Muslim Feminista

OBAMA 08!

2008-11-05T01:35:00.000-05:00

Kiss my ass world!

2008-10-16T18:15:00.003-04:00

I'm back and this time it's personal.....

Nefertiti was a man?

2007-07-12T00:33:00.000-04:00

I remember watching a Documemnatry on the discovery channel last year which featured the findings of Nefertiti's mummy..I think it was called Nefertiti resurrected. Some scientist then proceeded to "reconstruct" her face using the mummy. I remember thinking...really? Seriously Discovery Channel..are we sure we wanna go with this image? I mean such a strong jaw for a woman but whatever your the ones with the experts..Well turns out I was right... it was not Neferitti..in fact it was n't even a woman it was a dude check it out here. Seriously she looks like a Somali dude in drag ....

Ayaan Hirsi: Infidel

2007-03-22T21:01:00.000-04:00

So far, in my 28 years as a Muslim woman i have accepted a few truths. That i will never feel a part of the ummah and that i will always be on the margins looking in. I will never experience true brotherhood/sisterhood fully and authentically as my male counterpart. It's sad, but it's my truth ..so far. The muslim world today is define so much by the struggles of men and the history of men. Within this masculine world some women have managed to create a space for themselves here in the West. Generally these women's faith cannot be tested, women like Asma Barlas, Ingrid Matson, Amina Waddud, Leila Ahmed, Fatiman Mersinissi. Their concern for the state of Muslim Ummah and it's treatment of women is shaped by a deep sense of love for Islam. They are part of the discourse and not detcahed critics of it. These women have managed to storm pretty controversial issues and conflicting perspectives that have placed many of them on the margins of Muslim Community.

Then there is Ayaan Hirsi, who is a media darling and a self proclaimed Atheist. Ayaan is not a Muslim. She is a social critic even more she is a mediawhore who's only ploy is to startle and attack with no real connection or understanding of the subject matter she is attacking. She knows very little about Islam yet she is heralded as a courageous voice amidst the extremists in the Muslim world. A brave woman. Really? Who's champion is she? Muslim women? Not really because she's an atheist. Muslim women see nothing more than a cultural imperialist and we are enormously suspicious of her. She is not talking to us on a common level but rather about us to others in superficial and dismissive manner. She has trivialised our struggle, she stole our struggle used it to her advantage and for that we can't stand her.

Interesting.....

2007-03-19T15:48:00.000-04:00

"Although both men and women look at the image of George Brett when directed to find out information about his sport and position, men tend to focus on private anatomy as well as the face. For the women, the face is the only place they viewed"(Source).

The evolution of “female.”

2007-03-19T15:32:00.000-04:00

Below commentary is from Feministing.com (Source)

There was an “On Language” piece yesterday in the New York Times Magazine, “Woman vs. Female.” It discusses the fact that “woman” is increasingly being used in the media as an adjective rather than a noun (ex. “woman voter” as opposed to “female voter”), and questions whether the term “female” is dying out.

My favorite part was at the end w (hen the author think he’s slick by calling us feminists out:

But here’s a development above politics that is breathtaking in its cultural contradiction: feminists everywhere have begun to turn on the word female. What’s next?
Womanism.

I guess he didn’t think to look it up to find that this term actually already exists.

Random Musings...

2007-03-18T22:56:00.000-04:00

Disney introduces its first black princess (Source).

Financial services group for Women by Women (Source).

Women of Kenyan tribe discover they have rights and power (Source).

Yemeni Activists Couple Contraception With Islam (Source).

"Linda Hirshman Responds to "10 Women Who Make Us Cringe"(Source).

Germany's Neo-Housewives Spark Debate on Gender Roles--This grossness has officially gone global (Source).

In The News..

2007-03-17T17:42:00.000-04:00

Bill requires women to see ultrasound before abortion

March 17, 2007
Chicogo Sun

BY SEANNA ADCOX

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Women seeking abortions in South Carolina would be required to view an ultrasound image of their fetus before the procedure under a proposal gaining support from lawmakers. If enacted, it would be the first law of its kind in the nation.

Some states make ultrasound images available to women before an abortion, but South Carolina would be alone in mandating that women see the pictures.

Proponents say women would change their minds after seeing an ultrasound and choose instead to keep the child or offer it for adoption.

Critics see intimidation

To reduce abortions, women need ''as much background as possible when they're making decisions,'' said Oran Smith, president of the Palmetto Family Council, the state affiliate of Focus on the Family.

Critics consider the proposal a tool to intimidate women.

''The women of South Carolina would rather talk to their doctor about information they need to make private, personal medical decisions. This is not a place for interference by politicians,'' said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Likely to pass, Dem says

The bill's chief sponsor, Rep. Greg Delleney, considers the bill a natural addition to the state's informed-consent law, which requires that women be told about fetal development and offered alternatives to abortion. The law requires a woman to have at least an hour to think about the information before ending her pregnancy.

Similar legislation has arisen nationwide as states try to strengthen abortion-counseling requirements, said Elizabeth Nash of the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit research center.

Democratic state Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter said she expects the legislation to pass because even lawmakers who don't like the bill will be afraid to vote against it.

Profile of a Feminista

2007-03-17T14:34:00.000-04:00

Hair Weaves Tangle Self-Image for Black Women

2007-03-17T13:53:00.001-04:00

By Malena Amusa
WeNews correspondent

As hair weaves and wigs have become more popular among African American women, writer Malena Amusa finds an embrace of femininity in their use as well as a broader cultural rejection of natural black beauty.

(WOMENSENEWS)--This past winter, I noticed something very unsettling while I was visiting my family in St. Louis.

Almost all the black women I encountered were sporting lavishly long hair weaves, fake locks that can add length and volume after being sewed or glued to the scalp. Weaves come in straight, curly and kinky textures. But most black women with weaves wear them to extend and straighten the appearance of their naturally coiled and nappy hair.

Everywhere I turned, from the church to the mall, black women suited up in this straight-hair uniform. Was I missing something? I thought. Would my close-cut Afro set me too far apart from other black women?

Natural, kinky hair--which is most associated with blackness--has also been tied to inferiority in the United States. We can thank Madam C.J. Walker, the late 19th century entrepreneur who popularized the hot pressing comb--literally a comb-shaped iron--for the subsequent years of black women burning their disobedient hair into submission. Still today among African Americans, there exists a strata between those with "bad hair" and "good hair," the latter being hair that is most in sync with the dominant culture.

Walk into any pharmacy and you'll see a deluge of harsh chemical products that promise black women unnappy hair. Many believe this is a demonstration of self-loathing.

The January 2007 copy of Essence magazine I picked up didn't help. "Look Beautiful in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s . . . Real Women and Celebs Share Beauty and Health Secrets," the cover read. Featured were three celebrities with flowing, bouncy weaves and another woman whose silver hair was visibly straightened to suppress the real curl underneath.

Essence had made it clear: There was no way to be nappy-haired and beautiful at any age.

Myopic Beauty Image

This perplexed me because around St. Louis, so many everyday women who have no celebrity stakes to claim were subscribing to this myopic image of beauty wrapped around these hair weaves that, by the way, can take hours to glue onto the scalp and cost hundreds of dollars.

I wanted to walk in their shoes and understand them, so I decided to get a long, straight wig. Without the labor-intensive process, I achieved the luscious locks of a weave so I could learn what the non-celebrity woman had to gain from emulating the straight hair of non-African woman.

After several days of wearing the wig and interviewing black women, I found that the straight-hair phenomenon has little to do with a need to fit into mainstream social settings. Rather, these long weaves may reflect our desire to try on a different feminine persona that has historically been appropriated for white women.

Throughout time, weaves and wigs have served as costumes for black women to put on when they want to look sexy, such as in the 2006 movie "Dream Girls" that's loosely based on the 1960s rise of the Supremes, a Motown sensation.

In the opening scene of the movie, before the Dreams enter their first big show, they shift their poofy, European-hair wigs around. Finding a perfect fit, they then put on a killer show. As the Dreams become more successful and switch from mostly black to mostly white audiences, their hair get-ups become longer and bigger. The Dreams begin to look like white women in black face. And when one of the members gets kicked out of the band because of her hefty appearance, she quickly reverts to wearing an Afro.

Buying a Wig

I knew my hair was being mistaken for my femininity upon entering the Asian-owned beauty-supply store in my predominantly black neighborhood where I went to buy my wig. Perhaps because the elderly Asian sales lady kept saying: "Oh you pretty . . . with the wig."

It became even clearer once I returned home with the long, black, straight wig in hand and saw the label name Nikita. Even the manufacturers figured that by wearing this wig, I was to transform myself into another woman.

A few weeks later, I moved to New York and met an actress and professor of aesthetic studies at the University of Texas-Dallas. Venus Opal Reese has interviewed hundreds of black women in researching this hair transformation.

During the opening night of her one-woman play "Split Ends," which takes an in-depth look at black women and their historical tangle with hair, Reese bombarded a small stage wearing a skimpy dress and a Tina Turner wig just as wild as her flailing arms. Seconds later, the wig flew off and fell to the floor. As the crowd yelped with laughter, Reese hurried to pick it up, and kept waving the hair in her hand as if still attached to her swirling head.

"Being a woman is a performance," she said in the skit. "It's a full-time, thankless job."

Dressing Up in Drag

Her point was to show that by wearing weaves and wigs, black women are dressing up in their own drag, whereby they can become the type of woman they aren't otherwise expected to be. Black women weaving up has so much to do with our need to feel feminine and strong at different points in our lives, Reese argued later in a phone interview.

"Hair is a navigator," she said. "It's a negotiator, it's a deal-breaker."

I'd say. In a world where black women are constantly blunted by racial and sexual discrimination, it makes sense that we'd begin adopting counter-representations of ourselves.

That's what the wig did for me. It gave me the freedom to be aloof, to flirt and to smile without fear of not receiving smiles in return.

I made several outings with the wig. During one trip, I went to a mall. The weave made my confidence soar. Heading there, I drove faster than usual. And every time I reached to pick up my cell phone, I dramatically tossed my hair back and said "Haloh!" roaring and perky like a valley girl. I was ready to explode onto the mall scene and attract all kinds of men.

As I entered the sliding doors, my hair swooshed about my face and I loved it. And after some time, I noticed that I was moving around like a butterfly, flighty and irregular. I couldn't stop giggling like a school girl and tossing my hair lightly back as I rolled my eyes sensuously around while talking.

The wig had changed me; with it, I felt excited to become Nikita, who I assumed was a fun-loving white woman.

I believed I could seduce with my hair without thinking men wouldn't return my vibes because I was too black. Whatever that feeling--call it femininity if you like--I had more of it. And while I hated the persistent itch of the wig and those fluffy bangs scratching my eyes, for the first time, I saw clearly the power of weaves.

Malena Amusa is the communications associate at the Oakland-based racial justice Applied Research Center/Colorlines Magazine in New York. More of her work appears at ARC's blog at Racewire.org.

Women's eNews welcomes your comments. E-mail us at editors@womensenews.org.

A Women's place is in the House

2007-03-17T12:28:00.000-04:00

Western Male Converts Heart Aristotle

2007-03-16T15:02:00.000-04:00

You know what I’m sick of? Western Muslim male converts who really hate feminism, particularly “western liberal feminism”(like once they convert to Islam they automatically disassociate themselves from western philosophies). Why? And why do they think Muslims have superior understanding of gender politics than the west when their perspective of gender roles is more Aristotelian than Muhammadenian? News flash, when it comes to gender politics you are doing nothing but reinforcing traditional western philosophies. Your notions of the nature of the women, her sexuality, her biology and intellectual capacity are all based on Aristotelian logic. Yea, It is. Consider this: Islam argues that although men and women are biologically different, spiritually they have the same rights. However according to certain “sunnas” women are deficient in certain “faculties” hmmm sound familiar boys? Word for word, Aristotle argues the same. So in reality these converts are really reverting back to these western historical beliefs. Welcome home boys. They are embracing Aristotle and every other sexist scholar that was responsible for the theoretical foundations of western philosophies when they embrace what they allegedly consider Islam. Western feminism is doing nothing but refuting the west’s legacy of patriarchy and oppression towards women and trying integrated a feminist dialogue into western philosophy.

