Tolerance versus Blind Acceptance of Discriminatory Customs

I liked this statement that I read today on the UN website entitled “Étude sur la liberté de religion ou de conviction et la condition de la femme au regard de la religion et des traditions”

"Not all traditions are equally valid, and those which run counter to human rights must be combated. It is essential to distinguish between tolerance, which is necessary, and blind acceptance of customs which may involve degrading treatment or blatant violations of human rights. In order to ensure that freedom of religion does not undermine women's rights, it is vital that the right to difference which that freedom implies should not be interpreted as a right to indifference to the status of women. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Where, after all, do human rights begin? In small places, close to home”."
http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/religion/III1.htm

What is wrong with the men here?

Last night, as I was leaving my Arabic lesson, a young boy (maybe 14 max?) walked past me on dark and reasonably lonely pavement. As he approached me, he leant in and whispered something into my ear. He also grabbed my arm for a split second. I didn't understand what he whispered, but it was threatening and intimidating and certainly wasn't meant to be a pleasant experience for me.
I walked home and fumed (and occasionally cried) for the next 40 minutes. Why would such a young boy feel entitled to intimate and harass me in this way? What on earth is his view of women (and, of course, Western women in particular)?
I was wearing many layers of clothing that covered my arms and legs. I had on a pair of trainers and a coat that was buttoned to my neck (I was kind of hot, actually!). So I was not "on display" in any way... (just in case anyone thinks I might be to blame...)
As this blog makes clear, I am deeply saddened by the way women are treated in this society. As a liberated, strong, free woman, I feel that I am being pressurised every day to be meek and to cover myself and to stare at the floor. Ideally, it seems, I wouldn't leave the house.
One person has told me that I am a guest in this society and should leave if I don't like the customs. But this isn't "custom." This is a social outlook that encourages even young boys to threaten and subdue the women that pass them on the street.
I do not believe that society in the US or the UK is perfect. And I am not 'bashing' every aspect of the Muslim world or claiming that there is true equality between the sexes in any other country. But I am angry and dismayed and horrified at the deep-seated and very public sexism in this society. Even if the Quran does call for a 'barrier' between the sexes, this barrier should also be respected by men. The men, as much as the women, should lower their gaze and not intrude into a woman's personal space. They should keep their sexuality in check in public spaces. Here, men's actions towards women are tinged with violence and are intended to continually underline male supremacy. I feel strangled and it is a fight for me every day to not become subdued and a little defeated.
I do not care what women wear. I do not care if the sexes never look each other in the eye. But I do care that women are continually threatened in the street, are completely absent from political positions (Egypt was ranked 130 out of 134 countries in the "Women in Parliament" rankings, 2005: http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/arc/classif300906.htm), and that educational opportunities and even health care are nowhere near as readily available to women as to men (see World Economic Forum rankings on women's equality in Egypt at http://www.weforum.org/pdf/Global_Competitiveness_Reports/Reports/gender_gap.pdf. Women's empowerment is ranked from 7 (highest) to 1 (lowest) and Egypt comes near the bottom at 2.38 out of 7).
I do not want one societal model that is implemented around the world. I value the differences that exist from culture to culture, including the degree to which religion is integrated into political and legal life. I accept the principle of modest dress and behaviour, as long as it is demanded of men as much as women. But sexual inequality and a culture of aggression towards and repression of women should be eliminated in every society. I feel in Egyptian society that there is a long way to go.
I am angered when I am living in the UK and US because I am very aware of the gender discrimination and 'glass ceilings' that still exist. As a woman, I face extra hurdles when I contemplate how to balance a career and children. I have to continually assess whether, if I choose to wear makeup or shave my legs, I am bowing to masculine desires and demands. I have to consider why I always feel the need to lose another few pounds in weight. But my anguish in those societies can't match the anger that I feel living in this society where I am physically and mentally assaulted by men every single day.

Friend asks me why I'm angry about Saudi Rape

A friend wrote to me in response to my posting about the Saudi rape case and asked: "what exactly makes you angry about this? :)" He went on: "I can see why there is plenty in this case to make one angry, the mere fact that a 19 year old was savagely gang-raped 14 times is more than enough, but I still don't think that absolves the victim for her "crime." And what she did is a crime as defined by the Laws of the country in which she lives. Whether it is an appropriate or just law, and whether it accurately reflects the requirements of Islam are wholly irrelevant to the matter at hand. The fact is, she was committing a crime when she got into the stranger's car and (absent any absolving factors) she should be punished for it, irrespective of what happens afterwards. "

I have written a lengthy response to this comment (and it could probably have gone on for many, many more pages). My anger arises for a number of different reasons (as I explain). But one of the most disturbing things for me regarding this comment was the view of law as a mechanical tool that should be applied no matter what has happened to the criminal/ victim (ie the 19-year-old woman). Even if, for some reason I cannot understand, you believe that the woman should be punished for "illegal mingling", the fact that she was gang-raped and has to carry the scars of that attack around with her for the rest of the life should surely be punishment enough???

