Its a new era

Maybe hundreds or even thousands times I had my lunch at school restaurants, and million times I got my coffee from my favorite coffee shop or even shopping. There is no one single time that I pay close attention about the amount of money I spend. The value of that money was missing or not seen as it is in a real life.  Maybe money is the money; it is just the way we see it according to where we stand in this life.

People on top of the economical pyramid might see that five-dollars for Grande cappuccino not that much while person from working class would see it as a half an hour working.  

Like many people in this world my life go though ups and downs, after that day when I lose my financial support that granted to me to continue my post graduate studies, many things has changed.

I couldn't enjoy that grilled chicken burger with the fries and the chocolate milk today, it cost me 10 bucks, I ate it thought. 

What makes us think the way we do? is it because we choose to see things in this way, or it is depending on where we located in the pyramid??

I'm not talking about food only. It’s about everything, food, clothes, religion, and the way we see each other’s.

Am afraid that there is nothing true and nothing wrong, it is more about our inner awareness and personal perspective of everything around us.

Saudi women's rights movement

Saudi women refuse to stay in their kitchens and waste their education and skills on nothing. They are ready to move on, alongside men.

By Fatema Kareem - Tuesday 26 Jul 2011

religious countries, Saudi Women, women's rights

Political Islam, or whatever you want to call it, has failed on both sides: Shiite and Sunni countries. Some people may argue that it’s the fundamentalists from each side who need to be blamed for this dark and scary image of Islam, not the religion itself! Until we find modern intellectual minds that interpret and apply the pure Islam on the Earth, political Islam will continue to fail. We need unbiased individuals and groups to help reform and modernize the religion and also to take the non-Muslim into account because we all live together on one planet.

I want to ask those who want to apply the real Islam in our daily and political life, as they claim: which Islam do you want to apply? Sunni Islam or Shiite Islam or Wahhabi Islam?

On the first day we go to school, in the first religion class, we have been told that it is un-Islamic to separate religion from state and as Muslims we should be ready to give our lives to protect this religion. Otherwise we are considered “kafir”, which means infidels in Arabic, who accept western values.

We need to find a middle ground to stand on for all people, even non-believers, and move on with our lives to the future. What happens in Saudi Arabia or Iran, for example, affects other people on the other side of the world and vice versa. We are no more isolated from others: the world is changing and it is better to embrace this change for good.

There are many who are affected negatively by political Islam and when it comes to women the situation becomes worse. Women’s fight to gain their basic rights in some countries has become a dark long night with a dawn that never comes.

In a country such as Saudi Arabia, the abuse of women’s rights is not simply the unfortunate result of religious authority. It is the consequence of a state policy that gives women fewer rights than men and that means women face discrimination all their lives. That allows men to practice their power on women without being accused by law. On the other hand, nobody will never know. It is always there; something has been cooked and in case of Saudi women the “Arab spring” might raise the heat under their pot a little bit. The women in this area are growing and deciding to take the hard path and are starting to express their opinions freely. Saudi women now don’t want to waste their education and skills or get married to someone to satisfy their materialistic desires. According to “Arab News”, in a study conducted recently (which more than 200 women participated in between the ages of 17 to 35), 87% would choose financial independence over depending on their husbands. Only 13% admitted they would marry a rich husband.

“I cannot see myself staying at home and doing nothing but cooking and cleaning. I want my husband to see more in me than just a ‘baby-making machine,’” said 34-year-old Zahra Abunaser

Oppressed people cannot stay oppressed forever. Even though women in this area are not asking for many rights, such as political rights, banning or limiting other religious issues like polygamy or temporary marriages for men, women’s rights may obtained years from now.

The women’s movement in Saudi Arabia is still taking baby steps; it could take years to walk independently. Academic achievement is not necessarily helping to push the women’s rights movement. The confrontation of women’s groups who are asking for more rights within Islam with the small number of secular and atheist women (due to lack of freedom of religion and beliefs in this country) make it hard for all women to get together and benefit from unification. There are women who still find that being a feminist is not Islamic, there are some who want few rights—such as stopping the ban on women’s driving and removing the guardianship law on women at the age of 18. It is not surprising that we find women who are still against the freedom of choosing clothes and not wearing the veil, and who support polygamous marriage, or even temporary marriages. There are women who would fight hard to keep things as they are. There is a woman called Salwa al-Mutairi, a well-known television hostess and thankfully an unsuccessful candidate for the Kuwaiti Parliament, who claims that women being sex slaves is an Islamic practice to legitimize men’s sexual desires outside of marriage and to avoid adultery!

