Event: Jean Said Makdisi

Those who are in the DC area maybe interested to know that Jean Said Makdisi will be signing her book Teta, Mother, and Me: Three Generations of Arab Women at the "Politics and Prose" bookstore, June 1st (today) at 7 pm.

Makdisi is the author of the moving Beirut Fragments, a memoir of the Lebanese civil war.

An Iraqi Mawwal

"Abous Rouhak" by Iraqi singer Kathem al Saher.

On Veiled Actresses

Hanan Turk is now arguing that Egyptian cinema should make Iranian cinema as a role model and use only veiled actresses in films. So three days after covering up her hair, she is lecturing and theorizing. How about some modesty? I mean real modesty instead of this false one that she wearing on her sleeve (head to be more exact). Try saying something like: My decision is a personal one. End of story.

As one of her unveiled colleagues pointed out, the Iranian cinema's excellence is not because the actresses are veiled. In fact, the veiling of the actresses in Iranian films poses serious problems for the directors, who, to their credit, come up with creative solutions, but also waste energy that they could use on other fronts.

One film I taught this semester is Leila, an Iranian film directed by Dariush Mehruji. It's very good. The female lead (as all the other women) was wearing a scarf throughout the film, even in the scenes when in real life she wouldn't be wearing a scarf, such as inside the house, with her husband, and with other female characters. And although she and her husband are very much in love, they couldn't touch each other once and a respectful distance was kept between them throughout. The director tried to show their love and intimacy in other ways, such as through food. In one scene Leila is lying in bed, covered up to her neck by the sheet and wearing a scarf. And as if this is not enough, her face was half in shadow while her husband is trying to talk to her in one of the film's most intimate moments. Unlike before, the director was allowed to use close up shots of the actress's face, and he took advantage. Also she was permitted to wear make up, a no-no earlier.

Apparently

"US forces apparently shot to death two Iraqi women, one of them pregnant, when they fired at a vehicle that failed to stop at an observation post in a city north of Baghdad, Iraqi officials and relatives said. Nabiha Nisaif Jassim, 35, was about to give birth and her brother was racing her and two cousins to the maternity in Samarra, when the shooting occurred. Jassim and her 57-year-old cousin Saliha Mohammed Hassan were killed by the US forces, according to Iraqi police and witnesses said."

Where is Jonathan Swift When You Need Him?

"The Civil Administration on Wednesday knocked down 13 structures - most of them toilet facilities - donated by Christian groups to Palestinians living in two cave communities in the West Bank. The Civil Administration, a branch of the Israel Defense Forces that deals with civilian issues in the territories, sent troops Wednesday afternoon to knock the buildings down. The facilities serve dozens of residents of the Mrar al-Abid and Safieh communities, which are otherwise not connected to a water supply or any electrical grid." Those Palestinians are really getting uppity! They now want toilets!!! On their land?!! The horror, the horror!

Israeli Hypocrisy

As pointed out by this Ha'aretz editorial.

Hope the Israelis Feel Safer Now!

"The entire family of Hamdi Aman, a 28-year-old Palestinian from Gaza who spent his youth in Tel Aviv's Carmel market, was hit in the assassination of Islamic Jihad operative Mohammed Dahdouh in Gaza a week and a half ago.

Aman's 7-year-old son Muhand was killed; Naima, his wife, 27, was killed; his mother Hanan, 46, was killed. His three and a half year old daughter Mariya is lying in the pediatric intensive care unit at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, permanently paralyzed and on a respirator. Aman is not allowed to be with her.

His youngest son, Muaman, 2, was lightly wounded by shrapnel in his back, and Aman himself was hit by shrapnel throughout his body. His uncle Nahed, 33, a father to two toddlers, is fully paralyzed and in critical condition at Tel Aviv's Sourasky Medical Center. "

But not to worry. The Israeli army, who fired the missile, will be investigating what annihilated Aman's family.

So don't rush to do anything about this. And don't lose any sleep over it.

"Then there is the burqa..."

I can't even begin to talk about the problems I have with this article. It's about two September 11th widows, who are doing charity work in Afghanistan to help Afghani women. I have no quarrel with the women themselves: grieving people deal with their loss in different ways, and this is their way. As individuals I have no doubt that they are well-meaning and generous.

My issues are with the way the article is written and some of its assumptions.

While there is one sentence at the beginning about the "similarities" between the American women and the Afghani women, namely motherhood and widowhood, the rest of the piece is really about "difference." And difference, as usually is the case, translates into "they are inferior to us." "Their widows," you know, are so different from "our widows" as to make them an alien species. We pamper and support our widows, and they don't. It's their culture, you see. Different culture. Inferior culture.

"Then there is the burqa..."

While the article is supposedly dealing with "war widows," the writer prefers to focus on the "widow" part and ignore the "war" part. Because wars are inevitable, you know, and they are men's business anyway and this is a story about women and their sphere.

"Then there is the burqa..."

But don't underestimate these two women's work: what they do, according to the piece, transforms Afghani women's condition, changes their society, eradicates gender inequality, and reforms their culture. All is done by giving the widows, who can't ride a bycicle, you know, a chicken or a cow.

"Then there is the burqa..."

The condesension and arrogance of this "feel good" journalism is astounding.

The Widow, the Matchmaker, and the Jury

Who are these people and what are they doing on my planet?

Breaking the Silence

"Thirteen out of 14 black women who are sexually assaulted do not tell police, federal statistics show."

Big Questions

"The Big Question: Can Hams and Fatah ever agree on how to negotiate with Israel?" asks The Independent.

The even bigger question:

Can Israel agree to ending the occupation and to a two-state solution?

Since the Hamas win, the world behaves as if Israel can't wait for the Palestinians to agree with each other so it can give them their state.

Asking the right big question is half the story.

The Zahhar-Quadoumi Farce

Poor al Zahhar! He was really enthusiastic about travelling and discovering new lands in far away Asia. But he forgot about al Quadoumi, who decided to dust off his post-Oslo marginality and head the PLO delegation to the non-aligned meeting in Malaysia. Al Zahhar refused to concede leadership to Quadoumi and decided to withdraw, blaming Malaysia for inviting both. It's too bad that the two men couldn't find a way of working this problem out and save us much blushing.

In his comments on the event, al Quadoumi comes across as a condescending bully. He aparently told al Zahhar that he's new at this diplomatic game and should learn from his elders. Not a diplomatic way of putting things, I'd say. His bullying continues in the letter he sent to al Zahhar, which you can read here in Arabic.

But one interesting aspect of the letter is the fact that al Quadoumi, who is opposed to the Oslo agreements and does not respect the PA, whether it's Hamas or Fateh, is reminding al Zahhar that since Hamas ran in an election brought about by Oslo, then they need to accept (or it is assumed that they accept) the rest of the deal. Quadoumi also says that he has warned the Hamas leadership in Damascus that running in the elections was a bad idea.

Still, he is being a bully.

The Meaning of Occupation

What does the Israeli occupation mean?

This Washington Post article gives an idea. I would have liked it to mention that the occupation is illegal, that annexing land acquired by force is illegal, that building a wall that steals more land from the Palestinians is illegal, that building settlements/colonies on that land is illegal, that opening roads on Palestinian land for the settlers is illegal.

But, hey, that would be asking too much.

Some bloggers are already attacking the article for being, in their imagination, "anti-Jewish." There is nothing anti-Jewish about this article. It's not about Jews, but about the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Focus people.