Lies and Alibis: The Myth of the Muslim Male Shortage

2007-03-15T20:52:00.000-04:00

& Disable Options

meccaone.org/images/muslimsbrothershortage.jpg

Anyway I came across this glossy poster. Ummm...What? When? Ok there is a difference between the need for honest communication in our communities and the intervention in the social sphere by scholars and leaders in order to create and generate a discourse about issues relevant to women in a real manner and straight up manipulation. This is the latter, its manipulation with a capital MAN. This is nothing more than a ploy to avert attention from the real issues facing Muslim women. The real reason why some Muslim women in North America are not getting married is because of sexism and misogyny. Muslim men (most of them) want a wife not a partner, they want a domestic servant who will also mother him, sleep with and obey him. They want the Madonna and the whore.

Allz I ‘m saying is this sort of propaganda really hurts Muslim women. It creates panic, desperation and insecurity among Muslim women, which may lead some to make foolish choices when seeking a life partner (i.e. becoming a second wife, marrying an ex-con who found Allah in Jail, and foreign men who have serious cultural packages). This is not the kind of dialogue we should be having, it’s stupid and patronizing.

Random Musings...

2007-03-15T19:22:00.000-04:00

This is the Louis Vuitton Tribute Patchwork bag henceforth known as the grosses example of excess and vanity ever worth about $42,000. Eww . (Source).

Rocker Kid Rock possibly a woman beater. (Source).

Eve Ensler explains how young Hollywood is a detriment to the empowerment of women. "I feel like they've actually bought into being objects to some degree and are fulfilling some male idea of themselves that they feel compelled to fit into". (Source).

"If You're breathing, why aren't you a feminist"-Check out this awesome video on youtube (Source).

Good news for the Women of Mexico (Source).

Great News for the Women of Egypt (Source).

Three Kuwaiti Women in 'Nobel Peace Prize' List, way to go Women of Kuwait! (Source).

Iranian Woman's right activist to stay in Jail. (Source).

Iran's government hates women (Source).

Texan government just wishes Human Papillomavirus on them (Source).
Ultra-Orthodox Israeli Women Reach for Better Jobs "Rooth is part of a small but growing minority of ultra-Orthodox women in Israel who are earning full fledged academic degrees in non traditional fields to work in the outside world and earn a higher income"(Contnue reading here).

Arab-American Men and Women Unite for a Heterogeneous Feminist Critique on the Status of Arab Women at Home and Abroad (Source).

This would never fly..Unless they plan on murdering every single women in Mogadishu (Source).

African Divorcees Conquer Social Taboo (Source).

Report says black and asian Women find it harder to get jobs "Time after time women told us about the 'unwritten rules' in their workplace, hidden barriers that prevent them from realising these ambitions. Without tackling these unwritten rules, change will never come (Source).

The Cherokee Nation hates Black women..and men (Source).

Know your rights...

2007-03-15T18:29:00.000-04:00

To my sisters south of the border.....(Source).

ORGANIZING KIT

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS IN CASE OF AN INS RAID

It is important the immigrant population be prepared and informed regarding their rights before, during, and after any INS raid takes place. The following information provides important recommendations as to what you should or should not do if you are detained by the INS or your local police, or other authorities.

BEFORE A RAID

Be prepared and plan ahead.

Contact an immigrant advocate, attorney, or qualified community agency and be well-informed abut your rights.

Know what documents you should carry with you at all times. It is advisable to carry a state ID or a driver’s license. These documents contain information about you and contain no information at all about your immigration status or your country of origin.

Do no carry any documentation brought from your country of origin.

Do not carry false documents with you.

If possible, carry a card that states you wish to exercise your right to remain silent for use in case you are interrogated by INS officers. These cards are usually available from immigrant-rights organizations in your area.

Always carry the name and the phone number of any immigration advocate, a lawyer, and/or an agency who will provide you with advice and other help in case the INS detains you.

Inform your neighbors and co-workers, regardless of their immigration status, of their right to remain silent if the INS comes to your neighborhood or workplace.

DURING A RAID

At your home–

Do not let any INS official or public officer into your home/house/apartment without a court warrant. If they do not have one, they need your authorization in order to go inside. Ask them to put the warrant under the door. The warrant has specific names of people that he agents are looking for and should be signed by a judge. You should not open the door if the agents do not have a warrant or if it does not meet these requirements.

If INS officials or policy officers enter without proper authorization, ask for their names and/or write down their badge numbers.
Obtain the names and phone numbers of any witnesses.

At your home or workplace–

Remain calm and do not try to run away. If you do so, the INS may use that against you.

Refuse to answer any questions regarding your birthplace and your legal status, unless your lawyer is present.

If you lie about your name, your relatives will have difficulty trying to find you.

If you have children in school who will not have someone to watch them while you are detained, say so, and ask to make arrangements.

Share information about the raid with your co-workers. If there is a union in your workplace, contact a union official.

AFTER A RAID

Remember that both documented persons have the following rights. Keep them in mind at all times:

The right to make a phone call

The right to speak to a lawyer

The right to say nothing unless your lawyer is present

The right to a hearing before an immigration judge.

IMPORTANT:

Do NOT sign any document. If the INS tries to convince you to sign any document, you should refuse to do so. That document might allow them to deport you without giving you the opportunity to see an immigration advocate or your lawyer. Keep a receipt of any personal property that is confiscated.

REPORT ANY INCIDENTS OF RAIDS OR ABUSES/MISTREATMENT BY BORDER PATROL, INS, US CUSTOMS OR POLICE.

Contact your local immigrant rights organization, or

Immigration Law Enforcement Project: 956-425-9552, or the National Network of Immigrant and Refugee Rights, 510-465-1984.

Information complied from the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, 310 - 8^th St, Suite 307, Oakland CA 94607, nnirr@nnirr.org. Web site: www.nnirr.org. Phone: 510-465-1984. They have this information available in a number of languages.

'This will not be over quickly, You will not enjoy this '

2007-03-15T12:48:00.000-04:00

Here’s the think about this movie. It is drop dead gorgeous.. but dumb. It is based on Frank Miller’s comic book series of the same name. It is nothing but another Hollywood blockbuster filled with stereotypes and misrepresentation. I don’t think it’s a movie with message or an agenda. It’s not clever enough to be a blatant allegory on the current “war on terror” as so many people believe. It’s dumb as it is pretty to watch. It’s visually stunning as it is historically inaccurate. It has no real baring on any political stance or ideals. It does not succeed in teaching us any vital lessons in life, expect if you are man you fight for your beliefs and if you are a woman you give in to sexual harassment. Men use force and reason woman use their sexuality blah blah blah, really? Did I expect a fair portrayal of gender roles from a comic book writer? Heck I don’t even think the audience cares if the hero wins or losses as long as he kicks butt and looks beautiful slash cool doing it. It is nothing more than another movie in the nasty trend in movies that reinforce a fabricated ideal of masculinity, which seems to be hot in Hollywood these days (the departed anyone). It is pure macho fantasy. The over the top masculine antics of the Spartans was laughable. The majority of the dialogue consisted of vague talk about freedom, honour, glory and patriotisms interrupted only by little bit of sexist rant and homophobic slang. The movie was filmed in its entirety in front of blue screens. The actors had to pretend they were fighting giant rhinos and a giant persian drag queen . King leonidas was the ultimate man’s man. If the ultimate man’s man wore loads of eyeliner, braids in his hair, body make up, and nothing but a jockstrap and a cape. In conclusion, I can't write a feminist critique about this piece of beautiful trash, it does not warrant one. It 's cool, stylish, and slightly homoerotic and if you are an overly sensitive person who is gay, a lesbian, black, from Iran, physically deformed, be prepared to be royally offended.

"Who made you Judge Judy and executioner?"

2007-03-14T22:21:00.000-04:00

World's most beautiful couple: and the figures to prove it

For years I have said this, Naomi Campbell is the most beautiful woman in the world. Thank you science sweet vindication is mine. But on a serious note, this story affected me because of the level of insensitivity showcased by other women. What hell is the matter with women? Women can be critical about other women's attractiveness and at times they can be indirectly aggressive, but some of the viciousness that was directed at Naomi was just gross. Why must we resort to such derogatory tactics? Look I do not believe that women are inherently cruel, I never did. I just think as Women we have been indoctrinated to vehemently believe that physical attractiveness and being "pretty" should be one of our life's major goals and as a result of such social conditioning we resort to mean behaviour in order to compete with each other. Women can be mean and catty just like men can be violent and manipulative (I'll take mean and catty any day). However the ridiculous amount of haters Naomi got far outnumbered those of Christian Bale. And the majority of these haters were women. This stupid "study" is doing nothing but promoting the beauty myth. Seriously who the hell looks like Naomi? Shame on science. Interestingly, another Naomi once wrote "The more legal and material hindrances women have broken through, the more strictly and heavily and cruelly images of female beauty have come to weigh upon us." hmmm? ...

Saudi Gang Rape Victim Punished

2006-11-17T22:54:00.001-05:00

Feminist News Wire

A Saudi victim of gang rape was sentenced to 90 lashes for being alone in a car with a male friend who was not her husband prior to her rape. Seven men reportedly followed the victim and her friend to their car, kidnapped them, and took them to a farm where they raped the woman, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reports. Four men, all married, were convicted of the crime and received sentences ranging from one year in prison and 80 lashes to five years in prison and 1,000 lashes. A fifth man who videotaped the rape on his cell phone still faces investigation, and two other men alleged to have participated in the kidnapping and rape escaped arrest, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

The victim and her male friend both received 90 lashes for being alone together. The victim's husband and family are not disputing these sentences, but announced that they will appeal for harsher penalties for the assailants, FOX reports.

Pakistan's Lower House Amends Rape Laws Punitive to Victims

2006-11-17T22:27:00.001-05:00

Feminist News Wire

Pakistan's lower house of parliament approved changes to the country's punitive rape laws yesterday. Currently, rape in Pakistan is tried under Islamic law outlined in the Hudood Ordinances. A rape victim must produce four male witnesses to the crime, and if she is unable to prove her case, she is charged with adultery, which is punishable by death or flogging. The new legislation, called the Women’s Protection bill, would allow a judge to decide whether to try rape cases under the Hudood Ordinances or Pakistan’s civil code, and it permits the use of forensic and circumstantial evidence in determining guilt, the New York Times reports. The amendments also outlaw sex with girls under 16 and reduce the sentence for consensual sex outside of marriage from death or flogging to five years in jail or a 10,000 rupees ($165) fine.

The changes must still be approved by the Senate, which is expected, and by President General Pervez Musharraf. In September, similar legislation was proposed, but never approved by the government. President Musharraf seems supportive of the legislation, saying, "I have taken a firm decision to change these unjust rape laws as it was necessary to amend them to protect women," according to AP. The new proposals, however, have created a large schism within the legislature. According to the New York Times, Islamic fundamentalists boycotted the vote, and some have threatened to resign from parliament if the bill takes effect.

Local and international activists have been calling for a reform of Pakistan’s rape laws, especially after the 2002 gang-rape of Mukhtar Mai. A tribal council in a rural area of Pakistan ordered the gang rape of Mai after she approached the council in hopes of settling a dispute involving the kidnapping of her younger brother and his affair with a woman of a higher caste. Mai has become a women’s rights activist, posting a blog and establishing two schools, in addition to speaking out about her experiences in Pakistan.

The New York Times Marginalizes Palestinian Women and Palestinian Rights

2006-11-17T22:23:00.001-05:00

A Working Girl Can Win

2006-09-12T17:19:00.000-04:00

The case against staying at home with the kids.
By Meghan O'Rourke
SLATE
Updated Monday, June 26, 2006, at 4:17 PM ET

Get to work, Linda Hirshman admonished American women in a polemical article in the American Prospect last December, in which she argued that it's imperative for women not to "opt out" of employment to stay home with the kids. Only by working, she claimed, can women can have a fully "flourishing" life. A full-scale assault on Hirshman ensued, from conservatives and liberals alike. What has riled everyone up isn't just Hirshman's message that only in the work force will women find fulfillment. It's that Hirshman attacked the sacred cow of the motherhood debate: the notion that it's a good thing liberated women are allowed to choose whether to work or stay at home—an intellectual paradigm Hirshman dubbed "choice feminism."

