Grab Your Parasol, ‘Cause it Might Rain in Europe’s Banlieus

From the Tunisienne Faculte Facebook page

“A burka?! You’re going to take that off for me right now!”

“Uh, by the way, you do know that you’re talking to an umbrella…”

The above bande dessinee was found shared on the Facebook page “Tunisienne Faculte,” which is actually a treasure trove of political cartoons and inspirational images if you check out their “wall photos” album. Although I am not sure whether the illustrator was French or Tunisian (or perhaps both), it pretty accurately sums up one viewpoint of the French towards Islam and, more specificially, the burka.

The man in the cartoon is shocked (and somewhat terrified, a mon avis) of the burka and want’s it removed immediately, which reflects France’s action against la voile integrale (the niqab, which covers all but the eyes, is also banned from public). The woman’s snide reaction–”Oh, the person under there is not a human being, it’s a beach umbrella”– is in effect dehumanizing women who wear full coverings. It shows how little the French care that women do choose to put these on-at least, in some places/cases-and that the veil is, for them, a symbol of their religion and faith, not something as silly as a parasol.

Whether or not your a fan of la voile integrale, France is wrong to ban it. The women aren’t walking around nude, for God’s sake-and I suspect that France would have less of a problem if there was a herd of women strolling around in their undies than their burkas. Although I am certainly not a fan of it, and understand that in some cases it can even pose a safety threat (how do you know who’s really under there?) the outrageousness of passing a “fashion law” seems a bit…..well, similar to the actions the Taliban took against Western fashion.

Europe’s queasiness concerning their expanding Muslim population was highlighted by Hishaam Aidi in an Al-Jazeera article (see below), which discusses the alienation of Muslims in their new homelands, particularly in France where they are often relegated to the banlieus. The U.S. government, apparently, is queasy about Europe’s cold shoulder towards their ‘new’ immigrants and has been trying to improve Muslim integration and participation in France and the U.K. The title of the article caught my eye for it hearkened back to the image of the U.S. as supreme “Big Stick” policeman: “Are Europe’s Muslims America’s Problem?” To answer: No, I don’t believe that they are America’s problem, but I do feel that they will be a very grande problem in Europe if these countries don’t open their hearts.

Put it this way: France, the U.K., Holland, Sweden and other European states have already opened their doors to Muslim immigrants. Now, they don’t like the results; but it’s too late to shut the door. It’s time for these governments to ‘open their hearts’ and find compassion and understanding for their new countrymen. If the United States can survive as a nation of immigrants, why can’t Europe be a mixed-bag, culture-wise, as well? The most recent edition of National Geographic describes France’s melting-pot port of Marseille as a place not only teeming with traditional Muslims, but also Moroccans, Algerians and Tunisians who go to the plage just like everyone else, strip down to their bathing suits and enjoy the sun. Clearly, not all of France’s Muslims are against integrating and enjoying traditional French pleasures, so why paint them all with the same brush?

Quite frankly, the “backlash” that Europe had to America’s “soft-power programs”-a.k.a. outreach programs run mostly by the American embassy and aimed at youth-is embarassing. The U.S. was just trying to help a bad situation which they recognized from experience: after going through the Civil Rights Movement in the 50s and 60s, it’s pretty easy for an American to see that what’s happening in the banlieus and slums of Britain is quite similar to the treatment of African Americans in the past.

To quote the author: ”Sarkozy a few years ago threatened to clean up a cité with a Kärcher, a high-pressure hose.” Not only is this reminiscent of the fire hoses used on African Americans back in the 60s, it’s also a disgusting and cruel thing to say, as though the citizens of the projects were not citizens but garbage: used and broken invisible umbrellas. What did he think that would do? Did he think he could wash all the non-white French people away? Did he think he could cleanse them of their foreign attitudes, wash away the “dirt” of their religions and traditions?

The article mentions the fear of a “loss of cultural identity” as these newcomers hold fast to their traditions. But no one is telling the French to become Muslim, attend Friday prayer, slaughter a sheep: let everyone do what they want, I say. What makes us countrymen is not if we both share the same love of baguettes or pita, wine or the a la menthe, lamb or ham: what makes people countrymen is their shared values, the love of inalienable rights such as the ability to choose to do whatever you want, even if that means donning your own personal parasol to go to the beach.