And if you don't have time to read the whole thing, let me sum it up:

Israel loves the land. Palestinian land, that is. But they are not so fond of the people who live on that land. The Palestinians, that is. Since 1948, the policy of the state has been to grab more land (and they have both creative and non-creative ways of doing that but favorite methods are impoverishment and displacement by force), empty it of the Palestinian inhabitants (in other places of the world this is called ethnic cleansing), then look hurt when anyone objected (They don't like us; They won't accept us).

All of the above is illegal according to international law. No Buts, ifs, or maybes.

Laila/Night

One of my favorite songs by Saudi singer Abdul Rab Idrees.

Hanan al Turk Update

Hanan al Turk as she appeared with her new hijab or headcovering.

Turk, then, joins seveal other Egyptian actresses and singers (Shadya, Suhair al Bably, Shaheera) who have been assuming the hijab in the past few years. But while earlier the women would then give up their public careers, more recently they have not seen a contradiction between the hijab and acting in what they term Islamically acceptable roles. Al Turk's point is that the roles written for women should reflect Egyptian women in real life, the majority of whom happened to be wearing headscarfs.

Of course, al Turk should be free to wear what she wants. And we should be free to watch what we want.

What I find unacceptable is the "congratulations" and the "mabrouks" and "cheers" that this decision receives from some people and make its way into public space. It's in response to this kind of response that I'd like to say that her wearing the veil does not make her a better human being (which is the only point of reference I care for). If anything, it shows her to be the little conformist that she always was. Her overacting and religious sanctimoniousness make her a bore with or without the veil.

Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!

This afternoon, while browsing at my favorite bookstore, "Politics and Prose," I chanced on a wonderful little discovery: A children's story called Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur! A Palestinian Folktale. It tells of a woman who has no children and who prays to Allah to have a child. Instead, she gets a pot who behaves like a child and gets in all sorts of trouble. Margaret Read MacDonald, who rendered the story into English, has this note at the end of the story:

"The tale 'Tunjur Tunjur' was told by fifty-five-year-old Fatme Abdel Qader of the village of 'Arrabe, Galilee. It is included in Speak, Bird, Speak Again: Palestinian Arab Folktales by Ibrahim Muhawi and Sharif Kanaana (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989, pp.55-59). The collectors' children were present when Fatme told the story, which encouraged her to provide a lively rendition. The word tunjur is derived from the Arabic word for cooking pot , tunjura. Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur! is the imagined sound of a cooking pot when it's rolling..."

The wonderful illustrations are done by Alik Arzoumanian, who grew up in Beiurt.

And I tested it this evening on my 6-year-old-critic in residence, and he highly approved.

The Backlash Begins

In response to the pro gay rights event organized in Beirut a couple of weeks ago, an official has asked the prime minister to prevent such "phenomemon" from being legitimized. The word he used, and "Al Arabeya. net" article repeated, is "Shawath" (i.e. deviant).

Update: Atwar Bahjat's Murder

Al Quds Al Arabi reports that The Sunday Times has apologized for the Hala Jaber report about the video that supposedly showed Atwar Bahjat's beheading. As I posted earlier, the video was deemed a fake.

What I don't understand is this: since Hala Jaber says she's a good friend of Atwar Bahjat, why couldn't she just simply ask the family how the woman died?

More useful than an apology (and a belated one at that since blogs broke the fake story weeks ago), Jaber perhaps should do an investigative peace about who fabricated the tape and why.

World Cup Advisory

"There are small and medium-sized towns in [the German state of] Brandenburg, as well as elsewhere, which I would advise a visitor of another skin color to avoid going to.... It is possible he wouldn't get out alive," said Uwe-Karsten Heye, formerly German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's spokesman and now head of the antiracism foundation "Show Your Face!"

But not to worry. World Cup visitors, including those with dark skin, are welcomed in all of Gemany's brothels, which are known to be safe and multicultural.

Resisting Islamophobia

"In France and Belgium, churches have been transformed into forums for sit-ins by illegal immigrants seeking legalization. In Switzerland, church leaders are championing a drive to repeal new measures against foreigners and asylum seekers."

Vargas: A Feminist Cause?

One would think NOW (National Organization of Women) and the Feminist Majority foundations have other worthy women causes to fill up their times. Instead, they are making a big deal of Elizabeth Vargas's departure from anchoring ABC news because she's pregnant and wants a more predictable schedule. I'm with Elizabeth Vargas on this one: yes, women have many challenges balancing work and family, but Vargas's case is not very instructive. After all, she's leaving the anchor chair to work on 20/20.

How about writing letters on behalf of single mothers working for minimum wage?

Confronting the Imperial Past

"Maybe if we tell the truth about the past, maybe we tell the truth about the present."

Ken Loach, British Director and winner at Cannes.

A Grain of Wheat

The Palestinians group Sabreen sings a Mahmoud Darwish poem. The translation below is mine (late at night).

They chained his mouth
Tied his hands to the boulder of the dead.
Then said: you are a murderer.

They took away his food, clothes, and flags
Threw him in the dungeon of the dead
Then said: you are a thief.

They kicked him out of all ports
Took away his little sweatheart
Then said: you are a refugee.

You, whose eyes and hands are bleeding, [remember]
The night will not last
Neither the interrogation room,
nor the iron of the chains will remain

Nero died, but Rome did not,
Fighting with her eyes


The grains of one stalk of wheat will die to fill the valley with many new ones.

Who Said the Arab World Is Conflicted?

Sulafa is the fashion designer. Keren is the model as they appear on LBC's "Mission Fashion." As to who is who, you guess.

A New Look

Several blogs have reported, and Al Safeer confirmed, that Egyptian (over)actress Hanan al Turk has decided to wear a headscarf. She will continue to act, of course.

She must have been listening to Amr Khalid.

So Aside from Jolie's Baby, What's Going on in Namibia?

* POPULATION
Namibia: 2 million
US: 298 million

* GDP
Namibia: $16.58bn
US: $12.41 trillion

* GDP/HEAD
Namibia: $8,200
US: $42,000

* INFANT MORTALITY
Namibia: 48/1000
US: 6/1000

* LIFE EXPECTANCY
Namibia: 43
US: 78

* HIV/AIDS
Namibia: 21.3 per cent
US: 0.6 per cent

* TELEPHONE LINES
Namibia: 127,900
US: 268,000,000

* LITERACY (OVER AGE 15)
Namibia: 84 per cent
US: 99 per cent

Insulting French Nationalism

"In the video for the song FranSSe, Makela, 30, appeared dressed as a gendarme with two naked women rubbing against the French flag as he rapped: "France is a bitch, don't forget to fuck her till she's exhausted/You have to treat her like a slut, man." At another point in the song, he sang: "I piss on Napoleon and on General de Gaulle."

For insulting the motherland, the rapper is being put on trial.

One would wish that the politicians who are offended by these lyrics would be similarly offended when the women in question are real and not abstract. But I somehow doubt it.

While the Palestinians Starve, the Israelis Prosper

"Per-capita income - a measure of the standard of living - is 17 times higher in Israel than among its neighbors from the West Bank and Gaza Strip."

A New Machine!

I just got a new computer. Can't you tell? I'm using it right this minute. C0mpared to the enemy of humanity I had before, this is really really cool. For one thing, it actually works! At least for now.

Arab Films at Cannes

"El-Banate Dol, or These Girls, by Egyptian director Tahani Rached, profiles five hard-bitten teens from the area known as Qariat al-Amal, or Hope village, in Egypt's capital.

The images of young Egyptian runaways addicted to drugs, engaging in petty crimes and burdened by extra-marital pregnancy, provide contrasting images to the conservative family lifestyle known to the Middle East, drawing tears from some in attendance."

The Red Indians

"The people of West Bengal have voted in the Communist Party for the seventh successive time."