The hostility is understandable. Hirshman's approach is dictatorial, contradictory, and often self-important. ("I am not the first to apply the long-standing insights of philosophy to women's lives," she writes. Uh, thanks.) She claims there's a new epidemic of high-powered women opting out, when substantial evidence suggests that their drop-out rates have held fairly steady for the past 20 years. Finally, she challenges not only long-standing assumptions about gender (say, that women are more suited to domesticity than men), but also our deepest assumptions about freedom: namely, that having more choices is better than having fewer, and that how we organize our private lives is our own damn business, thank you very much.

But—though I almost hate to say it—buried beneath Hirshman's overblown rhetoric is a useful idea, now set out in a short book titled Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World: namely, that our obsession with choice prevents us from asking tough questions about how to achieve further equality. "Deafened by choice, here's the moral analysis these women never heard," she says: Until there is more equity in the cultural norms for child-rearing and household tasks, each time a woman decides to "opt out" she is making a political decision that reinforces an already ingrained social inequality. Women who believe otherwise suffer from a mixture of false consciousness and impractical idealism. It's when Hirshman is at her most radical—when she sets aside the language of personal fulfillment in favor of injunctions about the collective good—that she is at her most valuable. I would never write this book, but I'm glad somebody did.

Hirshman has several problems with "choice" feminists. First—and this is what really set the bloggers off—she thinks that any woman who stays at home is choosing an impoverished life. Staying at home, Hirshman argues, "allows fewer opportunities for full human flourishing than public spheres like the market or the government. This less flourishing sphere is not the natural or moral responsibility only of women." Second, she thinks that the "choices" women actually have are often illusory, shaped by inequalities in the work force, and circumscribed by a cultural discourse that hammers home the message that women are failing their children if they don't stay home. Finally, many women choose to take time off without knowing very much about what impact it will actually have on their futures: A recent study found that a full 93 percent of "highly qualified" women who have opted out want to find a way back in and can't. And, according to several studies, women in the United States suffer a 10 to 15 percent dock in future earnings when they have children—a drop that doesn't affect men.

The reason all this matters, Hirshman persuasively argues, is that choice feminism creates a "mutually reinforcing" cycle. Affluent and well-educated men rarely leave the workforce (and when they do, it's usually to return to school or start a business); a portion of affluent and well-educated women do opt out (and when they do, it's almost exclusively to raise children). When these women choose to devote their skills to childcare rather than to the workplace, they are "perpetuating a mostly male ruling class"—precisely the type unlikely to help make the case for more flexible work arrangements that would allow more women back into the workforce. The result is disempowering for less-well-off women, who have fewer public female role models, and for the opt-outers themselves, who find it hard to re-enter the work place and, if divorced, may have to depend on their husbands for support. None of this, Hirshman points out, dovetails with the aims of feminism.

It is in forcing us to consider the implications of all this that Hirshman's book is most interesting: If you are a woman who is committed to gender equality, who doesn't believe that a woman's place is necessarily in the home, she argues, then you have to think about how your choices shape the collective good. Her stubborn insistence is refreshing. Unlike others, she is willing to come out and say, in no uncertain terms, that the luxury of making our own decisions as if they had no larger implications isn't ethical at this point in time. If that makes feminism unpopular, so be it; but shying away from persistent inequality by invoking the language of "choice," she observes, is hardly feminism. If you buy her argument, then even if you find it hard to leave your baby at home, and even if you find the workplace sometimes less-than-fulfilling, it's important—to society as a whole—that you work. This sounds extreme, but of course it's the lesson every man is taught when he's a boy: Your responsibility to society—the way to become an adult—is to work.

What does this mean in practice? It doesn't mean that America's children are going to go without mothers. As Hirshman points out, the real debate isn't a choice between two extremes: a life where neither parent sees the child, or a life where the child has a loving mother. Rather, Hirshman's hard-boiled approach to the whole concept of choice cuts through the self-important—and often self-sabotaging—idealism that women employ to justify their decisions. One of her best points is that opting out is usually the culmination of many smaller decisions women make without thinking strategically. So, she ladles out—or, well, demands we take—pragmatic advice of the sort that is rarely provided to young women. She encourages women to tell their male partners before getting married that they will not quit their jobs to raise children. She advises women to marry only men who will commit to a 50 percent housework/childrearing division of labor—or else to engage in a reproductive strike, limiting the number of children to one. And she counsels—so much for l'amour!—that young women marry only much older men or men who earn less than they do, in order to have more economic bargaining power.

Whatever the flaws and limitations of this book—and they are very real—it's liberating to be told to think as calculatingly as men do about how to lead your life as a parent and an employee. The essence of the mommy wars in recent years has been the assumption that the woman who stays at home does so for selfless reasons, invoking the good of the children, future leaders of our country. But Hirshman flips the terms of debate, reminding us that women who work aren't being selfish: even 40 years after the feminist revolution, educated working women, especially those with top-level jobs, are still pioneers. Women have the right to stick up for their own careers, not just for reasons of personal fulfillment but for reasons of social necessity. Praising the man who comes home at 6, while worrying about a mother who has part-time job, is simple sexism. And any mother who sniffily says to another that she can tell which kids are in day care and which aren't should be "shown the door," as Hirshman puts it. Until those who care about equality recognize that it will take collective action to create further change, the kinds of policy amendments most women want to see won't take place, and women will continue doing 70 percent of the housework—while men continue to do less housework after marriage than they did as bachelors.

The truth is, most men and women invested in equality do see that cultural norms aren't equal, but it's hard to set aside the rhetoric of choice. In our late consumerist culture, choice is almost always thought of as good. It also seems distasteful—and, yes, paternalistic—to assume that women who aren't forced to make their decisions are unhappy with them. But if women really do stay in the work force, even part-time, a few decades from now it may be easier for parents to opt out according to their personal preferences, rather than their gender. If one parent didn't want to assume the bulk of the child-care duties, as may well be the case, two could split it. The demand for elastic or part-time work by men and women alike would lead to more flexible jobs.
Today, "choice" isn't as simple as it sounds and masks a deeper social problem: the difficulty women, and especially less well-educated women—who drop out in higher rates--face when trying to get back into the work force. As irritating as Hirshman's brinksmanship is, her point has a place in the ongoing debates. If women of the world unite, and get to work, they may flourish more fully in the private and the public spheres.

Iranian woman awaits stoning decision

2006-08-02T22:08:00.000-04:00

By Angus McDowall in Tehran

Published: 03 August 2006

The chief of Iran's judiciary is to decide whether to have a woman stoned to death for adultery, in a case which has outraged human rights activists around the world.

Ashraf Kalhori was sentenced to the punishment in 2002 after she was convicted of having an affair with her neighbour and of conspiring with him to kill her husband.

The judiciary head, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, declared a moratorium on stoning in December 2002, but it remains on the statute books and his decision could be reversed. Mrs Kalhori was taken from her prison cell last month and told by a special verdicts court that she would be executed within 15 days. After protests from her lawyer and international rights groups, Ayatollah Shahroudi is reviewing her case.

Shadi Sadr, the human rights lawyer representing Mrs Kalhori, says she is optimistic but that the case still demonstrates the psychological torture endured by women who face the death penalty.

At least eight other women in Iran were sentenced before the moratorium, and there are unconfirmed reports that a man and a woman were stoned to death by Revolutionary Guardsmen in a cemetery in the eastern city of Mashhad in May.

"We are campaigning to make Ayatollah Shahroudi's moratorium actually enacted in law," Mrs Sadr said. "While the law remains unchanged, cases of stoning can happen anywhere in the country despite Shahroudi's order because the head of the judiciary is not above the law."

She points to irregularities in the trial and sentencing which could help Mrs Kalhori. Under sharia law, an adulterer must confess four times in court. Mrs Kalhori confessed only once under police interrogation and later recanted.

According to Mrs Sadr, Mrs Kalhori is very religious, often fasting and praying. In the Evin prison, on the mountainous slopes of north Tehran, she has been made responsible for distributing prayer stones. "She is distraught because she hasn't seen her four children since she was taken to prison," Mrs Sadr said. "She told me: 'My children are now growing up with hatred and disgust for their mother'."

Mrs Kalhori's husband, Akbar Estiri, was killed in April 2002 after quarrelling with their neighbour, Mahmoud Mirzaei. She says that the killing was accidental but police say she was having an affair with Mr Mirzaei and encouraged the attack.

The sentence of stoning is for adultery, but she was also sentenced to 15 years in prison for her alleged part in the murder. Mrs Sadr says that if the stoning verdict is upheld it should not be implemented until after her prison term.

Mr Mirzaei received 100 lashes instead of stoning for adultery because he was unmarried, but was sentenced to death for the murder. However, this cannot be carried out for another nine years, when the youngest of the Kalhori children turns 18 and can decide to take blood money instead.

Human rights groups also say that issues such as stoning can divert attention from abuses for political crimes. Last week, a student leader, Akbar Mohammedi, died while on hunger strike in prison. A liberal academic, Ramin Jahanbegloo, has been held without trial for several months.

Rights groups say incidences of such cases have increased since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election because officials do not expect him to interfere. They also point to an apparent strategy for countering political opposition by relaxing social rules while cracking down on political dissent.

More News:

Benin Bans Sexual Harrassement

Study shows domestic workers endure abuse, cruelty worldwide

Taking the 'jihad' to Kashmir's women

2006-05-31T12:20:00.000-04:00

Commentary on below Article:
First, her heart is in the right place and God bless her for all the good she is doing for young women in her society... but some of her actions totally suck. She’s going about the whole ‘enlightening the women about their true status in Islam’ thing the wrong way. Muslim women’s problems have a lot less to do with beauty parlours and television and everything to do with the misogynist interpretations of our Holy Texts.

Our battle is not with what colour/shade nail polish a women is allowed to wear in public or whether watching Sharukh/Salman/Ameer Khan is appropriate (not sure if that’s what women in Kashmir are watching but for the sake of this rant, let assume they are watching those guys… and seriously where do they get the time to watch TV aren’t they in a constant state of Jihad literally on a daily basis) but rather, how do we filter out the flawed, sexist Hadiths that still saturate our holy texts, Why are women not given the same opportunities to learn sacred knowledge as men are?(looking at you Medina U).

So, let’s be frank sister, we are our own enemy, as long we waste our time on trivial issues like seating arrangements on public transit, the mundane (and im pretty sure, not at all scandalous) goings-on of beauty parlours in Kashmir and the secret rendez-vous’s of horny bollywood obsessed adolescents, then considere our cause lame and totally not worth fighting for. Enjoy the reading.
************************
By Geeta Pandey
BBC News, Srinagar
In Srinagar's Zakoorah Khwaja Bagh area, a crowd of 50 has gathered in a makeshift tent.

Only women and children were present to hear Ms Andrabi speak
The audience, made up of women and children, sits cross-legged on carpets. A small woman, fully veiled, sits on a chair, giving a very charged speech. "You need to protect your daughters," she tells the gathering.

Heads nod in agreement. The anguish on some faces is transparent. One elderly woman wipes her tears. The speaker is Asiya Andrabi, leader of Kashmir's separatist women's organisation, Dukhtaran-e-Milat, or Daughters of the Faith.

Today's speech, says Ms Andrabi, is to raise awareness among the women about a recent sex scandal that has rocked the Kashmir valley. 'Reform movement' Ms Andrabi, who has been leading protests against the scandal, is an excellent orator. The daughter of a physician and a housewife, she has had a long career in the limelight.

After graduating in 1981 from Kashmir University, she wanted to go to Dalhousie, in the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh, to study chemistry.

