I first heard of Al Sadaawi in 2004. I read some of her novels which seem to me a little unusual in their subject matter and level of transparency, but I did not see that as a problem. But last year I have read an article by an Egyptian journalist in which he calls Al Sadaawi every name in the book; for a moment there I felt he was gonna blame her for all the troubles and miseries the Middle East had. Then I saw a TV show called “Uncensored” (Bidon Raqabah)–whose content, in my viewpoint, has nothing to do with its name–and they brought Al Saadawi on the show. While watching the show I really felt uncomfortable with the way the host was trying hard to put the guest on the spot. I felt like watching a cross-examination of a dangerous convict. But what really surprised me was how Al Sadaawi kept her cool and answered all the questions with confidence. She tried her best to express her thoughts and reach out to the people who have been misinformed, but the host would not give her a break and wanted to throw at her as many questions and accusations as she could.

And then I started looking up the other interviews that TV stations had with her, and they all seemed the same. They all want to make her look as bad and as evil as possible; they want her to be an embodiment of the devil. But why? really why?

Al Sadaawi did write something that I completely disagree with but that was her personal opinion and I respect it. But to single her out the way the Arab World does and to make her the black sheep she is now is absolutely insane and ridiculous. Her controversial ideas about God and Islam are personal ideas she is expressing; any critic could have easily expressed their disagreement with them and said why they disagree and moved on. There is no need for such fuss. Furthermore, Al Sadaawi has some really good thoughts on progress and development which if heard and applied can help move the region forward in the future, but who would listen?

TheMiddleBeast.Com

“Black” people in the Middle East are a minority. In theory, this minority is given all the rights that other people have, but the problem that I am trying to shed some light on here is not about legal rights (to vote or go to school or to have a job), it is about equality on the individual and social level.

Living in different parts of the Middle East made me realize a lot of (usually shocking) things about how the majority of Middle Easterners view black people, whether those who live and share with them citizenship, language and religion or those who they only see on TV. I came up with one conclusion: People in the Middle East just cannot be unbiased when it comes to people with dark complexions and African features. Black people are almost invisible in this part of the world. They do not hold high positions in governments, like other minorities do, they do not appear on TV as much, they are not among famous singers or actors or even athletes.

Let me give you an example that might be more familiar: marriages and relationships. For example, arranged marriages are still effective in some Middle Eastern communities. When families decide to look for a match for their young men, the number one priority in this “hunt” is color: the whiter the better. I noticed that if you are white (no matter how unattractive you actually are) you are still seen as beautiful in this part of the world, unlike dark-skinned people who are seen as undoubtedly ugly and unwanted.

But we don’t and we might never admit it. One of the reasons why we will never admit how racist our societies are is because of … the United States. Since we have no democracy whatsoever in our countries and the US (the country viewed the bully who is trying to impose his beliefs on us) is built on such a great principle, our people like to play the buzz-kill and say well at least we are not as racist as the US has been. If we admit that at the moment we are actually biased against black people and that we are not that different (from the US racists) after all, what else will we have to attack other people with? (Attacking others is what we are good at, instead of admitting that we are wrong and try to do something about it).

The religious mask is another issue. People in the Middle East are obsessed with religion but only as an idea not as a practical thing. Which means that we love to brag that Islam made every human being equal, but when it comes to practice, a lot of us won’t allow women to have their rights, the rich look at the poor as vermin, and (most importantly) the white (or light brown-skinned) call dark-skinned as “abeed” i.e. slaves. It is alarming how common this word is in some Middle Eastern communities, calling black people “slaves”!

Let’s face it folks, we are absolutely racist!

Read more about my personal experience (as a dark-skinned person living in the Middle East) on my blog TheMiddleBeast.com.

