"take all the poor people from Gaza [and] move them to a wonderful new modern country with trains buses cars, like in Arizona - we are now in a generation where you can take a desert and build a city. This will be a solution for the poor people - they will have a nice county, and we shall have our country and we shall live in peace."
This is the peace plan of Israel's Chief Rabbi.
site meter
Monday, January 28, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Pretty Woman
The headline of a sympathetic op-ed piece in Al Quds al Arabi about the assassination of Benazir Bhutto is "Who Killed the Pretty Leader?"
And just in case we missed the title and may at any moment forget or doubt that she is pretty the writer, a former Algerian minister, uses the word "pretty" twice in the body of the article.
Why the word "pretty" is not sitting well with me?
Because it's irrelevant. Bhutto's looks have nothing to do with anything. The effect of this sexist use is to remind us that for women to be worthy of appreciation, regardless of their achievements, they have to be "pretty": not clever, strong, or courageous, or wise (and I'm not implying that Bhutto was or wasn't these things). But pretty.
It's a put down! A condescension.
It's as if the writer assumes that by emphasizing her good looks, we as readers will have more sympathy with her. Oh, the death of beauty. How sad! The pathos of the death of a beautiful woman. Ugly women, if one is to follow this logic, can go to the devil. Plain women illicit indifference. So-so women may deserve a tear but only if we can spare one. But pretty women: ah, heartbreaking! Let's sob.
And just in case we missed the title and may at any moment forget or doubt that she is pretty the writer, a former Algerian minister, uses the word "pretty" twice in the body of the article.
Why the word "pretty" is not sitting well with me?
Because it's irrelevant. Bhutto's looks have nothing to do with anything. The effect of this sexist use is to remind us that for women to be worthy of appreciation, regardless of their achievements, they have to be "pretty": not clever, strong, or courageous, or wise (and I'm not implying that Bhutto was or wasn't these things). But pretty.
It's a put down! A condescension.
It's as if the writer assumes that by emphasizing her good looks, we as readers will have more sympathy with her. Oh, the death of beauty. How sad! The pathos of the death of a beautiful woman. Ugly women, if one is to follow this logic, can go to the devil. Plain women illicit indifference. So-so women may deserve a tear but only if we can spare one. But pretty women: ah, heartbreaking! Let's sob.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Jail for Moroccan Wedding Participants
A higher court upheld the jail sentence of six men who participated in the wedding of two men in Morocco. The men's sentences ranged from 10 to 2 months in prison. One man was sentenced for appearing on the wedding video dancing wearing women's clothing (a question: what about all the women who wear men's clothing? What shall we do with them? Not only do they go dancing wearing male outfits, but they go to work, to school, and to mosque?) The investigation of the wedding was opened up after the people in the town staged public protests asking the government to crack down on the organizers and participants.
Al Arabiya loves to recount for sensational effects the details of the wedding, over and over again, and peppers its article with a hateful doze of "deviant" and "deviancy." The article connects the wedding to the Moroccan queers' formation of an association to demand equal rights and protection by the law. Reporting the event becomes an occasion to stir up hate towards all homosexuals in Morocco.
If one is to judge the effect of this reporting on the reader by glancing at the comments section, a lynching mob to execute all homosexuals is ready to go.
Sadly, such a lynching mob would be forming in many parts of the world, including the good old USA. Homophobia is global.
Al Arabiya loves to recount for sensational effects the details of the wedding, over and over again, and peppers its article with a hateful doze of "deviant" and "deviancy." The article connects the wedding to the Moroccan queers' formation of an association to demand equal rights and protection by the law. Reporting the event becomes an occasion to stir up hate towards all homosexuals in Morocco.
If one is to judge the effect of this reporting on the reader by glancing at the comments section, a lynching mob to execute all homosexuals is ready to go.
Sadly, such a lynching mob would be forming in many parts of the world, including the good old USA. Homophobia is global.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Death by Stoning
"Amnesty International has urged Iran to drop from its penal code the punishment of death by stoning, a fate awaiting 11 convicted criminals, the group says."
This is how careful the Iranian penal code is:
It "stipulates the stones used must be large enough to cause the condemned pain, but not sufficient to kill immediately."
Islam stipulates that when you slaughter an animal for food, you do it without inflicting undue suffering on the beast. This law of mercy doesn't apply to humans, according to Iranian interpretations.