For more information about this case, see http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/11/16/saudia17363.htm
It turns out that both the woman and her male friend (the man who she was "illegally mingling" with) were gang raped by a group of strange men:
"The young woman, who is married, said she had met with a male acquaintance who had promised to give her back an old photograph of herself. After she met her acquaintance in his car in Qatif, a gang of seven men then attacked and raped both of them, multiple times. Despite the prosecution’s requests for the maximum penalty for the rapists, the Qatif court sentenced four of them to between one and five years in prison and between 80 and 1,000 lashes. They were convicted of kidnapping, apparently because prosecutors could not prove rape. The judges reportedly ignored evidence from a mobile phone video in which the attackers recorded the assault. "

I would be curious to hear people's response to the idea that, if a law is on the books, it should be applied regardless of the pain that might have consequently been inflicted on the individual who violated the law. I have put some examples in my comment on the original saudi rape posting (following Sage's comment). Any more comments/ rebuttals would be appreciated.

Cambodian Image - Khmer Rouge and Genocide Tribunal

One of the most striking images from today's BBC "world in pictures".

"Cambodian boy Bum Leap, 15, sits by a shrine in Phnom Penh filled with remains of Khmer Rouge victims as a UN-backed tribunal rounds up senior members of the former regime."

This photo links with the news that Khieu Samphan, the Khmer Rouge's former head of state, was arrested and taken him to a UN-backed genocide tribunal.

I have friends working at this tribunal and I hope that it will be able to provide the people of Cambodia with the justice and resolution that they desire and deserve. Transitional justice is such a tricky issue....

Eritrean Pentecostalism - Refugees in Cairo

I am currently researching Eritrean Pentecostalism.
The persecution of religious minorities in Eritrea is terrible. Here is one description from a (rather dated but still accurate) man who posted a comment on the BBC:

"I was doing my national service in Sawa Military training during the period 1999- 2001. During the two years period of my stay in Sawa, I witnessed an enormous amount of beating and torture to individuals who happened to be followers of Jehovah's Witness and Pentecostal (commonly known as "Pente") religions. I was, on many occasions, a prison guard to these people. The Jehovas are detained for refusing, according to their faith, to take the military training. But the "Pentes" are usually simply detained for reading bibles, praying in a group, singing gospels etc during the free time, even though they are good soldiers. Once they are detained their head is shaven, like the other criminals in the prison. 20-30 of them are detained in a 3x4 metal-house. They were allowed to go out only for 30 minutes in whole day. The perfect relaxation time for the detainees were when they were taken to load and unloads cement, food etc from trucks. They all prefer this work than to be locked in the container even though it is physically exhausting for them. But the worst time for all of them was during 'questioning' time. They were badly beaten to the extent that noses are broken, feet bleed. After the beating comes the notorious 'helicopter' torture in which your two legs are tied with your hands on your back. You are thrown in the sun and milk is poured on your body to attract the flies. It was the most inhuman treatment I have ever witnessed."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3663654.stm

(The image on the RHS is from a website that deals with Eritrean conscientious objectors in general - Pentecostalists do not necessarily resist military service (unlike, for example, Jehovah's Witnesses). http://www.wri-irg.org/news/2005/eritrea-en.htm)

Saudi Gang-Raped Woman is Sentenced to Lashings and Prison

This story made me so angry: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7096814.stm
It describes a situation in Saudi Arabia where a 19-year-old woman who was gang-raped fourteen times has, herself, been sentenced to 200 lashes and 6 months in prison. She was given these lashes because she had violated Islamic rules about separation of the sexes and had been in the car of a strange man. Her punishment was increased after she appealed the initial ruling in the case. The judges said that she has been attempting to manipulate the media.
Also, her lawyer has had his license suspended and faces disciplinary proceedings.

Prayers

When I am in my evening Arabic class, we generally stop to listen to the prayers from the mosque next door. This evening, my teacher sang the prayers to me - it was mesmerisingly beautiful. The rhythm and flow of the prayers were deeply spiritual. I only wish that all the muezzins have a voice as good as my teacher's!

This painting is from the Egyptian Museum of Modern Art in Cairo. I visited this gallery last weekend and this image was one of my favourites.