Another example of a woman that refuses the fight to acquire more rights for women is Rawdah Al-Yousif, a Saudi Arabian who describes herself as activist. This woman attacked Manal Al-Sharif, the woman who started the campaign “Women2Drive” and drove her car in June 2011 to make a statement that the driving ban on women should be stopped in Saudi Arabia. Al-Yousif was also a campaign supervisor and organizer, with a number of other Saudi women, on a campaign supporting the Kingdom’s male guardianship system. The campaign was entitled “My Guardian Knows The Best For Me”.

Another reason pushing the women’s movement back in Saudi Arabia is the conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslims. Every time when women from Shiite minority demand that women of Saudi Arabia deserve more rights, no matter what their background is, they are always facing the accusation of disloyalty to their country and the hidden agenda, mostly the Iranian Shiite agenda, claimed to be destroying other Saudi women’s morals. All these reasons keep women uniting and fighting to gain their rights as human beings.

Twenty years ago we weren’t standing where we are now. It is maybe the “Arab Spring” or the “social media” or whatever helps the young ones to start thinking and to try to put the pieces of the puzzle together. For sure, the picture will be clear for everyone eventually and the Saudi youth will start to understand that we are all Saudi Arabian and this is what most matters to build this country.

support Canadian Boat to Gaza "Freedom Flotilla"

Las few days were my first time i was practicing my freedom of expression on public. I was participating in rally in Winnipeg in solidarity with the Canadian Boat to Gaza (The Tahrir). 

The Greek authorities are preventing the Canadian boat from leaving its port in Greece to Gaza. The Tahrir is one of seven boats and cargo ships that make up the "Freedom Flotilla", an international initiative whose goal is to challenge the illegal blockade of Gaza, and bringing humanitarian aid to the civilians population of Gaza.

The same action was taken by different groups allover Canada in places such as, Ottawa, Vancouver and other provinces. I hope they can help in removing the illegal blockade of Gaza and allowing safe docking of Canadian ship at a port in Gaza.

Saudi women catch the revolution virus

This article first published by ViewsHound website.

By: Fatema Kareem - Wednesday 25 May 2011 

Tags: Saudi Arabia, rights, middle east

Women face barriers in every country in the world. These barriers may be greater or lesser depending on the government and society in each country. The patriarchal system in Saudi Arabia has made it hard for women to acquire equal rights with men. While men have few political rights, women still have almost none. Moreover, this situation is nurtured by the religious authority; women were told that they were created by God to stay at home and do the housework, with limited options for work outside their houses.

It seems that women in Saud Arabia are fed up with the ignorance and neglect of the authority and society, and their failure to grant them more rights. Thus they have decided to change their tactics and take action instead of waiting. In recent days a Saudi woman, Manal Al Sharif, has been calling for a mass drive by woman on June 17th, 2011, in an effort to change the society’s opinion of women driving. She released a video on YouTube describing how woman can participate in the movement to lift the ban on women driving. Al Sharif started to drive her car using an international driving license, but was detained at Alkhobar police station for the second time at about 2am a few days ago, without any clear accusation.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bans women from driving. The government has stated that it is a matter of time, and that it is completely up to the people of Saudi Arabia to decide when they are ready for this to change – political views have nothing to do with it. This vague statement seems to be indirect approval for the current policy to avoid international embarrassment and to keep the matter from the rest of the world.

The women of Saudi Arabia have caught the revolution virus from nearby countries, and the detention of one woman won’t stop them or make them afraid. A driving demonstration was held in the 1990s, and a few years later the issue came to the surface again when human rights activist Wajeha al-Huwaider drove her car in the private campus of the oil company ARAMCO to raise awareness of the issue. Women’s fight for the right of mobility is a key part of their struggle for wider rights in the future – they are starting to believe that rights are something they must fight for.

The issue of women driving doesn’t require great discussion – it is a non-negotiable right. The government of Saudi Arabia needs to take action and change the law now. If the government are looking for a chance to move toward reform in the country, now is the time to begin.

