Red Lips High Heels – Page 19 – Gender in the Middle East

All it takes for evil to succeed is for a few good human beings to do nothing…

nadine-hobeika-redlipshighheels — Nadine Hobeika

As I was watching TV the other night, I came across the trailer of “Fifth Estate”, the movie based on the sequence of events lived by the founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange. The trailer ends with “you want the truth; you should seek it out yourself. That’s what they fear the most, YOU”. Right after that, you start wondering if you are living in a lie plotted by your religious and political leaders. They all have talk-shows, press releases, and their own page in journals, claiming to enlighten us about the current situation. In fact, they create all that fuss just to get us off the path that ends with the realization of the game where we are puppets and they are the puppeteers and the strings are the religion. The whole game revolves around two things, money and power.

One of the first religious wars we know about is the one between Jews and Pagans. They would invade the enemy’s villages claiming to defend their gods, kill the men and take gold, women and animals. However, isn’t it just a cover up? If the reason is just religious, why rape women or steal gold instead of converting the villagers and thus increasing believers? And so on, every so called religious war is never about preaching, it was only about money and power. Preaching doesn’t require a physical force, so why go with weapons and artillery? They are only giving right to their actions by the fear they create.

Nevertheless, as some human minds evolved, religion has been used to mobilize many fanatic groups of people against each other leading to the gain of the ones with the evolved minds. Why were the Jews placed in the midst of the Arab world? Do you think that the Israeli-Arab conflict was not planned for? Did you really think that America and Europe will let the Arab nations develop and take conscious of all the riches of their lands? They act as if their main concern is to solve our problems but they actually plan how to ruin us even more. Let’s evaluate the Lebanese situation and how much we, as Lebanese, are wrapped up with shells and skip the core element of our problems.

In 1982, when Israel invaded Lebanon, it almost took over it. Why did Israelis withdraw? When Palestinians were defeated in the civil war, why they were not banished for good? How did Hezbollah managed to gather all the Shia under one cause? Why do we keep having new fanatic groups in Lebanon? Why hasn’t Israel wiped out the area clean from Muslims? Well, the answer is easy, without puppets, there is no game, and without a game there are no winners, and that is just unacceptable. They intend to keep the conflict religious to keep the hatred in the hearts of the people. This status quo in Lebanon is not due to the amazing skills of Lebanese to live together, it’s rather an endless gold mine to the great nations whose economy flourishes with our conflicts.

We ask ourselves why are we still living in a war that started 40 years ago and has supposedly ended? We cannot escape the plot designed for us by other nations because we are fighting over convictions and beliefs. Religious wars have only one solution: one part must disappear, and so conveniently all nations interfere right before the extinction of a group to keep the tension going and keep us distracted from the intellectual level they’ve reached.

Hence, the great nations has definitely gained from the religious conflicts we have in our country, however, Lebanese parties did not restrain themselves to take advantage of the conflicts either. The current war between Shia and Sunni is the result of the objection of the Shia minority against the underestimation they were facing in politics.

Karl Marx said: “religion is the opium of the masses”. Our blindness by religion has become “the ring of Gyges”. This magic ring was invented by Plato, the great philosopher. It turns invisible whoever wears it. Consequently, Plato confirms that a just or an unjust man wearing the ring will not be able to resist the desire to go to the extent of its power and capacity due to the lack of censorship. Well, our ignorance is “the ring of Gyges” for politicians. Add to that, some use excuses like we are disgusted or there’s not much to do anyways, to justify their lack of motivation and drive. Well, I say to these people: “All it takes for evil to succeed is for a few good men to do nothing…” ― Edmund Burke.

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Sources:

http://ovaismirza-politicalthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/09/religion-and-politics.html
http://www.brainyquote.com/
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/27/should-religion-play-a-role-in-politics/?_r=0
http://www.legrandsoir.info/La-religion-au-service-du-pouvoir.html
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2013/01/LERER/48585

Pour la cause des droits des femmes au Liban: quelle révolution des mentalités?

Dr. Pamela Chrabieh — Dre. Pamela Chrabieh
(Salon Francophone du Livre de Beyrouth, 9 novembre 2013)

Je publie ci-dessous un résumé d’une partie de mon intervention à la Table-Ronde organisée par Women in Front le samedi 9 novembre 2013 au Salon Francophone du Livre de Beyrouth: “La cause des droits des femmes: avancées et obstacles – France, Maghreb, Liban”. La partie des acquis et non-acquis, ainsi que celle des obstacles, seront publiées ultérieurement. Pour ceux et celles intéressés-ées par plus de détails, je vous prie de me contacter.

Face aux nombreux obstacles à une avancée de qualité dans la cause des droits des femmes au Liban, il est évident qu’il va falloir entreprendre un examen et une révision systématiques de la législation afin d’atteindre une conformité totale aux dispositions des conventions internationales ratifiées par le Liban, et d’élargir les lieux de lutte déjà entamés au sein de la société civile tout en créant des partenariats constructifs. Toutefois, les lois ne suffisent pas… La simple volonté non plus… Ni d’ailleurs les initiatives ponctuelles et éclatées.

Il va falloir agir, encore et plus, lever les interdits, penser l’impensable, briser les tabous, déconstruire les stéréotypes. Etre acharnées, tenaces, prêtes à œuvrer chacune pour soi et les autres, être solidaires, devenir des entrepreneuses politiques, pour faire évoluer tant la condition des femmes au Liban que celle de l’être humain.