This is how careful the Iranian penal code is:
It "stipulates the stones used must be large enough to cause the condemned pain, but not sufficient to kill immediately."
Islam stipulates that when you slaughter an animal for food, you do it without inflicting undue suffering on the beast. This law of mercy doesn't apply to humans, according to Iranian interpretations.
Monday, January 14, 2008
It's a Holiday in Dubai!
Today was declared an "official holiday" in Dubai because of George Bush's visit to the country. Now that's love...or incompetence!
There are unconfirmed rumors (yes, as opposed to confirmed rumors, and if you don't know the difference,then you don't know the first thing about gossip) that January 14th will be declared a regular national holiday in Dubai. Every year the country will have a day off to commemorate this weighty day in its history. The day will culminate in big fireworks at the local Dubai McDonald's.
There are unconfirmed rumors (yes, as opposed to confirmed rumors, and if you don't know the difference,then you don't know the first thing about gossip) that January 14th will be declared a regular national holiday in Dubai. Every year the country will have a day off to commemorate this weighty day in its history. The day will culminate in big fireworks at the local Dubai McDonald's.
Slandering Ms. Magazine to Sell Israel
Ms Magazine is being attacked by those who support Israel no matter what. The American feminist magazine and its readers have been called "hostile" to Israel because the editors refused to run an ad that says "This is Israel" and shows three Israeli women in high public offices. Ms. Magazine said the reason it rejects the ad is that it promotes women from the same political party and therefore violates their policy of not interfering into the domestic politics of other countries.
Israel loves to milk its women, a certain kind, to promote an image of its exceptionalism in the Middle East and its affinity with America. This ad is part of this policy. Another example of it is the bikini clad Israeli women used in the men's magazine Maxim to sell Israel to American men.
Here's my ad for Ms. Magazine to promote Palestinian women:
Israel loves to milk its women, a certain kind, to promote an image of its exceptionalism in the Middle East and its affinity with America. This ad is part of this policy. Another example of it is the bikini clad Israeli women used in the men's magazine Maxim to sell Israel to American men.
Here's my ad for Ms. Magazine to promote Palestinian women:
Burqa in Striptease
"My favorite skit is to the Monkees’ ‘I’m a Believer.’ On the line ‘Then I saw her face’ we strip off our burqas to reveal ’60s bathing suits, and beach balls fall from the ceiling." (thanks KB)
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Security for Palestinians
"the ratio of Palestinians to Israelis killed in 2007 had risen to 40:1, up from 30:1 in 2006 and 4:1 from 2000-2005," reports Mustafa Barghouti.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Yuri and Souad Housni: NO!!
Ok, lots of people had fantasies about being Souad Husni's lovers, but only Yuri Mrakadi (via his director Salim al Turk) has the audacity and the right doze of narcissism to make himself into such a lover even years after her death. In his latest video clip, he superimposes himself on one of her films, ruining a whole generation's memories of her under the pretext of remembering her. And in case you don't get the point that he is mutilating the archive, we see him actually doing it. Literally.
I guess what I'm saying is that I love watching Souad Housni's films but I don't want Yuri Mrakadi anywhere near them. Make your own films, man!
I guess what I'm saying is that I love watching Souad Housni's films but I don't want Yuri Mrakadi anywhere near them. Make your own films, man!
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Labor Under Occupation
Another Palestinian woman gives birth at an Israeli checkpoint:
" The woman's husband, Ashraf Sidir said the soldiers would not allow the ambulance to pass even though the[y] could hear his wife's screaming from the contractions."
He's wrong, of course. Some people do not hear or see or feel.
" The woman's husband, Ashraf Sidir said the soldiers would not allow the ambulance to pass even though the[y] could hear his wife's screaming from the contractions."
He's wrong, of course. Some people do not hear or see or feel.
Silencing in the Name of Religion
The Libyan writer Wafa' bou Issa defends herself against a campaign directed at her novel Hunger Has Other Faces. She's being accused of rejecting Islam and proselytizing for Christianity, among other things. In fact, the list of transgressions against religion she allegedly committed (through her heroine) makes the Salman Rushdi affair seem like a family romance.
Monday, January 07, 2008
A Third of Arabs are Illiterate!
100 million out of 335 million Arabs in the Arab world are illiterate. That's about 29.7%.
