A Schoolgirl's Odyssey - Witness - Al Jazeera English

Three weeks ago, 14-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai was systematically hunted down like an animal and left for dead with two bullets lodged in her head and neck as she was returning home on her school bus.  Two of her classmates were also wounded in the attack.  The huntsman, a member of the Taliban, is still at large, thought to be hiding out in Afghanistan.  The reason Malala became an assassination target of the Taliban is because she spoke out against them in her desire to receive an education.  The Taliban has notoriously forbidden the education of females.

Malala has become an inspirational symbol around the world for women's rights and education, since at the age of 11 she began writing an online blog for the BBC about the challenges, turmoil, and threats of trying to get an education despite the fear of grave danger to herself.  The attempt on her life has further galvanized her iconic status for oppressed girls and women everywhere.  As she recuperates in a British hospital, Malala's doctors report that she is now stable and making progress, although she still has a long recovery process ahead.

The documentary below was originally filmed in 2009 and aired in 2010 on Al-Jazeera and follows Malala and her family in their journey as they live in a land of upheaval, violence, and oppression.  It is quite moving and eye opening.  It saddens me that in this modern day and age, females continue to be the objects of suppression by men who want to control them.




To read more about Malala and the grave situation in Pakistan:

As teen recovers from Taliban hit, Pakistanis demand answers

Pakistan official: Boys involved in Malala attack

Shot Pakistan girl Malala Yousafzai 'symbol of courage'

 

 

2012 Day of the Girl and a Young Hero

First of all, my apologies for not updating my blog very much at all lately. I've just been sad since my mom passed away in July and I have not been in the mood for writing. I am preparing to return to KSA soon and have enjoyed being in the midst of my family in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Today is the first international "Day of the Girl," a United Nations movement which "speaks out against gender bias and advocates for girls’ rights everywhere" - working hard around the world to eliminate such backward cultural norms like forced child marriages and banning education for girls.

Malala Yousafzai,14 year old Pakistani girl shot by Taliban

Fourteen-year-old Malala Yousafzai is the recipient of Pakistan's first National Peace Prize, honored for her outspoken opposition to the prominent Taliban presence in her country. Three years ago, she began writing a blog for the BBC about living under the Taliban's control and her desire for an education for herself and all other girls of Pakistan. Her voice was instrumental in ousting the Taliban from the Swat Valley where she resides with her family.

On October 9, 2012, two gunmen stopped the girls' school bus Malala was riding home on after school. They demanded to know which of the girls was Malala and threatened to shoot all the girls on the bus if she did not reveal herself to them. She identified herself and was promptly shot twice, in the head and the neck. Two other girls on the bus were also wounded. The Taliban have claimed credit for the cowardly attack and have also vowed to kill Malala and her family if she survives.

In Pakistan, the attack has sparked outrage and has elevated Malala's status as a courageous hero and an iconic symbol for gender equality and education.

What I find most disturbing is that these thugs justify their actions under the guise of religion. Islam stresses the importance of education for both men and women. There is no religion on earth that would advocate shooting a little girl because she wants an education.

The video below is from MSNBC's October 10th broadcast of The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell. The segment is his commentary about the shooting of Malala.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

For more reading about Malala and the Day of the Girl:
Malala and the First International Day of the Girl 
Preventing Child Brides Is Goal on UN Day of Girl Child
Dying to Learn

An Old Church in Jeddah?

I’ve been down in the old part of Jeddah many times, but last week when my husband and I drove down there to go to the fish market, I discovered something new. We were driving along busy Hail Street, passing by a lonely lot, overgrown with weeds and surrounded by office buildings.

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The only structure on the lot was a sad little crumbling building in ruin, amidst the weeds, trash, and broken bottles. Adnan pointed it out to me and said that it was the remains of an old Anglican church. I had read about this church before but had never seen it or noticed it before.

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It stands in the Baghdadiyah District of Jeddah not far from Al-Balad, near Hail and Hamzah Shahatah Streets. Just south of the abandoned unkempt lot where the church is situated is a body of water called Arba’een Lake, where the Jaffali Mosque is located.