S-L-M

Links:

1.   Are Europe’s Muslims America’s problem? By Hisaam Aidi, 26 Jan 2012. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/01/201212110539569620.htmlvalentines

Grab Your Parasol, ‘Cause it might Rain in Europe’s Banlieus

From Tunisienne Faculte Facebook page

“A burka?! You’re going to take that off for me right now!”

“Uh, by the way, you do know that you’re talking to an umbrella…”

The above bande dessinee was found shared on the Facebook page “Tunisienne Faculte,” which is actually a treasure trove of political cartoons and inspirational images if you check out their “wall photos” album. Although I am not sure whether the illustrator was French or Tunisian (or perhaps both), it pretty accurately sums up one viewpoint of the French towards Islam and, more specificially, the burka.

The man in the cartoon is shocked (and somewhat terrified, a mon avis) of the burka and want’s it removed immediately, which reflects France’s action against la voile integrale (the niqab, which covers all but the eyes, is also banned from public). The woman’s snide reaction–”Oh, the person under there is not a human being, it’s a beach umbrella”– is in effect dehumanizing women who wear full coverings. It shows how little the French care that women do choose to put these on-at least, in some places/cases-and that the veil is, for them, a symbol of their religion and faith, not something as silly as a parasol.

Whether or not your a fan of la voile integrale, France is wrong to ban it. The women aren’t walking around nude, for God’s sake-and I suspect that France would have less of a problem if there was a herd of women strolling around in their undies than their burkas. Although I am certainly not a fan of it, and understand that in some cases it can even pose a safety threat (how do you know who’s really under there?) the outrageousness of passing a “fashion law” seems a bit…..well, similar to the actions the Taliban took against Western fashion.

Europe’s queasiness concerning their expanding Muslim population was highlighted by Hishaam Aidi in an Al-Jazeera article (see below), which discusses the alienation of Muslims in their new homelands, particularly in France where they are often relegated to the banlieus. The U.S. government, apparently, is queasy about Europe’s cold shoulder towards their ‘new’ immigrants and has been trying to improve Muslim integration and participation in France and the U.K. The title of the article caught my eye for it hearkened back to the image of the U.S. as supreme “Big Stick” policeman: “Are Europe’s Muslims America’s Problem?” To answer: No, I don’t believe that they are America’s problem, but I do feel that they will be a very grande problem in Europe if these countries don’t open their hearts.

Put it this way: France, the U.K., Holland, Sweden and other European states have already opened their doors to Muslim immigrants. Now, they don’t like the results; but it’s too late to shut the door. It’s time for these governments to ‘open their hearts’ and find compassion and understanding for their new countrymen. If the United States can survive as a nation of immigrants, why can’t Europe be a mixed-bag, culture-wise, as well? The most recent edition of National Geographic describes France’s melting-pot port of Marseille as a place not only teeming with traditional Muslims, but also Moroccans, Algerians and Tunisians who go to the plage just like everyone else, strip down to their bathing suits and enjoy the sun. Clearly, not all of France’s Muslims are against integrating and enjoying traditional French pleasures, so why paint them all with the same brush?

Quite frankly, the “backlash” that Europe had to America’s “soft-power programs”-a.k.a. outreach programs run mostly by the American embassy and aimed at youth-is embarassing. The U.S. was just trying to help a bad situation which they recognized from experience: after going through the Civil Rights Movement in the 50s and 60s, it’s pretty easy for an American to see that what’s happening in the banlieus and slums of Britain is quite similar to the treatment of African Americans in the past.

To quote the author: “Sarkozy a few years ago threatened to clean up a cité with a Kärcher, a high-pressure hose.” Not only is this reminiscent of the fire hoses used on African Americans back in the 60s, it’s also a disgusting and cruel thing to say, as though the citizens of the projects were not citizens but garbage: used and broken invisible umbrellas. What did he think that would do? Did he think he could wash all the non-white French people away? Did he think he could cleanse them of their foreign attitudes, wash away the “dirt” of their religions and traditions?

