Two Interesting Articles on Arab Feminism
If you are at all interested in the Arab Spring, Arab Feminism, The Blue Bra of Tahrir Square, the consistently offensive “portrayal” of the niqab and/or hijab, these two articles are for you. One appeared in Foreign Policy’s Sex Issue, and a response to it on Al Monitor.
To give a piece of my mind here, as much as I agree with ElTahawy’s rage at the treatment of women, I was, indeed, offended by the photographs of the nude, body sprayed woman. It brings to mind the annoying habit of “sensationalising” Arab and Muslim women’s issues. Why does it have to be about the hijab or niqab? Why does it even have to be about religion in the first place? Aren’t we over these offensive, cliche, and orientalist portrayals yet?
Salam,
Siwar
Honour Killings and a nine year old’s stand against it.
This pretty much made my day.
One of the most controversial topics in Jordanian (& Arab) Feminist issues is Honour Killings. Honour Killings are in no way a “religious matter” as some people try to identify them (in regards to their defense or their protest). Honour Killings is a phenomenon that is the outcome of sexism and lack of education. It is about the control over a woman’s body by her family members–often, the men. It is when a family member kills a woman if she is suspected of having soiled her family’s honour by engaging in sexual activity (or in some cases a mere nonsexual relationship) outside of marriage. What makes this social issue even more problematic is that there is a legally reduced sentence for murderes accused of Honour Killings in Jordan.
There have been numerous activist groups trying to combat Honour Killings and spread awareness in Jordan. There are petitions being signed and books written on the subject; and people have been trying to change the law, as well as the cultural view toward the moral legitimacy of Honour Killings, for years.
Now, this is the part I am excited about:
A nine year old girl, who was told she was unable to sign a petition called “Where do We Stand?” protesting Honour Killings because she is not of legal age yet, wrote this lovely letter : (translation from Arabic is my own, & am afraid so much of the cuteness and brilliance of this is lost between languages)
I am Raneem Abdullah.
I am a nine year old girl, and I cannot sign the “Where do we stand?” petition. But I am a girl, and I am against Honour Killings committed against girls, because it is not anyone’s right to rob someone else of their right to live. I have to defend my rights and express my protest against killing girls, and protest this view that is not so nice toward girls in society.
I have to defend my rights and learn how to do it now.
So what if I am only nine years old?
I am going to sign anyway:
Raneem Rashad Abdullah Mohammed
14/4/2012
A reader may think: why is this so impressive?
I think it is extremely impressive that a nine-year- old has such a strong opinion. It is so impressive that she feels that she should (& can!) express her opinion. It is so impressive that she does not understand why her age would not allow her to have an opinion. The amount of awareness and defiance in this letter amazes me.
In my experience, many people in Jordan, especially women, do not feel “entitled” to a voice, or to such a strong opinion. I remember discussing Honour Killings in an undergraduate class where almost all of the 30 students did not understand the problematic logic behind a woman “representing” her family’s honour, or the horrifying logic leading to a murder justified in the name of “honour”.
Reading this Feminist statement coming from a nine year old girl restores my belief that change is possible. This feminist challenges my belief that violence against women is not as engrained in our Jordanian (or American for that matter, regarding issues of sexual violence, rights to abortion, etc) cultural psyches as I have always thought it is.
Salam,
Siwar
Dangers of the Anti-Choice “Help” Center
Filed under: Opinion, Post By: Michele J, Resources for Women's Health, Starring Local Feminists
When a woman decides to take a trip to a “pregnancy help center” to learn more about her options for an unplanned pregnancy, the last thing she is expected to return with is a horror story. I mean, the word “help” is in the name of the place, right? However, these “help” centers are almost never what they appear to be from their advertising and can often do more harm than good on the psyches of young, pregnant women.
Following the conclusion of this post, there will be a list of reputable help centers. And if you know of more resources that support women, please contact us sts@gmu.edu or reply to this post as a comment.
