Handmade Pendant from Turkey

Earlier this month, I bought a beautiful pendant from Istanbul on Ebay.  It is handmade with a lapis stone in the middle and Arabic written on the stone. There are red and turquoise beads surrounding the stone in the middle.  It says, "bismi-llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm", which means, In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful. So, yesterday, I went out to find a black necklace to go with it.  All I could find is a small suede one that will have to make due until I can find what I want. Would you be comfortable wearing religious jewelry from another religion?

Polio, Pakistan, and Havoc

PHOTO:AP

In 1994, Pakistan had 20,000 cases of polio.  After a vigorous campaign of immunization, the number of cases dropped down to 56 in 2012.  Several health care workers administering the vaccines were killed this week because the Taliban (they are suspected for doing this) thought it was a western conspiracy to sterilize or spy on muslims.  Apparently, the CIA used a fake vaccination campaign to try and obtain information on Osama Bin Ladin before he was found and killed.  However, the vaccines have been going on for some time. 

It is hard to connect with this kind of thinking.  Culture and religion has caused a great chasm between the east and the west.  We all have to agree that Osama Bin Ladin was not a good man.  By using vaccination as a ploy to get information on him was not a bad thing. The world is free from one more evil man. 

 Polio can paralyze or kill in a very short amount of time passing from one person to the next. This disease has a strong foothold in Pakistan, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria. For this reason world health workers have been working tirelessly.  It is a shame to gun down defenseless women over suspicious thinking. Again, it is a shame.  

To date, the health care workers have stopped with the immunizations until the situation comes under control.  This isn't a case of religion, nor is it about culture, but a healthy future for children.  Children who want to grow up and have normal lives.  Children are the future of this world of ours. They just need a chance.

Finding Nouf: A Story of Bad Intentions

I've recently finished the book Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris.  Finding Nouf is a story of murder, religion, culture, and intentions.  Islam is ever present in the lives of the characters of this story. Nayir ash-Sharqi is a desert guide but is called by the family to lead a search party for Nouf, a girl of sixteen, who eventually was found dead by desert travelers.  She had everything going for her.  Her family was rich and she was about to be married. Why would someone want to kill her?  Life between men and women are separate.  Women are covered from head to toe, remaining a mystery to the male members of society. Nayir meets up with Katya Hijazi, who works at the coroner's office. Together they solve the mystery of Nouf's death.

I feel that the story is more about intentions and how painful life can be for those who are wronged.  Desperation can cause seemingly good people to do very bad things.  When Katya told Nayir that she would marry someone so that she could have the freedoms for which she longed for, it struck a chord with me.  This kind of thing happens all of the time in our world.  Heartless acts of desperation with no care for the innocent victim they have ensnared.  This is a good book and is well written.  I am currently reading her next book called City of Veils. 

Super.Full.

I've just learned about a little movie that is very popular on YouTube.  It is entitled: Super.Full.  The story is of a deaf man and his wife and the great sacrifice that he made for her birthday. It is only 13 minutes long, so take a break and watch it.  You will really enjoy it.

The Consequences of Love in Saudi Arabia



One of my belly dance friends gave me a book to read.  She picked it up at a greatly reduced price and liked the cover, not knowing that this book was more than a romance novel.  As she read, she thought of me.  Once she was finished she told me that she had a book for me to read.  It is called, The Consequences of Love, by Sulaiman Addonia. The story takes place in Saudi Arabia, the center of Islam and it's strict laws.  The place where men and women live separate lives. Women are forbidden. Love barely exists. Poverty and no connections, meant that a man could not marry. Within the first few chapters I read about sodomy, beheadings and the religious police. The story was intriguing. At a tender age, Naser and his younger brother Ibrahim were sent to Saudi Arabia to avoid the war back home, only to encounter a war of another kind.  His fight for the love of a woman began when Fiore dropped a note at his feet.  From that day forward, Naser's life would never be the same.  In school, dreams of the afterlife was so imposed on their lives that dreams on earth were forgotten. At 19, Fiore said that she was buried all of her waking life, including her dreams. Everything that she hoped for lay beyond the walls of her prison, which is called home. When she went out, her beauty was covered by a piece of cloth, and at home her intelligence and knowledge were shrouded by the walls of her room. Everything about her was concealed. The Consequences of Love is a dark and evocative testament to desire in an inhumane state.