Une révolution des mentalités devrait advenir, même si celle-ci prendrait des décennies. Pour que, justement, les femmes cessent d’être spectatrices, figurantes, mineures qui ne peuvent décider, exclues de la vie publique, de la politique, de l’histoire, et cessent d’être réduites à leur seule nature et condition de mère/épouse soumise ou de bel objet à admirer et baiser.

Cette révolution, devrait à mon avis, inclure ce qui suit:

1) La liberté d’être soi, de s’aimer et de s’apprécier;

2) La liberté de posséder son corps – en ce sens, les femmes devraient faire partie des débats de société sur la procréation, la fécondité, la maternité, l’eugénisme, la contraception, la famille, etc. ou les mettre au-devant de la scène;

3) La liberté de vivre sa sexualité – que de tabous et d’interdits entravent une vie sexuelle libre et épanouie pour les femmes libanaises. Que de cas de femmes qui se font faire une hyménoplastie pour pouvoir se marier, ou pour échapper à l’exclusion et même la mort, que ce soit de leur famille ou de celle de leur époux. Que de cas d’incompatibilité sexuelle à la suite de mariages arrangés ou forcés. Que de cas de femmes traumatisées, violentées, par manque d’éducation sexuelle et de capacitation. Que de femmes tombent dans le piège de l’objectification sexuelle et du viol marital. Une citation de Madeleine Pelletier : « Tant que la femme est considérée comme un être inférieur, on peut dire que l’amour est réservé au sexe masculin. La femme n’est que l’instrument dont l’homme se sert pour jouir ; il la consomme comme un fruit ». Que de femmes ne voient dans le sexe qu’un moyen de procréer, alors qu’il est aussi une source désirée de plaisirs. Que de femmes ne jouissent pas ou ignorent qu’elles puissent jouir… Pourtant, elles ont le droit de jouir ! Elle devraient avoir le droit de réaliser leur potentiel érotique et charnel, sans être taxées de volages, de nymphomanes et de salopes, alors que les hommes sont admirés, des James Bond ; sans non plus transformer le sexe en une marchandise.

4) La liberté de savoir : recevoir une instruction suffisante et convenable… Non pour se trouver un meilleur parti et ranger son diplôme dans le tiroir par la suite, mais pour mieux se connaître, pour mieux évoluer, pour améliorer des situations, et pour contribuer à la production du savoir… C’est ce que je tente de faire (et en partenariat avec d’autres auteures-s) avec le mouvement Red Lips High Heels : promouvoir la production du savoir féminin et-ou féministe au Liban et dans la région… Les femmes ne doivent et ne peuvent être tenues à l’écart de l’étude et de la réflexion, ni de la dissémination du savoir (et en particulier sur le religieux, le politique, l’économie, etc. Santé, beauté, enfants et cancans c’est bon mais au-delà aussi c’est meilleur).

5) La liberté de travailler et de décider… au-delà des simples objectifs de gagner de l’argent pour se nourrir et subvenir aux besoins de la famille… au-delà des petits boulots mal payés, des tâches ingrates et subalternes ; au-delà de la différence des salaires… Oui, il y a des femmes académiciennes, médecins, ingénieures, avocates, directrices de branches de banques, etc… Mais on est bien loin d’occuper les postes de décision tant dans les secteurs privé que public… On est bien loin d’avoir les mêmes droits que les hommes, et pourtant, les femmes compétentes et qualifiées, elles sont pas mal nombreuses…

6) La liberté de dénoncer les injustices, de briser le silence, de ne pas accepter ce que l’on nous impose, ne pas se résigner, et n’avoir pas peur de se proclamer féministe – les hommes aussi !

7) La liberté de créer et d’imposer leur talent de créatrices : écrivaines, peintres, photographes, sculptrices, réalisatrices, musiciennes, etc. Oui le Liban en regorge, mais les femmes ont encore du chemin pour se forger une place dans le monde élitiste de l’art, pour ne pas se faire taxer d’anormales ou pour faire reconnaître leurs œuvres et leurs aptitudes exceptionnelles. Les anges n’ont pas de sexe ? Le génie non plus…

8) La liberté de se dépasser, d’être là où une femme n’est pas attendue (comme une femme dans le domaine de la production du savoir sur le religieux, ou une femme championne de course de moto, ou une femme jouant au football (je ne vous raconte pas la difficulté que j’ai à trouver un club de foot pour ma fille de 6 ans!).

La révolution des mentalités, c’est de créer de nouveaux choix, au-delà de ceux qu’ont produit la mentalité patriarcale et le système patriarcal ; c’est de mettre notre énergie à nous capaciter afin de survivre hors de ce système ou de pouvoir gérer notre vie d’une manière alternative en son sein et d’y opérer une sortie progressive. La révolution des mentalités, les femmes certes vont devoir la faire advenir, mais avec les hommes aussi, pour le bien de tout être humain, quelles que soient ses appartenances.

Let the Desire of Speaking Freedom become a harness…

“Censorship” comes from the Latin word censor. In the 5^th c. C.E. Rome, the censor had two duties: to count the citizens (census) and to supervise their morals. In Greek communities, the ideal of good governance included shaping the character of the people. Two of the most famous cases of censorship in ancient times are that of Socrates, sentenced to drink poison for his corruption of youth and his acknowledgement of unorthodox divinities, and the female mathematician and philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria, whom, according to those who stripped her flesh from her bones and scattered her body parts through the streets, had heretical teachings and ‘was a woman who didn’t know her place’. During the Middle Ages in Europe, witch-hunts resulted in the trial, torture, and execution of tens of thousands of victims, about three-quarters of whom were women living outside the parameters of the patriarchal family, perceived as embodiments of inexhaustible negativity.