Arabic Calligraphy

I went to a beautiful exhibition in the Cairo Opera House that featured Arabic calligraphy. Here are a couple of my favourite images - if you look close enough you can see me in the reflection of the right-hand picture!

Paper Streamers and Sunshine

I'm not sure why there are so many streamers and paper chains hanging across the streets here in Cairo - maybe they are left over from the recent Eid festivities. Or maybe they are year-round decorations...

Regardless, I loved the way these silver pieces of paper were catching the light this afternoon on my walk through Zamalek. It's still lovely and warm here. Cairo natives tell me that it's unseasonably hot, but I'm enjoying the sunshine (when I can see it through the smog ;-)).

Burmese Embassy - down with the junta.

When I was walking past the Burmese Embassy on the way home the other night, I notice this posting on the outside wall. The junta's oppression of the Burmese people is horrific. I wrote a report on the conditions inside Burma last year and talked with over 20 Burmese democracy activists who lived in Thailand, the US and the UK. I deeply admired their own self-sacrifice and that of their friends who remained inside Burma. This notice declares that the monks who recently demonstrated against the junta had "perverted" and sullied their religion by mixing it with politics. It makes me so angry to read this notice and know that hundreds of Burmese activists are rotting away in jail simply because they want freedom of expression and open elections. Whenever I walk past the Burmese Embassy, I think about these brave activists and pray that the junta will somehow be removed so that the Burmese people can emerge from the terrible oppression, poverty and fear that currently rule their lives.

Dead Kittens

I was walking home from the postoffice this afternoon and enjoying the sunshine and a slightly cooler nip in the air, and then I saw this dead kittne on the pavement. There was a time when I would have sat down on the kerb and cried at the sight of this little thing, but fortunately I've developed a tougher skin over the years. But it's still sad to see the half-starved horses being beaten on the streets, and to find dead little cats on the pavement. It's just one other element of life here that makes the days a bit tougher.

Of course, there is also a great deal of animal pain and suffering in British and American societies, but it is kept hidden from public view in large factory farms and abattoirs. This is why I'm a vegetarian... But public and open animal cruelty is generally regarded as unacceptable and something that would generate disapproval. Are British and US societies hypocritical with regard to their treatment of animals? Of course. But I still appreciate the fact that beating a dog or an emaciated horse is not regarded as acceptable behaviour.

Balancing Acts around Cairo

I'm continually impressed at the balancing acts I see people perform on the streets here. I didn't manage to photograph the guy with bread on his head actually biking - he biked past me and then the Danish Embassy security guard stopped him.

EIPR/ HRW report on denial of religious freedom in Egypt

Today, EIPR published its joint report (with HRW) on the persecution of Baha'is within Egypt. This report is an excellent account of the way in which the Egyptian government denies freedom of religion within Egypt. Basically, all national ID cards (cards that are essential for routine activities such as enrolling in university, acquiring a driving license, travelling, drawing a pension etc...) require that the individual declares his or her religion. There are only 3 religions that can be selected: Muslim, Christian and Jew. There is no option for a blank. This means that the Bahai community in Egypt is denied basic rights and discriminated against in a terrible manner. Also, individuals who convert from Islam to Christianity face charges of apostasy and are denied the ID cards.

There was an impressive press conference held at our office today, with a range of foreign and Egyptian journalists. I was happy to see a report on the BBC website this evening:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7091412.stm

Some words of wisdom from Edward Abbey

"We're all undesirable elements from somebody's point of view." Abbey's Road.

"Anarchism is founded on the observation that since few men are wise enough to rule themselves, even fewer are wise enough to rule others." A Voice Crying in the Wilderness.

Egyptian Museum of Modern Art

I spent a lovely Saturday afternoon in the Opera House complex in Zamalek. I finally found some solitude and peace!! I even managed to eat a sandwich sitting on the steps of the Museum of Modern Art without getting harassed. And there was classical music playing over the sound system..... ahhhhhhhh......
There were some interesting pieces in the museum. I took photographs of the ones that really caught my eye. More of the photographs are posted on my flickr account and on my other blog, http://spiritualsustenance.blogspot.com/

On this blog, I've decided to post a picture entitled something like "crowding" or "over-population". It was in the section where modern artists had been asked to capture elements of life in Cairo. There were, of course, more classically 'beautiful' images, but this painting reflects the chaos and crowds in the street here and the reason why I'm finding it so difficult to get any kind of real peace...