Ms Andrabi says only virtuous women can join her organisation But her brother's refusal to let her travel out of Kashmir was the turning point in her life. She says it led her to a book in her father's library about the inner feelings of women. "When I read it, I was shocked to realise how little I knew about Islam, about the status of women in Islam."

So, she learnt Arabic and studied the holy Koran. And in 1982, she started a part-time school to teach girls the tenets of Islam. "Dukhtaran started as a reform movement for Muslim women in Kashmir," says the well-known Kashmiri journalist, Shujaat Bukhari.

'A nice militant'

Ms Andrabi's first brush with the authorities came in March 1987. "We took out a procession chanting slogans against nudity and the exploitation of women," she says. Ms Andrabi and her band of supporters also went around blackening posters and hoardings depicting women. They also demanded separate seats for women in buses.

"That day our office was sealed, documents and books were seized, our landlord was arrested, my parents were threatened and the police raided my house." Ms Andrabi went underground for 21 days.

A woman can beautify herself, but only for her husband. My husband says I have beautiful eyes and he loves them when I use kohl Asiya Andrabi When the anti-India movement started in Kashmir in 1989, she was one of the first to offer support.

"I was very glad to see our boys come out to fight with India," she says. "We told them we are with you. If you go for jihad, we'll support your women." Her group was banned in 1990 for supporting militancy and a year later, she went underground again - this time for 14 years. In this period, she got married to Mohammad Qasim and bore him two sons. "He was a very nice militant," she says, describing him as a man of principles.
Qasim, a former "commander" of the separatist group Jamiat-ul Mujahideen, is serving a life sentence in Srinagar Central Jail.

Activism and imprisonment

Ms Andrabi is clear that a Hindu "Brahmin India" has no legitimate claims over Kashmir.
"Our strong belief is that Kashmir should be part of Pakistan," she says. "We believe in Muslim unity. There's no nation in Islam, and Muslims shouldn't be divided into countries."
Ms Andrabi is not afraid to be labelled a fundamentalist. "I believe in the basic fundamentals of Islam. You can call me a fundamentalist if you like, I'm proud to be that."

Most of Ms Andrabi's supporters are said to be in Srinagar
"I don't believe in secularism, I don't believe that all the religions are good and that they're all based on truth."

Over the past two decades, Ms Andrabi has led campaigns against alcohol and prostitution in Kashmir.

She has played an important role in closing down cinemas, accused television channels of corrupting the youth and has raided internet cafes and restaurants for allowing young couples to meet privately.

For her activism, Andrabi has been in and out of jail many times. Recently, she accused beauty parlours of promoting obscenity, describing them as dens of prostitution. She issued an ultimatum, asking them to shut shop.

"A woman can beautify herself, but only for her husband," she tells me. "My husband says I have beautiful eyes and he loves them when I use kohl."

But I don't use kohl even before my brother. I use it only when I'm with my husband. It's only his right. He alone can tell me what he likes or doesn't like."

'Virtuous Muslim'

It is because of such views that Dukhtaran-e Milat does not have much popular support, despite having been around for 25 years.

"Dukhtaran-e-Milat is an extremist organisation and I think it's base is limited mostly to educated Muslim women in Kashmir," says Shujaat Bukhari.

"Ms Andrabi has a strong, committed group of women who are part of her organisation," he says. "But they have a presence only in Srinagar - outside in the rural areas we haven't seen much support for them. "

Ms Andrabi says this is because she refuses to dilute her ideology. "I'm not a hypocrite like most politicians. I believe in Islam and we have very strict rules for membership," she says.
"When I'm satisfied a girl is a virtuous Muslim who strongly believes in the oneness of Islam, we take her as a member."

Ms Andrabi has often been accused of using force in her campaigns and although she denies the charge, many in Srinagar say they are afraid to speak about her on record.
A well-known writer and social activist says: "There's no flexibility in her approach."

"She needs a broader perspective. She should lighten up. I've known her for a long time but I'm afraid of her."

Kuwaiti women launch historic election bid

2006-05-27T19:30:00.000-04:00

Published: Friday, 26 May, 2006, 12:56 PM Doha Time
Gulf Times

Kuwaiti candidates for the parliamentary election Aisha al-Rasheed (right), Rula Dashti (centre), and Ghanema al-Ghanem (left) give the thumbs-up after registering yesterday for the 11th legislative election on June 29 at the election department in Kuwait City

KUWAIT CITY: Five Kuwaiti women made history yesterday by becoming the first females to register as candidates for parliamentary elections, ending a 44-year-old ban on their political participation.

“It’s a historic day. It’s a dream come true and the actual beginning of Kuwaiti women’s participation in public life,” leading women’s rights activist Rula Dashti told AFP after filing her papers at the election department.

Registration opened yesterday for the June 29 election that was called on Sunday in a bid to end a deep political crisis over an electoral reform bill.

“Today, we strengthen the role of women’s participation in the political life,” said Dashti, a holder of a doctorate in economics from the prestigious Johns Hopkins University in the US and chairwoman of the Kuwaiti Economic Society.

She said she would focus her campaign on economic reforms, unemployment and combating corruption.

Kuwaiti women, deprived of a political role since parliament was established in 1962, won the right to vote and run for public office in May last year in a historic vote by the assembly.

Two women contested a municipal council by-election in April, and one came second among eight candidates for the only seat.

“Today I feel that democracy has gained a second wing... We have tried men for long and it’s time to give women the opportunity,” journalist Aisha al-Rasheed said after registering her candidacy.

Rasheed, running in the district of Keifan, an Islamist stronghold, said she would focus on the issues of women “who have been ignored for four decades.

“I will fight for equality among the sexes in rights and duties.”

The other three women candidates are Khaleda al-Khader, a holder of a doctorate in public health from the US, Ghanima al-Haider, a professor at a local college and Taiba Ibrahim, a writer.

More women are expected to lodge their candidacies before registration expires on June 3.

Four of the five women candidates were waiting at the election department long before registration opened, before any male candidate arrived.

Registration took place in two separate offices in line with a law that requires segregation of the sexes, but the two offices were almost entirely staffed by women employees.

Under the election law, all candidates must be Kuwaiti by birth, over 30 years old, know how to read and write Arabic, registered on the electoral roll and not have a criminal record.

Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah dissolved parliament last Sunday following a bitter stand-off over a bill calling for a reduction in the number of electoral constituencies from 25.

Opposition MPs have accused the government of deliberately blocking political reform, complaining that the large number of constituencies opens the way for vote-buying and other electoral fraud.

Dozens of young activists carrying orange banners and Kuwaiti flags gathered outside the election department in Kuwait City to urge candidates to back a reduction in the number of constituencies to five.

“We are here to resume our national movement for reform, and to support all national and clean candidates and help in the downfall of corrupt elements,” said Khaled al-Fadalah, a leader of the so-called Orange Movement.

The number of eligible voters is 340,250, or 34% of native population, including 195,000 women, according to election department head Ali Murad. The voting age is 21 and servicemen are barred from casting a ballot.

A majority of the 50 MPs in the dissolved parliament along with hundreds of other candidates are expected to contest the election.

But the Islamist Ummah party, launched last year as the first political party in Kuwait and the Gulf Arab region, said on Wednesday it will boycott the polls because of alleged corruption and vote-buying. – AFP

Movie review...and rant.

2006-05-12T22:39:00.000-04:00

Art School Confidential
Terry Zwigoff Director
Daniel Clowes Screenwriter

Going into this movie I was sort of excited. It looked promising with a great trailer, interesting story plot, from the same people that did Ghost World, a movie I totally love. On the surface this movie has alot going for it. It is an understatement if i say it sucked. Which this movie did...hard. The movie intends to be a satirical look at art schools and the fake, talenteless hacks that frequent it. It fails...miserably. Aside from the complete lamness of the story and characters, this movie is offensive. Guised as a dark "comedy" this movie is disgustingly offensive. It is sexist, racist and homophobic on more then one level. Clearly, if you want to get away with extremely offensive content in your movie, make it a comedy nobody will call you on your bull-shit.

More then anything this movie was unapolegetically sexist. But the sexism wasn't blatant and in your face, but rather it was subtle... my least favourite type of sexism. It was sexist in a seemingly nonchalant, "hey this is everyday verbiage were using here, you read into it what you will but we mean no disrespect so back off crazy feminist woman" manner. And seriously I rather watch Charlie's Angels and all the hip-hop videos in the world a million times over then deal with that kind of sexism. The labels used for women in this movie were totally vile and disgusting. The bulk of its supposed comedy came from the vulgar, sexist and explicit sex jokes involving women.

Various male and female characters started repeating these alleged "jokes" and negative labels towards women over and over again without justification. The sexist remarks felt totally out of place and unnecessary. Which causes me to suspect one thing: the dink who wrote this movie probably gets off using this kind of language towards women. Seriously, It's not like I was seeking out sexism in this movie, my intention was to watch an interesting movie on a friday night when I had nothing else to do. It was the sheer power of repetition of these "jokes" that got my attention. They kept repeating them and beating them into my head every other scene. It made me pay close attention to the dialogue and finally it made me realize I was watching an unoriginal piece of sexist crap. By the end of the movie me and my friend could not help but wonder what purpose was served by subjecting ourselves to such vulgarity? We wasted our time and totally got offended in the process. This was possibly the most sexist movie ever that is totally unaware of its sexism. Did i mention it stars John Malkovich and Steve Buscemi, possibly the creepiest movie stars ever.

Report Finds Widespread Sexual Exploitation of Girls in War Torn Liberia

2006-05-12T13:04:00.000-04:00

Feminist Daily News Wire
May 8, 2006

The United Kingdom's branch of Save the Children, a non-governmental organization (NGO), has released a report outlining the widespread sexual exploitation of Liberian girls, who are often forced to have sex in order to have access to basic necessities. Children are often responsible for earning money for their families in the West African country that has been devastated by 15 years of civil war. According to the report, men in positions ranging from peacekeeping soldiers to teachers and from police officers to NGO workers often promise money, favors, food, or material objects to girls in return for sex.

The report summarizes discussions with over 300 Liberians in four different camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and in four areas lately resettled by former IDPs. All of those surveyed asserted that this form of exploitation affects at least half of all girls in their area. According to Save the Children UK, “The girls reportedly ranged in age from eight to 18 years, with girls of 12 years and upwards identified as being regularly involved in ‘selling sex.’” While the abuse does not go unnoticed, communities and families often feel powerless to address it, according to the report.

Jasmine Whitbread, the chief executive of Save the Children UK, stated, “This cannot continue. It must be tackled. Men who use positions of power to take advantage of vulnerable children must be reported and fired. More must be done to support children and their families to make a living without turning to this kind of desperation.”

More on this story go here

50 women qualify as Muslim preachers

2006-05-05T20:07:00.000-04:00

Interesting. Except for the usage of the words moderate and Islam in the same sentence, I have no problem with this story.

Why Canada Rules..

2006-05-05T19:49:00.000-04:00

and why we drool....

33-Year-Old Man Marries 104-Year-Old Woman In Malaysia

2006-05-05T19:23:00.000-04:00

Julie Farby -
All Headline News Staff Writer
May 2, 2006 4:50 p.m. EST

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AHN)—According to a news report, a 33-year-old man in northern Malaysia has married a 104-year-old woman, saying mutual respect and friendship had turned to love.

Citing a report in the Malay-language Harian Metro tabloid, the Star newspaper reports that it was Muhamad Noor Che Musa's first marriage and his wife's 21st.

Muhamad, an ex-army serviceman says he found peace and a sense of belonging after meeting Wook Kundor, saying he initially sympathized with because she was childless, old and alone.

Muhamad says he hoped to help his new bride to master Roman script while she taught him Islamic religious knowledge.

According to the report, Malaysian Muslim men are allowed by their religion to take up to four wives at a time, but reports of women who marry more than once are rare. Muslim women do not practice polygamy.

Bi-Polar Iran needs to make up It's Mind

2006-04-27T19:57:00.000-04:00

Ok so first Iran did this because as any good government policy analyst knows, the economic, political, social growth of any nation is directly correlated to the atire/dress code of the Women in the country. Just to balance things out Iran did this. Bad idea.