The article mentions the fear of a “loss of cultural identity” as these newcomers hold fast to their traditions. But no one is telling the French to become Muslim, attend Friday prayer, slaughter a sheep: let everyone do what they want, I say. What makes us countrymen is not if we both share the same love of baguettes or pita, wine or the a la menthe, lamb or ham: what makes people countrymen is their shared values, the love of inalienable rights such as the ability to choose to do whatever you want, even if that means donning your own personal parasol to go to the beach.

S-L-M

Links:

1.   Are Europe’s Muslims America’s problem? By Hisaam Aidi, 26 Jan 2012. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/01/201212110539569620.htmlvalentines

It’s Arab Idol!

The “American Idol” brand has spawned countless spin-offs in the USA as well as abroad. The Arab world too has embraced the singing-contest format, both with “Star Academy” (which also exists in France) as well as a full-on copycat of it’s American predecessor, entitled—you guessed it—Arab Idol.

The judges of Arab Idol, from wikeez.com

Arab Idol even visually resembles it’s American counterpart. The contestants sing on a round stage awash in blue lights, with an audience watching them as well as the panel of judges. There are three judges, older singer Ahlam (with the requisite collagen lip implants), a dashing older man (Ragheb Alama, a music producer) with wavy hair and Hassan El Shafei, younger man who appeared to be sporting a bit of a faux-mohawk. Unlike original American Idol Hosts Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul, the judges keep their commentary short and sweet—and sweet, it appears, indeed: they don’t appear to put-down the contestants with callous and crude words, which is a relief. (Note: this writer only ever saw a brief glimpse of American Idol; for some reason, I never got into it, but I know enough about the dramatic antics of the judges to know that they probably only said what they said for shock value).

After every commercial break, the affable host with the light brown hair, definite salon-tan and nice blue eyes reminded viewers to log onto facebook.com/arabidol to either cast their votes or for more information. Along the bottom of the screen was the rolling list of numbers to text for your favorite contestant: Asiacell (for Iraq); Orange (a network also used in France), Zain (popular in Bahrain, I believe), Etisalat (covers Egypt), Oman mobile and many others.

The contestants were varied, but entirely male! The show, which is relatively new, includes male and female competitors; I think they preform on different episodes.  They gave short performances, but to my ear, they sounded no different than the Arabic artists I listen to on my ipod; in other words, these were actual, genuine singers, not like the contestants on American Idol who were most likely selected for their personal lives and shock value than actual talent. (OK, so Carrie Underwood is an admittedly decent singer, and she has had great success; Kelly Clarkson, although I wouldn’t say has the most amazing voice, certainly had more feminist, thought-provoking songs; but don’t get me started on the other winners of the show). The Arab Idol contestants didn’t stand there on stage bawling, or crying because the opportunity “was just so amazing;” they accepted their critique with a smile, graciously, and it was on to the next one.

There was 30’s-age man named Mahmoud who wore an interestingly-patterned turban and robe who sung a traditional song; a young man named Youssef who also sang a very traditional song (although apparently with some background vocals, as when he stopped the song kept going) who was an apparent crowd favorite; a young Saudi or Gulf man (he wore a red-and-white checkered headscarf) who smiled lot but whose performance was a little dull (which the judges did appear to remark on); a cute boy named Hassan who was either from Tunisia or who sung a traditional Tunisian song (the audience was in love with him, and he lapped up the attention, blowing kisses) as well as  several others who attempted to rock the stage.

Arab Idol was interesting primarily because I’d never watched an Idol, but there was something sorely lacking: the drama of elimination! At the end of the show, all the contestants came on stage and their names were read, but I’m not sure if they eliminated anyone! What’s up with that? Do they only eliminate people on certain shows, or did they announce the name but didn’t make a big deal of it, so as to lessen the blow to the loser? Either way, it makes me feel as though us Americans are bloodthirsty for winners and losers!

S-L-M

Aliaa Magda Elmahdy: A Girl and her Photo

Girl takes nude photo. Nude photo appears on the internet. What happens?

If you’re a porn star, people salivate and save it to their computers. If you’re a celebrity, the same thing also happens–and the girl either shrugs it off as “any publicity is good publicity” or she tries to sue whoever leaked the photo. If you’re Aliaa Magda Elmahdy, said girl get insults, threats, and worldwide debate.

