DISCLAIMER: This article is not an attack on anybody in particular. This is a mere presentation of an opinion drawn after hearing about a prank. a�?Jerks in masks try to grab girls in the nighta�?. This is the way a friend of mine described a prank that was aired on national television. I searched for […]
Tag Archives: Violence
'Witch Hunt' in Cairo
I am an Egyptian woman who has a story to tell about the aftermath of what was called the Arab Spring Revolutions. Forgive me if I use a nickname. I have been participating to many demonstrations in the Tahrir Square since Mr. Mohamed Morsi was elected as President. My main concern was – and still […]
A University Workshop on Gender Stereotypes and Women’s Situations in the Middle East
I organized yesterday afternoon a group workshop involving my students at the Holy Spirit University (USEK, Lebanon) on gender stereotypes and women’s situations in the Middle East. First-of-its-kind activity in the Faculty of Theology and in the university! Here are the results: 1- Defining Gender Stereotypes ( Target Group: Women): – Women don’t know how […]
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Violence Against Women is Never Acceptable
Violence against women is never acceptable, cannot be tolerated in any form, in any context, in any circumstances. Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary general launched in 2008 the campaign to “end the violence against women” that aims to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls in all parts in the world. Types of violence […]
Men are Natural Warriors, but a Woman in Battle is Truly Blood-Thirsty
I was lately told that I am not a warrior and it offended me. True I am not villainous, I do not use physical weapons or Machiavellian schemes, nor do I play games to get what I want – even if there are women who do in the Middle East. True I am a pacifist […]
Living in a Patriarchal Society
The Lebanese society – such as most Western Asian societies – can be easily labeled as patriarchal. Males have central roles of political leadership, moral authority, religious authority, economical power and property. Sad reality in the 21st century C.E., especially when anthropological and historical evidence indicates that most prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies were generally relatively egalitarian. Our […]
Najat Aadil: «Nous ne lâcherons pas l'affaire jusqu’à l’abrogation de la loi marocaine sur le viol des mineures»
L’enseignante Najat Aadil est membre notamment du mouvement international Soroptimist qui œuvre à l’intégration professionnelle et sociale des femmes. Le suicide de l’adolescente Amina Al Filali en mois de mars a eu l’effet d’un électrochoc sur la société marocaine. Pour pousser à l’abrogation de l’article 475 du Code pénal qui avait permis à son violeur […]
Fathers and Sons, and the Middle Eastern Mentality
Fathers and sons bond by making fun of their wives and sisters respectively. Ita��s as simple as a statement as a�?Theya��re women! What do you expect?a�?. They have a laugh and brush off anything that was said as if ita��s nothing significant. This is Lebanon. This is the mentality in a big number of houses. […]
Les Femmes et la Guerre
Par Madeleine Gagnon (VLB Editeur, Canada, 2000) Un ouvrage certes non récent, mais dont le message est encore d’actualité, et qui touche les femmes au Moyen-Orient victimes d’innombrables guerres. Madeleine Gagnon en a rencontré entre autres en Israël-Palestine et au Liban. Ces femmes ont perdu leurs proches. Nombre d’entre elles ont en outre subi sévices […]