Homophobia in Russia

"MOSCOW, May 27 -- Riot police broke up an attempt by gays and lesbians to stage Moscow's first gay pride parade Saturday. Gay activists who attempted to lay flowers near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside the Kremlin wall and then assemble across from city hall were heckled and assaulted by skinheads, Orthodox Christians and radical nationalists."

Take Care

Yara

Who Makes The Best Soccer Balls In The World?

Pakistani women. Poor Pakistani women. Poor Pakistani women who are payed starvation wages.

But the villains of this piece are those heartless human rights activists, who just won't leave women and children alone to be exploited in peace.

It's a Girl

Angelina Jolie gave birth to a baby girl in Namibia. Brad helped.

On the Palestinians' Right to Exist

"Noting that he had been raised with the deep conviction that the Jewish people would never have to relinquish any part of the "land of our forefathers," Ehud Olmert told Congress in his address to a joint session on May 24, "I believed, and to this day still believe, in our people's eternal and historic right to this entire land." He did then concede that dreams alone cannot bring peace and will not preserve Israel as a "secure democratic Jewish state." But what stands out in this little-noted statement of Jewish attachment to the land is its affirmation of a supreme Jewish right to all of Palestine, never mind who else may live there. In the context of any hope for a just and equitable peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, this is a deal-breaker par excellence."

Choking Point Moment

The doctor has one account, and the spin doctor ( army spokesman) has another. In both accounts, the Palestinian patient dies.

And The Lesson Is...

Don't write letters to the President--if you are Syrian.

About Time

"Law enforcement agents in Arizona investigating charges of underage marriage and sexual abuse raided four houses simultaneously in Colorado City, a polygamist enclave on the Arizona-Utah border. Investigators, in the unusual show of force, seized boxes of records and personal belongings of members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who have been indicted on a variety of charges, including sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy. Eight men are expected to stand trial in July."

It's their Fault After All

"Marine officers have long been worried that Iraq's deadly insurgency could prompt such a reaction by combat teams."

It's the Iraqi's fault. They didn't throw rice and flowers at the Marines. What else do we expect the Marines to do? The Marines are really the victims here.

They made them do it.

Remember Kurtz?

Abortion Ban: It's Happening, One State at a Time

"Louisiana's State House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice approved a near-total ban on abortion last Wednesday and the bill, already approved by the Senate, is moving to the House floor for debate. The House Committee approved the ban after attaching an amendment to permit abortion only in order to save the woman’s life or in situations in which the woman’s life would be “permanently impair[ed],” reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune. There are no exceptions for cases of incest or rape. "

Make Them Disapear

"At a recent meeting with newspaper editors, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who has previously been seen as a modernizer, asked that Saudi papers reverse their recent trend of publishing pictures of women. According to Reuters, newspapers have been including photographs of women, though all women shown were wearing headscarves with their faces visible."

The justification given for this erasure of women from public life is to protect men from being "led astray." The king didn't talk about the real reasons behind such policy: the political pressures from the conservatives within the kingdom to undermine reform efforts. As usual, women are the sacrificial lamb. Now they will return to invisibility and the Saudi youth will only be led astray by the Wahhabis propaganda.

Pink Cars

That is women-only cars on trains exist now in Brazil along with Tokyo, Mexico City, Mumbai and Cairo.

This is maybe a temporary and pragmatic solution to help against sexual harassment. But it's not a theoretical solution (why not believe in the Saudi system of gender segregation then?) I'd rather have laws that punish men who sexually harass women and education that teaches them not to do it.

Women for Peace

"To keep the hope of peace alive, Israelis and Palestinians must engage in genuine negotiations, warned members of the International Women's Commission, a coalition of 60 female activists and government officials, two-thirds of whom are Israelis and Palestinian Arabs."

Gender Discrimination

"A transsexual who moved to Britain because she thought it would be more tolerant than her US midwest home is bringing what is thought to be the biggest discrimination claim to be launched over a sex change."

And the reason she can do that is

"Since a ruling of the European court of justice 10 years ago, it has been unlawful to discriminate against transsexuals in the workplace. The Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations 1999 make it clear that this covers employees who intend to undergo gender reassignment, are going through the process or have done so in the past."

Good.

Recovering Helen of Troy

Historian Bettany Hughes "has written the first scholarly book about the mythical Helen, whose abduction by Paris caused the 10-year Trojan war. She will tell the festival that historians from Plutarch onwards have ignored Helen as a serious figure, preferring to reduce her to an object of sexual obsession. "She walks through history for 28 centuries holding up a mirror to the way men think of women....Though Homer's account of Helen in the Iliad and the Odyssey is largely positive, said Hughes, by the 5th century BC she was already seen to embody dangerous female sexuality...The dramatist Euripides called her a "bitch whore". A medieval writer called Joseph of Exeter wrote a condemnatory, but virtually pornographic epic about her in 1184, in which she "robs Paris of his semen". In Shakespeare's Lucrece she is a "strumpet", in Marlowe she "sucks forth my soul."

Haditha's Killing Fields

"In the Marine Corps, they are quietly calling it their My Lai, the massacre of hundreds of villagers in 1968 that became a symbol for American brutality in the Vietnam war. In this generation's war, the village is Haditha, north-west of Baghdad, where US marines killed two dozen Iraqi civilians, including 11 women and children.

In what is being viewed as the gravest allegation to date of war crimes in Iraq, a military investigation is expected to present findings in Baghdad next week that a small group of troops shot dead 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians, including five men in a taxi, and women and children at homes in the town last November 19.

Other marines then tried to cover up the killings, the investigation has found."

Denied Entry

"A British human rights lawyer, who was involved in obtaining an arrest warrant for a retired Israeli officer for alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip, said Friday she had been refused entry to Israel."

Back

All last week I was at a conference about teaching world literature. I met some great people and got some good ideas. But I did miss my blog.

Against the Wall

"Three women from the U.S., Sweden and Germany were lightly hurt Friday in a protest against Israel's separation barrier with the West Bank when Israel Defense [read "occupation"] Forces soldiers fired steel-coated rubber bullets and tear gas, witnesses said."

Human Rights Abuses

"Global rights group Amnesty International painted a grim picture of torture, slavery, political detentions and clampdowns on freedom of expression across North Africa, in a report published Tuesday. In Tunisia, "hundreds of political prisoners, including prisoners of conscience, remained in prison" in 2005, the group said in its annual report. "

Market Place

The Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram.

Profile: Hanna Meena

The Syrian novelist Hanna Meena is profiled in this article. (Arabic)

Windows of Death

'Aesha abu Musallam, a 47 Palestinian woman, mother of three, was shot dead with a bullet to the head while in her own house in the Balata refugee camps near Nablus. Her crime was that she looked out of the window at 5 am to see if there were Israeli soldiers outside.

There were.

Speaking of Mohammad al Maghout

Mahmoud Darwish's eulogy of al Maghout. (in Arabic)

Syrian Cinema

A review of the recent New York City Syrian film festival.

Hudna or Peace Agreement?

"If Israel withdraws to the 1967 borders, peace will prevail and we will implement a cease-fire [hudna] for many years," Haniyeh said during an interview in his south Gaza office. "Our government is prepared to maintain a long-term cease-fire with Israel."

Palestinian Transportation Minister Ziad Zaza described the hudna during the interview as "the cease-fire that will be renewed automatically each time."

What also bugs me about the "cease fire" is Hamas's insistence on maintaining the fiction of a "war" between two equal parties, which is how Israel loves to represent matters.

Revolutionary Fashion

Great news: Flat shoes are in! This means that for a limited time only women could wear comfortable shoes and still be fashionable. What bliss!