Aliaa Magda Elmahdy, a mere 20 year old  Cairene student and activist, posted a nude photo of herself on her blog. The reason? She wasn’t trying to be a slut or flaunt herself, but she was definitely trying to garner attention: Aliaa was protesting freedom of speech and, I would say, people’s extreme views on sex in the Middle East. She is quoted as writing:

‘Hide all art books and smash naked archaeological statues. ’Then take off your clothes and look at yourselves in the mirror, then burn your body that you so despise to get rid of your sexual complexes forever, before subjecting me to your bigoted insults or denying my freedom of expression.’

Words cannot describe how happy I was when I heard about this girl. My father had seen an article about her on AOL news. His response? “Well, Egyptian girls are rather attractive, aren’t they?” How radically different was his take on the photo from the many Muslims (mostly male, but there were women too) who poured hate onto her blog as well as her Facebook page, which I promptly added. The diatribes and hate people wrote were  sickening and disheartening. This girl is not a slut; she is not a whore. She is not a “crazy little bitch.” She took a picture of her body.

The profile photo for Aliaa Magda Elmahdy's facebook group "Aliaa Magda Elmahdy."

The human body is just that: the human body. Her comment as quoted above about people hating their own bodies is absolutely right: some people (particularly in the Middle East) are so hung up on sex that they have debased the human body. We all have a body, and who cares, quite frankly, if men’s bodies are slightly different from a woman’s body?

There is a tiny part of me that wishes that she had not taken the photo, and it is the part of me that sadly acknowledges the realities of life in Cairo, Egypt and that, as the Daily Mail article I read suggested, she may have done more harm than good. She took a radical step, and I’m not quite sure if Egypt was ready for such a bold move. Unfortunately, stripping down for this photo might have just reinforced people’s ideas that women are sluts and must be covered, otherwise they will go all out and bare all.

It’s unfair that, even in protesting, one should be prudent in taking care as to how one demonstrates. But the Daily Mail also pointed out another potential problem that could result from Aliaa’s statement: that her radical liberal approach might turn even lightly conservative people away from the liberal parties campaigning for office in Egypt. Egypt needs to maintain a “liberal,” open-minded and secular government. It will be such a shame if they replace Mubarak with extreme fundamentals who will certainly deny freedom of speech to a possibly even greater extent.

Despite the problems that her photo might cause for both her cause and for her personally (in my mind I see her cooped up in her flat, unable to leave for her own safety) I still think that, looking at the bigger picture, it needed to be done. She got not only Egypt’s attention, but the worlds!  She made her point clear: that one statement should not define a person, nor should one “statement” be enough to condemn her/him.

If I had to name my heros, Aliaa Magda Elmahdy, a girl who I have never met and whose name I had never heard until today, would be featured on that list. To risk your life, social standing and possibly freedom to defend freedom is something worth honoring. The woman should be respected, not condemned.

S-L-M

Links:

1. Aliaa Magda Elmahdy: Foolish act of bravery? Egyptian activist risks her life after posting full frontal nude shot online sparking outrage among Muslims” by Maysa Rawi, The DailyMail  UK, 18 November 2011.
   http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2063201/Aliaa-Magda-Elmahdy-blog-Egyptian-activist-posts-nude-photo-online-sparking-outrage.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Salam alaykoum

In the Arabic language, words with similiar meanings are formed by the same root consonants. The words ‘Islam’ and ‘Salam’ both have the same 3 consonants:

S-L-M.

These 3 letters mean “peace” in Arabic.

Unfortunately, there is not a lot of peace in the world today. A lot of people, including radical Islamists, do not believe in peace or equality and thus there is a lot of fighting in the world. Similiarly, those who are suppressed are forced to struggle for their rights.

The Middle East today is quite far from the peace and “surrender” that Islam suggests. As Muslims themselves misinterpret the Koran for their own power and political gain and the West focuses on solely these negative people, misunderstanding occurs.

My goal, therefore, is to spread two messages: one, that Islam is a peaceful and righteous religion and thus the mistreatment that occurs in it’s name should be stopped, and two, that the Western world must educate itself about the real, and good Islam that exists.

I myself am not a Muslim, nor a Christian: my beliefs are that everyone is equal, everyone has the right to freedom, and that education is al-noor, or the light, to guide the world!

S-L-M