Living in a Patriarchal Society

The Lebanese society – such as most Western Asian societies – can be easily labeled as patriarchal. Males have central roles of political leadership, moral authority, religious authority, economical power and property. Sad reality in the 21st century C.E., especially when anthropological and historical evidence indicates that most prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies were generally relatively egalitarian. Our […]

Fathers and Sons, and the Middle Eastern Mentality

Fathers and sons bond by making fun of their wives and sisters respectively. Ita��s as simple as a statement as a�?Theya��re women! What do you expect?a�?. They have a laugh and brush off anything that was said as if ita��s nothing significant. This is Lebanon. This is the mentality in a big number of houses. […]

Les Femmes et la Guerre

Par Madeleine Gagnon (VLB Editeur, Canada, 2000) Un ouvrage certes non récent, mais dont le message est encore d’actualité, et qui touche les femmes au Moyen-Orient victimes d’innombrables guerres. Madeleine Gagnon en a rencontré entre autres en Israël-Palestine et au Liban. Ces femmes ont perdu leurs proches. Nombre d’entre elles ont en outre subi sévices […]

سبل الشفاء من عوارض المرأة الخارقة

في علم الإجتماع، يصف تعبير”المرأة الخارقة” المرأة التي تعمل بمشقة لتقوم بأدوار عديدة مثل عاملة ومدبرة منزل ومثطوعة وطالبة إلخ… تختلف عبارة “المرأة الخارقة” هنا عن “مهنة المرأة” لأن العبارة الثانية تعني أن تضحي المرأة بحياتها العائلية لتنجح في مهنتها بينما تسعى المرأة الخارقة إلى التفوق في الدورين الإثنين. عًرِفَت هذه الفكرة في الأوساط النسائية […]

Why am I still Reading Fairy Tales to my Daughter?

I thought of it a while ago while reading fairy tales to my five year old daughter. Wolves, witches, monsters, princes and princesses living happily ever after, having 10 kids and more… I found myself twisting theses stories in order to be closer to our reality and context: 21st century C.E., Lebanon (Western Asia). Old […]

Women Living and Doing Dialogue

Defining Dialogue: The word Dialogue or Dialog comes from a Greek word: ‘dhialogos’ = dhia (through) and logos (word, speech): flowing-through meaning (not a monologue), or the word that is ‘heard’ (respected, taken into consideration, and leading to change/transformation). [quote style=”boxed”]“In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.”[/quote] Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese Monk, Activist […]

قدسية الجسد

يمكن تحديد عدة محاور للدراسة والمناقشة:  وجود تنوع هائل في تحديد مصطلحات الجسد والقدسية في العالم وفي لبنان.  تعدد مواقع السلطة في كيفية إستخدام الجسد في لبنان، وجود سلوكيات ومفاهيم وممارسات رائجة أصبحت طبيعية: الجسد مسودة ومشروع لمدى الحياة (مفهوم فرداني/ مفهوم قبلي)؛ الجراحة التجميلية/ الحمية الغذائية والأعراض النفسية والجسدية  تناقض في الرسائل الإجتماعية الذي […]

Family Honor and Women: an Unfinished Business

By Dr. PAMELA CHRABIEH and MARIANNE BADINE In many societies, family honor related to virginity became an outdated issue. However, in most Western Asian and North African cultures for example, horrific realities prevail. “Honor murders” occur in cities and villages, in poor neighborhoods and upper social classes. These murders are based on the belief that […]

About the Current Situations of Women in the Middle East

I have been following closely the “Uprising of Women in the Arab World” Facebook Campaign. Somehow, most testimonies reflect my concerns. As a Western Asian woman, but also as a university professor, researcher, author, artist and activist, in one of the most Patriarchal institutions i.e. the Religious circle of knowledge production, I can assure my […]

The Revolution of Mentalities and the Appropriation of the Female body

Sustainable revolutions in the Middle East, and especially in the Arab World, begin with a revolution of mentalities, and the latter is based on many pillars, including the re-appropriation of the Female body.  A body being in most cases oppressed, utilized, objectified, mutilated, excessively covered or uncovered… both for individual gratification and political/economical ends. Such violence […]