Not to Alter, But to Enhance

"Almost 300 years after men in the court of Louis XIV wore powdered wigs and rouged their cheeks, makeup for men appears to be making a comeback."

However, there is still the need to distinguish the way men use make up from the way women use make up:

"[Men ]want makeup not to alter their appearance the way women traditionally use it. They want it to enhance what they've got, their masculinity. They want to create the illusion of being healthy and looking younger," says some guy with a PhD, who apparently thinks we are really stupid.

Militias for Show

Do the Palestinians need armed militias in the streets?

No.

If Hamsa and Fateh have these militias to fight the occupation, then they should be underground. They should not be strutting around in the streets.

But these are militias for show. They exist to score points against other factions and to boost the egos of young men who equate manhood with guns.

These militias are a disaster. Disband them all.

Update: Fighting Homophobia In Lebanon

Al Arabeya net has this article about the Helm event that I posted about a few days ago. The event is treated as the coming out of Helm and the readers are throwing a fit (except for very few positive postings). And for those who still don't know, Helm (which means Dream) is a Lebanese group that defends gay rights in Lebanon.

Just reading those comments show what a long and hard way Helm has ahead of it.

Botoxing Depression?

A new study concludes that botox can help fight depression.

Let's not all rush to a botoxic clinic. This so-called study included only 10 women and it was authored by a cosmetic surgeon--two big draw backs. What a trivialization of depression!

Beirut Architecture

A long piece in The New York Times profiling the Lebanese architect Bernard Khouri. Khouri grips quite a bit about solidere, but I can' t say that I find him sympathetic either. As to talent: can't say. Never been to either old or new Beirut; those who've been are better judges than me.

Book Review: Yasmina Khadra

A review of Yasmina Khadra's novels, now available in English translation from French. Khadra is actually an Algerian man, a former military officer, writing under a woman's name. I haven't read the books, but judging from this review alone, it seems he's an anti Islmist polemicist more than a novelist. His latest novel The Attack is about suicide bombings and is set in Tel Aviv and Bethlehem. Going by the plot summary, he seems to be clueless. But I shouldn't judge a book by its review, so I reserve my official judgement till after reading the novel.

Assaulting Palestinian Children

"Palestinian schoolchildren from the West Bank village of Umm Tubba were assaulted Sunday morning by settlers who approached them from a community called Ma'on ranch, Palestinians said."

This is a First

After Friday prayers, thousands gathered to offer contributions to support the Hamas government. This is expected. But according to Al Hayat al Jadeedah, the surprise of the gathering was auctioning the jacket of the leader of the Qassam Brigades Salah Shehadeh. The winner was a Palestinian woman who paid for it the equivalent of $2800.

I must confess that no one is better than Hamas at political theatre.

ة وكانت مفاجأة الحملة عرض سترة القائد العام لكتائب القسام صلاح شحادة للبيع لصالح الحملة حيث قامت امراة فلسطينية بدفع مبلغ الفي دينار اردني ثمنا لها.

The other piece of theatre was the Hamas's spokeman's attempt to "smuggle" in close to a million dollars that he had wrapped around his waist. It's a win win situation: if he is not caught, he will get the money in. If he's caught, then Abdul Bari Atwan, my favorite Arab columnist, can celebrate those who are trying to feed the Palestinians as angels and heroes and wearers of "money belts" (which is a great act of resistance equivalent, in his opinion, to wearing suicide belts) and denounce as traitors who are preventing them from feeding the Palestinians. Fateh is worried that the money is raised in the name of the Palestinians but is going to a specific party, namely, Hamas. Fateh should take some private lessons in "how to sound sincere about law and order" from Hamas politicians because they are really bad.

Meanwhile, an assassination attempt on a Fateh guy, armed clashes, and serious, serious fears of a civil war. One Palestinian columnist called on the people (the civilian population, remember them) to take to the streets in an attempt to reclaim them from the armed men of both sides.

All this makes me sick to my stomach.

Which is Better?

"Three athletes are accused of sexually assaulting a black stripper."

Or,

Three athletes are accused of sexually assaulting a black woman.

Sex for Asylum

"...a chief immigration officer at Lunar House in Croydon, south London, targeted an 18-year-old Zimbabwean rape victim over a two-week period in which he offered to help her with her application to claim asylum in the UK and made it clear that he would like to have sex with her."

Bad form, old boy.

Update: Iran's Mission Fashion

"Now on Tehran's busy streets, only some women adhere to the strict code of the chador. Others are seen in scarves that leave almost their entire heads bare, showing blonde-highlighted hair, and brightly colored formfitting jackets, called "manteaus," that stop just under the waist, revealing jeans and sandaled feet with painted nails."

And this "laxness" does not sit well with the conservatives, so they want to promote "Islamic fashions" instead. Got it.

"For me, (my) music is rock 'n' roll, colored by what's inside me -- and what's inside me is I'm European, Arab and Muslim." Rachid Taha

Algerian Rock Rai singer Rachid Taha is born to perform. I saw him in concert twice: once in the West Bank in 1998 at Birzeit University and the other is a few years later in DC in some club. Although the crowds were different, he was awsome in both places.

Here's his classic "Ya Rayeh," an all time favorite of mine (although I'm still clueless about the lyrics), and the more recent "Rock the Qasbah."

Al Quds Jeans

"Designed by an Italian company and named after the Arabic term for Jerusalem, Al Quds Jeans are baggy with a high waist to allow freedom of movement during the repeated kneeling for Islamic worship.
They have extra large pockets for glasses, trinkets and prayer beads and also feature discreet green seams at the top of the belt loops, in honor of the faith's sacred color."

Fighting Women's Education

"Three girls' schools have been attacked in Afghanistan in the past two days, officials said on Wednesday, in the latest such incidents blamed on Taliban insurgents."

Iran's Mission Fashion

Some Iranian politicians want the government to promote the right "look" for the Iranians. But isn't there already a government-decreed dress code? What am I missing?

The Nakba in Palestine

A reflection on al Nakba by a Jewish American woman.

New Book: Women At the Equator

A collection of short stories by Saudi writer Zaynab Hanafi. (Review in Arabic).

One thing the review highlights is that while Hanafi exposes the injustice affecting women and is calling for resistance, unlike others (who?), she does not approve of homosexual relations between women as a form of rebellion. One of the stories apparently focuses on that.

Retouched

This is cool. Check it out to see how advertising and so-called women's magazines create ideals of beauty that make us miserable because we don't measure up. (ok fine, I'll speak for myself).

Archaic Rape Law

"New York law categorizes rape in the first degree--which includes the most violent rapes and assaults--as a Class B felony, along with kidnapping and arson cases that do not result in physical injury."

Gesturing Is In!

"President Bush gestures during remarks at the Republican National Committee Presidential Gala fundraiser on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)"



This photo and caption appear in today's Washington Post. I find the caption fascinating.It reminds me of the way Jordanian media (and official Arab media gnerally) covers the king (The king came, the king went, the king shook hands with..., and the king gestured).

On National Language

It's official. Thanks to a senate vote English is now the "national language" of the United States. No more bilingual services. And no more lip synching the national anthems at Basketball games: from now on there will be plain clothes policemen going around listening, to make sure that you actually do know the words and deserve to (continue to) be a citizen of this country. And you got to learn English grammar now and work on that offensive accent of yours that show traces of elsewheres which seriously undermine your loyalty to here. With your citizenship application, don't forget to submit evidence to document that you visit a McDonalds establishment at least once a week. Receipts or a picture taken with their clown are examples of acceptable documentation.

Oh, yeah, you'd better know how to spell Mississipy.

At the End of a Long Day

Majeda al Roumi's "Habibi."