Outrage and indignation ensued. The backlash came fast and furious and just would not cease. Finally, Iran decided to do this. Go figure.

When your country is continously suspected of state funded terrorism, when the worlds' largest most powerful nation is constantly threatning you with War, and sanctions, what do you do? You think of ways to oppress the Women in your country. You play with Women's heads by giving them rights, then quickly taking the rights away. Confused, so are Irany Women.

Kenyan women's anger at MP 'slur

2006-04-27T19:52:00.000-04:00

Source: BBC

Health Minister Charity Ngilu led the walk-out

Kenyan women's rights activists have condemned an MP who told parliament that women usually say "No" to sex, even if they mean "Yes".

During a debate on a new sex crimes law, Paddy Ahenda said Kenya women were too shy to openly say "Yes" and warned the law could prevent marriage.

Twelve of Kenya's 18 female MPs walked out in protest, saying Mr Ahenda and other MPs were "trivialising" rape.

Many Kenyans are alarmed by a huge rise in the incidence of sexual abuse.

"This is a nation that should be in shame because its leaders are laughing at offences committed against women and children," said Kenya National Commission on Human Rights official Catherine Mumma.

'Impediment to marriage'

Several male MPs feared that the bill went too far and could lead to a spate of false accusations by women.

"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," said Mr Ahenda.

"In our culture, when women say 'No', they mean 'Yes' unless it's a prostitute."

The AFP news agency reports that many of his male colleagues laughed and applauded his comments.

He also called women "God's creatures", prompting women in the public gallery to leave, followed by female MPs, led by Health Minister Charity Ngilu.

A group of women's rights activists wearing red T-shirts marched to parliament as the MPs prepared to debate the Sexual Offences Bill, urging them to pass it.

They were turned back by police.

Trauma

Earlier in the debate, MP Njoki Ndungu had said the bill would act as a deterrent to the rising number of rapes and other sexual crimes.

She said rape was the "most traumatic experience that happens at the most private part of you" and had nothing to do with sex.

She said the bill would introduce 21 new sexual offences and provide for the treatment of victims, including publicly funded counselling.

The bill's first version recommended that rapists be castrated but this has now been dropped.

Last year, Ms Ndungu told parliament that two Kenyan women were raped every hour and accused the police of being lax in prosecuting rapists.

THREE BIG LIES ABOUT AFGHANISTAN

2006-04-24T09:13:00.000-04:00

By Eric Margolis

The public is getting distorted news from Afghanistan because the North American media has substituted jingoism and flag-waving for reporting of hard news. Afghanistan’s complexity and lethal tribal politics have been marketed to the public by government and media as a selfless crusade to defeat the `terrorist’ Taliban, implant democracy, and liberate Afghan women. Afghanistan is part of the `world-wide struggle against terrorism,’ we are told. None of this is true. In 1989, at the end of the Soviet occupation, Afghanistan fell into anarchy and civil war. An epidemic of banditry and rape ensued.

A village prayer leader, Mullah Omar, who lost an eye in the anti-Soviet jihad, armed a group of `talibs,’ (religious students) and set about defending women from rape. Aided by Pakistan, Taliban stopped the epidemic of rape and drug-dealing that had engulfed Afghanistan and imposed order based on harsh tribal and Sharia religious law.

Taliban was a religious, anti-communist movement that drew its power from Afghanistan’s Pushtun( or Pathan) ethnic majority, the world’s largest tribal group(Kurds are the second largest). Most of Taliban’s energies were spent battling the remaining Afghan communists, united with various Tajik groups under the banner of the Northern Alliance, whose leader, Ahmad Shah Massoud, was a long-time Soviet KGB collaborator, and its military chief, Gen. Fahim, the former director of the notorious Afghan secret police which executed and horribly tortured tens of thousands of victims.

Production of opium and heroin was stopped by Taliban, except in the North Alliance-controlled zones. Taliban’s rule was extremely harsh; its leaders were backwards hillbillies. Because the communists had infiltrated the nation in the 1970’s through the education system – particularly female education – Taliban shut down many schools for girls, oppressed minority Hazaras, whom Taliban considered heretics, and, in an act of supreme idiocy, blew up Buddhist idols. However, the US government viewed Taliban as a potential ally and gave it millions in aid until four months before 9/11. Washington was considering using Taliban and al-Qaida’s 300 members to stir trouble in China’s western Muslim regions, and in Russian-dominated Central Asia. But US aid was cut off after Taliban refused a contract from the US oil firm Unocal to build a strategic pipeline south from the Caspian Basin to Pakistan.

Taliban’s leaders knew nothing of the 9/11 plans to attack the US, which was mounted in Germany. When the US demanded Kabul hand over bin Laden, Taliban refused. Bin Laden was a guest and national hero wounded six times in the anti-Soviet struggle. Taliban leaders refused to violate their honor by failing to defend an honored guest. Taliban promised to deliver him to an international tribunal once the US submitted evidence of his guilt. The US refused, and promptly invaded Afghanistan.

Unable to withstand US power, Mullah Omar ordered his fighters to blend back into the Pushtun population and wage guerilla war against the invaders. Taliban has been joined by the Hizbi-Islami movement of Gulbadin Hekmatyar and other tribal groups or individuals opposed to foreign occupation.

After Taliban’s overthrow, Afghanistan fell back into the hands of the old Communist Party and war criminals, now allied with Russia, Iran and India, and drug warlords who control much of the chaotic nation. The US-installed `democratic’ Karzai puppet regime in Kabul rules only the capital.

The Talibs represented the most backwards sector of Afghan society. But they brought law and order, ended drug dealing, and fought the communists who killed 1.5 million Afghans. Today, women in post-Taliban Afghanistan are just as repressed as they were under Taliban, save for a few schools in Kabul. Women are equally repressed in Pakistan, India, and Saudi Arabia. Many Afghans share Taliban’s social views, if not politics. The Uzbeks in the north – now US and Canadian allies - are in even more vicious and brutal than Taliban, and up to their turbans in drug dealing. The US and NATO are running a nation that supplies 80-90% of the world’s heroin.

Most foreign journalists see none of this. They get the Cook’s tour, led around by their noses by government or military P.R. specialists, and fed handouts. Call this blinkered news. At least the old Soviet media did a better job, occasionally criticizing Moscow’s claims that it was implanting democracy, freedom and human rights in Afghanistan. The North American media has no such professional reservations.

Few reporters get away from the military and go see the reality beyond. Even fewer know about Afghanistan’s tortured history. That’s why we have been getting so much disinformation and so little honest reporting about Afghanistan.

Taliban is neither a terrorist group, like al-Qaida, nor an enemy of the United States. Washington should be talking to its moderate elements as part of a strategy to stabilize that nation, foster a genuinely popular national government that excludes terrorist groups, and ends Afghanistan’s role as the world’s premier narco-state.

Copyright Eric S. Margolis 2006
http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives.php

Coping with Hate crimes at Work

2006-04-21T12:25:00.000-04:00

I was sitting at my desk at work when I overheard yet another racist rant/gossip, calculatingly guised as a genuine conversation between several of my female co-workers who were sharing stories. I wasn’t eves dropping we have a freaken open space concept in our office. I am used to negative attitudes towards minority groups in the workplace(seeing that i fit the quota for many groups) , but usually people are very discreet with their prejudicial opinions. Only after many subtle and random acts of discrimination does it occur to me that I have just been racialized. This was not discreet (although I had my headset on and they might have assumed I could not hear them). This was pure hate mongering.

They went on and on about Muslims, about Muslim men and how they beat their wives, about how the wives have to put up with this abuse because their religion says so, about how now that “they” are “here” they should respect “our” customs and laws. See they know from totally non-personal experience that Muslim Men like to beat Women. Muslim Men, apparently, suffer from an inherent biological trait slash deep rooted social conditioning, which renders them unable to not want to control every thought, word, action, belief system, dress-code and life of women.

It seems Muslim Women also suffer from inherent biological trait combined with deep-rooted social conditioning, which causes them to be passive, all the time. Apparently, “here” (aka Canada), Women are never abused, beat or killed. Never. It just does not happen. The oppression of Women is completely foreign to Canadians. If you think there is sexism in Canada then you are a savage fool and should take the next plane or boat back to where you came from, because “here” in Canada we do not need your type polluting our pure totally non-sexist, non-racist way of life. Not even our national Athem is sexist.

According to Amnesty International, a woman is killed, beat, raped every Minute of every day around the world, but according to my colleagues, it ain’t happening in Canada. Never. They delivered every observation and totally non-biased, non-racist view with great certainty. Like when one of them said “ You know it’s in their religion to beat Women”. And another replied, “Well they have to make an effort to learn our culture”. Subtlety and insidiousness these women, are not familiar with. From experience, I am totally aware that certain things people say simply stems from ignorance. This was not. They said what they said with deliberate maliciousness and hatred.

Have I said enough? Am I working with members of a neo-fascist party. Am not sure. They are however social workers. Service providers to the poor and disadvantaged in our community. What peeves me more than anything is the fact that this conversation took place during work hours. It is one thing to spew out racist remarks during lunch (it is a 7 hour work day) but a totally separate form of evil when they are on the clock and getting paid. This is not what your tax money should be paying for. I am going to management with this.

More Turabi.....

2006-04-20T15:34:00.000-04:00

The following are excerpts from an interview with Dr. Hassan Al-Turabi, which aired on Al-Arabiya TV on April 10, 2006. To view clip go here. Another interview with Dr. Turabi can be found here

"Most of the Islamic World... Quotes [Blindly] From the Koran Without [Truly] Reading it"

Hassan Al-Turabi: "Some of these views were already expressed decades ago, and have appeared in books. But you still see that most of the Islamic world - in its stagnation, backwardness, and traditions - quotes [blindly from the Koran] without [truly] reading [it], except for blessings."

Interviewer: "Dr. Al-Turabi, you talked about equality between men and women, and said that women had the right to serve as imams. You said that if a woman is more devout and knowledgeable than a man, she can lead the prayers. You also criticized marriage through a third party when the woman is present. You [permitted] marriage between a Muslim woman and a man from among the People of the Book. You also raised some issues regarding [women's covering their heads with] the hijab, and said covering the chest was sufficient."

"I Want Women to Work and Become Part of Public Life, Allah Willing... I Would Like Equality Between People"

Hassan Al-Turabi: "I didn't mean that half of society should leave the home just in order to double the number of people in the streets. In any case, the home doesn't require much work anymore, with all the appliances - unless we keep our wives as ornaments and wait for the night.

"I want women to work and become part of public life, Allah willing. Allah gave them certain advantages over us, and gave us certain advantages over them. He gave men and women advantages over one another. I would like there to be equality between people, because we were all created from the same soul: 'Allah created from a single soul its mate.'"

"I have not found a hadith that prohibits women from being Imams. During the prayer itself - I can understand... When we pray, we get close and touch one another. If women were to pray with us, in such proximity, they might divert our thoughts, from our prayer to relations between men and women. That is why they pray behind us or on the side, depending on the mosque.

"But if a woman is more devout, better, or older than us, people will not stare at her face, but will listen to her words of wisdom.

"I have only found one relevant hadith. The Prophet used to visit Umm Warqa. He used to visit several women. He would visit the wives, not their husbands, because they were more righteous.

"A woman can serve as a muezzin, and she can lead the people of her dar in prayer. Dar does not just mean a home. Dar is a large area, like dar in Darfour or Dar-Hamed... Dar refers to a large area."

"A woman can be the leader of a country, if she is the best of all the candidates and the one most capable of meeting the challenges facing the country. The country may be in social, economic, or military difficulties... Depending on the difficulties, I vote for this person or that, according to the current needs."

"A European Woman Married to a Jew or a Christian Need Not Divorce Before Converting to Islam"

Hassan Al-Turabi: "People convert to Islam. In Europe, women may convert to Islam before their husbands. Are we supposed to stop them, or place them on trial? She is a believing woman - are we supposed to keep her from converting until she gets divorced, and cause her family to fall apart? Where is this taken from? There is no verse..."