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The history of this building is murky, but it is believed to be less than 100 years old, built when Britain supported the Sharif of Mecca in the revolt against the Ottoman Empire in the hopes of achieving Arab independence and creating a Pan-Arab state.  What is clear is that there are many versions as to the history of this building and doubts about whether or not it was ever actually used as a church.

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I’ve read that this church was actually built outside the big walls that encompassed the then small fishing village of Jeddah. The presence of an Anglican church in Saudi Arabia may seem ironic in a land that strictly prohibits the practice of any other religion besides Islam. But there is ample evidence that centuries ago Christians and even Jews used to live peacefully side by side in this country.

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In the 1980s, a 4th Century church was unearthed in the city of Jubail. This other church is believed to be one of the oldest known churches in the entire region. You can see photos of the Jubail Church and read a bit more about it by CLICKING HERE.

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Like many of the old historic buildings in the old part of Jeddah, this old church does not appear to be protected and is certainly not being preserved. I easily walked up to it and could have probably gone inside, but I did not. From archaeological and historical viewpoints, preservation of this site should be made a priority, but that is not likely to happen.

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NOTE: There are questions as to whether or not this building was ever used as a "church."  For more information about the discrepancies, please read the comments below.
Also, please do not use this post to argue about religion or politics. I have posted about this church because I find it interesting and I find a certain beauty in the decaying old buildings of Jeddah. 

"No Refund Policy" Angers Middle East Customers

I've written about it before, but I really hate shopping in Saudi Arabia. Despite the fact that the countless sparkling new shopping malls are beautiful and amazing, and irregardless of the sad truth that because of cultural restrictions there is just not much else to do in the way of activities for women in Saudi Arabia besides shop, shopping in Saudi Arabia is not something I have ever really enjoyed - and it's just gotten a whole lot worse.


The large Middle Eastern retail conglomerate, M. H. Alshaya, has enraged customers with a new policy that does not allow refunds for returned merchandise - only store credits will be offered.

The big unique problem in Saudi Arabia with this policy is that most clothing stores in the country do not provide dressing rooms for women to try on clothing before purchasing it. Why? Because they are illegal! Since most sales positions in KSA are jobs almost exclusively limited to men, even in women's clothing and lingerie stores, there are just too many wild X-rated possibilities that could conceivably happen in these changing rooms. So the imaginative Saudi religious clerics have deemed these convenient little necessities as totally immoral dens of filthy lust. Their answer is to deprive women in Saudi Arabia the ability to actually try on clothing first before buying it, preventing sexual attacks on women in various stages of undress in retail changing rooms.

Many stores have routinely imposed a strict return policy in the past, limiting the time frame for a return to three days. Imagine the problems this creates for women in Saudi Arabia who cannot drive and do not have drivers at their disposal to run them back to the store to return an item that doesn't fit. It's more than just a hassle.


Across the Middle East, Alshaya controls over 55 different retail chains, managing more than 2,000 franchises in 15 countries. Here is a list of companies in Saudi Arabia that Alshaya manages (I've included some links to their websites or email addresses):

American Eagle
BHS
Boots
Claires - email: customersupport@claires.com
Coast
Debenhams - email: heretohelp@debenhams.com
Dorothy Perkins
Evans
Express
Foot Locker
H&M
Justice - email: customerrelations@tweenbrands.com
Mac
Milano
Mothercare
Next
Oasis
Office Depot
Payless
Peacocks
Pottery Barn
Pottery Barn Kids
River
Island
Solaris
Topman
Topshop
VaVaVoom
Vision Express
Warehouse

I would urge you all to voice your objections to these stores' unfair trade practices in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. Alshaya's phone number in Saudi Arabia is 920000-2482. For Alshaya's phone contacts in other countries in the region, click here. And here is the email address of Alshaya: customercare@alshaya.com

A Facebook group has also been established to promote the boycotting of these stores under the Alshaya umbrella. Please join and show your support.

