to male/female roles.
Women, she reasons, have excelled in acting as well as men; it is a skill that is non-biological in nature (unlike sport), thus rendering the ‘equal chance’ category nigh patronizing.
To wit:
Many hours into the 82nd Academy Awards ceremony this Sunday, the Oscar for best actor will go to Morgan Freeman, Jeff Bridges, George Clooney, Colin Firth or Jeremy Renner. Suppose, however, that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented separate honors for best white actor and best non-white actor, and that Mr. Freeman was prohibited from competing against the likes of Mr. Clooney and Mr. Bridges. Surely, the academy would be derided as intolerant and out of touch; public outcry would swiftly ensure that Oscar nominations never again fell along racial lines.
Why, then, is it considered acceptable to segregate nominations by sex, offering different Oscars for best actor and best actress? [Source]
It’s an interesting debate and one that has passed sans address since 1929; check it out here.
December 2, 2009 2 Comments
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.
November 26, 2009 Leave a Comment
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?
November 9, 2009 Leave a Comment
A splendidly novel initiative launched by the dynamic Bekhsoos team:
Hello! You’ve probably noticed that I’ve changed my sex on Facebook. Were you surprised? Annoyed? Intrigued? Disgusted? Outraged? Did you think it was a joke? Did you perhaps think it was a mistake?
Actually, I’m glad you asked. Today is the international day of action for sexual and bodily rights across Muslim societies: “One Day, One Struggle.” To mark the occasion, I’ve changed my sex on Facebook to raise awareness around challenges facing transgender people everywhere in the world. And I’m going to keep it that way till November 20, the Transgender Day of Remembrance. [...]
My friends, there is a lot of awareness we need to raise about transgender issues. We need to break the silences and the misconceptions – starting from the ones in our own selves.
So I ask you to join me by doing the same on your Facebook. If you feel too scared about what people will say, then you can understand – if only for some fleeting seconds – what transgenders have to go through their entire lives. So please, take the bold step and stand up for a community who continue to suffer among us every day.
To find out more, click here.
Because ultimately, that’s all it takes: one click to show solidarity.
Yalla, what are you waiting for?
September 22, 2009 Leave a Comment
Once upon a time I was a movie buff – roughly between 1997 and 2000 -subscribing to Empire and gathering film magazines during trips to France.
For a while, Tarantino was my God of choice (he still is in many ways), but eventually that alter toppled and I returned to that which I know and love best: books.
With J. R. R. Tolkien presiding over the heavenly hierarchy, as always.
Nevertheless, while I am not overwhelmed by the world of film as much – save for Caramel last weekend – I remain cognizant of its power.
Particularly in the case of breaking taboos, which brings us to a Tunisian film due for release next year, Le Fil.
Directed by Mehdi ben Attia and shot entirely in Tunisia, Le Fil explores the issue of homosexuality in a male-dominated society, wherein traditions reign supreme and men are men.
Or at least conform to whatever notion of manliness society requires at any given time.
The central protagonist, Malik, is a young man from a wealthy family who has resided abroad for several years and in the course of his absence has affirmed his sexual orientation.
Brought back to his Tunisian roots through the death of his father, he once more takes up residence with his mother.
Although he wishes to come out to his mother and explain his love of men, he is unable to do so, succumbing to a series of lies that swirl around his ever-deepening relationship with Bilal.
Critics at the Festival du Film Francophone d’Angouleme (South West of France) last month applauded the film for its candidness, though a degree of disgruntlement was reserved for the socio-economic setting of the film – the dilemmas of homosexuality are not restricted to the upper echelons of Arab society.
It will, nevertheless, be interesting to observe reactions to the film in Tunisia upon its release on 7 April 2010.
The censors are doubtless sharpening their pencils as you read.
August 30, 2009 Leave a Comment
A compelling article in the recent NewStatesman charts the incongruity in the Venezuelan leader’s stance vis-à–vis women’s rights and his feminist agenda:
Hugo Chávez calls for the empowerment of women through his socialist political project the Bolivarian Revolution. At the World Social Forum in January he announced that “true socialism is feminist”. But women’s rights groups say that the government is dragging its feet on the issue of violence against women. “If the president is really feminist, he should be investing in improving the system for women to access justice.” [Source]
To wit:
On the positive side since January, 29 new courts have been established with a focus on gender-based violence.
Change is slow, but coming.
Read the full article here.
|
Reporters Sans Frontiers
Recent Comments