Le Liban est un pays diversifié, mais le Québec l’est encore plus, du moins en ce qui concerne les diversités religieuse et ethnique, des croyances et des pratiques. C’est à Montréal que je rencontrais pour la première fois des féministes de toutes tendances et approches : juives, musulmanes, hindoues, bouddhistes, bahaïes, vodouisantes, sorcières, agnostiques, athées, etc. ; […]
Author Archives: Red Lips High Heels
Eternels vagabonds…
Suite à l’incendie criminel de la librairie Saeh à Tripoli au Nord du Liban, je partage ici un passage de mon livre ‘A la rencontre de l’Islam’ (Médiaspaul, Montréal, 2006, p.29): “Je regarde le ciel et je cherche une réponse, à la violence perpétuelle, au lynchage de mon peuple, Aucun signe, aucune lueur… Dieu aurait-il […]
Why not an "Emergency State" in Lebanon?
What happens when a society no longer knows the meaning of an Emergency State?A�It seems that this is what we have come to. Another news about an explosion blasting a certain area and the usual happens: we spend the first 10 minutes in disbelief and panic, we shift from one local TV channel to the […]
In the Land of Martyrdom?
Following the latest blasts in Beirut-Lebanon – just before New Year’s celebration, and this afternoon -, and every explosion since 2005, one can easily notice the use (and misuse) of the word ‘martyr’. According to many journalists, political sciences experts and clergymen, victims of such attacks are labeled ‘martyrs’ (shuhada’), and Lebanon ‘the Land of […]
Double Standards
When did weight become a national conversation? I have been living in Canada for the past 10 years, having left Lebanon when I was 25. Three months ago I decided to come back and give Lebanon another try. Ever since the first day I arrived in Lebanon, I was shocked to realize that all that […]
Mon histoire avec l'excision du clitoris
Je suis Leyla et je suis égyptienne. Je vous écris mon histoire en espérant que vous la publierez. Je vis actuellement au Québec où j’ai eu vent de votre projet extraordinaire qu’est ce blog et la page Facebook. Briser le silence, déconstruire les stéréotypes, offrir un savoir alternatif sur les femmes au Moyen-Orient, et varié! […]
Learning from the Past, Understanding the Present, Fighting for a better Future
The incomplete yet revealing journey to the past of Western Asia with a particular focus on womanhood made me realize the importance of pursuing the investigative process of the past at all levels, including the not so obvious ones, the unthought and unthinkable, in order to build constructive memories thus histories and identities. Most Western […]
Living in Hell
Him: ‘Go to hell!’ – While hitting my face… Me: Screaming – ‘I am already in hell!!!!” My name is Catharina (obviously not my real name for security reasons). I am Lebanese and I live in a quite fancy environment, with everything one can imagine possessing – mansion, maids, gardener, driver, luxurious cars, yacht … […]
Womanhood in Ancient Western Asia (Middle East): why is it important to study the past?
This is an excerpt of my book’s introduction ‘Womanhood in Western Asia: a Journey to the Past’, recently published in Arabic by Dar el-Machreq, Beirut, Lebanon. Book signing: December 13, 2013, 7 p.m., International Arab Book Fair (Biel, Beirut), Librairie Orientale stand. [hr] “In the nineteenth century, the central moral challenge was slavery. In the twentieth century, it […]
Looking for Love ladies? Love yourselves first…
“Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit” (Khalil Gibran) Women in the Arab world are usually rushed into arranged marriage, forbidden to love and be loved; or soaked in the culture of prince charming who will rescue the princess and live with her happily ever after, only to wake up from […]