Interviewer: "If she wants to convert to Islam, she must be married..."

Hassan Al-Turabi: "No, there is no verse that tells us... The verse refers to polytheists. We are forbidden to marry them. The Koran tells us we can marry the People of the Book. It doesn't say otherwise. [Clerics who forbid this] rely on general verses, which can hardly be relied on in this matter. If this does not cause strife between the wife [and her husband], and nowadays it doesn't... She doesn't even vote for the same party as her husband, let alone... Sometimes he is not even religious [and] his Christianity is merely his heritage, and he does not really believe in Jesus. Are we supposed to make her go back to Christianity?! This does not make sense. Similarly, we do not force our wives from among the People of the Book to convert to our religion. I ruled... I didn't rule, but gave people my opinion about their problems.

"Women used to convert to Islam before their husbands, and the [clerics] would stop them. I told them not to do so. If you had read your Salafi books, you would have encountered this ruling."

"The word hijab appears in the Koran. It refers to a curtain in the Prophet's room. Naturally, it was impossible for the Prophet's wife to sit there when people entered the room - Muslims who came to ask for rulings, converts to Islam who wanted to ask questions, people of the Jahiliya who wanted to visit - this is impossible, even in modern homes...

"Allah be praised, today's homes are larger, and there are halls and guest rooms, but back then there was only one room, so they used a hijab so the woman would feel comfortable and could wear whatever she liked. And if we wanted something from her, we request it from behind the hijab.

"The Koran did not refer to this thing as a hijab. This was called a khimar, and it was worn over the chest only. What they are referring to is the khimar, not the hijab. You keep hearing hijab, hijab, hijab... When these words are distorted, they mislead people."

"The Muslims... Just Sit There and Beg God to Solve Their Problems: 'Oh Allah, Kill the Jews, Kill the Americans'... They Don't Want to Do Anything Themselves... And the Same Goes for the Shi'ites"

Hassan Al-Turabi: "This is the weakness of the Muslims. They always just sit there and beg God to solve their problems: 'Oh Allah, kill the Jews, kill the Americans.' That's what they do, just sitting there. They want Jesus to come, they want the Mahdi to come, and fill the world with justice and light."

"They don't want to do anything by themselves. They don't want to fight falsehood or wage jihad. They are waiting for Allah to send them Jesus from the heavens so he can solve all their problems - the problems with 'those Americans, those Christians.' Jesus is not still alive after 2006 years, but he continues to live in the Muslims' illusions. These are illusions, my brother, illusions."

"The same goes for the Shi'ites. I think - of course I cannot be sure - that the caliph found out his name and he took him and his father and perhaps he killed him in secret. But they are still waiting for the Imam to come back. For more than a thousand [years], or for hundreds of years, they have been waiting for the Imam. In fact, most of them have set the Imam aside and moved on. I wish all Muslims would move on.

"On Judgment Day I will not be able to apologize to Allah, saying: I was waiting for the Messiah, but for reasons known to You alone, You delayed his coming. I was waiting for him. I am one of those who are waiting. Be one of those who act, until you die. Many people have died."

We Cannot Enter Muslims' Homes to Look for Alcohol

Hassan Al-Turabi: "We are forbidden to drink alcohol. The punishment for drinking alcohol is flogging. But I have said that we cannot enter people's homes. We enter homes only with permission. If we knock and knock and knock, and nobody opens the door, we should leave, even if we are the police - even if we are Omar Ibn Al-Khattab. That is what he did. We do not enter people's homes. If [a person] makes his own alcohol, and drinks it without taking it outside - let him do it until he falls asleep, and leaves his house the next day like that. It is not that terrible.

"But whoever drinks alcohol in public or sells it should be punished, unless he is a non-Muslim, of course. If he is very drunk and unsteady on his feet, and drives a car in a reckless manner - he is held accountable in all the countries of the world. I don't want people to use the ban on alcohol to spy on others."

"Reform Can't Emerge From Wretchedness, Fear, and Conservatism"; "Our Faith Will Become Stronger if We Go to the West"

Hassan Al-Turabi: "Brother, our society needs to be reformed, and reform cannot emerge out of wretchedness, fear, and conservatism. What are we conserving? This backwardness? The Westerners ride our backs with their armies, with their economy, their media, and their science, and we just sit there being conservative? What are we conserving? By Allah, our faith will become stronger if we go to the countries of the West. Our faith will only grow. My faith grew stronger in Europe, in France, in Britain. My faith grew stronger, and so did my knowledge, Allah be praised."

The Nellie McClungs' of Saudi Arabia

2006-04-20T09:45:00.000-04:00

Those who are participating fully in the political process of their country are more likely to influence the process and maybe even have a say in the outcome…ideally. Or so I’d like to convince myself. As a student of Political Science, I am convinced that political participation is what separates us from the monkeys. Its true. Of course my idea of voting can only be typified in a free utopic land where reason, truth, accountability reign supreme and corruption does not exist. In our current geo-politics the opposite is unfortunately the overwhelming truth. Still those countries that allow their citizens the opportunity to participate in the political process (via ballot box or demonstrations, etc....) should be commended. Clearly, I am a strong advocate for democracy. See like many immigrants to this land, I come from a country where the supreme leader (or “president” like he would like to be known) ruled the country since it came into existence (sure it was 1977 and sure that was not long ago but still bare with me). We have "elections" once every 10 years or so but the outcome is always the same and no one votes. When he finally left his throne, his cousin or nephew took his place. Of course it is understood that both of these men run the country like their own personal exclusive club (this excludes women, the poor, unfavoured ethnic groups, the Muslim clergy, any political dissident). The country’s money is nothing more then disposable income for them, their families and close cronies. This is why the country looks like the roach/rat infested garbage landfill that it is.

What does this have to with Saudi Women…nothing? I have no idea how I got on this tangent and furthermore why didn’t anyone stop me. My intention was to write/comment on some of the items in the news about Saudi Women. I.e. this for example. And comment on this as well. Maybe even bring up this piece.

Everybody's Favourite Victim: The Afghani Woman

2006-04-18T11:34:00.000-04:00

Have you notice that in our time Afghani Women, are being manufactured by the West to represent(or mis-represent) the struggle of Muslim Women everywhere? Regardless, they are strong, they are beautiful and I take strength from their strength. This article is recommended reading.

Sudan’s Turabi - Muslim women can marry Christian or Jew

2006-04-13T13:14:00.000-04:00

Sudan Tribune
April 13th, 2006
Translated by John Akec

April 11, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — In a lecture entitled "The Role of Women in Just Governance" which was delivered by the leader of the opposition Popular Congress Party, Hassen Al Turabi, at the headquarters of Umma — Party Mubarak al Fadil faction — in Khartoum, Turabi said a Muslim women can marry a Christian or Jew.

Hassan al-TurabiTurabi described the teachings that a Muslim woman should not marry a Christian or Jew as misguided teachings intended to confuse and keep women behind. He explained that the practice has its origins in war times which were used against those fighting with Muslims, but which ceased once hostilities were over.

He also said that Al Hujab (the Islamic veil) —women face and head cover— was meant for women to cover their breasts as one of good practices and was not intended to be generalised to wrap up all the woman body according to the Quranic verses given by Allah for this particular purpose. It was worn as sign of respect and as a curtain to separate Prophet Wives and his guests.

Regarding the right of women to lead in prayers at the front, Turabi said that women can lead at the front if they are more knowledgeable in Quaran and Hadeeth (Prophet sayings) than anyone in the congregation. He gave two examples: First, that Prophet Muhammed once gave permission to a women Muslim scholar to lead members of her family in regular prayers including men. Second, that one of the Prophet’s wives, Aaehisha was more versed in Quaraan than many men at the time and hence was often allowed to lead in prayers at the front.

Turabi also sanctioned mixed prayers between men and women on condition that men and women should not sit too close or rub against each other in order to avoid arousing sexual feelings that could distract attention from prayers and devotion.

He also denounced the perceived superiority of man over women saying that the fact that men dominate business and trade life does not mean that they are superior to women. It is only a question of specialisation as opposed to superiority, adding that some women can far outperform men in certain activities or trades.

Regarding women witness in the courts, Turabi said that a woman witness is as valid as that of a man, if not more reliable in some instances. He denounced the belief that the witness of two women in court is equivalent to that of one man. He said that all such beliefs and teachings have nothing to do with Islam. That they were meant to confuse, mislead, and imprison the minds while keeping Muslims in darkness! He challenged anyone who can come up with Islamic verses to prove such teachings.

On women rights, Turabi said that Islam accords full rights for women even better than how Western cultures treated western women in the past.

He called for women to play greater role in the creation of a just society. Women should be allowed to enter all fields of activities including politics, art, sport, culture and creative thought, and sport. He described the current government as corrupt, unjust, undemocratic, and lacks transparency. He called for the rights of women to participate in the coming elections to be upheld by the constitution so that women can take part in the running of the country on equal footing with men.

Regarding alcohol, Turabi said drinking alcohol is not a crime unless it turned into a hostile act. Turabi also casted doubt on the correctness of using the term "martyrs" to describe [Northern Sudanese] killed in the war in South Sudan!

Turabi raised huge reactions among Islamic scholars in Sudan. Some of them proposed to try him as an apostate.

(ST)

One in Four Married Syrian Women Has Been Abused

2006-04-13T12:07:00.000-04:00

Feminist Daily News Wire
April 12, 2006

Syria has broached a sensitive subject with the release of a report by the General Union of Women (GUW), a government-run organization, which found that nearly one married woman in four had been beaten. According to the New York Times, 1,900 women and men were surveyed, with families divided by sex for the interviews. Reuters reports that, according to the study, brothers, fathers, and husbands account for more than 70 percent of abusers and the most common victims of abuse are married women.

The report, which is the first of its kind, is mean to coincide with a study of Syria by the United National Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), according to the Times. Hana Qaddoura, speaking to the Times for the GUW, stated that “[t]here are some forms of violence against women that our society doesn’t even see as violence.” Shirin Shukri, of the UN office in Amman, Jordan, who worked on the report, noted to the Times that “[t]he issue of violence against women was kept silent here for many years … this is opening up discussion.”

While women make up 12 percent of Syria’s Parliament, tying with Tunisia for the highest percentage in Arab countries, Reuters cites estimates that between 200 and 300 Syrian women are murdered in so-called “honor killings” each year, which accounts for roughly half of all murders in the country. Souad Bukour, a member of Parliament and the president of the GUW, said to Reuters that “[e]ven though a man would go to prison if his female relative reported him for assault, it is very rare in our society … because that would bring shame onto the family.”

Also ....

Bahrain women battle Islamists, chauvinists

Satan's Liberation Movement (Part 2)

2006-04-13T08:55:00.000-04:00

I have discovered something distressing about some of the Muslim women in my life, which I have failed to notice up until recently. This discovery is due to a few gatherings with friends and acquaintances, which I was able to attend the last couple of months. In these gatherings I saw a systematic detest for Feminist and for feminist view that prevades every discussion we had about women. It’s not that they are not interested in intellectual dialogue centered around women’s issues or in gaining new knowledge, lord knows they are brilliant women with a admirable thirst for knowledge. It’s just that for them Islam has already answered all of their questions regarding this particular issue. Therefore any attempt to initiate genuine discussion about gender issues is both unnecessary and pointless. This is all fine and dandy if you’re someone who is unable to reflect in the face of the apparent sexism and chauvinism, which prevails in our faith. But they are not, and the critical theorist in me finds this both lazy and dishonest on their part. I am sorry but I can’t buy into everything I hear from various Muslim Male scholars who suffer from an enormous sense of superiority (p.s, this is in no way an attack on the Sunnah of the Prophet, key word in that sentence is scholars, if you wish to see it as an attack, then it’s an attack on male elitism in Islam).