WOMEN OF THE WORLD, I ASK YOU: Have you ever been sexually attacked by a lusty salesperson while trying on clothing in a retail changing room? Whether you have or not, I want to hear it from you, so please add a comment to this post with your experience. What do you think of the Saudi religious establishment's position of forbidding women's changing rooms to prevent sexual attacks on women - justified or not?

Stirring the Pot of Controversy

The internet is abuzz with a religious controversy that at its core now appears to have no basis other than a lawyer trying to stir up trouble for Muslims.

When I initially read this article, I just shook my head in disbelief at the absurdity of the situation: a complaint under investigation by the District of Columbia Office of Human Rights about Muslim students attending Catholic University alleging that their human rights are being violated because they have not been provided a haven on campus free of Christian symbolism in which to pray. In addition, the complaint further says that Muslim students were also being denied the right to form their own Muslim student group.

Sounds rather absurd, doesn’t it? I mean, what exactly would one expect at a Catholic university?

Well, as it turns out, there are in fact no Muslim students at all behind this complaint. It is the work of an attorney and law professor at George Washington University Law School, John F. Banzhaf III. One would have to wonder what his motivations are. Is he truly concerned with Muslim students’ rights, or is he just trying to cause trouble for Muslims by making them appear to be demanding, frivolous, and unreasonable?

To read more about this topic:


Charges Agsinst Catholic University Were Not Made by Muslims, by The American Muslim

Attorney: Crosses at Catholic University violate human rights of Muslim students, at Syracuse.com


Catholic University's Muslim Students Should Have Prayer Rooms Without Crucifix, Complaint States, on The Huffington Post

Hijab in the Workplace

The topic of hijab (the cloth which covers the hair of Muslim women) has been garnering attention around the world for many years, affecting law in France, causing conflict in US courts, spurring cries of discrimination at an amusement park in the US, even inciting a woman's murder in a court in Germany, as well as a multitude of various other worldwide incidents linked to wearing hijab.

Are you a woman who has worn hijab in the workplace? Has your experience been positive or negative?

If you didn't wear hijab and then later decided to do so, did you place it on one day and show up to work with it unexpectedly? If so, how did your colleagues react?

Did you tell a superior or other colleagues that you wanted to start wearing hijab first? If so, what were the responses and how did they react once you started wearing it?

What are your thoughts on discussing your plan to begin wearing hijab first verses just showing up one day with hijab on?

Have any of you interviewed for a position without hijab and then later began working with hijab?

Are there certain working environments that seem to be more hijab-friendly than others? What environments have seemed hostile?

If you do not wear hijab but have experienced interaction with a hijabi worker, what was your impression of the encounter?

If you'd like to participate in this discussion focusing on hijab in the workplace, please be sure to indicate in your comments what country your encounters occurred in, since this factor can greatly influence one's experience.

For great tips and demonstrations on wearing hijab, check out HijabTrendz Channel on youtube.

9/11 Coloring Book Controversy

While the publisher of this coloring book for children maintains that it is historically accurate, I can't help but feel that the graphic images are disturbing and inappropriate for children who are young enough for coloring books. Are there other coloring books out there that depict burning buildings and people killing others? Since when did terrorism, death, and violence become suitable fodder for children's coloring books?

This can only serve to worsen the discrimination, hatred, and stereotypes that exist toward Muslims. Aren't there better, less inflammatory, ways of teaching young children about 9/11?

By the way, just last year this same publisher brought American children The Tea Party Coloring Book for Kids.

Sign the petition to discontinue the 9/11 coloring book at Change.org.

Thelma & Louise - Saudi Version

Reel Bad Arabs

Hollywood has contributed for decades to promoting the images of negative and demeaning stereotypes of Blacks, Native American Indians, Asians, and other ethnic groups, including Arabs. While taking aim at many of these groups may have become politically incorrect in today's society, the assault on the representation of Arabs in movies continues. Even Disney's Aladdin, which targets a younger audience, contains sordid and biased images, songs and dialogue that can effectively taint children's attitudes towards Arabs. The opening song of the movie Aladdin, sung by an Arab bad guy, includes these lyrics: "I come from a land, from a faraway place where the caravan camels roam, where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face - it's barbaric, but hey, it's home." What's a child to assume when hearing this?