Wajeha al-Huwaider

This is an article i would like to share with you written by a friend of me called Cato Alexis from United States, featuring Wajiha Al huwaider for this year's International Women's Day.

*******

Wajeha al-Huwaider is a Saudi activist, journalist and co-founder of The Association for the Protection and Defense of Women’s Rights in Saudi Arabia. She is a native of the city of Hufuf in eastern Saudi Arabia. She holds an MA in Reading Management from George Washington University. She currently works as an education analyst for Aramco.

Wajeha is another Lioness of the East I admire. This is a feisty woman who likes to do even the littlest things to get under the skin of the Saudi government and religious clerics. She wrote various articles advocating for reform and for the rights of Saudi women as a freelance journalist when in 2003, the Saudi Interior Ministry banned her from writing in the Saudi press. She thumbed her nose at them and continues to publish her works on reformist Arabic websites and has gained international recognition. She is a divorced mother of 2 teenaged boys who she has sent to the U.S. for boarding school so as in her own words: “I send them there because I do not want them to grow up to be typical Saudi men.” (She doesn’t mince words!).

She is adamant in her demands for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world in which women are still not allowed to drive. She stated once: “Saudi women are weak, no matter how high their status, even the ‘pampered’ ones among them, because they have no law to protect them from attack by anyone. The oppression of women and the effacement of their selfhood is a flaw affecting most homes in Saudi Arabia.” In 2008, on International Women’s Day she gained worldwide media attention when she posted a YouTube video of herself driving in Saudi Arabia. She petitioned King Abdullah to allow women in the country to drive freely.

Wajeha has performed other acts of defiance and activism as well. In 2006, on the first anniversary of King Abdullah’s accession to the throne, she staged a public protest. She stood on the King Fahad Causeway, the 16-mile causeway that links Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Thousands of people (men!) drive this thoroughfare everyday. Wajeha carried a sign stating “Give Women Their Rights.” marching up and down the public road. She was arrested within half an hour and detained for hours, and the police demanded that she sign a pledge to stop all of her activism in exchange for her release. She was also banned from traveling back to her residence in Bahrain when her passport was confiscated.

The one thing that Wajeha protests against the most is the law of “guardianship” found with Saudi Arabia. A woman, no matter her status, requires a “mehram” “male guardian” to do anything in her life in the eyes of the Saudi government. The divorced mother of two is fiercely against a system she says treats women as 2nd class citizens: "If I wanted to get married, I would have to get the permission of my son," she says.

As a form of protest, Wajeha often tries to cross King Fahad Causeway, where she had staged her one-woman protest. She is turned away by border police every time, because she refuses to carry documentation that state her “male guardian” allows her to travel outside of the country: “I am not a dangerous person, so why do they turn me away? Because I refuse to present a document signed by my male "guardian," giving his permission for me to travel. And why do I do that? I possess such a document, but it is humiliating to have to produce it, and I am tired of being humiliated solely because I am a woman.”

The editor of the reform-minded Aafaq compared Al-Huwaidar to Rosa Parks. And Wajeha has been given several honors and awards for advocacy for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries hold a special place in my heart. I spent several months traveling to some of the Gulf countries and in Egypt and Jordan. I had experiences, good and bad, of what it was like traveling not just as an American, but as a woman traveling on her own. I would do it all over again if I could, with much more zeal and less recklessness. As hard as I tried, months before my travel plans took place, I could not enter Saudi Arabia. I became a woman on a mission and made dozens of phone calls, networked with various people, until I finally spoke over the phone with the delegate in the Saudi Embassy in D.C. who gave out the visas. I was told that I needed “connections” within Saudi Arabia, or a Saudi male citizen to sponsor me. They didn’t care “how I got the visa” just as long as they saw in writing that a Saudi male had sponsored me, and it had to be a relative or a job offer from a company. I was told I could easily get a “transit visa” to Saudi Arabia which is a 3-day visa as you’re traveling through one country to another; the catch: I still needed a “male guardian”.

I went on to stay in several Gulf countries that border Saudi Arabia. I remember being amazed one day in Oman; I was packed in a beat up old Toyota truck with 7 Omani girls as we traveled through the mountains to visit friends of the Omani family I was staying with at the time. No men, no “guardians” present at all, except one of the little brothers who was barely 4 years old and just along for the ride. (Oh, I fell madly in love with that kid!!!). The older sister of the group plowed through waterways and up hills shifting gears with ease, making fun of me later for not knowing how to drive stick.