Modern-day Socrates, Hypatia and witches’ cases fill the drawers of censorship bureaus, court houses, prisons and cemeteries in the Arab world: journalists, bloggers, musicians, university professors, and other public figures. The fall of many dictatorial regimes after what was labeled ‘Arab Spring’ hasn’t brought durable guarantees for freedom of expression but on the contrary, an increase of judicial harassment and criticism’s muzzling, especially when politicians are slandered and religious values-practices are denigrated.

Many argue that censorship is necessary for a ‘healthy society’ and the ‘protection of the public’, for ‘making a fortune out of it’, or for the ‘preservation of power dynamics’ (State versus people) and ‘national security issues’. Yet, censorship is being met with resistance, seen as a danger to open democratic nations: support committees, online campaigns, peaceful demonstrations, cultural events, alternative media coverage,… regularly report violations of freedom of expression throughout the region, criticize the abuses and the pervasive forms of media control like self-censorship, draw new lines between censorship and moral responsibility, and call for transparent governments, just laws, independent press, a climate of open-minded dialogue and the building of confident societies.

Will those individual and collective initiatives be able to push boundaries? We will have to wait for the aftermath of wars and adrenaline pumped upheavals in the upcoming months and years, while pursuing the struggle at all levels, building sustainable partnerships across civil society’ scattered ghettos and ivory towers, and, as Gibran Khalil Gibran states in The Prophet, cease to be slaves who prostrate before tyrants and let the desire of seeking freedom become a harness, not only a goal or a fulfillment: “You shall be free indeed when your days are not without a care nor your nights without a want and a grief, but rather when these things girdle your life and yet you rise above them naked and unbound”.

Published in MARCH newsletter, November 2013, Lebanon)
http://www.marchlebanon.org/documents/newsletter/Free-newsletter-2013-online.pdf

Human Rights in Lebanon: There is a lot of work left to be done!

rodrigue-elias-assi — Rodrigue Elias Assi

“The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened” (John F. Kennedy).

When I first decided to write about human rights in Lebanon, I was not aware of how important this subject is and how much it affects our daily life. However, the more I read, the more it started to hit me: If we do not preserve what we already achieved – which is honestly a little -, and do not fight for what is left – a LOT! -, how would we be able to survive as individuals and as a nation?

The term “slave” started to look extremely perspicuous to me…! And with this ‘image’ in mind, i started digging in the past (two to three decades ago), looking for the ‘What’ – human rights’ violations -, the ‘Why’ – the causes -, and the ‘Heroes’ – the organizations fighting for human rights -, in order to have a clearer perspective of our current and future situations. The following is just a quick reminder of historical and sociological/political facts.

Going back to the 80s and 90s, the state of human rights in Lebanon was not very satisfying. According to some studies, in 1989, human rights were not among the blessings the Taif settlement agreement promised. There were some tendencies to repress some individual rights like the freedom of media, of education and of political organizations and the trade unions. Plus, evidences concerning the collective rights show that the independence and sovereignty of Lebanon would be sacrificed for Syria’s benefit. Talking about political and legal rights, several violations of these rights were detected in matters of the freedom of peaceful assembly and associations: although the Constitution provided the freedom of assembly, the government restricted this right. The government banned all rallies in 1996, the labor unions, in particular, encountered throughout the past years difficulties to obtain permission to exercise their constitutional right to demonstrate. Another example on how the government always fought the General Confederation of Labor (CGTL) on several occasions by calling on the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to control the situation, including when the Lebanese Army encircled CGTL headquarters and prevented the Union leaders from leaving their offices, keeping them under provisional arrest for about 6 hours.

What was also true is that the Constitution stated that citizens have the right to change their government in fair elections, a thing that was not applied back then because those elections were never entirely free nor fair – also true nowadays! Moreover, what about the freedom of speech and press, a right that was partially limited by the government? Some would say “There are no free journals in Lebanon but there are free journalists.” The government used several tools at its disposal to control the freedom of expression. Also, the 1991 security agreement between Lebanon and Syria contained a provision that bans the publication of any information deemed damaging to the security of either state. Under the threat of prosecution, Lebanese journalists censored themselves on matters related to Syria.

Over the years since 1990, the government severely attacked press freedoms by filing charges against several newspapers. In a 10 day period in 1996, three dailies (ad-Diyar, al-Liwa’ and Nida’al Watan) and two weeklies (alKifah al -Arabi and al-Massira) were charged with defaming the President and the Prime Minister, and for publishing materials deemed provocative to one religious sect. The daily “ad-Diyar” alone was indicted five times and both the owner and editor-in-chief faced sentences of 2 months to 2 years of prison and fines equivalent to 30,000 to 60,000 US dollars if found guilty. The attack was not only on the newspapers but the government imposed a law which reduced the number of television and radio stations to just a few, related to important political figures. In May 1996 the General Security confiscated and banned some books as well – and it still does it, along with theater plays, movies, clothes with specific symbolism,…

What about individuals’ privacy when phones are tapped? And freedom of religion (and ‘no-religion’)? What about the disappearance of so many people, torture, prisons’ conditions, etc.? What kind of a country does not care about the protection of its children? Unfortunately, to this day, there are neither child welfare programs nor government institutions to oversee the implementation of children’s programs. 60 % of working children are below 13 years of age and 75% of them earn two thirds below the minimum wage. Women’s rights were violated (and still are), people with disabilities still need to be recognized by the government, appreciated by others and respected as well. Nowadays, public awareness of environmental issues is relatively new compared to other nations, meaning there’s a huge lack in different environmental aspects. On another hand, Palestinian refugees resident in Lebanon continue to face discrimination and to be denied access to adequate housing and certain categories of employment. Oh and there is also, of course, the Syrian refugees’ dramatic situation!