In the early days of Hollywood, as far back as the 1920s, Arabs have been portrayed as "thieves, charlatans, murderers, and brutes." Many movies often just throw in unseemly Arab characters or negative references to Arabs, despite the movies' plots or themes having anything at all to do with Arabs or the Middle East, such as 1985's film Back to the Future and 1995's Father of the Bride 2. Arabs are often depicted as heartless savages to fill the antagonists' roles when the plotline calls for bad guys.

"I think whenever we see anyone being villified on a regular basis, we have to speak up whether we are image makers or not. We have to take a stand and say this is morally and ethically wrong to demonize a people," says Dr. Jack Shaheen, author of Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People.

Dr. Shaheen appears in the video below in this short synopsis of the film documentary based on his book.

If you are interested in seeing the full length documentary in its entirety, it has been broken down into several parts, each about 10 minutes long. Here are the links:

Part 1 - Reel Bad Arabs Documentary
Part 2 - Reel Bad Arabs Documentary
Part 3 - Reel Bad Arabs Documentary
Part 4 - Reel Bad Arabs Documentary
Part 5 - Reel Bad Arabs Documentary

Hollywood and Washington are forever linked in the movies. It's natural for Hollywood to produce movies about certain historical events. But what about movies that are just for pure entertainment? Is there a correlation between the large percentage of Hollywood power players being Jewish and the consistently negative portrayals of Arabs in the movies? (Joel Stein wrote this interesting op-ed piece about this topic.) Have we just become so conditioned to seeing this type of thing in the movies that it has made us insensitive to the harm that these stereotypes can do? Is Hollywood being irresponsible with its continuous negative depictions of Arabs in the movies?

Reel Bad Arabs website.

TIME Magazine: Road Warriors

The topic of women being denied the right to drive in Saudi Arabia has finally taken center stage in world news, with Saudi women united in the act of peaceful civil disobediance by getting behind the wheel since June 17. Although more and more women have been revving their engines along the streets of Saudi Arabia since that day, most have managed to drive unbothered by police - a far cry from just last month when Manal al-Sharif was thrown in jail for ten days because she dared to drive in this male dominated society. Driving is just the tip of the iceberg regarding the glaring lack of equality for women's rights in this country. The July 4th issue of TIME Magazine published an article written by Aryn Baker about the driving issue:


When Maha al-Qatani settles into the driver's seat of her family's baby blue humvee these days, she goes through a familiar routine: a glance in the rearview mirror to ensure that her headscarf and face veil are on right; a whispered prayer; and a reassuring pat of her Coach handbag, stuffed with all the essentials for a possible prison stay — toothbrush, deodorant, comfortable clothes and prayer rug.

She may need them. On June 17, al-Qatani made history by becoming the first woman in Saudi Arabia to receive a traffic ticket. She sees it as a badge of honor, proving that she defied a prohibition on women driving in the kingdom and, she hopes, paving the way for more women to do the same. Still, the possibility of prison remains. "If no one sacrifices, no one will get their rights," al-Qatani said on the day of her maiden drive in Saudi Arabia.

In one of the most peculiar revolts to have been inspired by the Arab uprisings, al-Qatani and dozens of other women have taken to the streets — not on foot but behind the wheel. They are leaving their drivers at home and heading out on their own to the grocery store or to the doctor or to pick up their kids from school. Those thankless errands may plague women around the world, but for some in Saudi Arabia they are a long-dreamed-of freedom. "What these women are doing is brave, and what they are seeking is right," said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of the protests.

Saudi Arabia — with its vast, unpopulated deserts, low-slung architecture and cheap oil — is a country made for cars. The capital city, Riyadh, is bigger than Los Angeles and has no public-transportation system. So women rely on male family members to get around or hire immigrant drivers at considerable cost.