However the show was not to be taped or photographed, not even with mobile phone cameras, and attendance was limited to women only. Models also followed a moderate Islamic dress code, appearing in Abayas, long dresses, head scarves, jeans, etc. “Taking photographs during Saudi Arabia’s first authorized fashion show was strictly outlawed under Islamic law,” a model says. Another model taking part in this fashion show said “no paparazzi or cameras were present as models showed off new Western and Oriental fashion trends to an all-female audience”. Susan Shamy, the director of the Nafisat Shams Al Biqa’ Academy, confirmed her company organized the event so it would strictly follow Islamic law. While Saudi Arabia has previously hosted fashion events, those events were traditionally bazaars rather than fashion shows.

Susan Shamy expressed her happiness for the achievement and considered the show as huge success for the Saudi woman, “We faced no difficulties or obstacles in holding this fashion show; I think maybe because we ourselves have put the conditions in which we insisted on abiding by the general morals, the cultural traditions of our society, and the teachings of religion. We are the ones who asked for disallowing cameras or mobile phones, and we organized within the pre-condition of allowing only women in the show.”

One hundred and twenty Saudi girls participated in the competition. Wijdan Al Sharyofi won the first prize and became the best Saudi fashion designer receiving 100,000 SAR. Designer Wud Rohaimi came in second and received 75.000 SAR, with third place and 50.000 SAR going to designer Hala Attya.

“Out of 120 designers, 28 contestants qualified to the final stage of the competition,” said general supervisor of the competition, Rola Basamad, “the contestants were selected carefully after their presentation before a committee of specialists in fashion design.” She also added, “During the contest, all the girls were magnificent and beautiful while maintaining simplicity in style and harmonizing between the Islamic dress codes and the global fashion standards.”

During the closing ceremony the first-prize winner Wijdan Al Sharyofi looked delighted and proud of her achievement saying, “I was confident and expected a win from the start. I did my best and used creative and modern styles in my design and this gave me the privilege to win this honor.” Wijdan’s mother also shared her delight, saying, “My daughter deserved to win, although I did not expect it in advance, but after I saw her designs at the ceremony, I knew that my daughter deserves the title and Thank God she did.”

The show, including the models and the designers, won the admiration and appreciation of the audience who came from different regions of Saudi to attend. The designers and the models said that they do not dream of universality and fame. They also shared that fashion show and industry in Saudi Arabia is different from fashion shows and designers in the West in concept and criteria, exactly like each culture has its special customs, beliefs, and lifestyles that fit its people and ways of life. “A fashion show in Saudi Arabia is different from anywhere else,” the model said, “We only take part in this after making sure no cameras will be allowed.”

On the other hand, the event received mixed reactions in Saudi Arabia. Some people applauded the initiative calling it a brave step in a bright future of Saudi women who are struggling to get equal rights. On the other hand, the show was also criticized by some groups who think that such events prove the influence of the western culture which they accused of trying to corrupt the Saudi society, especially its women. Others focused on the issue of media censorship and either praised or criticized it.

As for the issue of media censorship, especially pictures and videos, it is not a coincidence that the no-camera rule was applied in this show because few weeks ago several Saudi religious clerics called on Saudi Minister of Culture and Media ‘Abd Al-’Aziz Khouja to ban women from appearing in the media. Thirty-five Saudi clerics warned against what they called violations of Islamic law in the media and urged the minister to ban screening of women dancing, singing, presenting news items or talking, whether in Arabic or a foreign language. “It is forbidden to show pictures of women in Saudi newspapers and magazines, whatever the reason,” they said in a statement. The clerics based their statement on a document from the year 2000 issued by the prime minister, which said women should not be employed in jobs that did not suit their nature, or in jobs that would lead them to mix with men.

All in all, the event is a breakthrough for Saudi designers and Saudi women in general for many reasons. First, it shows that there is some progress being made on the issue of women in Saudi Arabia, where women’s rights organizations and activists are still campaigning for basic rights: the right to drive, travel without a “chaperon” or a male family member, and pass on citizenship to their children or spouse, which are all rights Saudi women are still denied. It also encouraged the designers and models more broadly, and facilitated their projects whereby they are obliged to travel abroad to hold their shows. However, they still live in uncertainty over whether they are even allowed to travel.

