Divorce, that Luxury Alternative to Honor Violence or Misery

Marriage can be a difficult decision to make. The decision to divorce is even tougher, even in today’s society, where celebrities divorce after 55 hours (see Britney Spear’s first marriage) or after 72 days (see Kim Kardashian’s arguable publicity stunt of a marriage). In the Western world we’re lucky to have the right to decide to marry whoever we want, and to divorce for whatever reason (although I must ask, why is the divorce process such a lengthy procedure?) In the Middle East marriage is often a more formal, family-oriented affair; divorce, while legal in Islam, is a frowned-upon affair that usually rests solely on the husband’s whim.

Yet even the Middle East shows signs of the Western world’s penchant for making spur-of-the-moment decisions, as is evidenced by the recent divorcing of a Saudi man’s wife over a mall loudspeaker. Bikya Masr reported on a Saudi man who, after seeing his wife accept another man’s telephone number while out shopping in the mall, got on the mall’s loudspeaker system to tell his wife he was divorcing her.

Public humility? Check. Deciding to throw away a sacred vow because of one silly incident? Check. Like many American marriages that are built more on lust than love, it would seem safe to say that this Saudi marriage was built on a foundation of distrust and not love; after all, even if you’re angry, you don’t jump on the mall loudspeaker to tell the whole world that you’re breaking up with the mother of your children. The actions of this Saudi husband are abhorrent, and they highlight a strange sort of contradiction where men are to be accorded the highest honor, particularly in a marriage, and yet this husband decided to publicly air his dirty private laundry.

The preferred method some Middle Eastern men (or the families) take when dealing with misbehaving wives would be honor killings, or honor violence; after all, why let the wife (who was most likely abused or mistreated) go free and have the choice to make a new life? Throwing a troublesome woman into the Nile is a much preferable option, as was the case for one Egyptian woman who was recently tossed into the Nile River to die by her own family after she refused to remarry her abusive, much-older ex-husband.

Honor violence is one of the many tragedies women face in the Middle East, but what makes it perhaps the most despicable tragedy of all is that it is not simply a sexist matter, nor is it a private matter between a couple. Many times honor violence is approved (and even encouraged) by a victim’s mother or other female relative (though I believe sister’s might not be so keen on having their siblings battered, as they can empathize too easily). Countless honor killings are preformed not just by the spurned or cuckolded husband but by fathers, brothers, uncles. It is incomprehensible that a mother could condone the killing of her own daughter; that a grandmother would accept the treatment of her granddaughter as a punching bag.

Sourced from muslimwomennews.com, an excellent and intriguing website.

Divorce is legal even under strict Islamic shariah law; therefore, it should not be as stigmatized and frowned upon as it is. If a man is technically allowed to have several wives under Islamic law, why can’t a wife who is just one of many wives and who is more or less ignored be able to decide on divorcing her husband without risking a violent retaliation, or social suicide? Why does she have to give up her kids in order to be free?

Coinciding with the recent Nile-drowning attempt (the young woman lived), Egyptian Parliament Member Mohammed EL-Omda has decided to push legislation that would overturn the approved circa-2000 bill that granted Egyptian women their right to file for divorce. This shocking bit of news is troublesome for Egyptian women and Middle Eastern women in general; after all, Egypt was traditionally seen as a model country among it’s neighbors. And while the as-of-late ‘moderate’ Muslim Brotherhood is going strong at the moment, the majority of power (excluding the SCAF) is in the hands of people religious enough to call themselves Islamists: in these times of stress and uncertainty in Egypt, who’s to say that confidence-lacking Egyptian men might not pull a Taliban and decide to do away with womens rights, starting with women’s right to divorce, in order to boost their confidence and create an illusion of “security and stability?”

In the West, divorce is difficult because one party may still love the other one, or has been emotionally hurt. In the Middle East, divorce is difficult purely because of a sense of honor, a sense of property and a sense of familial propriety which is hopelessly outmoded. Either way, it’s not a pretty situation, and there is no need to make a difficult decision worse by purposely punishing one of the parties involved.