On the bright side, there were always active organizations in Lebanon fighting for human rights. For example: the Lebanese Foundation for Permanent Civil Peace (LFPCP) which was founded in 1987 when Beirut was divided into a Christian east side on one hand and a Muslim west side on the other. A time when the gap between the communities was so big that it was very easy to manipulate people for personal political gain – gaps still exist, and people are still manipulated. The creation of a collective memory in order to prevent the past from repeating in the future and maintaining civil peace in Lebanon were/are one of the most important goals of this organization. Also the Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA) established in May 1999, which focuses on working with young people in order to change their attitudes and values toward corruption. And the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH), founded in 2006 – motto: peace in the country can only last if human rights are not only respected, but safeguarded by institutions of the government. Last but not least: the Maharat Foundation, a team of Lebanese journalists working to promote and defend free expression in order to build a democratic society in Lebanon.

New dynamic organizations include MARCH, founded in 2010 by a group of young people with a vision of peace in Lebanon and freedom of expression. – “you have the right not to remain silent, feel free to speak and to express your own opinion”. Let us not forget Human Rights Watch, one of the world’s leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights, and “Peace Labz “(The Lebanese Group for Transforming Conflicts), established and officially registered in 2012, and focused on projects related to peace building and conflict resolution.

There may be a closure to this article right now, but there will never be to the subject of human rights in Lebanon – a perpetual important matter which cannot be underestimated nor taken for granted . Therefore, I urge all of you Lebanese readers, and especially young people, to stop for a second and think about the urgency to take our rights’ issue into consideration, and about joining the established organizations fighting for those rights, or at least, if working individually, or wanting to create new movements/groups/organizations, thinking of building sustainable partnerships for a better future.

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References:

http://www.insightonconflict.org/conflicts/lebanon/peacebuilding-organisations/cldh/
http://www.insightonconflict.org/conflicts/lebanon/peacebuilding-organisations/lta/
http://www.ldn-lb.org/ngodetails.aspx?id=63
http://www.opuslibani.org.lb/Lebanon/stateofhumanrights.html
http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/lebanon

Lebanese Youth needs to receive specific attention: the generation that inherits the experience of violence as still living memory!

“You cannot erase everything and start again … We need to continue (…). Suffering is everywhere here, there, everywhere. Life is everywhere here, there, everywhere. Ignorance kills it (…). We must not drown. Dig in and come out alive. Write while I am still alive”.[i]

The war in Lebanon, especially since the 1970s, had – and still has – an impact on individuals and communities. It inflicted psychological and physical harm, and undermined social relationships, as well as individuals’ sense of belonging to society. How can the endless stays in shelters, the infernal noise of the bombing, the demarcation lines, the snipers, the forced migration (exile), the black markets to buy bread and kerosene at exorbitant prices, the power and water outages , the war games reproducing struggles of adults, the ‘holiday homework’s’ when schools were closed, the destruction of houses and public infrastructure, the dreadful and only news on the radio and television counting the dead, disappeared and wounded, all be forgotten…?

Some Lebanese chose to forget. They turned the page, and many fled to other countries. They even changed their names and chose not to teach their children their mother language. Perpetrators (ex-militiamen for example) did so because they feared vengeance; while victims chose to forget because they preferred leaving the experienced horrors behind. Still, the vast majority of Lebanese living in Lebanon are struggling with a continuous dilemma, in spite of the 1989 Taif Agreement, the 1991 Amnesty Law,[ii] and the famous Tabula Rasa applied by all Lebanese governments and major political parties for the last two decades.

The Taif Agreement (October 1989) or The National Accord Document as it came to be known, constituted the outcome of a process of a certain political compromise among Lebanese militia leaders and deputies, with the support of Syrians, Arabs and the International Community. It tackled many essential points pertaining to the structure of the political system and to the sovereignty of the Lebanese state. It was the right formula to end the war internally; however, it required the acceptance of incomplete sovereignty over a considerable period of time. The Taif Agreement constitutes a step forward, but does not provide the basis for a more stable and democratic system in Lebanon.

Lebanon has passed a General Amnesty Law in March 1991- by a parliament closely allied to the various warring militias. It gave amnesty to all politically-motivated war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the 1970s and 1980s with a few exceptions. This has effectively allowed most warlords to escape prosecution and hold high posts in later governments until present day. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that neither the Israeli nor Syrian authorities have satisfactorily investigated any cases in which their forces were alleged to have been responsible for gross violations of international human rights or humanitarian law and that the international community has shown no interest in opening inquiries at a global level. Also, with regard to enforced disappearances, the fate of thousands of Lebanese and other nationals who have been abducted in Lebanon since 1975 remains unknown, despite years of campaigning by families of victims and non-governmental organizations.

To forget or to remember? This is a sensitive question that many Lebanese, especially those who were born and raised during the 1970s and 1980s, have tried to dismiss at some point in their lives, often times without any success.[iii] No matter how hard people may try, the horrors they have experienced cannot be eradicated from their minds. This dilemma sums up the tragedy and suffering of hundreds of thousands caught between amnesia, hypomnesia – abnormally poor memory of the past – and hypermnesia – abnormally strong memory of the past. Some may believe that forgetting will help them build a better future. Others think that remembering only the past glories in our history, the golden times of the Phoenicians, the Byzantine Empire, and the Arab caliphates will comfort the present of torn-spirits. However, without a critical remembrance of the more recent past, atrocities will continue to be perpetrated, and the culture of violence will prevail.