Daily Torture to the Ears... Calls to Prayer

Back in 2005, Muhammad Ahmad told the BBC that: "Rather than being a joy, to listen to the call to prayer is a daily torture to the ears." I could deeply sympathise with the description of the morning prayers given by Ahmad, a Cairo resident. My apartment is directly opposite a mosque and the morning call to prayer manages to rip into my sleep even with ear plugs firmly implanted (yes, yes, I know such firm implanation can't be good for the ears... but severe lack of sleep will also have bad effects...).

The BBC describes beautifully how:
"Just before dawn, Cairo resident Muhammad Ahmad is jolted out of his peaceful sleep by a thunderous azan, or call to prayer, roaring out from huge speakers attached to a very modest mosque two streets away.
A few moments later a second, even louder muezzin's voice joins in - not in time or in tune with the first call to prayer - summoning him to do his duty, this time at the local prayer hall just around the corner.
Over the next few minutes, at least half a dozen other voices of varying tunefulness join in - distorting the sound of the azans and making them sound like a military order.
Being invited to rise and pray is one thing, but discordant bellowing is quite another. ...

"Some of the mosques blast not just the roughly dozen sentences of the call itself," he wrote, "but all of the verses and actual prayers intoned by the local imam."
When all the local mosques do the same thing competing with one another in volume, what should be an announcement lasting at most two minutes goes on for 45 minutes, keeping the entire neighbourhood in a state of high alert.
"I'm not an irreligious man," he explains.
"But there were no loudspeakers at the time of the Prophet. Now, rather than being a joy, to listen to the call to prayer is a daily torture to the ears."

The main point of the article is to describe the controversy that arose in 2005 when the Ministry of Religious Endowments attempted to unify the call for prayer and have it broadcast from one spot. The opposition was allegedly huge, with citizens claiming that America had backed this idea (to silence radical muezzins in individual mosques), or that the Egyptian government was attempting to get its own message across by destroying the range of calls given by different muezzins.

So, 2 years later, nothing is resolved. And many people living in Cairo (yes, that would include me!) are left to suffer through a microphoned cacophony of tuneless prayers.

Women in Iran

I have been reading this morning about women in Iran. My attention was drawn to the issue in part because Delaram Ali, a woman's rights activist from Iran, was recently sentenced to a flogging and two-and-a-half years in prison for working against the state. Amnesty International and other groups are calling for her release.
(see http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7088310.stm)

The BBC also has an article on the "fashion police" in Iran and how the authorities are attempting to get Iranian women to dress more conservatively. The article is interesting, but what I found most thought-provoking were the comments that follow the article. Some people criticise the BBC reporter for being too negative: one woman asks "We certainly do not question what is worn by the average person on the streets of London, Paris or Berlin? So why is there such a great interest in Iran?"

Another woman emphasises the way in which wearing the veil can be empowering - but also stresses how heavy-handed governmental enforcement of women's dress can make lead to distorted social views of women. This is how the veil becomes an article of oppression rather than of liberation:

"The issue of hejab occupies the minds of women and men alike since the Islamic revolution in 1979. A woman convinced of the necessity of hejab feels that she does not wish to attract the stares of strange men by exposing her body and hair and stressing the beauty of her face. She wants to be valued as a person, not as a beauty. In many Islamic countries, women wear hejab, but with much more variety. While I like to cover up, I think that the authorities, when imposing hejab shortly after the revolution, went too far and were too restrictive. Thereby, they created sensivities in men that it is now difficult to get rid of."
Madleine, Tehran, Iran

Comforting day hiding in my room.... and Llangollen!

I've had a wonderful day and I haven't even stepped outside of my house (maybe that's why it has been nice! ;-)). I started the day with an hour's silent meditation, then I did yoga, then I read a beautiful email from my friend in Chile, then I read about Quakerism and the quest for community and seeking a higher being. And now I'm planning on heading out to a Denali celebration in Cairo (a Hindi friend is celebrating this festival of light!). I've also been having lovely daydreams about the green mountains in Wales - and particularly Llangollen, where I was born. This photograph was taken this summer when I was visiting my mum. For me, it's heaven on earth! My mum and sister are in the photo - it's my screen saver on my computer because my mum's smile and the view over the 11th-century Crow Castle are always very comforting to see.