To conclude with a passage from the Qu’ran, Surat Al-Baqarah (The Cow):

And when you divorce women and they have [nearly] fulfilled their term, either retain them according to acceptable terms or release them according to acceptable terms, and do not keep them, intending harm, to transgress [against them]. And whoever does …

S-L-M

Links:

1. http://bikyamasr.com/63265/egypt-mp-calls-for-end-to-womens-right-to-divorce/

2.http://bikyamasr.com/64198/woman-thrown-into-egypts-nile-over-divorce-highlights-honor-violence/

3.  http://bikyamasr.com/63386/saudi-man-divorces-wife-over-loudspeaker-at-mall/

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

True Lust, not True Love, is behind Orfi Marriages

Valentines Day may be over, but true love lasts more than a day: “forever” seems to be the fairy-tale measurement, at any rate. Per the story book, true love is sealed by a marriage: a commitment that in the past used to actually last a lifetime. And while marriage is certainly more often than not a permanent situation for most couples in the Middle East, there are an alarming number of marriages that end up just as short as a Hollywood celebritie’s Las Vegas wedding. The cause behind these extremely (as in a few hours at times!) short marriages is none other than true love’s just as passionate but much more spontaneous sibling, true lust, whom Muslims are finding harder to suppress despite their conservative cultures.

One way to know when the marriage is real: you have a ceremony, and tout le monde is invited!

“Faux-marriages” are a common practice for those in Egypt who want to be able to legally “be intimate” with someone who is not a spouse. Known as “orfi marriages” these allow couples to live together without being harassed by their landlords (as I found out, non-married couples cannot rent a flat or even a hotel room in Egypt; proof of marriage is required). While the logic behind the orfi marriages seems sound (from a liberal Westerner’s point of view) the underlying problem is that most of the time the woman (more often than not a foreigner) is not told that the marriage actually has no legal standing with the Egyptian government or any foreign government. Basically put, the orfi marriage is designed so that a man can have sex with the female of his choice and leave her when he’s finished, no strings attached.

A recent article on a French-language Tunisian website (see below for link) shed more light onto fake marriages in the Middle East, albeit in a completely different manner. In Tunisia, the practice of orfi marriages exists the same as in Egypt, but with several twists. Firstly, both parties know that the marriage is not binding nor long-lasting; secondly, both parties are usually Muslim (and sometimes of the more penitent type); and thirdly, it has not only become socially acceptable, but fundamentalist Salafis actually support le mariage coutumier.

The article on lustful Tunisians shocked me, mostly for it’s hypocrisy. Although I once again understand the logic behind two young people who want to have sexual relations but can’t because they are not married nor can be married, the fact that both the man and the woman are usually Muslim was kind of hard to grasp, since unlike in the case of the Egyptian marriages both parties knew that was they were doing was “wrong” and in some cases the girls were the religious type who were veiled! Religion is complicated, but I don’t really see how one could consider herself so “close to God” that she must hide her body from men, but yet she willingly submits to a non-blessed marriage (the article called these marriages ‘halal’ but I think not) just because she wants to have sex? Oh, the hypocrisy?

The hypocrisy of course extended to the fact that the extreme fundamentalist Salafi group actually encourages couples to engage in orfi marriages. This statement was not expounded upon, which I greatly would have appreciated, as it seemed to jar with everything that Salafis stand for along with the other commentary that the article provided, such as the fact that orfi marriage is still illegal under law. The article did point to the fact that many of the orfi participants are young, poor and relish the ability to enjoy an aspect of marriage “sans pour autant en supporter la charge financière, généralement très lourde.”

The “charge financiere,” or financial burden, points to a very interesting comparaison between the evolution of a Christianity and Islam. The Christian bible also states that sexual relatons should only be between a husband and wife, yet there are plenty of people nowadays who call themselves Christian but who engage in premarital sex, among other previously “forbidden” practices. Orfi marriage in the Muslim world suggests that some Muslims are challenging the rules that are suggested in the Qu’ran like their Christian counterparts before them. Orfi marriages suggest that even Islam, often seen as a stalwart and stubborn bulkhead to modernity, adaptation and change, is not completely immune to our rapidly changing world. Marriages cost money, and not everyone has money in these harsh economic times. Thus, even those who believe strongly in God have thought realistically and come to the conclusion that they don’t want to end up as the 40-year old virgin.