In this sense, it becomes urgent to work on the transformation of society and of social conditions, as much as it is urgent to help victims, survivors, and their descendants to deal with the impact of conflicts on them. In the absence of national memory building and of a common national history book taught in schools and universities[iv], one major goal should be to initiate the needed memorialization process. It becomes more urgent in a context where the culture of silence is pervasive in many families and where intergenerational dialogue is lacking. “It is quite common that members of the generation immediately succeeding the one that endured periods of extreme violence have trouble making sense of entire segments of their lives, not to mention their identity, as a result of the silence maintained by their parents, and, more generally, by the adults of the community.”[v]

Based on my previous studies, I found out that many of the reasons why a process of memorialization thus critical reflection is absent in the new generation may lie in the Lebanese education system and in the absence of dialogic peace education. This generation – born during the 1990s – needs to receive specific attention as it is the generation that inherits the experience of violence as still living memory, and “which molds and converts this remembrance into some form of collective memory or historical knowledge. It is in this crucial interval that the past can be frozen into fixed mythology, or comprehended in its historical complexity; and in which the cycles of revenge can be perpetuated or interrupted. The moment of transmission is important to dwell on, because it is a moment of real danger; but also of genuine hope and possibility”.[vi]

[i] Farhoud, Abla. 1997. Jeux de patience pp. 76. Montréal : VLB éditeur.

[ii] For more information, refer to: Amnesty International. Document-Lebanon: A Human Rights Agenda for the Elections. http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE18/003/2009/en/6f6b390d-e815-438e-a03c-f5998a44b85a/mde180032009en.html

[iii] Chrabieh, Pamela. 2008. Voix-es de paix au Liban. Contributions de jeunes de 25-40 ans à la reconstruction nationale. Lebanon : Dar el-Machreq, USJ. This book presents the results of a qualitative research conducted in 2006-2008 with 25-40 years old Lebanese Peace activists.

[iv] The history book ends at 1943-46, when Lebanon became independent from the French Mandate. There was an attempt to design an official common history book, but it did not succeed.

[v] Pouligny, Beatrice. 2004. The Forgotten Dimensions of Transitional Justice Mechanisms: Cultural Meanings and Imperatives for Survivors of Violent Conflicts. Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs: 10. http://www.ceri-sciencespo.com/themes/re-imaginingpeace/va/resources/forgotten_dimensions_pouligny.pdf

[vi] Hoffman, Eva. 2003. The Balm of Recognition: Rectifying Wrong through the Generations. In Human Rights, Human Wrongs ed. Nicholas Owen, pp. 29. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Libanaise qu'à moitié…

Dans un pays où l’opinion publique semble croire à une égalité établie entre hommes et femmes et où quelques citoyens comparent notre situation à celles des pays européens (comme le montre entre autre la vidéo publiée par l’Orient-le-Jour intitulée « CONDITIONS DE LA FEMME AU LIBAN : MYTHE ET REALITES»), le Liban vient d’acquérir en 2013 la très « HONORABLE » 123 ème place sur 135 dans un classement sur l’égalité Homme/Femme (Global gender gap report) publié par le Forum Economique mondial . Alors que nous nous permettons de critiquer très facilement et très ouvertement la situation de la femme dans les autres pays arabes, les Emirats Arabes Unis, le Bahreïn, le Qatar, le Kuwait et le Sultanat d’Oman nous dépassent dans ce classement, et l’Algerie, l’Egypte et l’Arabie Saoudite nous talonnent de très prés (respectivement la 124 ème, la 125 ème et la 127 ème places).

Alors qu’en est-il réellement de la position de la femme dans la société libanaise ? Il ne faut pas chercher bien loin pour trouver la réponse à cette question, il suffit juste de jeter un coup d’œil aux lois fièrement affichées dans notre constitution. Pour citer un seul exemple (parmi tant d’autres), la femme à la différence de l’homme ne peut pas transmettre sa nationalité libanaise à son époux étranger et à ses enfants. C’est en étudiant ces simples phrases en apparence votées par nos parlementaires que nous pouvons comprendre l’étendue des dégâts sur le territoire libanais. En effet, en se basant sur cette loi de non transmission de nationalité par la femme nous pouvons nous poser la question suivante : Pourquoi la femme n’est-elle pas reconnue citoyenne libanaise au même titre que l’homme qui lui peut transmettre à sa progéniture ses racines libanaises ?

Ce sujet est d’autant plus alarmant lorsqu’on voit les répercussions catastrophiques que peut avoir cette discrimination au sein de nombreuses familles libanaises. En effet si une femme libanaise mariée à un étranger souhaite vivre dans son pays natal avec son mari et ses enfants, elle est dans l’obligation de leur demander une carte de séjour, annuellement renouvelée .Mais ce n’est pas en ce point que réside le réel problème : dans un premier temps, on ôte aux enfants des droits fondamentaux et essentiels comme les soins de santé ou l’éducation . Pourtant, la Loi n° 686 de 1998 prévoit : « L’éducation publique est gratuite et obligatoire dans l’enseignement primaire et c’est un droit pour tous les Libanais d’âge primaire. » N’étant pas considérés comme libanais, cette loi ne s’applique pas alors à ces enfants. En outre, les enfants peuvent ne pas obtenir ce droit de résidence et devront obligatoirement être déportés.

Dans un second temps, trouver du travail au sein du territoire libanais se transforme presque en mission impossible. En effet le mari tout comme les enfants sont considérés comme des résidents et non comme des citoyens, ce qui leur ferme automatiquement la porte de la majorité des grandes entreprises libanaises qui préfèrent engager des libanais pour éviter les charges qu’impliquent d’engager un étranger. Et sans permis de travail il est quasiment inconcevable d’obtenir un permis de séjour, d’où le cercle vicieux qui encourage certainement de ces femmes à quitter le territoire libanais pour s’installer ailleurs avec leur famille.