Arab-Americans and the Israeli Lobby Debate

"We Arab-Americans have failed ourselves and our Arab brethren through self-imposed alienation from American politics. While substantial efforts are required and obstacles must be overcome, there is nothing preventing Arab-Americans from serious political engagement, or from having a major impact on U.S. foreign policy, except a tradition of ignoring our own interests and being seduced by beguiling pseudo-revolutionary excuses."

Quote of the Day

""I would not call it a protest. Thank God, we do not allow protests here. It was just workers gathering calmly to ask for their pay. It is normal, it happens every day."

A Dubai Police official commenting on the foreign workers demonstration.

What Do the Palestinians Want?

"Most Palestinians, according to a poll released two weeks ago, think they would fare better by working out their differences with Israel around a negotiating table than they would by dealing themselves out of and having Israel redraw its borders without Palestinian input. Just under three-quarters of Palestinians say they would prefer a negotiated solution to unilateral withdrawals, such as Israel's pull-out from Gaza last year, pollsters at the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion and Survey Research in Ramallah found. And yet, 59 percent of Palestinians polled say they oppose Hamas agreeing to recognize Israel now."

A Cult or Business as Usual?

"In Norman's fictional land of Gor, which is divided into castes, couples must ditch any pretence of equality and instead strive to achieve the master-slave dynamic in their relationships. Norman's 1960s teachings, which have spread through the internet, require the slave to be the female. As well as obeying the sexual commands of her male partner, she is also made to cook and clean."

Creationism In Britain

"Think of an intelligent 11-year-old who's told by a teacher that humans and dinosaurs lived together on the earth 6,000 years ago. Then think of the same kid doing A-level biology at 16, when it becomes clear that that's complete nonsense. Why, then, should they believe anything else that their religion tells them?"

Turkey: Marching for Secularism

"More than 15,000 Turks, from students to judges still in their robes, marched in the capital to support secularism and to condemn a courtroom shooting that killed one judge and wounded four others."

Hirsi Ali Update

Well, it seems she may not lose her Dutch citizenship after all. The decision to revoke her citizenship will be reconsidered after protests by Ali's supporters.

The irony of all this is that the the anti Islam phobia that is enveloping Holland did not spare Ali, who is an Islam basher herself. There should be a lesson here.

High Tech Cheating

"With their arsenal of electronic gadgets, students these days find it easier to cheat. And so, faced with an array of inventive techniques in recent years, college officials find themselves in a new game of cat and mouse, trying to outwit would-be cheats this exam season with a range of strategies — cutting off Internet access from laptops, demanding the surrender of cellphones before tests or simply requiring that exams be taken the old-fashioned way, with pens and paper."

The Ward Churchill Controversy

The faculty report investigating Ward Churchill is out and it finds many examples of academic misconduct such as plagiraism, fabrication, and falsification of sources.

I would have respected the faculty report if it were conducted before Churchill's stupid and tasteless remarks about September 11th victims. But the whole investigation came as a result of the uproar about these comments--which, all agree, are protected speech. Consequently, the report is tainted.

This is not about plagiarism and good vs. bad scholarship. If it were about that, Ward's department and univesity should have been investigating him a decade ago. He was hired with tenure, and he was promoted to full professor. The hiring and promoting committees must have been asleep to miss all that plagiarism, fabrications, and falsifications. Even so, there were other complaints about his scholarship. Nothing was done. That is until he made those remarks. Suddenly, academic integrity is an issue.

For this I can't view the report apart from the reason it was commissioned. That reason has a lot to do with politics and freedom of speech.

Picture of the Day

Caption?

(Thanks Mojgan)

I Want One!

Moroccan fashion show focusing on the "Quftan," the Moroccan traditional dress.

The Meaning of Sacrifice

"according to a new study people would be willing [to] sacrifice life and limb, literally, to avoid being obese."

What Are We Fighting For?

"We are fighting with Israel for billions of Muslims in the world," said an Islamic Jihad spokesman.

This Islmaization of the Palestinian national movement will undermine the Palestinian cause (more than it's already undermined). What do the billions of Muslims in the world have to do with Palestinian nationalism? And where do Palestinian Christians, who were always a crucial part of the Palestinian national movement, fit in this "fight"? The Palestinian cause was never about religion: it's about national rights for a group of people who were displaced from their land and denied self-determination.

A Woman Warrior?

"She was a woman who died some 1,600 years ago in the heyday of the Moche culture, well before the rise of the Incas. Her imposing tomb suggests someone of high status. Her desiccated remains are covered with red pigment and bear tattoos of patterns and mythological figures...She was surrounded by weaving materials and needles, befitting a woman, and 2 ceremonial war clubs and 28 spear throwers — sticks that propel spears with far greater force — items never found before in the burial of a woman of the Moche,"

Censorship in Lebanon

"Syriana" was banned in Lebaon! I posted before that it was shown in Dubai after three scenes were cut out. But it was totally banned in Lebanon. The censor didn't give much of a reason. Could the allusions to Hizballah have anything to do with it?

Read more about censorship and resistance in Lebanon here. (in Arabic)

Fairuz is Fairuz is Fairuz

In this article (in Arabic) about Fairuz, she is referred to as "Al Sayyeda" (Mrs./ Lady/ Madam) six times. It's even used without her name following the title. The title becomes her name. I don't like it. Even if her pay is half a million dollars per night, she's still Fairuz. She never needed adjectives or superlatives or titles. If I sound cranky, it's because I am cranky.

"The Financial Nakba 2006"

From the Palestinian Daily Al Ayyam

Oh No, Not Here!

Hirsi Ali resigned today her parliamentary seat and decided to leave Holland for...America. For Washington DC to be exact. She seems to have found the right "home," accepting a job from the American enterprise Institute, a right-wing think tank. Whatever work she does there, I'm certain it won't help the Muslim women she claims to want to save.

Hirsi Ali in D.C.? Maybe its time that I ask for political asylum in Holland. Unlike Ali, I won't lie on my application.

As if this city doesn't have enough ...

Egyptian Blogger in Jail

"Today it hit me, I am really in prison. I'm not sure how I feel," began the May 10 entry on Alaa Abdel-Fatah's popular Egyptian blog manalaa.net."

"I have a corner of my state that is worse than [under] the Taliban"

" Sect members are taught they cannot reach the highest levels of heaven without at least three wives. Women, or often girls, are "gifted" to men by the prophet, who is seen as revealing God's plan. A former member said one of his "mothers" was 13 when he was 8. Wives are encouraged to give birth each year."

Fireworks

"An estimated 300,000 people packed the Tel Aviv beachfront Tuesday night to watch a massive offshore fireworks display orchestrated by a French production company specializing in pyrotechnics."

I should mention that these fireworks were less impressive than and far inferior to the REAL fireworks the Gazans watch everytime they are shelled.

How to Combat Lawlessness in Gaza

"People who are behind these incidents must be caught by security and executed in the public square," said Marwan Abu Ras, a Hamas official."

Definiton of the Day: Booth Babe

"A booth babe ... is a typically scantily-clad actress-waitress-whatever employed to loiter near a booth at a trade exhibition. Upon spying or being approached by a typically young male showing advanced signs of geekdom, the booth babe will engage the geek in conversation, normally of a flirtatious nature. Almost immediately, the relationship will be consummated with a photograph of geek and babe entwined, before the geek hands over large amounts of money for something produced by the booth babe's employer."

Disco Dancing Palestinians?

"Phil Collins, 35, born in Runcorn, Cheshire, uses video, photography and live events in his work, often visiting politically sensitive regions. One of his best-known works, they shoot horses (2004), saw Collins travel to Ramallah to organise an eight-hour disco marathon with nine young Palestinians. In a single, real-time take, Collins films all the youngsters' emotions from exhilaration to determination to exhaustion."