A large percentage of those illiterate individuals are women. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the percentage: 46.5%
That means that almost half of women in the Arab world are illiterate!
A large percentage of those illiterate individuals are women. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the percentage: 46.5%
That means that almost half of women in the Arab world are illiterate!
Sunday, January 06, 2008
The Romance of War
Kathem el Saher's newest love song, "City of Love,"written by Kareem el Iraqi, uses the landscape of war in Iraq as setting. The traditional theme of the lovers parted by circumstances is cast in the video clip as part of the devastation of war: he returns looking for her to find destruction and displacement. Even the words reflect the realities of the new Iraq. Take the opening lines as example:
City of love I walk your streets
and see love carried in shrouds
pour torture as you wish on my body
for there are no witnesses to torture by jailers
The song was shot in Jordan.
I don't believe the video clip works: it feels exploitative to me. But I was never a fan of the director Hussein Du'aibes, master of heavy handedness.
Muslim American Women Against Abuse
What makes this article better than the usual fare published in the American press about physical abuse among Muslim families in the US is that it highlights the work Muslim activists are doing to counter the problem. For a change, it devotes space to quoting those activists, letting them define the problem, explain the challenges facing them, and envisioning a solution. Another good thing is that it shows the involvement of some Imams in these anti-abuse activities.
As one of the activists quoted in the article says, the only way to counter racism and prejudice against Muslim men is for the Muslim community itself, its women and men, to take up the issue of spousal abuse. Silence and defensiveness will leave the door wide open to the likes of Irshad Manji and Hirsi Ali to speak against the community they reject but allegedly want to reform.
As one of the activists quoted in the article says, the only way to counter racism and prejudice against Muslim men is for the Muslim community itself, its women and men, to take up the issue of spousal abuse. Silence and defensiveness will leave the door wide open to the likes of Irshad Manji and Hirsi Ali to speak against the community they reject but allegedly want to reform.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Appeal to Susan Sarandon
Ma'an – Palestinian activists are calling on American actress Susan Sarandon to sever ties with Israeli diamond mogul Lev Leviev, who has financed the construction of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank."
They wrote her a good letter.
They wrote her a good letter.
Al Azhar: Lesbianism is an American and Zionist Plot
Al Azhar gang are frothing at the mouth because of the Lesbian scene in Khalid Yousef's latest film. Some are demanding trying the two women who kissed along with the writer and the director of the film for "spreading sexual deviance, lesbianism, and moral corruption." One learned Sheikh asserted that "American and Zionist fingers stand behind these deviant artistic works as part of a destructive plan to undermine society's morals." He added that there is no way that "lesbianism is this wide spread in our society."
Not to be outdone, a Professor of Shari'a and Fiqh in Al Azhar University declared with all confidence that "lesbian behavior (suhaq) is non-existent in Egypt
"السحاق غير موجود في مصر، ولن يكون موجودا في يوم من الأيام"
So the message to all Egyptian women who ever kissed, touched, or made love to other women (or wanted to but haven't gotten around to it yet): you do not exist because Sheikhna says so.
Funny how dangerous a non-existent thing can be!
Not to be outdone, a Professor of Shari'a and Fiqh in Al Azhar University declared with all confidence that "lesbian behavior (suhaq) is non-existent in Egypt
"السحاق غير موجود في مصر، ولن يكون موجودا في يوم من الأيام"
So the message to all Egyptian women who ever kissed, touched, or made love to other women (or wanted to but haven't gotten around to it yet): you do not exist because Sheikhna says so.
Funny how dangerous a non-existent thing can be!
Interview: Nabila Al Zubair
An interview (in Arabic) with the Yemeni writer Nabila al Zubair. Her novel, It's My Body, won the Naguib Mahfouz prize for 2002. She has not published anything since 2003, silenced by the neglect of the official cultural institutions of her country.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Free Fouad al Farhan
A Saudi blogger, Fouad al Farhan, has been arrested by the government for questioning. You can access his blog, in Arabic, here.
It seems that Mr. Al Farhan, a citizen of the happy kingdom, was not as happy as his last name (which means "the happy one" in Arabic) indicates. Hence, his arrest.
It seems that Mr. Al Farhan, a citizen of the happy kingdom, was not as happy as his last name (which means "the happy one" in Arabic) indicates. Hence, his arrest.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)