Et si seulement l’étendue de cette loi s’arrêtait là …

Qu’en est-il de la façon dont la femme est perçue dans la société ? Comme actrice de seconde classe vouée à être éternellement inferieure à l’homme ? La femme perd ainsi une partie de son identité et est en quelque sorte exclue de la société. Où se trouve donc l’importance de cette identité libanaise ?

Pourquoi cette loi est elle encore présente dans notre constitution ? Pourquoi aucun changement n’a été encore effectué ?

Pour se défendre et expliquer l’importance de cette loi, les parlementaires invoquent la carte palestinienne. La peur que les refugiés palestiniens acquièrent la nationalité libanaise empêcherait un changement au niveau de cette loi.

Mais où réside exactement le problème ? Si nos politiciens voulaient réellement empêcher ces refugiés d’obtenir la nationalité, pourquoi permettrait-on aux hommes de passer la nationalité à leurs épouses et à leurs enfants ? N’existerait-il que des refugiés palestiniens masculins ? D’autre part, quel mal y-a-t-il à donner à cet individu vivant déjà sur le territoire libanais la nationalité qui lui permettrait de jouir de quelques droits primordiaux ? Où est cette hospitalité libanaise dont nous sommes tellement fiers ?

Pour résumer, non seulement cette loi constitue une aberration par rapport au statut de la femme dans la société mais elle constitue aussi une violation des droits de la femme, de l’homme et de l’enfant avec en surplus une discrimination sexiste et raciale.

Alors que le Liban est en éternel déclin au niveau du classement mondial d’égalité homme/femme (116 ème place en 2010), ne devons–nous pas tirer enfin la sonnette d’alarme pour faire advenir un changement et évoluer vers une société un peu plus équitable sans discrimination sexiste comme devrait l’être toute société au 21 éme siècle?

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Bibliographie :

http://sansglutenabeyrouth.blogspot.com/2012/03/nationalite-libanaise-droit-de-la-femme.html

http://www.amnesty.org/ar/library/asset/MDE18/003/2010/en/b73d5531-5306-4f26-be84-4b7212ac0c50/mde180032010fr.pdf

http://www.equalitynow.org/take_action/discrimination_in_law_action362

http://nationalitycampaign.wordpress.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cho0_MJvHg8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pclMflf6GPs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prU6J5Niojk

“Women’s Rights”: Cute Han?

Lebanon, July 4^th 2013, Rim Zakaria and Zaynab Awada fled their abusive husbands to take part in a press conference organized by the NGO KAFA-enough violence and exploitation… China, 2011, Wu Hei (which isn’t her real name), a successful woman who earns almost one million rmb (around 150 000$) walks out of an abusive marriage that lasted 5 agonizing years barehanded leaving behind her home, her life savings and most of her belongings… Saudi Arabia: women can’t drive (which means-to be more precise-are not allowed to)… Moroccan girl, 16 year old Amina Filali takes her own life after being forced by a judge to marry her rapist… Saudi Arabian girl gets sentenced for 90 lashes being raped by seven men…and many many more shocking stories…

A simple conclusion? Women are – in most cases and countries – underestimated, and their rights are practically buried.

Since the beginning of time and women were considered weak, they always used as objects of pleasure; a woman “belonged” to a man who would protect her and give her food, shelter, and clothing, and in return she would obey him no matter what.

Even nowadays, this mentality prevails, and no matter what you do, you will never find a place where men and women are truly equal in rights.

Citizens of the third world countries don’t have basic rights, therefore, it seems at first that talking about women’s rights would be utterly stupid. In developed countries, well, let’s just say that the situation is far from ‘perfection’. For example, over 60% of Native American women are physically assaulted by a partner or spouse, women are more likely to be killed than men and especially during pregnancy, and over 50% of homeless women are subject to domestic violence. But that’s not it. Other developed countries are not off the hook; for example in France 1 in 10 women are victims of domestic violence and more than six women die every month due to domestic violence, not to mention that many more either are assaulted or die off the records.

And what if we get to the subject of religions… Starting with Christianity we would say that this religion was based – with its traditions and thoughts concerning women – on the Bible which clearly states that women in church do not have the right to speak and are expected to cover their heads; at some point women had and still have to sit in the back of the congregation during a meeting and it continued to escalate until it was questioned whether women have souls or not. That’s according to the Catholic Church. In fact the catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas taught that women were defective men, imperfect in body and souls; they were unreliable and weak, they were inferior beings. Also, protestant churches were not better – remember Martin Luther’s saying:”a woman’s place is in the home”. He also insisted on the right of a husband to beat, rape and hold his wife in captivity without considering he is doing something wrong, immoral or sexist. It was not until the late 18^th century that people-women as well as men- spoke up and women got the right to vote, and to get proper education. Christian mainstream thought is now in the process of change. The more liberal sects have started ordaining women again, while the more traditional ones still hold out against it.

Islam is not better. True does give women souls and the right to be educated, but it clearly says that daughters get half the inheritance of sons; women’s testimony in court, at least in financial matters, is considered half that of a men’s; the compensation for the murder of a woman is half that of a man’s; for a woman to prove that she has been raped is as simple as walking to the moon; the legal age of marriage for a girl is rather young – usually nine years old -; women have the right to demand a divorce (try it and see where it gets you) but will lose their children because – of course – husbands obtain the custody; not to mention that beating the wife is a perfectly reasonable and right thing to do since it is –after all- mentioned in the Quran. And that’s in short the Islamic version of women’s rights.