To learn more about "They Shoot Horses", read this.

Iraq Update

"And a quarter of all Iraqi children suffer from malnutrition, a survey of 20,000 households by the Iraqi government and Unicef says."

Teen Sex: Puritan America vs. Sweden

"Levels of teen sexual activity look remarkably similar here and abroad, but U.S. rates of teen pregnancy, childbirth, abortion and sexually transmitted diseases are among the highest of all industrialized nations."

Al Nakba

Al Nakba = the catastrophe

The key to the house she thought she was coming back to in a few days. 58 years later she's still out.

But she hasn't lost the key either.

The Nakba Continues

A Haaretz editorial lambasting the new Israel supreme court decision to discriminate against Arab citizens.

The editorial acknowledges that other reasons than "security" are behind this decision. This law continues what the Nakba in 1948 started: emptying Palestine of its Arabs inhabitants in order to establish a Jewish state.

Colonial Legacy in Zimbabwe

Land redistribution problems continue in Zimbabwe. For background on the orgins of this conflict bewteen white settlers (here called farmers) and African natives (who used to be farmers till the settlers came and kicked them off the land), I recommend a short story by Doris Lessing called "The Old Chief Mshlanga."

Outsourcing Education

The globalization of education is made possible now with long distance learning. I must say I'm beginning to feel like a dinasaur.

Battling Homophobia in Lebanon

Helm, the Lebanese gay rights group is holding this event in Beirut: "Who is Deviant?" will include the showing of 6 locally produced short films about homosexuality.(in Arabic)

Update: I tried to fix the link. But here's the invitation in words as I got it in my mailbox from Helm:

"Helem cordially invites you to attend the “Meen Shaz?” (“Who is Deviant?”), a celebration of the second International Day Against Homophobia on Wednesday, May 17. We will be screening six locally produced short films on homosexuality followed by a discussion session at the Monroe Hotel, Ain el Mreisseh, Beirut. The screenings will be preceded by a press conference in which Georges Azzi, coordinator of Helem, and Kamal Shayya, coordinator of Youth Advocacy Platform, will be speaking.

On Friday, May 19 we will be launching "Rouhab al Mithliyya" (Homophobia), a book published by La CD-Theque in collaboration with Helem. This edited anthology is the first book in the Arabic language to deal explicitly with the theme of homophobia in the Arab world. Drinks and food will be served, and there will be musical entertainment. Bring your friends!

For Mothers

Marcel Khaliefeh's "Ummi" (words by Mahmoud Darwish), Fairuz's "Ummi Ya Malaki", and Kareem al Iraqi's "Yakouloun Ummi Mareedatun." This last one is in the voice of an Iraqi son in exile who got the news that his mother is sick. (just happened all three are in classical Arabic)

Children's Rape in England

"Extraordinary figures showing the extent of the rape of children under 16 are revealed today. They reveal the number of victims is nearly 5,000 a year - yet only 7 per cent of the attackers are convicted....girls under 16 made up 31 per cent of the 12,867 females who were raped in 2004-5, while boys of the same age comprised 54 per cent of the 1,135 males raped in the same period."

Colonial Legacy

White landowners are still above the law in Kenya.

Home birth vs. hospital birth?

Now they are saying home birth is good and maybe better than hospital birth. At least in England. Midwives are back in favor after decades of being dethroned by doctors.

But I'm suspicious. Could this favoring of home births now has anything to do with saving money? It's England we're talking about here. The article does not mention the economics of it all, but I have a hunch that pounds are a factor.

Also why don't we try to reform hospital births? Surly the experience can be made more pleasant if we stop treating the delivery rooms as assembly lines. It will help if gods, I mean doctors, learn better side manners and don't reach for forceps so quickly and if we put an end to drive by deliveries.

I'm all for women having options, on the condition that they are real options and not the "lesser evil" kind of choice.

State Racism Upheld by Court

" Israel's high court narrowly upheld a contentious law today that can block Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip from moving to Israel to live with a spouse who is an Arab citizen of the Jewish state."

This law has nothing to do with security; security is the excuse. It's aim is to limit the number of Arabs in the Jewish state. Suicide bombings only offered the excuse for the state to have this law, a law that continues a policy that's been going on from day one since the establishment of Israel.

Saudi Arabia's Liberal Prince

Anthony Chadid prfiles Prince Talal, the Saudi Arabian liberal, or rather radical, prince. He's the father of Walid bin Talal (the mother is Mona al Sulh, daughter of Lebanese primeminister Reyad al Sulh). As I posted a while back, Walid the son owns influential music companies and channels in the Arab world and is making the first Saudi feature film.

State Racism

How to deal with Israeli racism towards its Arab citizens? Disengage from the state and its institutions or work for full citizenship?

The Power of Poetry

To fight terrorism in Yemen.

Singing Alexandria

Since I've posted about Alexandria, both ancient and modern, here are a couple of songs for that city. Mohammad Mounir's "Ya Eskenderia," and Fairuz's "Ya Shatt Eskendereya."

Modern Day Alexandria

"How else can the government justify its existence but to say only it stands between Egypt and chaos?"

Best American Novel

Beloved by Tony Morrison has been voted best American novel of the past 25 years.

I love that book!

Except for one, all the runner ups where novels by men.

Worst Place To Be A Mother

"Sub-Saharan Africa is the worst place in the world to be a mother. In Angola, 1 in 7 women dies in pregnancy or childbirth; in Somalia, the rate is 1 in 10, reported the Save the Children Foundation, Westport, Conn., in its annual "State of the World's Mothers" report on May 9. The overall risk of a woman dying from maternal causes in her lifetime is 1 in 16 in the region, and 1 in 5 mothers has lost a newborn."

Representing the Transgendered

"Actress, drag queen and radio host Vladimir Luxuria is the first transgender women to sit in the Lower Chamber of the Italian Parliament after she was elected April 18. Born Vladimiro Guadagno, Luxuria is a lifelong activist for lesbian, gay and transgender issues and was scorned by ministers and harassed by militants during the campaign. Luxuria said she was happy transgender people now have a representative in the newly formed government that ousted the center-right coalition of Silvio Berlusconi."

Attacking Women

An Eyptian woman reporter, Abeer al 'Askari, who writes for an opposition paper, was arrested by soldiers and policemen, beaten, had her clothes torn, and sexually harassed (sounds more like assaulted to me). When she was released, she was given a prayer rug by one shop keeper to cover herself with.

I'm sure some will say this is an isolated incident and that in Egypt, as many studies have recently shown, it's women who beat up men.

Violence Against Non-Violence

"Three demonstrators were wounded on Friday afternoon in clashes with security officers during a protest against the separation fence in the West Bank village of Bil'in."

"Spider Mum" and "Santa Guevara" Strike Again

"German left-wing activists dressed up as superheroes have been plundering gourmet stores and posh restaurants in Hamburg. They say they're defending the poor like a modern day Robin Hood would."

Deconstructing Cleopatra

"Goddio's divers recovered more than 30 coins with Cleopatra's likeness and reconstructed her face using computer technology. The resulting image shows a woman with a hooked nose and flabby cheeks."

Quote of the Day

It was really just "a little bit of breast touching."

Mohave County Superior Court Judge Richard Weiss, who presided over a case in which a man was accused of sexual abuse of his five daughters.

Rampant Patriarchy

Before Americans spend any more sleepless nights worrying about the rights of Muslim women, they really need to take a short trip to Utah and Arizona, where polygamy, sexual abuse of chidren, underaged marriage, and exile of boys is going literally unchecked by complicit law enforcement agencies.

