Fifty Shades of Black and Blue: Romanticising Abuse

On-screen, Angelina Jolie-as-Maleficent screams in surround-sound, her anguish visible in HD. A little girl sits cross-legged before the screen, her glassy eyes wide and reflecting the scene playing out on the television. Only six years old, she turns around and asks this reporter why Maleficent the fairy is screaming, and why the “bad man took […]

فتاةٌ تتوقَّف

حدودي غريبةٌ تتجاوز أفكار رجلٍ نسي زوجاته في حضني الضغِنِ، تتأرجح على كانونٍ بيتيَ فتداعب جُذى الفائت ورمادَ الآتي. حدودي مرقَصٌ تلهو فيه الآلهة فتهجر البشر وتنصهر أفكارها في أعضائي الفرحة المتلاشية، تشارك شارعي الفارغ في حريّة السواد العائد يشدو بين خُصَل شعري المُشرِكِ. حدودي حوضٌ تتعرّى في عزلة قحطه كلماتُ الجواري فتسافر فيها أفئدة […]

Celebrating Women in our Families!

Join us this Sunday to celebrate women in our families! With my MEST ‘Women and Gender in the Middle East’ students. On the menu: intergenerational/intercultural homemade buffet, live art work and creative writing! #AUD (American University in Dubai, Media City)

Women and Religions (Workshop, American University in Dubai)

When it comes to religions, such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam, there are many approaches that describe the nature, status and roles of women: from egalitarian to complementarian and traditionalist, from liberal to conservative, and every approach refers to the sacred scriptures while using a different interpretation of the same verses. Should we look for […]

Rape Culture in the UAE

Rates of sexual harassment continue to rise in the Middle East, feasibly linked to culture-enforced lack of sex education, experts say. In an interview with Joan Abdalla, a Counselor and Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the American University in Dubai, she has revealed that the absence of awareness could be a contributing factor to how […]

The Paris Terror Attacks…Now What?

In light of the recent terror attacks that took place in Paris, many have taken to social media to publish their opinions. Hashtags including #JeSuisCharlie and #JeSuisAhmed went viral on twitter. The world seemed to be buzzing; the terror attacks in France had affected so many people. What happened as a result of the unprecedented […]