I am not asking for these women to believe and advocate feminist thought, I like them, even if they do not believe in the same social structures and ideologies as I do. My concern is with the constant belittling and vilification of feminism and feminist that filters through our discussions. It’s usually based on some ill-conceived notion that feminists see non-feminists (and especially Muslim women) as stupid, gullible and easily manipulated women. There is clear animosity, hostility and misplaced feelings of rebellion every time feminists or Feminism are brought up. My discontent is not with those women that know and understand feminist thought and chose not to adhere to it after (objective) consideration. I respect their decision. And I am not in some quest trying to convert every Muslim women to a feminist, but my patience is wearing extremely thin for those who have no idea what the teachings, history, legacy of feminism is and still continue to pass judgement.

Explosive Rebellion: The fight against Hypocrites

2006-03-24T21:32:00.000-05:00

"Explosive Rebellion" sounds like it should be a name for a punk or sga group. It is a term i heard from Sheikh Athami use during his lecture when he came to Ottawa last month. He used it a lot and I immediately thought of ways of incorporating it in my everyday verbiage. Sheikh Adhami would have given a brilliant lecture had he been given the timeframe to appropriately tackle his topic (Gender relations in Islam and Feminism) and more importantly, the honesty and just due it derserved. Despite, its shortcomings the lecture was creative with a lasting impact, at least for me and for a friend. Although the Sheikh brilliantly confronted many of the concerns that the Muslim woman faces, he merely scratch the surface and said nothing new. Still, I love him and am in awe of his beautiful articulation when talking about women. always I am and I know, always I will be.

Ok so here's the deal. Everytime I think of what it is like to be a Muslim woman in our current state of affairs, i'm overcome with a great sense of malaise, you know, an unrelenting sense that something is terribly wrong with our Ummah, and if we do nothing now, we will all be worse off for it in the future. Don't y'all think? Im losing serious sleep over this people.

Now what does explosive rebellion mean to me? What should it mean to me? Explosive Rebellion simply, is my new truth. In an era, long gone concepts like Justice, peace, reason and faith were all major players in the Muslim World. Unfortunately, we treat these tenets a bit differently now a days. We are confronted with social structures which allow for discrimination, injustices, oppresion and open and blatant sexism. This last point cannot be stressed enough!,we must rebel! We must rebel against those who trvilize matters concerning women in Islam, as Muslims, this is totally our pink elephant in the room, constantly undermining it(do not get me wrong, we do discuss but in a very passive, futile manner which provides no real solutions) or just saying everything is OK undermines the future of our Ummah. We must rebel against those who explicitly promote the falsehood that the Islamic world is not sexist(yes there are those who do). We must rebel against those who say that there is a real and just uniformity in the application of Sharia law accross the Muslim world and those feeble minds that believe bringing Sharia law to North America will finally give Women Justice. We must rebel against overly romanticed notion of Women and what "being" a Woman entails. Those that only chose to see us through the limited gaze of their oppresive culture.

Muslim Women must understand one thing: Our struggle, our task indeed is to erode those traditional biased interpreations of Islamic Law and traditional interpretations of Islamic text. Let it be understood, my struggle is with the interpretations of the holy texts (and what I deem socially contrieve ideals of gender) and in no way related to the actions, beliefs, words of my Beloved (SAW) and the words of the Most High(SWT). Althought my commitment to the commands of Allah is unshakable, I do, however find myself questioning my status as a Women in the Muslim world, and my right to equality...and frankly it is a very treacherous track to trail! I want it to stop.

Muslim Feminista's Manifesto

2006-03-20T15:53:00.000-05:00

Everyone woman needs a manifesto, like she needs a pair ofsensible shoes, a good breakfast to kick-start her day and from time to time asolid Hi-Five from a Random person. This is my manifesto...hopefully it will be yours as well.

Brief background about MFM: I decided to put together a Manifesto..sort of like the Communist Manisfeto ..minus the evil socialist stuff. I want it to be special. I want it to bind people together andI want it to be reflective of the collective struggle for women's rights and liberation. So far Here is what I have in no particular order...

Declarations 1 through 3

1. Muslim Feminista's Manifesto seeks to encourage possitive dialogue between all women regardless of their belief sytem and any other affiliation.

2.Muslim Feminista's Manifesto, although agrees men can be a part of the movement to empower women. men can not be called feminists. This term is exclusive to women only

3.Muslim Feminista's Manifesto declares that, Women must support one another. Always. A woman should always have another woman's back even if the other woman is a complete moron. If you do not agree with this point and you are a Woman, that's fine girl, i still got your back.

3. (revise version)A woman must never humilate or disrespect another woman. she may disagree with her, but in a respectful way. negative and destructive behaviour among us will only serve against our cause.

......To be continued with Declarations 4 through 7

Thank You and Goodbye.

2006-02-17T15:18:00.000-05:00

Betty Friedan-1921-2006

Rosa Parks-1913-2005

The sorrow and the Pity of 'Honour'

2006-01-20T13:09:00.000-05:00

By Dr. Sheema Khan
Globe and Mail, 01/05/06

In pre-Islamic Arabia, the concept of male honour was so inflated, the birth of a female child was often seen as a source of shame. Female infanticide was not uncommon. Historical records describe a man who took his daughter out to the desert to bury her. As he dug her grave, his innocent child tried to protect him from the dust by brushing away the debris from his beard. Unmoved, he buried her alive. This heinous practice was directly addressed during the 23 year period of Koranic revelation. First, negative attitudes toward the birth of girls were strongly condemned. The Koran warned that the buried daughter would be raised one day to testify against her murderer. The Prophet Mohammed advocated for the benevolent treatment of children, putting special emphasis on fair treatment of daughters. Many who had either supported or committed female infanticide were moved to remorse. Laws were passed against infanticide. In just over two decades, this barbaric tradition was outlawed by the very tribes that had previously embraced it as part of male honour.

Muslims proudly point to the above example of the establishment of social justice through Islamic principles. Yet, we seem to forget that this example is not merely a showpiece of the past, but rather, a blueprint for addressing injustices of the present. Last month, after attending the congregational Friday prayer in East Punjab, Nazir Ahmed bought a butcher's knife and methodically slit the throats of his 25-yearold stepdaughter and his three daughters, ages 8, 7 and 4. He suspected the stepdaughter of adultery, an act he considered tantamount to treason. In order to restore his "lost honour," he killed her, and then killed his own daughters for good measure to ensure that they wouldn't follow in her footsteps. When apprehended, he expressed satisfaction that he had preserved his "honour." "Honour killing" is the mother of all oxymorons. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, 260 cases of honour killings were recorded in 2005. This latest femicide has shocked the nation. Such murderous acts also occur in Turkey and the Middle East and have been reported within immigrant communities in Europe. Let's be clear: Such a custom is unequivocally condemned by Islam. Muslims have reacted in different ways.

A few courageous activists have campaigned actively to eradicate this evil. Others understandably seek to distance themselves from such a disgusting practice. On the other hand, conspiracy-seekers point to news accounts of honour killings as another example of anti-Muslim media bias -- showing more concern with negative PR than with the ugly reality plaguing certain Muslim cultures. To protect the image of Islam, some declare that honour killings are rooted in local culture and have nothing to do with Islam. End of story. We Muslims have a greater responsibility than the mere preservation of image. We have a duty to address social injustice headon, following the footsteps of our prime
example, Prophet Mohammed. As individuals, we must speak out against this barbaric practice, using the very foundations of our faith. Some who support this custom falsely claim legitimacy from Islam.

We can no longer disagree politely; we must confront such immorality and strip away all claims of legitimacy. Religious principles can be used as part of a comprehensive approach to change deeprooted misogynistic customs. This is happening today in parts of Africa where societies are confronting another age-old barbarism: female genital mutilation. Womankind Kenya, a grassroots group opposed to FGM, tried unsuccessfully for years to convince female "cutters" to abandon their trade. Then it joined forces with respected local imams, arranging for them to travel to villages and speak with women (and men) about the evil of such a practice, which has no sanction in the Koran. People were told that the vagina was a part of the body, created by God, and as important as a limb or an eye. Cutting it was a sin, for which one would be held accountable before God. The appeal to the conscience of Muslims has had resounding effects. Many have laid down their knives, asked for forgiveness from their victims, and have become anti-FGM advocates. The practice is losing favour; African governments have passed laws outlawing the custom. Slowly, the tide seems to be turning.

The model adopted by Womankind Kenya should be used to combat "honour killings" in Muslim cultures. While there are no reports of such killings in Canada, we must remain vigilant. Following the July 7 bombings in London, imams across Canada demonstrated moral leadership by issuing a statement condemning extremism in all its forms. They used their religious authority to make it a bundantly clear that there is no room for hateful, murderous attitudes in our Canadian communities. Many of these same imams have also spoken against the ill-treatment of women. They can contribute toward the eradication of honour killings by addressing this issue during the upcoming sermon of Eid-ul-Adha (commemoration of the sacrifice of Prophet Abraham), where large ingregations of Muslims will gather. Attempts to change oppressive cultural traditions will meet with resistance. All the more reason to increase our resolve to replace oppression with justice; cruelty with compassion.

Toxic Ideas:Why I hate Muslim femininity

2005-09-12T16:32:00.001-04:00

Lately i have had the unfortunate luck of meeting, learning from and reading about tragically stupid and masoginist men and women..who happen to be Muslim Scholars, teachers and students of Ilm. Men and women who only see Women as inferior and lesser entities who's purpose is to find a man to built their lives around.

Whether these men and women realize it or not they are contributing to the destabilization and intellectual degragation of the supposed "ummah" as a whole but particularly to the women. They have creaded a model of "Muslim femininity"and Muslim women everywhere are told to comform to it. This model is often guised under the labels of chasitity, piety and other expressions of the muslim faith. But do not be fooled this has nothing to do with Islam and everything to do with gender oppression and the marginilsation of Muslim women everywhere. They have managed to redefine and reconstruct the concept femininity as identified in the divine and skillfully twist it to suit their hate-filled reality of masculinity over femininity. This notion of "Muslim Femininity" is what most scholars refer to when discussing issues related to Women. As i mentioned, this notion is often manifested in what seem traditional islamic tenets when in reality it has never been an islamic tradition. This notion is crucially concerned with keeping women out of all realms of society whearas Islam encourages women to be involved in every aspect society. This concept looks at women from just a biological stand point and never adheres to their intellect or their individuality. A woman is judged and her judegement is limited by her sex.

Contrary to what these people say, a woman's thoughts and actions cannot be limited to just her duties towards her husbands and family. Ok, it is one think to ignore women's accomplishment and erase their contribution entirely from history, but to deny them the right to be involved in thier world is an entirely seperate form of evil. I wonder how the world as we know it would have turned out if women did not concern themselves with the world beyond their household? An idea so unimaginable because it goes so much against women's nature! The perpatrators of "Muslim Femininity" are way too concerned with the themes of domesticallity and "hayaa" and never bother with intellectual integrity. This has resulted in the moral degragation and intelectual bankrupcy of muslim women. It is well known fact that the schools and post-secondary instutions for tarditional Islamic studies, just for Muslim women operate at a way lower standard then that of men. This is not because the funding is not there, it is because the funders feel women are not entitled or obliged to learn sacred Islamic knowledge.

It is because of this concept that people like Samuel Huntington, Bernard Lewis, Irshad Manji, Amina Waddud have flourished. This perverse concept neglects the idea that Islam views both concepts of masculinity and femininity in a equal and balanced manner. The divine notion masculinity and femininity are beyond our worldly impositions. Humans were created by perfection and by an all knowing god who understands us more then we understand ourselves, but over and over again we keep transgressing on the boundaries set by the divine.

Reflections On Tariq Ramadan

2005-02-28T15:50:00.000-05:00

Over the past week-end I was very exciting to have Dr. Tariq Ramadan come to my town. The event was a joint effort organised by this group which I never heard of before, called Muslim Presence, and the Local Police Departement. Dr. Ramadan, gave a total of 4 lectures. I was able to attend 2. Here are my reflections.