Alifa Rifaat's Short Stories of Women

I have just finished reading Distant View of a Minaret by Alifa Rifaat. It is a collection of 15 short stories about women. There are stories of love, death, fantasy, and frustrations of everyday life.  As I read, I felt as though I were one of the women who struggled to survive life.  Men's rules and selfish desires made it hard for women to live a fulfilling life, this is the focus of the author's stories. I felt that many of the women resigned themselves to how things were and patiently waited for death, hoping that their next life would somehow be better than the one where they reside currently. 

The story called, The Kite, was the most inspiring.  It begins with Widad, a widow, who has just risen from sleep to the voice of the Muezzin calling for morning prayers.  After her husband passed away, the chickens were her only companions in life, whom she knew each one and it's characteristics. She would have endless conversations with them.  When she was young, Widad loved a young man named Mitwalli.  He felt love for her as well, but Widad's father married her off to another man.  Years later they meet again.  Mitwalli still wanted her.  Widad was waiting for death.  During a dream Widad saw here life with Mitwalli and it was a good thing. She decided, Why not? Sometimes we are given second chances. This is not a new book but one from the 80's.  Stories are a good way of causing you and me to think about life.  It is a good thing.

Mature at 12 for Marriage?

Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh is a Saudi Grand Mufti.  He thinks that girls are ready for marriage at the tender age of 12, maybe 10 if she is mature.  Seriously?!  He is quoted as saying: "Our mothers and before them our grandmothers married when they were barely 12,” he added. “Good upbringing makes a girl ready to perform all marital duties at that age," and those who say women should not marry before 25 years are following a "bad path."

Just recently in the news, a 12 year old girl from Yemen, Fawziyah Abdullah Youssef, died during childbirth, they like 9 year old girls there. Another case where a 12 year old was married to an 80 year old man in Saudi Arabia was in the news.  The girl was basically sold (dowry) by her father for $22,667, since the girl was underage the money went to her father. The mother tried to get a divorce for her but it proved to be a fruitless endeavor. The case was turned over to the countries Human Rights Commission.  It is ingrained in the Muslim mind that to pattern their life after that of the Prophet, who married Aiysha at 6 but didn't consumate the marriage until she was 9, will produce a blessed life for themselves. A girl of 12 is not thinking about babies but dolls and candy. I cannot relate to this mindset and it frustrates me to think about it.

Misogny = Hatred of Women

Yesterday, I came across an article titled, Why Do They Hate Us?, written by Mona Eltahawy.  She is an Egyptian-American columnist.  In November, 2011, Egyptian police beat her, breaking her left arm and right hand, and sexually assaulted her.  She was detained by the Interior Ministry and military intelligence for 12 hours.  Her article focused on the hatred of women by the Arab world.  Her story begins with a story written by Alifa Rifaat, Distant View of a Minaret. As I read the story, I realized that my life had mirrored that of the wife.  My experience was certainly not the only one, nor will it be the last. Sexual satisfaction is not just his right but her right too! Women the world over are second class citizens, especially in the Middle East. The United States has problems with women too. We are looked at as sexual objects, rather than living rational beings. There is abuse, neglect, rape, murder, and a host of other things that women must endure in our society. But life here is by far the best that the world has to offer. We have our freedom. We can have jobs. We do not need to marry in order to survive. We can choose to have children or not.  We can live on our own without any worries. The Middle East is a century behind in the rights of women. It was at least 100 years ago that women were allowed to vote in this country. We are given equal rights to property.  We can travel alone and drive cars. Oh how lucky we are! I feel for these women. A southern man describes his helplessness in this situation on the Foreign Policy web site.  He says that now he is aware of the problem but doesn't have the resources to rescue one. Isn't that is what men are supposed to do?  Rescue us from a miserable situation and bring us to his castle. At least, that is what the fairytale is. 

