Cab Driving and Sexual Harassment

How many times have we heard stories about cab drivers and their lack of ethics in Lebanon? They try to get more than a normal fee out of passengers to go from point A to point B. They surely overcharge foreigners. And, they engage in obscene conversations with guys and girls. The typical Lebanese cab […]

On a Lighter Note…Laughing Your Way Out (Being a Female Athlete)

One of the perks of being a female athlete is the invitation to show off, and prove that you can really do what you pretend saying. When younger cousins dare you to accomplish those deeds, it is just as important to be funny and take it lightly than to make a big deal out of […]

« Transmettre la nationalité au conjoint et aux enfants »: un droit encore non acquis pour les Libanaises!

En tant que Libanaise vivant au Liban, je jouis certes d’une marge de liberté introuvable dans certains pays avoisinants. Je peux conduire une auto, enseigner à l’université, boire un kir royal dans un bar huppé de Beyrouth, me pavaner en mini-jupe en toute saison, fumer le cigare ou la pipe, débattre de sujets ‘sensibles’ en […]

Womanhood in Western Asia Cannot be Summarized in ‘Clichés’

Most Western Asian societies are struggling nowadays with social, political and economic crisis. They also suffer from diverse forms of discrimination (gender, religious, political, etc.) based partly on highly selective memories serving particular interests and ideological positions. However, there are spaces of dialogue and conviviality, and gender equality cases. Just as memory and identity support […]

A Vindictive Husband! My story…

Many true stories about vindictive ex-spouses exist. I have heard about several men who have tried to destroy the reputation of their ex-wives with a ruthless and quite thorough assault on their public characters. These men have told lies to friends and family members, attempted to blackmail their former spouses by threatening to spread vicious […]

I am a Feminist Man

The word a�?feminista�? is being more and more associated with queer women, lesbians to be specific. And, what are lesbians known for? Answer: Hating men. So somewhere along the history of feminism, this link has been created and it has become hard to break this line of stereotypical thoughts. In all feminist movements women are […]

De la déconstruction à l'interpénétration: mon approche conceptuelle

Désigné par Rachid Benzine comme un des « nouveaux penseurs de l’Islam», Mohammad Arkoun était professeur émérite d’histoire de la pensée islamique à la Sorbonne (Paris-III) et directeur de la revue Arabica. Il faisait partie d’une mouvance d’érudits engagés depuis les années 60-70 à remettre en question la cristallisation de plusieurs types de discours (théologie, jurisprudence, exégèse…) de la […]

Causes of Divorce: Stop Blaming it on Women!

I am a Lebanese woman living in hell since I divorced. “Social hell” if I can label it this way… Lebanese society is of course diverse, still, its perception of divorced women is archaic and sexist. Women are usually blamed for a failed marriage: “she could have prevented it”, “she did not sacrifice enough”, “how […]

Rabia Al-Adawiyya,Iraqi Sufi and Poet: on Women's Spiritual Experience

Women’s spiritual experience has been suppressed through much of modern history – considering the historical credence given to the masculine perspective of the divine over the earthier, fleshy, relationship-centered perspective of the feminine – and is only now been recovered in its full richness: Julian of Norwich, England, the Ashanti women of Ghana, Lady Kasa of Japan, […]

My Journey with Plastic Surgery is Over!

I began this journey with physical embellishment in my early 20s with Rhinoplasty or the nose job. In my 30s: breast augmentation, liposuction and eyelid lifts. In my 40s, a vaginal wall repair surgery after delivering two babies. My husband wasn’t happy with a wider vagina. Is he happy today? Not at all… What have […]