Solitude in the Quaker Faith

I have been reading about Quaker faith and practice this morning. I wanted to share this quotation from one woman writing in the early 20th century. I am continually struggling with the degree of solitude that suits my personality, and I liked the perspective in this quotation:

"The amount of solitude which is attainable or would be wholesome in the case of any individual life is a matter which each of us must judge for himself... A due proportion of solitude is one of the most important conditions of mental health. Therefore if it be our lot to stand apart from those close natural ties by which life is for most people shaped and filled, let us not be in haste to fill the gap; let us not carelessly or rashly throw away the opportunity of entering into that deeper and more continual acquaintance with the unseen and eternal things which is the natural and great compensation for the loss of easier joys. The loneliness which we rightly dread is not the absence of human faces and voices - it is the absence of love... Our wisdom therefore must lie in learning not to shrink from anything that may be in store for us, but so to grasp the master key of life as to be able to turn everything to good and fruitful account."
Caroline E Stephen, 1908
http://quakersfp.live.poptech.coop/qfp/chap22/22.20.html

Nonsense!

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it is a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities."-Dr. Seuss





I was looking at middlexeast's blog this morning (see http://themiddleeastinterest.wordpress.com/2007/11/) and I had to share today's posting... It made me smile and I hope it makes you smile too: courtesy of middlexeast!
I definitely could feel new brain cells waking up.. Working as a human rights lawyer and reading page after page of politics / law/ accounts of abuse can make life's realities all too present. This posting reminded me to turn the telescope around!

Amy Winehouse - what??!

Ok... so just one of the songs I was listening to today was "Back to Black". What is she going on about when she says "And life is like a pie (pipe?) and I'm a tiny penny rolling up the walls inside." Is this some cool drug reference that I'm too uncool to understand? I like to think she's saying "pie" because it reminds me of blackbirds baked in a pie, and pennies that were put in plum puddings for christmas. But I'm guessing it's pipe and I will be disappointed...

Storefront IV: Guns and Black-Clad Security Forces

This was definitely my favourite shop for today! As I was walking in the downtown area, I passed this gun shop. My heart was warmed at the thought of guns being handed out over the counter -- I felt like I was back in the US! Particularly reassuring was the fact that I turned the corner and saw three black Egyptian security-force trucks parked on the street.

The photographs are a little dark, but I hope you can just make out the faces of the security forces staring out through the small barred truck windows. Big police and security force trucks just like this seem to be parked everywhere and, if you look up at them, you see dozens of pairs of eyes staring down at you from behind barred windows.

One little aside on the black-clad security forces (compared with the white-clad police). The men who serve in the security-forces are conscripted from the poorest sections of Egypt (where people live on less than $1 a day). They have to leave their families and come to live in Cairo for three years. They live in camps on the outskirts of the city where conditions are reported to be terrible. Whenever there are demonstrations or civil discontent, it is usually these security forces who are ordered to come in and beat up the citizens - they get all the government's dirty work...

Maybe the apartment is pretty, but the outside? Ugly as hell

My apartment is lovely on the inside, but that doesn't mean that the walls in the corridor outside aren't dirty and crumbling, and that the lift doesn't look like it's about to snap off its wire! Every single lift in the buildings here (apart from the posh hotels) are nasty looking death-traps with doors that only half close and a faint smell of piss. The stairwells aren't much better, though I usually opt for these above the lifts (at least I can get off the stairs in a powercut!). In addition, every 'courtyard' in the centre of the buildings basically doubles up as a rubbish tip/ cat paradise. These photographs were taken from the 'courtyard' in the offices of AMERA, the refugee non-profit where I am doing some work. The building itself has a beautiful marble staircase and is located in the prestigious embassy district in Garden City. The British Embassy is directly opposite. But, as usual, there is a rubbish dump right in the middle of the building (and this is an exact replica of the 'courtyard' in my apartment complex). The keen-sighted blog readers can try to spot all the cats!

What I was dreaming of today...

After pushing through downtown Cairo in the dark (the electricity decided to cut out as I was half-way down a rather precarious staircase coming from a coffee shop), I spent a very happening Thursday night on the treadmill in the gym. I started thinking about a hike I did this summer with my little sister, Laura. We went up to the top of Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales, and enjoyed some breathtaking views and clean, crisp air. What I would give for some peace and quiet, some open space and some good outdoor exercise.... the memories alone made me feel 100% better! Ok... I think pictures of Wales will have to be another regular posting. The process of putting them up on my blog will make me happier!

Midan Tahrir

This "Times Square" of Cairo is called Midan Tahrir. I walk through this downtown square most evenings and attempt to navigate the crazy traffic and frantic crowds. I love watching the families who are gathered around the statue (can't work out who the turbaned dude is...), peacefully picnicking while hundreds of cars pump out fumes fit for a chain-smoker. I also think it's interesting to see the minarets and palm-tree lined (crumbling) promenades next to the flashing Sanyo/ Coca-Cola signs.