Open Air Class

Palestinians school girls having their class at a chocking point.

Fertiltiy Tourism

"One clinic has distributed ads in Russian and Polish as they seek tall, fair-skinned or fair-haired European donors who look similar to their clients. They show a young woman with a pierced belly-button and a tattoo peeking out from above the belt of her jeans. "You are young and you have thousands of them," they say. "Become an egg donor."

Has anyone noticed the division of labor involved in fertitlity tourism: fair-skinned women sell the egg, and dark-skinned women house it by renting out their wombs.

End of Semester Note

Some of my favorite students are graduating. For them, this Mohammad Mounir song.

The refrain says: "If we stop dreaming, we die/ if we insist we will get through"

Congratulations! And keep dreaming!

The SMS Revolution

Don't you love the conveniences of modern technology? I must say I'm in awe of the advances made by the new media and modes of communication. I'm even in more awe of the way some of us Arabs are taking full advantage of it all. Take divorce, for instance. Now, it has been made far more convenient than before. It is possible for a Muslim man to divorce his wife by sending her an SMS message saying "You are divorced." But before those feminatzis and men haters among you jump to conclusions and start frothing at the mouth, let me assure you that there are still some rules. Rest assured, this is being regulated. For any SMS divorce message has to meet four, I repeat, four, conditions to be legally binding: (in Arabic)

First condition: the sender should be the husband. In other words, the husband can't delegate the divorce statement to his friend or butler. He still has to do it himself. But now that I think about it, how about if the husband dictates the message to, say, his secretary? Some men are busy, leading demanding public lives and we need to accommodate their schedules. After all, isn't convenience what this technology is about? The ambiguity of this condition need to be attended to because we really do not want to take this matter lightly, do we?

Second condition: the husband should have the intention and desire to divorce his wife. Just as there is no coercion in religion, there is no coercion in divorce, you know. If a second wife is holding the gun to the man's head and demanding that he divorce the first, the divorce is not legal. Do not underestimate the wiles of women: they can really harass men into doing things they do not want to do. So this is an important condition to guard against the abuse of men's free will.

Third condition: The text of the message should not contain anything beside the statement of divorce. This is very important if you think about it. If a man sends a text message saying, for example,: "u divorced. will b home late 4 dinner," the woman may think that the second statement cancels the first. She may conclude, and females are not particularly known for logical thinking, that the man changed his mind (because women are fickle they think men are fickle too). So instead of worrying about being divorced, she should worry about keeping his dinner warm (which if you think about it she could (should?) do even if she was divorced). Definitely mixed messages are a no no. We don't want to create the impression, and I'm sorry to say that females are impressionable, that men can be fickle or inconstant.

Fourth condition: the message must be received by the wife. We all know how considerate some men can be. In order to save their wives the shock of receiving the news dirctly from them, they may choose to spare them and send the SMS to the woman's father or uncle or grocer. But this too can cause problems. The wife can claim that she never received the divorce message and will continue to consider it her legal right to nag her husband, drain his coffers, and, if he is Egyptian, beat the heck out of him. So this condition is a must to offer the man some measure of protection from exploitation and abuse.

ن قبول الطلاق عبرالرسائل القصيرة مرهون بأربعة شروط هي: أن يكون الزوج هو المرسل، وأن يكون لديه العزم والرغبة على تطليق زوجته، وألا تعني صياغة الرسالة أكثر من معنى غير الطلاق، وأن تستقبلها الزوج

This is Germany Indeed

A Saudi woman reports being yelled at, humiliated, and even hit while going through security at a German airport with her young daughter. They wanted her to remove her veil, which she was willing to do privately after the security woman runs the detecting machine over it. But that sent the German woman into a fit of anger and she started yelling abuse at the woman, while having her unveil in a private room, saying, " You stupid woman, where do you think you are? This is Germany? You Barbarians." Then a male colleage of the woman came over, did some yelling of his own and even hit the traveller on the shoulder. (in Arabic)

Oh, the joys of travel.

Native Orientalists

"The demand for 'native' Orientalists was strong. The pay for such turncoats was good too. Soon a whole crop of native Orientalists arrived on the scene. Perhaps, the most distinguished members of this coterie include Nirad Chaudhuri, V. S. Naipaul, Fouad Ajami and Salman Rushdi. They are some of the best loved natives in the West."

Not Salman Rushdi. I know some people love to hate the man, but he is no native orientalist or turncoat. He doesn't belong in the same sentence with Ajami and Naipaul (the two I know). I taught Rushdi's Shame and Midnight's Children, and I taught Naipaul's Among the Believers. While the latter clearly has a problem with Muslims and Islam generally and is condescending and down right offensive (Edward Said, rightly, described him as "an intellectual disaster"), Rushdi has a problem with the way those in power use Islam and he is merciless satirizing them. Before the unfortunate controversy about The Satanic Veses, Rushdi was a public advocate against British racism twards immigrants.

My beef with Rushdi is his fictional female characters. But let's leave that for another day.

Dying in Gaza

Amira Hass is my favorite Israeli journalist. She has guts and compassion. Here's her most recent dispatch from Gaza.

How About the Palestinians' Right to Exist?

"62 percent of Israeli Jews believe the government should encourage Arabs to leave the country."

Rape in Kenya

"In late April, 12 of the [Kenyan parliament's] 18 female members stormed out of a debate in protest after member Paddy Ahenda remarked that many Kenyan women were too "shy" to consent to sex by saying yes directly.'If the bill is adopted the way it is, it will prevent men from courting women and this will be a serious impediment to the young who would want to marry," Ahenda said. "In our culture, when women say no, they mean yes, unless she's loose in morals.'"

It Rhymes But Is It Good?

Hamas's slogan "na3am lil jou3, la lil rukou3" (translation: yes to starvation, no to kneeling) is being criticized by some Palestinians. Fateh columnists have been writing against it, but not only them. Independents, like my brother who have kids (not symbols) that they need to feed, are not happy with this line of argument.

Here is a rewrite that I won't even charge for: We will not starve, We will not kneel.
or No to starvation, No to Kneeling. Both versions rhyme.

Women Talk

I posted an Arabic article about the Lebanese play "Haki Niswan, [women talk] " which is Lina Khouri's adaptation of The Vagina Monologues. Here is an English language review for the benefit of those who missed out on the Arabic one.

Needless to say, I'd love to see the play. Maybe we can get Lina Khouri to tour with it here. Anyone saw it in person and can tell us more about it?

Internet Addiction

Some of you may want to take the test at the end of this article. I'll share my score if you share yours. This by the way is my last post for the day.

Book: Iran Awakening

"Ebadi has never lost faith in her nation or her Islamic beliefs, despite death threats, multiple arrests, and imprisonment. Summarizing her career, especially in the realm of women's rights, Ebadi says that she has advocated "an interpretation of Islam that is in harmony with equality and democracy.... It is not religion that binds women, but the selective dictates of those who wish them cloistered."

Popetown: A German MTV Series

"The fictional town which gives its name to the series is home to a 77-year-old, plump and childish little man with an oversized hat -- a pope who likes to play hide and seek, doesn't wash for months, wants to drink Coca Cola but isn't allowed to and enjoys bouncing through hallways on a cross-shaped pogo stick. Popetown's true rulers are three corrupt cardinals who dwell in a wellness spa hidden behind a bookshelf, and who spend their days ruminating over how they can become the richest men in the world. Other inhabitants of the town include a young priest, a dim-witted nun and a cardinal with a sexual preference for exotic animals."

I know that Islamophobes will be pointing out to how "civilized" Catholic protests to the series have been, compared to the violent Muslim protests of the Danish cartoons.