I think it is fair to say that Tariq Ramadan sucks as an intellectual. And this suckiness is mainly do the fact that he is not a woman. One might think what a stupid sexist observation...of course Tariq Ramadan can only think to the capacity that his male logic allows him, leave the man alone. To you I say, Meh. His gender is of no relevance, it is beyond the GENDER DYNAMICS!. It is about pricinples, shared values, Human rights, Justice and consistency in our quotidien lives (our thoughts, philosophies and way of rationalising and seeing the world) all of which he mentioned in his talks. This is my opinion, if one undertakes the huge responsibility of spreading the message of human rights, good will towards humanity, reforming our hearts and minds then one must be prepared to tackle these issues not with simplicity but with great reverence. Which Dr Ramadan did...however this great caution and Humility and "bitter eleoquence"which he so well demonstrated when he talked about issues of Muslims and Justice, fear, education, security...he completely lost when he discussed Women and Women Rights!

Ah the perils of Womanhood....even the most "moderate" reformist Muslim will fail us. "The problems of Muslim Women" He said " is Muslim Men"..what? is he serious? See this is exactely why Women's rights are and will always be abused, and Women's issues will not be given top billing.....this kinda rethoric undermines the struggle of the Women's liberation movement....by simply making the issue about men...is a complete insult! It is not that simple...it is not as black and white as this...The problems and struggles of Women is not just about men...its about society as a whole. Its about economics, its about the family structure, its about oppresion, its about racism, its about community, its about other women...its far more complex and multilayered and cannot possibily be about ONE thing...and it is especially not about the obvious ..Men...at least not entirely...c'mon man..

At first at I was really mad at him...for saying such thing...then I thought...after all he is just a dude, a man..he does not get it and I dont not expect him to get it. But then I thought..thats not fair...his dudeness will not exempt him...the man is a scholar and the movement to liberate and uplift Women was not transmitted orally and in secret from generation of Women to the next..rather everything has been reccorded...there are historical documents, essays, books, documentaries etc.. about the long hard road to equality in the West...for Muslims all he had to do was look into the Quran and the Sunna!...Over and over again Women are mentioned within the context of history, of spirituality, finance, society etc...all of this tells you that you cannot examine the issue of Women rights with just one lens...which is what he did.

So Tariq Ramadan is either not into Women's history and rights(Women issues are not a priority for him) or a sexist fake! which begs the question then why even bring up the issue of Women if you cannot discuss it appropriately?why Tariq? Why?

Solidarity...

Shaytan's Liberation Movement

2005-02-11T13:26:00.000-05:00

Why are Muslims so threaten by this movement? What is it with the movement that sparks unease in their hearts? I dont get it...as Muslim Woman Allah has granted me my rights long before any human movement has...in the divine my rights are safeguarded and preseved..in the natural world they are constantly neglected, ignored and abused. I am not generalising, but way more men wanna demean and control me then respect me and see me as a true equal.

In West, Women have fought very hard against the tyranical and oppressive attitudes of men. In their struggles they managed to become a "person" under the law, they have obtained a soul, the right to own property and the right to vote amomg other rights. Now why is this wonderful movement that has done so much for the advancement of women ..so hated by some Muslims living in the West??? I dont get it.....

**Sure there are things within the movement that we do not agree with....but those negative things do not undo all the good the movement has struggled to achieve....I was just reflecting on something that I read somewhere...it was by a Muslism sister who refered to the movement as Shaytan's liberation movement..SubhannaAllah..i cannot get it out of my head......this person clearly knows nothing about the Women's liberation movement...i wish her well in her life as a doormat.

**Edited: I take it back. There's is absolutely nothing within the Women's Right Movement I disagree with.

Inspiring Article from an Inspiring Woman

2005-02-01T13:45:00.000-05:00

STORMING THE HARVARD BASTION
Globe and Mail, 01/28/05
By Sheema Khan
(Sheema Khan is the Chair of CAIR-CAN)

The recent comments by Harvard president Lawrence Summers about "innate" gender differences in the mathematical sciences may have caused outrage, but they weren't all that surprising. Like golf, Harvard and the "hard" sciences have been the bastion of men for quite some time. It is only in the past few decades that women have significantly entered into a zone previously considered forbidden. I entered Harvard graduate school in 1983 to pursue a PhD in chemical physics. At the time, only a handful of female students formed the incoming class of about 25.

The only female faculty member in chemistry was an assistant professor. Rumour had it that one big-name prof in organic chemistry refused to take any female graduate students. In my six years there, his research group remained an exclusive men's club. He later went on to win a Nobel Prize. One of my classmates was a whiz, entering Harvard at 20 and leaving with a PhD at 24. She was also an exceptional seamstress and baseball player. I wonder where she would fit into Dr. Summers's view of the world. We never felt inferior -- or superior -- to our male counterparts. We just loved science. Somewhere along the line, we had been inspired to pursue our dreams, and given the opportunity to do so. And to use our God-given inquisitiveness to explore the wonders of creation. The naysayers only served to strengthen our resolve to seek knowledge.

In my case, the criticism also came from a few men of the Harvard Islamic Society. "A good Muslim woman," one male PhD candidate told me, "shouldn't study for a PhD." He also occasionally gave the Friday sermon. As the only woman in attendance for a number of years, I would hear, on one hand, how Islam honoured women and, on the other, how we were created inferior to men. At one point, I thought that, if my religion relegated me to second-class status as a human being by virtue of the way I was created, then I wanted no part of such an unjust view. Inherently, I knew God was just. After much soul-searching and reading, I came to realize that the chauvinistic views held by some Muslims were in direct conflict with the teachings of Islam and the example of the first generation of Muslims, considered as the best. I came to learn that a Muslim woman was the founder of Islamic jurisprudence and that, in the early days of Islam, women went into battle, questioned the Prophet Mohammed, wrote poetry, pronounced judgments and were bona fide scholars. Which invites the question: What happened?

That question deserves to be studied without the usual reflexive blame put on colonialism. Or the usual defensive posture of shielding scholars' writings from criticism. A case in point could be the writings of numerous scholars from the Indian subcontinent whose works -- usually venerated by followers -- often contain insulting views of women: We are deemed lacking in intelligence, maturity and ability; our mere presence is a temptation to men.

One, often contradictory logic, is an outright rejection of the secular basis of Western thought and the wholesale acceptance of obscure Western clinical research. Using this research in combination with obscure prophetic narrations, these scholars provide religious legitimacy for biased views that "prove" women are stupid by nature; untrustworthy basket cases incapable of holding a job during menstruation; and, for some, in need of a good beating from time to time. It will not be surprising to hear Lawrence Summers's words repeated by those who are critical of the West. "Even the president of Harvard says> that women are not as good at math as men," some Muslims will declare, in order to prove the inferiority of women, maintaining their subjugation with regards to education. They are oblivious to their own history, wherein Aisha (the Prophet Mohammed's youngest wife) would be> consulted for her ability to perform complicated inheritance> calculations.

In the end, whether it is a religious authority or the president of Harvard making wholesale generalizations about the inherent nature of women, it is important for women themselves not to feel obliged to fit the stereotype. In secular terms, call it "believing in oneself." As a Muslim woman, it is knowing that my destiny is in the hands of a merciful, compassionate, all-powerful Creator who is the bestower of talents. Myopic pronouncements by men about my innate abilities are ignorance at best. Yet, such words by men in power are harmful -- for they legitimize the denial of the rightful opportunity of women to learn> and contribute to society. All the more reason to confront such unjust attitudes. Cynthia Friend, the lone female faculty member in 1983, is now Harvard's chair of chemistry and chemical biology. Back then, she would often bring her two small children to the department, as if to say: "My role as a mother is not something to hide at work." Her example made quite an impression. So have the efforts of Muslim women in early history.> Inspired by examples of the past, the future never looked brighter.

Is the Husband responsible for his wife's Faith?

2005-01-27T12:01:00.000-05:00

During one of the islamic study classes I take I heard one of the teachers say that men are respnsible for womens' faith. The husband is responsible for his wife's belief..he is responsible to keep his wife's moral obligation towards Allah in check.

First is he responsible to give his wife advice about her deen and help her fulfill her duties in Islam?Is that what is menat by responsible for her faith? Second I had a hard time recoinciling this with the notion of the self and mujahada. Individually aren't we all(well some of us..may Allah bless those who aren't and keep them forthright in their path) suppose to be in a perpetual state of mujahada against our own nafs (self) and Shaytan and etc? This is an individual struggle and on the day of judgement aren't we responsible for own actions?

Since a Muslim man can marry outside his faith..is he still responsible for his wife's faith even then? or is he supposed to convert her?.

Feminism a la Muslim Feminista

2005-01-26T16:56:00.000-05:00

Althought I agree with most of the stuff that contemporary feminists say, i have some reservation . I am a muslim first and foremost and a woman second...therefore my priorties are a little different. The words of Allah dominate any individual thoughts or ideas i may have. I have to adhere to Allah's words.

My struggle against sexim and the path i must take to fight against it is different then that of a Western feminist or a feminist from China, India or Japan or for that matter the Middle East. Each woman has her own unique set of events and history which shapes her feminist consciousness. Therefore it is highly unfair to put all those who advocate feminism on the same boat because frankly we are not all the same! I challenge any one person who can present to me a set ideals globally agreed upon that underline what a feminist is and how a feminist should act!

bell hooks (you do not want to make the mistake of capitalising her name..she prefers it this way) says when talking about western feminist and their tendecy to dominate women's liberation wordwide "the sexism, racism and classism that exist in the West may resemble systems of domination globally, but they are forms of oppression that have been primarly informed by Western philosophy, they can be understood within a Western context, not via an evolutionary model of human development" .

The stupid thing about some of these so called feminist is they don't really care about creating a global theory that respects all women, to further the cause of women's lib, they much rather dominate the rest of us all while procaliming to speak of a common struggle. What common struggle when they think i am oppressed because i wear a hijab? They have to get over themselves..They want all women to adopt feminism to liberate themselves from male supremacy and yet they insist on keeping some women, particularly practicing muslim women, down! Opression is oppression, even if its not sexist oppression.

Anyway, I do not want people think all feminist are like that..they are not.

Muslim women really need to wake up and reclaim their "feminist" legacy...more on this on posts to come..

Salams

Oh to be a Woman....

2005-01-25T11:37:00.000-05:00

Some Statistics onWomen
Some women find the term FGM offensive..its a western term describing a tradition ritual practiced by communities in Africa, Asian, the middle east and some aboriginal communities practice it too. I met women who were proud to have undergone the ritual and I do not condemn them for that. In some cultures the girls celebrate it and it is seen as a posstive thing by women themselves . Therefore I will refrain from using such a term myself.

The Harsh Realities of Women's Rights

The Women of the World Statistics

'Ours the Task Eternal'

2005-01-25T10:59:00.000-05:00

What is Feminism?
Standard Definition:
The belief that society is disadvantageous to women, systematically depriving them of individual choice, political power, economic opportunity and intellectual recognition.

What do Feminist Want?
Standard Answere:
“feminism is simply that women are people, in the fullest sense of the word, who must be free to move in society with all the privileges and opportunities and responsibilities that are their human right. This does not mean class warfare against men, nor does it mean the elimination of children, which denies our human future. It seems to me that all the women's movement ever was, or needs to be, is a stage in the whole human rights movement - bringing another group, a majority this time, into the mainstream of human society, with all the perils and promises and human risks this involves. No more, no less. " -Betty Friedan

That's all Folks...that's what its all about!..I know i know kinda boring..Dissapointed to hear that there is no big conspiracy to kill all men and take over the world... ...
Salams....

Welcome to My Blog!

2005-01-24T22:08:00.000-05:00

I love Sojourner Truth. Sojourner Thruth was a preacher, an abolotionist, an activist and an all around inspiration for all of Humanity. She exposed and bravely fought against the tyranny of the sexist, racist male oppression of her society until the day she died. And she was former BLACK SLAVE IN THE 1800'S....So it is only befitting that my first post on my blog be Sojourner Truth's pivotal speech..

"Ain't I Woman?"
by Sojourner Truth
Delivered 1851 at the Women's Convention in Akron, Ohio

Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about?

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?

Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.
If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't got nothing more to say.