While a student at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, a small liberal arts school located at the southern tip of the state, I heard about a young woman who visited our local Care Net center, where she had hoped to learn about abortion. The large billboard out front reading, “Pregnant? Need help?” with the mournful face of a young girl (we’ve all seen that before, I know) pasted across the background seemed like an invitation for kind and considerate care, and when facing something so monumentally life-changing as an unwanted pregnancy at a young age, who wouldn’t find the idea of “help” comforting? Instead of help, however, the young woman received a lecture about her decision to have sex, which the workers there viewed as immoral. Those that she was hoping to receive help from threatened not to let her leave until she promised she was no longer considering abortion as an option. One woman even chased her into the parking lot, using rather unkind language, trying to get her to accept God’s forgiveness for her actions.
Unfortunately, this sort of bullying happens all the time at supposed help centers for young, pregnant women. Centers that advertise comfort and guidance often hide their religious agenda at the forefront, and then attempt to sway the minds and hearts of the women they meet, which means that many confused, or not-so-confused, women don’t get the kind of treatment they’re looking for at these places. Offering only ultra-sounds and pregnancy tests, the medical procedures available within these help centers are severely limited, and no methods of birth control are on hand to give out. Instead of the pill, visitors get penitence; instead of options, they get a stern talking-to about the provider’s perception of the only option.
When looking at George Mason’s own “Pregnant? Need help?” fliers, put up by the Pregnancy Lifeline Centers of Fairfax and Alexandria, there is no indication that the group is affiliated with Christianity on the piece of paper with phone numbers available to be torn off at the bottom. Once one explores the website, however, the Christian point of view becomes apparent, slowly but surely. While I am not against Christian organizations reaching out to young women about their sexuality, I am against the spreading of misinformation, intolerance, and guilt. When comparing the Pregnancy Lifeline Center’s website directly with Planned Parenthood’s, a number of examples of misinformation, intolerance, and guilt can be found. One of the most upsetting differences between these help organizations is the continuing assertion that a condition called Post-Abortion Stress (PAS) exists, even though it has been discredited by research. Read more
Why is Feminism Important?
For me, this is an interesting blog entry to write, especially because I felt a compulsion to write a similar one a couple of months ago on a social media platform called 7iber in Jordan. The question that I seem to encounter a lot, both in Jordan and the US, is “Why feminism? Isn’t it obsolete? Why is it important?”.
At AWP, while I was at So to Speak’s book fair table, a writer, also a woman, questioned feminism (alongside our Nonfiction Editor’s biological gender; she tactlessly asked him if he used to be a woman.) She asked, “Why feminist? Isn’t that over?” Our Nonfiction editor tried to engaged her in conversation, informed her how our editors are a mix of women, men, and genderqueer individuals, and how our definition of feminism is broad and inclusive. Her response was dismissive at best. I didn’t say anything at all, but I thought, you should have come to our panel. You should have seen how feminism is important, how Arielle, Eloise, Ru, Mack, and Cate talked about it. How they revealed statistics, personal and professional anecdotes, and how we discussed the essential, yet sometimes problematic, idea of the label.
Guest Post: “Hooters,” by GMU Undergrad Kirsten Cooper
Last semester, I had the privilege of teaching an introductory creative writing course at GMU. Today, I wanted to share a particularly excellent piece on non-fiction writing by one of my students, Kirsten Cooper. Throughout the course of the semester, Kirsten discovered that writing about women’s issues was a common thread in all of her work–poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Kirsten wrote about body image, eating disorders, sexual encounters, the virgin/whore dichotomy and stereotypes, and about her experiences working at Hooter’s. I share with you below Kirsten’s lyric essay about Hooter’s–one that I admire very much, in addition to the rest of her fine work.
-Alyse
***
“Hooters,” by Kirsten Cooper
“Order in!” I shout that at least 50 times during a shift. I scurry away as I hear the cooks in the distance shouting, “diez breaded hot y diez naked mild.” I scan the restaurant and see eight other bright orange shorts and white, skin tight, tank tops. All meant to accentuate our “assets.” I see men; so many men. They sit and crack the same jokes, make the same snide comments, ask the same typical questions. I have the same conversation at least 12 times a day.
“So, where do you go to school?”
“George Mason.”
“What’s your major?”
“English with a minor in mild disabilities. I’m going to be a special education teacher.”
“Oh you must have a lot of patience. I bet you get a lot of practice working here!”
I fake a laugh and let him believe he is the first man to ever say that joke. It is all so familiar.
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