Combating female circumcision (FC), also known as female genital mutilation (FGM) or cutting, is a shared goal amongst human rights activists and feminists. The exact reason behind FGM’s emergence is unknown, but there is proof that it began long before the rise of Islam. Historians believe it was first developed in ancient Egypt for ritualistic […]
Category Archives: Women’s Roles and Situations
Gender Equality by 2030: Possibility or Utopia?
This year’s March 8 International Women’s Day United Nations theme is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”. With the new global 2030 roadmap and 17 Sustainable Development Goals approved by UN Member States, gender equality appears to be the most critical[1]. According to Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director (UN […]
The Me I Am
The Me is a mere stereotype, an ideological battleground, a fracture along party lines, an emotionally-laden symbol of the nation, a mother who needs protection against the outside enemy, a coup d’Etat. The me is the background urging, praising and supporting. The Me is a dichotomy, a binary system, purity-impurity, honor-dishonor, a perfect-broken vase, bda3a […]
Eyes of the Future
I took a seat nonchalantly and rested the Arabic traditional instrument, the qanun, on my legs. Like every rehearsal and performance attended, I was focused, music ready, mind and spirit in reverence of the music to be created. Between the sound cables and baby Jesus in the manger, I looked up from the corner to […]
Silenced
As a Muslim Arab girl, growing up in an Arab society, I’ve often felt like I was silenced or not welcome to be talking in my community. When I was growing up, my parents were supportive and encouraged me to always speak my mind but later on in life, the more people I met the […]
My ‘Go Home!’ Movie Review
‘Go Home’ by Lebanese director Jihane Chouaib is a powerful statement about the difficulty that many members of the Lebanese diaspora face when they go back to their homeland, with a particular focus on war memory, post-traumatic syndrome disorders and identity crisis. I watched the movie two days ago at the Dubai Film Festival and […]
Keset Hayaty El Gdeeda (My New Life Story)
I took 3 different photographs of my sister in which she resembles 3 different women. I made sure all 3 pictures are exactly the same, in terms of makeup and lighting, and focused on dark makeup on her eyes and eyebrows, for a deeper intensity. The first picture depicts my sister with her long flowy […]
Women’s Rights should be Prioritized and Addressed
In an era where robots are sense-perceptive, mobile phones have 3D touch capabilities, and cars can drive with little human interference, it disappoints me to see how little opportunities to grow or be identified as an equal the MENA*[1] region has presented for women. As an Arab woman, I myself have seen the struggles women […]
Fairness Creams Expose the Ugly Truth
You’re flipping through channels on TV and you find yourself watching a commercial where a woman is at a job interview. She does not get the job. Two weeks later, after using a whitening cream that made her six shades lighter, she goes back for the same interview. This time, she gets the job. The […]
My story with Arranged Marriages
“I never knew that I would be able to write about my experience as a woman of this community. I’m here today because of it, I’m here because it has made me who I am today: a woman trying to embody the ideals of both the West and East, a constant struggle, a constant obstacle- […]