Few days ago, I asked my students to search for the origins and use of the ‘Middle East’ expression and identify the most common stereotypes of the ‘Middle East’ and ‘Middle Easterners’. Following the plenary session where they presented their findings, we discussed the importance of deconstructing 100+ year old taxonomy and theories. By deconstruction, […]
Author Archives: Red Lips High Heels
I caught a line in your eyes
I caught a line in your eyes weaving the endless strings of destiny to carry dreams of children spat out by waters of indifference to the shores of denials Dreams vanished in the pure light of an unfulfilled life a fruitless tree healthy yet lifeless cut from its roots Sleep as deep as the deepest […]
I Urge you Not to Lose Faith in Humanity
My name is Kalima [my nickname, for security reasons] and I am Syrian. I left my country two years ago, following the massacre of my mother, father, brother, uncle and grand-parents. I was fortunate enough to be rescued and to be able to escape to Europe via Turkey, but many others weren’t. I have been […]
Lebanese Architects which side you will be on?
Ongoing conflicts define the world society nowadays and refugee camps are growing in number, burdening hosting communities to handle the ever increasing number of asylums and continue to provide good management for the camps. Nonetheless, the real burden falls on the refugees themselves, as they face difficulties with safety, violence, aid distribution and violations of […]
Having a daughter is a blessing!
Women do pay a heavy price since the day they are born in Lebanon. The first words most family members said to my mother when they knew I was going to be born were: “A girl? Well… Maybe next time you will have a boy to ‘become her crown’ (yitawweja in Lebanese)…” Gender based discrimination […]
مشاهَدة
لا آبه كلمات الآباء وتغاريد الأمّهات الساهية، تتبادلها أيام العائلات المتلاشية. لا أكترث لمن يحفظ الدهور الماضية في تقليدٍ تملاه المآثر والمآكل، يمضغها رجلٌ أفرغته أمُّه من أيّامه فأخصاه أبوه ليبعده عن كيف المرأة. لا أنصتُ لما تشابه فلا يصلني من الشبّان والفتيات إلّا ما تقمعه أنفاسهم فيلهث حقيقة الجسد. لا أنظر إلى النساء لكي […]
قطرات دماء تحدد مصير الحياة
في عالمنا العربي و في القرن الواحد و العشرون، مازال كثير من أهل الشرق يحصر الشرف في قطرات دماء تسقط يوم الزفاف بسبب فض غشاء البكارة. فالشرف ليس شي مادي، و ليس مقتصراً علي الجسد. الشرف يكمن في الأخلاق، يكمن في أحترام الأخر حتي و إن لم نتفق معه. و لماذا ينسب الشرف دائما للمرأة؟ ماذا […]
Who Gave Them Such a Right?
“Men categorize women in one of four ways; mothers, virgins, sluts and bitches. Of course, none of the above is suitable for the modern business woman. But you can create your own image by selecting pieces of each archetype that work for you; for example: the sexual attractiveness of the slut the wisdom of the […]
The Yellow Underline
Duly named “The Yellow Underline”, the series of photographs that I created is considered to be an absolute embodiment of the archaic debate that revolves around “Islam and Peace”, taking into consideration the controversial argument that stems from the stereotypical mentality that foreigners possess of Muslim women. Seeing that those individuals who have not had […]
الزين اللي فيك: علاش هاد البلبلة؟
يسبق خامس أفلام نبيل عيّوش الروائيّة صيته، وقد حُكم عليه بالرفض حتّى قبل أن يحاول المنتج توزيعه في المغرب أو أيّ دولة عربيّة أخرى. لا يريد المغربيّون الفيلم لأنّه “يخدش الحياء” ويمسّ بصورة المرأة المغربيّة ويروّج للدعارة كما يقولون على صفحات مواقع التواصل الإجتماعيّ، هم أنفسهم الذين يهرعون لتحميل مقاطع الفيلم الجنسيّة كي “يفضحوا” نيّة […]