Click on the link above and watch the video to see what this Egyptian-American woman has to say about women's rights. 

Sheikh Abdul-Bari Zamzami Controversy in Morocco

There is an Imam in Morocco who is infamous for several Islamic sexual fatwa's that he has issued in recent years.  The man is Sheikh Zamzami.  Just recently, I read an article about him allowing women to use root vegetables or kitchen implements, or bottles to relieve sexual tension if she is unmarried, widowed, or has no hope for marriage.  I was shocked when I read this. Actually, I brought the article to work to see what my co-workers reaction would be and most were speechless.  Zamzami is a supporter of sex shops and sex toys.  This kind of stuff is hard to wrap my head around since he is a religious leader.  One always thinks that a religious man would be on the verge of divine, but I am going to have to re-think what I believe about these people.  Not only is he in favor of sex toys, etc...but if a mans wife dies he is allowed to still have sex with her.  Of course she has to be "fresh" when it comes to being dead. Reading this really blew my mind.  What man would want to have intercourse with a corpse?  Oh, I forgot, we are talking about men. Some may like the idea, but I find it repulsive. I know that this is not the view of all Moroccans or muslims.  My question is: When a religious person goes public with these wayside kinds of notions, how do the people of Morocco feel or how do muslims in general react to this? 

Belly Dance in Morocco: Controversy or Delight

The third Belly Dance Festival in Marrakech has stirred up something this year. It is to take place May 10 - 14 in Marrakech.  Apparently, there are some Israeli participants and the other contestants are in an uproar over it.  In my opinion I don't think that having Israeli participants is the real problem, but women showing a bit of skin is. There are those who are in authority that feel belly dancing is indecent and encourages the "propagation of vice" in Morocco.  Sounds a bit like Saudi Arabia to me. Before long there will be "morality police" lining the streets to make sure that people are following all of the religious rules.  Besides all of the uproar and hoopla, I would love to be able to go to this event. Wouldn't it be a wonderful experience to see women dance in the true form of belly dance?   The only thing I don't like is all of the hair flinging.  What has that got to do with Belly Dancing? I see Moroccan women do that all of the time at weddings. 

Someone by the name of Hakima who owns a studio to teach belly dance in Europe said this about us westerners:

“No matter how Westerners try, they will never master belly dancing like we Easterners do.”

I think that I may get some attitude here...because I know that she is talking to us. We can shake our stuff with the best of 'em.

Hello, Does Hope live here? Not for Amina

It came to my attention in the last couple of days about a young girl who committed suicide in Morocco.  She was raped by a man whom her family forced to marry to keep them from being talked about and save him from going to prison. He deserved to go to jail.  He committed a crime.  Under Moroccan law, rape is punishable by 5-10 years in prison or between 10-20 years if the victim is a minor. The judge recommended that the rapist marry the girl to restore her honor. Honor? Really?! My heart went out to Amina Filali . Rape is very traumatizing for a woman and to have to marry the person who violated you is hard to imagine.  What was her family thinking?  Morocco may seem to be the most lenient Muslim country in the East regarding women but still have a long way to go regarding the treatment of their women. Why don't people question their own culture and beliefs?  Why is Morocco such a "shame" based society?  I read several articles about Amina Filali and it was said that rape is not common in this country.  I really don't believe it.  My ex-husband told me about another girl who hung herself in the city where he used to live because she, too, had a sexual encounter and felt that death was her only option. Shame on Amina's mother for forcing her into this kind of situation. More importantly shame on her father for not being a man and standing up for his daughter. Was their good name more important than her life?  I guess so. The law protects public morality but not the individual.