Will custom be overtaken by personal desire, lust and opinion in Tunisia? The citizens of this tiny country have already proved themselves as trendsetters of the Middle East (hello, Sidi Bouzi and the Arab Spring!) so let’s see if they can start a more cultural, liberal revolution.

S-L-M

Links:

1. “Tunisie – Le sexe hors mariage, désormais « halal » grâce au mariage « coutumier »” by Synda Tajine. 27 January 2012.  http://www.businessnews.com.tn/Tunisie—Le-sexe-hors-mariage,-d%C3%A9sormais-%C2%AB-halal-%C2%BB-gr%C3%A2ce-au-mariage-%C2%AB-coutumier-%C2%BB,520,28998,3

2. Photo copyright:  weddings.divanee.com

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

Supermarket Treats in Egypt

Food in Egypt is intriguing. Although I have food phobias, I also have a strange obsession with reading about food, or looking at food: as a child, while reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House books, my favorite parts were reading about the food they ate and how they made it (people don’t make their own butter nowadays, that’s for sure!) And when I bought new things for my doll house, it was always the exquisitely-crafted tiny turkeys and cakes. So, although i may not enjoy eating it, I enjoy reading and looking at it and now…writing about it.

One of the tastiest treats in Egypt has got to be Todo. Todo is like the Hostess brand of Egypt: they make all sorts of sweet little snacks just waiting for my sweet tooth to devour. I encountered Todo during my first trip to Egypt, but when we went to the supermarket last week it was the first time I saw the Todo cream-filled cupcakes. Of course, I had to get them!

Below is an example of the more traditional Todo, a little chocolate-covered chocolate cake with a layer of chocolate icing. Perhaps French bakeries would sniff at my Todo obsession–Hostess certainly isn’t gourmet–but Todo is a very good dessert, in my opinion.

Continuing on the sweet-tooth craze, my husband picked these treats up from the market one day after work. The Tempo was like a less-sweet version of the Oreo; the HoHo’s were, well, like Hostess Hoho’s (or maybe they look more like Yodels?) Either way, both were tasty, and an interesting fact is that the packaging on both was in French. Not a word of Arabic in sight!

Froot Loops aren’t an Egyptian brand (although I did try the Egyptian version, Temmy’s, which features a crocodile on the box, and they sorely lacked sugar of any nature) but they are one of the few American cereal brands I’ve encountered in the Egyptian supermarket. It’s also funny to see the box, which I’ve been familiar with since childhood, appear in Arabic.

No trip to the supermarket (in Egypt, I’ve gone to both the giant department-store Spinney’s at the CityStars Mall as well as Metro Market, which has a huge candy section and CinnaBon pop-up shop, as well as most recently Omar’s Supermarket) is complete without President cheese. But what I want to know is: is it Egyptian, or French? My aunt brought over President cheese for Christmas Dinner, which makes me want to assume that it is French. But apparently it’s very popular in Egypt too.

And what do I make with President cheddar cheese slices? Grilled cheese, of course! My husband had never had a grilled cheese until I made it for him (oh, the horror!) That’s perhaps because sliced bread is unpopular in Egypt and, also, rather expensive (they prefer their pita bread, baked in open-air bakeries). Rich Bake is the common go-to source for sliced bread (and other bread goods) and I find that I like it more than regular American white bread (of course, it has nothing on French baguettes, but c’est la vie).

When people ask me, “Can you find something normal to eat?” in Egypt, the answer is not only “yes, in the cafes” but also “yes, at the supermarket.” Metro Market would look identical to something like King Kullen, if only King Kullen had lime-and-pepper-flavored potato chips. Oh yes. More on that later.

S-L-M

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

Arabian Music Through Music Videos, Pt. 1

Forget video killing the radio star: MTV has since killed the video star, what with the fact that it no longer plays anything remotely resembling, well, music! Music videos are still being made—and at high quality, if you take a gander at Lady Gaga’s over-the-top glamorous vids—but where are people watching them? Online? Singers may have gone “underground” with their music videos, but in the Arab world, there are countless channels that play music non-stop. And their music videos are anything but dull or cliché.