Reforms in the 1960s opened the way for female education; now women make up 58% of the university population. But that achievement is not matched in the workplace, where women account for less than 15% of the labor force, mostly in the education and medical sectors. The government is urging private businesses to hire more women — under conditions designed to prevent mixing between unrelated men and women — but it is hard to see how that will happen if they can't drive to work. Many middle-class families see little incentive to let their daughters and wives work if they end up spending their salaries on drivers. Architect Nadia Bakhurji estimates that she spends an extra 25% in overhead just providing cars and drivers for the female staff at her firm. It's a sacrifice she is willing to make, she says, but in most other businesses, "it becomes a barrier to hiring women."

Read the rest of this TIME Magazine article by clicking here.

My Fellow American

I know from personal experience and from just watching the news every day that many Americans hold ALL Muslims responsible for 9/11, spread lies and misinformation about Islam, and have no desire to know or learn about Muslims. The Mission of "My Fellow American" is to combat Islamophobia, to try to change the preconceived misconceptions and to get Americans to realize that the vast majority of American Muslims are just like you and me.

"Muslims are our fellow Americans, who today face threats to their civil rights and even their personal safety because of the fearful and often hateful rhetoric that would not be tolerated were it uttered about any other minority group." - from the "My Fellow American" website "About" page

The following short video is effective, poignant, and gives lots of food for thought.


For more information about the My Fellow American Project and to find out what you can do, click here.

Saudi Women Want to Drive

It's Not "Lady-Like!"

A
n investigation is underway regarding a shocking and controversial sporting competition that was held recently here in Jeddah. Shocking? Yes - because the event was for females (for shame!) and the event organizers failed to obtain prior approval from the Ministry of Education. Which begs the question: Are male sporting events subject to the same restrictions? Somehow I doubt it. Female sports here in Saudi Arabia are practically non-existent because girls’ athletics are frowned upon by religious clerics and many old-fashioned Saudi men as being “unlady-like,” among other ridiculous reasons.

The illegal and contentious sporting event – thought to be the first of its kind in the Kingdom - was held on December 8th at Effat University and included competition in such unlady-like sports such as swimming, basketball, and badminton for some 200 young high school women representing six different Jeddah girls’ schools.

In the aftermath of the tournament, a member of the Board of Directors of one of the participating schools claims they had received more than 60 “anonymous” complaints about girls participating in sports.

All this commotion comes at the heels of another report out of Iran where a Muslim cleric condemned women’s sports and forbade Iranian females from participating in the Asian Games. He was quoted as saying that women’s sports are a product of the West’s “dirty” culture and should be shunned. I want to know, exactly what is “dirty” about women’s sports?

This is 2010, almost 2011. It is common knowledge in this day and age that regular exercise promotes good health, weight control, and a sense of well-being. Yet for the girls and women of the kingdom, these facts don’t matter and aren’t considered important.

Last year I wrote about how the government cracked down on women’s gyms across Saudi Arabia, closing down countless women’s facilities if they were not properly licensed and if they were not affiliated with a hospital, while there are no such restrictions placed on men’s gyms. The closing of these facilities drove up membership costs and made it impossible for many Saudi women to be able to afford going to a gym. And it’s already hard enough for women to try to exercise in this country as it is. Women here are forbidden from swimming (well they can, if they are fully covered), riding bicycles (too provocative as it reveals the female's behind), or playing sports in public. Saudi Arabia has been long criticized for denying Saudi women from particpating in the Olympics and other sporting events.

Physical Education classes in girls’ schools are a very low priority. You won’t believe some of the ludicrous reasons given for why girls shouldn’t be allowed to participate in sports or exercise in school: The female hymen might break during exercise so the girl wouldn’t be considered a virgin anymore. “Good girls” would never disrobe outside their own home, not even to change into gym clothes at school. If girls did disrobe in front of other girls at school, they might get turned on and have nasty thoughts that they may want to act upon. I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried!

All this craziness aside, women’s obesity is becoming a major health crisis here in Saudi Arabia, evident in the dramatic increases in diabetes, hypertension, depression, and other weight-related health issues. For the most part, women here lead a very sedentary lifestyle – many don’t even do any physical household chores because they have maids.

This antiquated mindset of restricting women from exercise and sports places Saudi Arabia way behind the times in promoting women’s health and well-being.