But Catholics in Germany and Europe generally are not a persecuted minority. The Pope is not an underdog. European Catholics don't live in countries invaded by other countries that believe they are, on the whole, brutes that need to be exterminated. Only if you have these similar conditions (among others), you can compare the reaction.

Quote of the Day

"God is great; He'll put up with anything -- even religion."

German TV presenter Henry Gründler

Unnatural Women?

"the most notable hallmark of the human species: the ability to say no — not just to a bad idea, an illegal order or a wayward pet but to our own genes."

I usually read evolutionary biolgists sitting at the edge of my seat, worrying about what ammunition they will hand over to sexist ideologues. But I like this one.

The article is trying to explain why %30 of German women choose not to have children. So instead of seeing them as freaks, as unnatural women deformed by birth control and their ambitions for a career (and contributing to the extinction of the nation at a time brown people continue to have lots of babies), he sees it as totally natural and human.

But like other evolutionary biologists, the writer maybe neglecting the obvious. Yes, free will is at work here and birth control and autonomy are allowing for its exercise. But could the fact that German women are the ones expected to raise the kids (and therefore have to sacrifice their careers) be a contributing factor (if not the main one?)

Maybe if German men get over their aversion to changing soiled diapers they will have a better shot at perpetuating their genes, not to say saving the great German nation from extinction.

The Iraqi Killing Fields

"Witnesses reported that the killers [of Atwar Bahjat] drove up, shouting, "Where is the announcer?"

Two more Iraqi TV reporters were assassinated: Al Nahrain correspondent Laith Dulaimi, 29, and technician Muazaz Ahmed, 28.

This reminds me of the Lebanese Uncivil War when people were slaughtered because of the identity card they were carrying.

"Today in Iraq, all the cards are shuffled," said Maytham Shbani, a 29-year-old political reporter at the Egyptian-based TV channel Baghdadiya. "You don't know who is killing whom. Is it the militias? Is it the insurgents? Is it the Ministry of Interior? You will never know."

This passage reminds me of the Alegerian war on civilians; maybe one day in Iraq, after hundred of thousands of innocent people are slaughtered, they will have their "truth and reconciliation" fiasco to cover up the injustice. And, just like in Lebanon, some war criminals will be elected to office and become "leaders" of the country. But don't get too excited: lots of poeple have to die first. Lots.

Muslim Women Go Greek

College Muslim women are forming their own sorority, based on Islamic priniciples.

Since Muslim student associations tend to be dominated by men, this might be a way for young women to have a space of their own to hone their leadership skills. Or it could be a marginalized space of their own to memorize dogma. It's up to them which way they go.

Clashes

What people were afraid of happened: armed clashes between Fateh and Hamas left three dead. Today, 10 more people were injured in renewed confrontations.

This is one of the reasons I don't like arms in the hands of these men.

The Power of a Woman's Gaze

"Women are fine tuned subconsciously to detect the qualities they are looking for in a man - just by looking at his face, US research suggests."

This explains why when women are often heard yelling at their men: "I curse the day I ever set eyes on you."

What I would like to know is who funds these idiotic research projects.

Other Ways to Kill

Gaza hospitals are were people go to die.

Atwar Bahjat's Beheading

The story from the Arabeyeh net TV in Iraq is that the video of Atwar Bahjat's beheading is a hoax. The aim of this hoax, according to them, is to smear the reputation of shi'it militias or Ba'thist insurgents (take your pick). (I got this information from a reporter who was formerly stationed in Iraq; she reported what her contacts there told her on a listserve I read).

Is anyone left with a reputation in Iraq? 4000 civilians have been slaughtered in three months and we need to behead a woman to smear reputations? I think reputations of all concerned are besooted and all the industrial-strength detergent of the world won't unsmear them.

The video reportedly shows a woman being beheaded. The body seems to have been mutilated as well. (I'm relying here on the Sunday Times article. I don't want to see the video). Whether it's Atwar or another woman, this is a horrible act. The fact that the victim is nameless and has no knowable identity we can relate to does not make this act less horrible. Let's call her Layla, or, Zaynab, or Salwa. As to identity, she's a fellow human being, as helpless as we are.

Some are saying it's a hoax that uses the execution of Nepalese workers and project Atwar's image on it. Not less depraved.

This link, which is graphic, shows Atwar Bahjat dead, but not beheaded.

Think of the depravity and insanity of it all: now we breathe a sigh of relief to hear that someone is shot dead. They are among the lucky ones, we think. At least they weren't ....

What's the Point?

I can't get the description of the murder of Atwar Bahjat out of my mind. It makes me question the point of this blog, of all words. I imagine the helplessness she felt at that moment, and my hands freeze. What cruelty!

Starbucks in Dubai

So while some naive people (including me and my friends) have been boycotting Starbucks for its support of settlements in the West Bank, Dubai welcomes the chain with open arms.

Way to go Dubai! Glad we could rely on you.

Suad al Attar: Iraqi Artist

Suad al Attar is an Iraqi artist living in London. She now has an exhibition at Leighton House Mueseum in London.

What is Offensive?

Some Arab columnists, and their readers, contine to see that the threat to Islam is not coming from the Ben Ladens, al-Zarqawis, or those who tortured and beheaded Atwar Bajhat, but is coming from people like the Egyptian feminist Nawal el Saadawi and Syrian poet Adonis. Saadawi's latest crime against Islam is that she is campaigning to have women carry their mother's name along with their father's. What a crime!! And Adonis dared to say that in the Abbasid period of Islamic history, there was a tolerance for homosexuality. He even dared to speak about the history of dissent in Islam. (in Arabic)

In the meantime, throats of innocent women and men are being slit on daily basis in the name of Islam. How about finding that offensive for a change?

Saudi Novelists

A superficial article (in Arabic) on Saudi novels written by women. It seems that Raja al Sane's Banat al Reyad (Girls of Reyad) has encouraged a whole spate of novels by women about, to quote the writer, "the hidden world" of Saudi women.

What I find really irritating about the article is that the author lists several names of Saudi male writers, but forgets to mention the name of the best Saudi novelist: Abdul Rahman Munif, author of Cities of Salt and East of the Mediterranean, among other powerful books.

Munif lived and died in exile. His obliteration seems to continue.

Murder is Worse than Haifa's Song

According to Abdul Bari Atwan, terrorism comes in different forms. According to him, what is "more dangerous than murder" is deforming the conept of freedom. He lists several examples of the way the Americans are doing this with the Iraqi media (as if they are doing anything different from what every Arab regime has been doing, including the regime that pays his salary) and then focuses on the sattelite channels that Broadcast singing naked women etc. He even concludes with an allusion to Haifa Wahby's latest song. (in Arabic)

I beg to differ.

Murder is worse. Maybe he needs to watch the vidoe of the murder of Atwar Bahjat to get the point.

A Hamas Plot?

Well, according to this article, Israel warned Mahmoud Abbas that there was a plot by the military wing of Hams to assassinate him.

True or not, this is very bad. It's going to lead to increased tensions between Hamas and Fateh. Not what the Palestinians need right now.

Ben and Izzy

A new animated series about the adventures of two boys: an American alled Ben and an Arab called "Izzy". The aim is to increase cultural understanding and is directed at both an Arab and a western audience.

Ironically, the Arab kid, whose name is Aziz, had to be renamed "Izzy" to make him palatable. So much for cultural sensitivity.

Atwar Bahjat

Hala Jaber writes on the torture and murder of the Iraqi journalist Atwar Bajhat. She describes in detail the vidoe of her mutilation and beheading that was recently found. This is so horrible that I cannot find words to describe those who did this to her.