Last but not least, we would all come to agree on one thing: much has been said, but it’s not even about rights, more like prohibitions and rules imposed on women… Outraging!

Nevertheless, women are working on eliminating this gap between them and men – examples: Saudi women breaking the driving ban and defying the warnings and campaigners by posting videos on YouTube on Saturday 26^th of October 2013; also Sunday 6^th of October 2013 Saudi Arabia ministry of justice licensed the first 4 women attorneys to work in the kingdom; and more, Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet has passed landmark legislation recognizing all forms of abuse, including domestic violence, as offenses deserving investigation, prosecution and punishment by law enforcement agencies, managing to force “FyourT” shop on Etsy the online market place to remove abuse shirts that has sayings such as “I am a sensitive guy. I only rape pregnant women” or “autumn is perfect for date rape” and Facebook to remove an abusive video of a man beheading a woman and restrict such violent things.

Mon entrevue avec Myrna Azar Najjar sur les droits des femmes au Liban

Le Liban a adhéré à la Charte des Nations Unies qui mentionne que tous les êtres humains sont libres, égaux et possèdent les mêmes droits sans discrimination entre hommes et femmes. Malheureusement, les droits des femmes sont différents de ceux des hommes. La femme était (et est encore) dévalorisée à plusieurs niveaux.

Afin de mieux connaitre la situation actuelle de la femme dans la vie quotidienne et ses droits légaux, je me suis adressée à Madame Myrna AZAR NAJJAR, membre de l’association des droits de la femme libanaise:

– Pourquoi la femme était- elle dévalorisée dans le passé?

A cause de son manque d’éducation. Au Liban, la discrimination entre hommes et femmes pouvait également être le résultat de la société libanaise qui souffrait des conflits politiques et religieux.

– Quels sont les droits acquis et non acquis de la femme?

Les droits acquis sont le droit d’accéder au poste politique (1953), de voyager librement sans l’autorisation du mari (1974), et le droit d’ouvrir un compte pour les enfants mineurs (2009) [4].

Les droits non acquis sont le droit de donner la nationalité au conjoint et enfants, droit des quotas- d’avoir un pourcentage de 30% (au lieu de 10%) – dans les domaines politiques, sociaux, administratifs, militaires. Il faut aussi évoquer les crimes d’honneur qui se déroulent toujours dans la vie quotidienne – crimes qui touchent les femmes en particulier.

– Quels sont les critères qu’il faut suivre pour aboutir à ces droits?

Il faudrait établir des lois laïques non sectaires en mettant en œuvre les décrets de la Convention internationale sur l’élimination de toutes les formes de discrimination contre les femmes. Il faudrait encore supprimer le quota limitant la participation des femmes dans tous les domaines déjà cités dans la question précédente [3]. Pour achever ceci, il faudrait commencer par soi-même et soutenir les initiatives déjà en cours. A noter qu’un changement de mentalité est très important [2].

– Est – ce applicables au Liban?

NON! Le problème de la non-reconnaissance des droits des femmes découle de plusieurs raisons financières, sociales et religieuses [1]. Actuellement, il faut lutter contre la violence envers les femmes avant que ces dernières réclament ces droits.

Il est temps d’agir … de moderniser … de changer.

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Références

1. B. BARHOUCHE. « Women’s Rights in Lebanon: Illusion or Reality?”. Forum:” red lips high heels”, 26 juillet 2013

http://www.redlipshighheels.com/womens-rights-in-lebanon-illusion-or-reality/

2. J. ASSAF. « Mon opinion sur les droits des femmes au Liban” Forum: “red lips high heels”, 21 juillet 2013

http://www.redlipshighheels.com/mon-opinion-sur-les-droits-des-femmes-au-liban/

3. PETITION FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN LEBANON

http://www.la-troisieme-voix-pour-le-liban.org/english/women-s-rights-in-lebanon/

4. S. KULLAB. « For Lebanese women, the biggest battles are still ahead”, 08 MARS 2013

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Mar-08/209295-for-lebanese-women-the-biggest-battles-are-still-ahead.ashx#axzz2jLFEQTrL

My name is Naya Zerez, from Aleppo (Syria) and I'm here to raise few questions about Human Rights!

My name is Naya Zerez, I’m from Aleppo, I came to Lebanon in order to pursue my studies in architecture at USEK, since we have a bad political situation in our beloved Syria, or, if I may call it “war”.

I’m here to raise few questions about human rights…

The United Nations’ general assembly was formed after the devastation of World War 2, on December 10, 1948, and it adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This declaration incarnated an international desire for “peace” and the proliferation of fundamental human values. When I started reading the list of ‘human rights’, the following shocked me:

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

And that was my first reaction: “Really?” Do freedom, equality, dignity, brotherhood, liberty, security, etc. truly exist in our world?

Yes they do, but also unfortunately, and in most cases, they don’t.

From what I’ve seen back in my country, and what I see every day on TV, I know that freedom is a rare thing to find, and slavery is the most common practice (i.e. crime) in our today’s world, so is the lack of security, and last but not least, the devaluation of LIFE.

In Syria, and other countries, it is common to notice the transformation of individuals into monsters. Also, so many civilians die every day but they only become numbers, anonymous, barely noticed. Human rights are vanishing and it seems at first that nothing can be done to stop hell on earth!

However, we can’t lose hope…

As I see it, I will fight with all possible means against violence, slavery, hunger,… With my voice, my pen, my ideas, multimedia platforms… The most powerful peaceful “weapons” of our time.

