P.M. Justin Trudeau gives Canada a first cabinet with ethnically diverse ministers and an equal number of men and women, and in my home country, Lebanon, women can’t even confer their nationality to their husbands or children. As a naturalized Canadian citizen, I am proud of the gender equality under the law in the land […]
Category Archives: Women’s Roles and Situations
It's Always an Exception When It Comes to Women's Rights, Isn't It?
مش وقتا ‘Mich Wa2ta’ (Lebanese saying for ‘This is not the time to…’) is a national slogan in Lebanon used on several occasions by people of different social-economic, political and religious backgrounds. Quite understandable in a country torn by cycles of physical and psychological wars, corruption, a dysfunctional system of diversity management, the reign of […]
Pourquoi suis-je célibataire?
Cette constatation, cette question, passé la trentaine, devient un leitmotiv pesant qui dérange, blesse et déstabilise chaque jeune fille libanaise. N’étant pas la seule dans cette situation peu élogieuse, j’ai décidé de faire le tour de la question et de parler franchement de ce “problème” tabou de notre chère société. La première chose qui vient […]
Je ne suis pas qu'un corps et ce corps m'appartient !!!
‘Tu as grossi ! Il faudra que tu perdes au moins 10 kilos pour que tu sois à nouveau un être humain – bani ‘adam’ ! ‘Comment vas-tu plaire à ton mari avec cette haybe – cette face/façade – ?’ ‘Je connais une excellente diététicienne. Je te refile son numéro’. ‘Ah ! J’ai cru que tu étais enceinte ! Le […]
Is Lebanon Ready for a Revolution?
Why do many Lebanese let themselves and their country be buried under trash? Why is the general worldview/behavior – except for few individuals and movements who are trying to deconstruct it – quietist, conformist, and ostrich or zombie like? Why isn’t there a collective upheaval that would gather all Lebanese? Is Lebanon ready for a revolution? […]
Why do Men Fear Women?
This is not a philosophy question. I am just sharing my story while hoping others will answer the question ‘Why do Men Fear Women?’ based on their own experiences. I have been working for quite some time in the Arab world, between Lebanon, Syria (before the war) and the United Arab Emirates. Different companies, different […]
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 […]
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 […]