Amany, the general director of Girls Only, holds a Bachelor of Science in computer science and works as a graphic designer. She is an enthusiastic young woman who wants to contribute to society by removing the hurdles that stand in the way of change and progress. At first, she thought of publishing a magazine, but then she realized that people nowadays are attracted to audio and visual media more than print ones. So, she decided to make a radio station. She looked for other girls with modern views and creative ideas, and together they started Girls Only, which is available only over the Internet. As Amany is well aware, putting her content on the Internet is the best way to avoid government censorship. Amany is not concerned by the seemingly limited scope of an online radio station; she believes that “in five years or less from now, Internet radio stations will be much more listened to than ordinary radio.”

The station aims to be an outlet for women who have long been silenced. “The idea of the radio station came to me as I was trying to imagine the future of Egyptian women… I felt so worried about it,” said Amany.

In a very short period of time, the station has succeeded in attracting a huge audience all over the Arab World. According to Amany, there are now more than 25,000 listeners everyday from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria; the number of listeners is increasing daily. Listeners range from 9 to 55 years old.
The radio station’s major success comes from its intriguing talk shows. One example is “It’s Not Life Any More,” in which issues such as divorce, spinsterhood, and unemployment are discussed. Another show, “She’s Worth a 100 Men” focuses on helping women build self-confidence, control their anger, demand their rights and deal more effectively with others. “Headache” is the daily news show, with a comedic edge. The other shows on-air include “Our People,” “First-year Hijabi,” and “How to be a Role Model”.

In addition to entertaining its audience, the station also works on spreading awareness and empowering women. Amany thinks that women in Arab and Muslim societies sometimes bear responsibility for the injustices they face. “I am not trying to regain rights,” she said, “but what I believe in is that women themselves are responsible for giving up their own rights when they believe in the notions that view them as second-class citizens. This feeling may have resulted from the beliefs and the teachings in the society they were raised in. In our station’s programming, we stress firmly the fact that a woman is not different from a man in her rights and duties.” The radio station and its audience represent a growing desire among Arab women to counter such notions by articulating their individual perspectives.

Here is the link to the article

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In Peace,
Ahmad Ghashmary

Nowadays, I come to believe it will lose all its greenness as if the government is adopting a plan to make a “Black Jordan in the year 2010”. After increasing the prices of the petroleum products many people stop using the kerosene stoves to heat their houses in winter and started using gas stoves which seemed cheaper. Few days ago the government shocked us by increasing the price of the gas to reach almost the double.

As a reaction, poor people in villages organized violent demonstrations against “nature”. People see that the best way to deal with the problem is to stop using gas stoves, and go back to using the traditional wood stoves. Since they’re poor and they cannot buy wood they attack the forests that surround them.

So many trees are being cut everyday and the government is doing nothing. Of course the government is happy that people don’t act against them and they turn to punish nature instead.

Last Thursday October 11, the Swedish Academy in Stockholm announced Doris Lessing, 88, as the new winner of Nobel Prize for literature. She was described as “that epicist of the female experience, who with skepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilization to scrutiny.” For me when I heard the exciting news, I swear to God I felt as if I were the one who won that prize.

Lessing’s strongest legacy may be that she inspired a generation of feminists with her breakthrough novel, “The Golden Notebook.” In its citation, the Swedish Academy said: “The burgeoning feminist movement saw it as a pioneering work, and it belongs to the handful of books that informed the 20th-century view of the male-female relationship.”

If you are interested to know more about this great woman visit this URL: http://ghashmary.blogspot.com

It might be quite acceptable if those women are kept in prison for days till the police find them a better place of safety, but, unfortunately many of them stay there, in jail, for years. Is it justice that people who are threatening to kill are free and those who are seeking protection are thrown in jail for years as if they are criminals?

The authority officials claim that they cannot permit this threatened woman to leave prison until a male family member shows up and announces that he will guarantee her safety. If this doesn’t happen- which is in most cases- she then has to remain imprisoned.