            Rotana Cinema is a huge media production company in Egypt, running several channels on TV and producing both films, television programs and music. Recently, I witnessed a “Top 20” countdown of music videos on Rotana, a concept that was born in America with MTV’s Total Request Live (TRL) program. The host was a woman with overlong extensions, a pleasant demeanor and definite collagen lip implants; like many other female personalities on TV, she could certainly use her lips as a life preserver if necessary. Myriam Fares and the never-dying Amr Diab were in the top 10, but the top 2 positions when to (2^nd) a sheikh with a white headscarf and sporting a long robe accompanied by drums and a backup male choir; at number 1, a relatively young man with dark hair singing infront of a full orchestra a sad-sounding ballad.

The Rotana Cinema Logo

            The differences, stylistically, between the artists on this Top Countdown highlights the varied tastes in Arab music. “Popular music” in the United States is solely relegated to any music aimed at teenagers and the younger generations; if you can still find a Top 20 countdown, most of the songs will be rap, r&b, hip-hop, pop, a watered-down version of techno or, more likely, dubstep; a few country songs and an occasional rock song or oddball (see: Adele). There are so many more genres of music in the United States, but this is what one usually hears on the radio and certainly on TV. In the Arab world, however, all musical tastes are admired in popular music.

Amr Diab in his Top-20 video for song "Benadeek", from ahlasoot.com

            Arabic music can first be divided into two main styles: traditional and modern. Traditional has all of the ethnic flavor you might expect to hear on a Putumayo CD; the songs use the same words, lyrical style and instrumental style as ones of the generations before them. I witnessed this type of music in action several times when I went to sit under the big circus-style tent at one of the military clubs here in Egypt; the singer was a older man who stood on stage accompanied by several men playing instruments, and he sung a very traditional-sounding music.

            Modern music can be divided into two groups: that which is more ‘Arabic’ flavored and that which is more Western. The ‘Arabic’ flavored songs are a mixture of old and new, perhaps pairing ballad-style singing with a more pop-ish instrumental or vice versa. The Western-style Arabic music is very poppy, with techno or trance undertones. Indeed, there are many trance/techno DJ’s that are cropping up in the Middle East. Rap and r&b-style music is mostly non-existant, save in countries like Morocco and Tunisia where artists combine Arabic lyrics with French lyrics to form what is dubbed “rai ‘n b” (a style I adore), although there are some underground rap preformers in Egypt. Rock is admittedly harder to come by, although if the Iranian film No one Knows about Persian Cats is any indication, rock music does exist, it is just underground.

            As I do not understand Arabic, I cannot give a critique on the lyrics in Arabic songs, and therefore my critique shall be on the style of Arabic music videos. The music video is an interesting medium of art because it manages to mix music with visuals in a unique interpretation. Music videos in the United States are often extremely fast-paced, exhilarating rides in which we are barraged with a thousand and one mini-clips and still shots, usually of very attractive people. Whereas Michael Jackson, the high auteur of music videos, got purposefully “ugly” in Thriller, the music video of today usually centers on very, very attractive people, usually dancing the night away in a club. The more enterprenuring ones feature some high-stakes car chase a la Hollywood films, or mini-dramas enacted, but one thing is clear: there always has to be plenty of close-ups of young, flawless people, their perfect bodies, bare skin, and sexual tension, if not outright sex.

            There are two main differences between American music videos and Arabic music videos. The first is that the overall editing pace of the videos in Arabic is slower: the storyline is much more important in Arabic music videos, and as a result we don’t have as many mini-clips and shots. The second difference is that there is no kissing or sex in Arabic music videos: whereas American music videos are rife with sex, the most anyone will do in an Arabic music video is give a hug, or touch each other’s face.