She, too, was here. Amina's life had value, but her family was afraid to stand up for her. Shurma!

Silver Jewelry from Yemen

What woman doesn't like Jewelry?  When I came back from Morocco, I returned with some earrings that I wear all of the time.  I was given a lovely silver necklace with terracotta colored beads and a matching ring.  I will always cherish these few items that I have.  Just recently, I read an article in Saudi Aramco World about jewelry from Yemen. 

I like the rustic look of these pieces.

 My necklace from Morocco looks very much like this bracelet.

Would you ever wear jewelry like this?  If you want to read more about Yemeni jewelry click here.

Conical Houses of the East and Elsewhere!

Did you know that one half of the world's population on six continents, lives or works in buildings that are constructed of earth?  This is quite a substantial sum of people living in simply made structures. 

The above picture is beehive houses in Syria.  Can you imagine living in a home like this.  No windows to speak of and no indoor heating or air conditioning. However, I have heard that they can be very cool in the summer when the air outside is stiffling.

Then there are the conical houses of Haran, Turkey.  I rather like this view.  It looks clean and inviting.  I can imagine myself sitting outside with a glass of mint tea and talking with neighbors.

The first recorded beehive or conical houses were recorded about 3,700 BC.  In Aleppo, Syria there is an entire village of these type of homes.  Where did the idea to build one of these gems originate? 

Do you think that travelers would see one of these homes and take the idea back with them to build for themselves?

Would you belive that these huts were made without mortar?  Yes, and they were lived in by monks in Skellig Michael, Ireland.

Native Americans had their own version of the conical hut, but not made with mud or stone but animal hides.  My home is quite simple and needing a thick coat of paint.  Anyway, a home is your castle or maybe a hut. 

Me an Infidel?

I wish that I would have read the book Infidel back when it first came out.  It is a very enlightening book and I have missed out by not reading it until now.  As someone who is raised in the West with all of our freedoms, it is hard to imagine how life would be in the East for me as a woman. I cringed as I read about Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s recollection of her genital mutilation.  I could hear the snap of the scissors as they cut the flesh in my mind.  As an American, I feel that we don't educate ourselves like the rest of the world when it comes to other cultures and religions.  If I would have been pro-active, I would have studied more about Islam before my marriage.  But that is neither here nor there. I am learning now. When I borrowed the book from the library, the back was broken on the book, which made it not so easy to read and I was ready to take it back without reading it. By chance I opened the book and my eyes went to a paragraph. This is what I read, "A Muslim girl does not make her own decisions or seek control. She is trained to be docile. If you are a Muslim girl, you disappear, until there is almost no you inside you..." As I read, I told myself that I needed to read this book and have not regretted it.   

Why would a grown man want to marry a 9 year old little girl?

I have just read the book, "I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced."  I saw this book in the book stores a couple of years ago.  Now I have decided to read it.  Long story short this book is about a little girl whose father arranged for her to get married when she was 9 years old.  There are many factors which would drive a father to marry off their daughters at such a young age: poverty, local custom, and lack of education.  Nujood's family is from Yemen and marrying a young girl has been going on there for generations.  There is a tribal proverb that says: "To guarantee a happy marriage, marry a 9 year old girl." By the way, Nujood's husband was 30 years old.  What can a grown man have in common with a child of nine? I felt very sad after reading this book and nearly cried.  I just don't understand the thought pattern here and I kept asking myself why. I know that they want to ensure that children will be born to them in the marriage but oftentimes at the peril of the mother.  A child will not be as developed internally as she should and faces serious injury or worse.

Picture comes from National Geographic

Nujood shattered a taboo. This child's story traveled around the world.  Her courage to seek a divorce from an abusive man three times older than she, gave other girls the courage to stand up for themselves too. In February of 2009, the Yemeni Parliament finally passed a new law raising the legal age of consent for marriage to 17 for both boys and girls.  I wonder if this law is enforced?  I doubt it very seriously.