If every one of us uses one of those weapons to serve humanity, human beings might get back or will finally be on the right track, even in Syria and in other places where wars occur.

It is not enough to read and sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights… It is not enough to have laws… Change happens in every individual first, and in different communities, in our daily life, and laws must be applied. Or else, we will still be trapped in never-ending cycles of violence.

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Bibliography:
http://www.facinghistory.org/resources/collections/udhr?_kk=declaration%20on%20human%20rights&_kt=86bf3116-075a-46c1-ae25-5f069677452d&gclid=CMvBnLOHv7oCFQ4Q3godlXEAeQ
http://www.un.org/en/rights/
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/#atop
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Pages/WhatareHumanRights.aspx
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/InternationalLaw.aspx

Le racisme au Liban: il est à craindre que la prise de conscience actuelle ne puisse changer la situation!

Chaque année, des milliers de migrants entrent au Liban pour y travailler dans des maisons de familles libanaises, ou en tant qu’employés non-qualifiés dans des entreprises privées. Environ 200.000 travailleurs migrants résident de manière permanente et travaillent légalement au Liban. Il est difficile d’estimer le nombre de travailleurs migrants illégaux qui semble être beaucoup plus élevé que le nombre de personnes dûment enregistrées à la Sureté générale libanaise et au ministère du Travail. Ces travailleurs et travailleuses sont principalement de l’Éthiopie, des Philippines, du Sri Lanka, du Népal, d’Egypte, de la Syrie, des pays ouest-africains…

Les travailleurs de différentes races sont traités d’une mauvaise façon, sans avoir aucune valeur sociale. Ils ne sont pas considérés comme des êtres humains. Ce n’est pas juste un racisme qui est en rapport avec la classe sociale, c’est essentiellement en rapport avec la couleur de la peau. Par exemple, il y a quelques années, un incident diplomatique: l’épouse de l’ambassadeur britannique, d’origine Sri-Lankaise, se baignait tranquillement dans une piscine quand – au motif de sa couleur de peau – certains employés de la station balnéaire située à Jounieh l’ont sommé d’interrompre illico ses longueurs. Elle indisposait d’autres nageurs qui la considéraient comme une simple employée de maison.

Autre histoire datant d’il y a à peine 3 ou 4 ans: une étudiante française en Sciences Politiques, d’origine africaine, qui se fait agresser – toujours au motif de la couleur de sa peau – sur une des places principales de la capitale libanaise, sous l’œil des passants qui ne bronchent pas. Elle décide de porter plainte, c’est peine perdue pour elle, la gendarmerie locale estime qu’elle est coupable. Ce n’est que suite à la demande de l’Ambassade de France que la plainte fut finalement enregistrée, sans pour autant qu’il n’y ait un suivi. Affaire close, il est fort à craindre.

Voilà une liste non exhaustive des violations auxquelles les travailleurs au Liban sont confrontés:
● Les agences de recrutement dans leur pays d’origine leur donnent de fausses informations sur les conditions de travail au Liban
● À l’arrivée au Liban, leurs passeports sont remis à l’employeur qui souvent ne leur rendra pas avant leur départ du pays
● Dans la loi libanaise (qui a le système de kafala, ou système de parrainage), l’employé étranger “appartient” à son employeur
● Les travailleurs migrants travaillent souvent pendant trois mois ou plus sans recevoir aucun salaire parce que les employeurs clament leur droit au “remboursement des frais d’agence”
● Certains employés ne sont jamais payés au cours de leur contrat de deux / trois ans avec l’employeur
● Certains employés travaillent 24h/24 et 7 jours/7 pendant tout leur séjour au Liban sans aucun jour de congé
● De nombreux employés sont séquestrés à l’intérieur du lieu de travail
● Quand ils tentent de déposer une plainte contre leur employeur, la police les arrête et les remet à la Sûreté générale qui les retourne à l’employeur (quelle que soit la cause du départ y compris le viol, les coups et autres mauvais traitements graves) ou les expulse sans même vérifier si ils/elles ont été payés au cours de leur période de travail
● Quand un travailleur migrant veut quitter le Liban avant la fin de son contrat, et sans accord de son employeur, il / elle sera soumis/e à un minimum de 2 mois de détention arbitraire aux fins d’ «enquête»

Conformément à la loi libanaise, et étant donné que le Liban n’a pas ratifié la Convention de 1951 sur le statut des réfugiés, les demandeurs d’asile de l’Irak, du Soudan, de la Syrie, etc. sont considérés comme des migrants et sont souvent soumis aux mêmes conditions d’esclavage que celles décrites ci-dessus.

Les Libanais semblent aujourd’hui “découvrir” le problème du racisme alors qu’il est là depuis longtemps. L’Histoire démontre que la problématique n’est guère nouvelle. On a juste oublié pour mieux recommencer… Il est à craindre que la prise de conscience actuelle ne puisse changer la situation, on oubliera, on recommencera, les habitants de ce pays (la plupart) n’apprennent pas de leurs erreurs… Alors la conclusion qui s’impose: que ferons-nous? Que feront les autorités? Rien comme d’habitude et ce problème se reposera d’ici quelques année le temps aux bien-pensants d’oublier.

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Bibliographie:
http://www.cldh-lebanon.org/francais/presentation-du-cldh/racisme-discrimination-esclavage
http://libnanews.com/2012/08/28/le-racisme-au-liban/
http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/ARTJAWEB20130305170327/
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=129792
http://observers.france24.com/fr/content/20101207-sri-lankaise-est-libanaise-court-metrage-antiracisme-shankabout-film-bonnes