            That is not to say that Arabic music videos are devoid of sexual tension or all of the “flawless, pretty” people that fill American music videos. Au contraire, in Arabic music videos it is perhaps even worse. The women—whether they are the artist or simply models in the video—are constantly seen primping, preening, and basically luxuriating in their general loveliness. The amount of loveliness in this videos is almost disgusting to watch; after watching an hour of Arabic music videos, I feel like ugliness would be more than welcome. Everyone is perfect looking, male and female; everything is perfect-looking. Arabic music videos are like fairy tales  in which everything appears to be wonderful, and even if the heroine sheds a tear, the ending is always  happy.

Coming next: Part II: Unrealistic Representation in Arabic Music Videos

Ma tigi Nor’os–An Egyptian-Style Dance Film

  There are more inspirational dancing films in Hollywood than you can shake a stick at. For one reason or another, the idea of a film where people use dancing to get through tough times is just one cliché that directors love to use over and over again. Don’t get me wrong—I love to dance, I just think that the films could be a little more original.

            Last night I watched another dancing film, only this time it was via the Egyptian Film backlots, not Hollywood. The film, Ma Tigi Norqos, was a sort of cross between J.Lo’s Shall We Dance? and Antonio Banderas’ Take the Lead (or any other dance film, for that matter): it centered around a dance studio full of your atypical dancer types who are prepping up for a big public performance in none other than the City Stars Mall in Heliopolis. You’ve got the meathead-but-oddly-charming hottie dance instructor (Tamer Hagras) who everyone swoons over; the outlandish and brass female dance instructor with what appears to be purple ribbons (or hair dye) streaking her hair; two lumpy and cluelessly-dressed oddballs who just want to get with her; an officer-worker who can dance surprisingly well and a bunch of young hijab-wearing girls who get “down and dirty” in the r&b sessions.

Actor Tamer Hagras

            The focus, however, is mostly on one older woman (actress Yousra) who looks not unlike some American mother. She wears glasses, arrives in her frumpy office clothes and is generally timid and clueless; however, she is not too timid, as even this non-Arabic speaker could figure out that she was bored with her life (and her inattentive, boring, strict husband) and had decided to take a leap and do something exciting. The catch is that neither her husband nor her teenage son know that she’s taking dance lessons, so she has to sneak around and hide, which eventually leads her husband to believe that she is having an affair.

Ma Tigi Norqos

            If the film had been American, would I have liked it, despite the typical dance cliché? I would say yes: there were many comedic moments (American dance films are usually so much more serious, with the pep talks and you-can-do-it! Speeches) such as the scene where the crazy dance instructor gets poked in the derriere with a pole (the klutzy lumpy guys are balancing them on their shoulders as they dance) and the front-desk lady gives her a block off ice to sit on. (What I wouldn’t give to have known what they were saying in this scene!) Although our protagonist argues with her husband, there is none of the stereotypical “down-and-out” scenes where you feel like all is going to go to pot. Even when he catches her tangoing in her office with her fellow co-worker she’s not, like, locked in a closet or something. And even when she lives out her fantasy of tangoing with Mr. Macho Muscles Dance Instructor in private, there’s no hard feelings afterward.

The protagonist (Yousra) with her dance instructor (Tamer Hagras)

            Because the film is Egyptian, you tend to view it’s American storyline in a different light. I personally found the protagonist riveting: here she is, this older lady, going behind her husband’s back to dance. To the over-protective, stuffy Egyptian male of today, having your wife dance—especially to an intimate dance like the tango—with another man would be an absolute no-no. It would be unthinkable. But here she is, dancing with a man probably only a few years older than her teenage son, laughing conspiratorially with her unlikely bedfellows over this and that. The music is modern, the dance sexy, and although she wears a modest billowy leggings-pantsuit for her public performance at the City Stars Mall, the characters and film would not be out of place in a more Westernized setting.

            Music, they say, is the international language. Other people say love is the international language; yet others say food or dance. I say, why not all four? No matter where you go, people are going to be eating, dancing, listening to music and, well, loving! No matter what country you find yourself in, the core of life will be the same; deep down, we all share the same aspirations and passions. If the abundance of dance films like Ma Tigy Naqros are any indication, let’s just dance through life together!

S-L-M

 Links:

http://www.rotana.net/movie/ma+tigi+nor%E2%80%99os+/605/detail