I started thinking about how a few hundred miles away was a country in which women could not freely drive without fear of reprisal from the government or the menacing Muttawa, religious police. One of the girls was studying nursing in a nearby city, her choice, her decision. In the country next door, an ambitious Saudi girl would need permission to even attend college and even though Saudi women make up almost 60% of college graduates, the employment rate for females is alarmingly high. I have become friends with Saudis from school and from my time traveling and I absolutely love and adore their hospitality, generosity and kindness. One of my closest friends from Riyadh is insistent that I continue to try to visit regardless. His own father tried to find a way to get a visa for me to visit, but not having the “wasta” (Arabic: “connections”) he wasn’t ever able to obtain one. Why? I needed a male relative to take me, or else I needed to have a male sponsor of a business that hired me.

In 1991, several dozen Saudi women staged a protest by driving around Riyadh in vehicles before they were arrested and faced continued harassment upon release. It was the start of the first Gulf War and Saudi Arabia allowed American troops in the country and American servicewomen were driving up and down Saudi roads in military vehicles freely; this irked the Saudi women to stage a protest, demanding their right to do the same.

Ultimately in the end, it’s not just the right to drive that Saudi women face, it’s the right to be treated as an equal citizen by the Saudi government and monarchy. The Saudi women have an uphill battle, but the determination and tenacity of women like Wajeha al-Huwaider is an inspiring story to be told.

I posted several links to blogs that belong to Saudi women and foreign women, working, going to school or married to Saudis, and what their daily lives are like. There are also plenty of Saudi men and male bloggers who also advocate for women’s rights and reform in Saudi Arabia as well, which I have posted.

One of the blogs is by an older American woman, married to a Saudi for over 30 years, and just a few years ago moved to Saudi Arabia with her husband and young son. She blogs about her life and trying to adjust to the culture. Her unabashed honesty and insightful posts are wonderful to read.

http://susiesbigadventure.blogspot.com/

Another is by a former American diplomat who married a Saudi diplomat. Recently widowed, she blogs about Saudi Arabia and its politics and culture. It contains very insightful articles by a very intelligent woman.

http://americanbedu.com/

Another is by a young Saudi woman who currently studies in Canada and writes about her views of life in Saudi Arabia and life in a western country. Beautiful and thoughtful writing from a beautiful woman.

http://daughterofarabia.blogspot.com/

Another is by a male Saudi who writes frequently about reform and human rights for people in Saudi Arabia.

http://saudijeans.org/about/

To only see Saudi Arabia as “oil and sand”, “Extremism” and/or “Osama bin Laden” is to ignore the complexity of its people and its enriched culture and history.

I still wish to visit Saudi Arabia one day to meet Wajeha al-Huwaider and many of the other brave Saudi women who perform large and small acts of courage to defy the systematic discrimination of females, minorities, and foreigners within Saudi Arabia. I hope to see the beacon of light grow brighter and more women like Wajeha al-Huwaider continue to fight until they are treated as equals. Hence, why Wajeha al-Huwaider is a favorite of mine!

International Women's Day 8th, March

I received an email from a friend I have never met in my life this afternoon - am completely thankful to the power of internet that helps to bring people together- she is a young woman from Kuwait I knew her for almost three years, excitedly she was telling me that she just graduated from university and ready to move on towards the next level of her life. Recently she was visiting Saudi Arabia specifically Mecca. She was delightful describing how this brings peace and calmness to her soul and how Saudi Arabian woman she met there were caring and kind to her. How lucky you are: she said because you are from Saudi Arabia, it is such a nice country. This really touching something inside me and makes the waterfall works began and this is the reason why I decided to share this story with you. I was shattered between two major feelings, the natural love of my home and the struggle I go through just because of my gender. Saudi women deserve a better life and opportunities more than what they have. I won’t start to list the achievements on women’s rights level Saudi women have done because there are not so many. I’m writing today for the Saudi woman from different ages and backgrounds who are still suffering and struggling in the name of religion, traditions or anything used to push them back to the shadow zone for not to be seen by others. In 2011 while people are celebrating the International Women’s Day (IWD) every year on 8th of March, Saudi Arabian woman are still begging their rights from those who put themselves in the place of God. It is overwhelming for me and for all the human rights activists in this area that the majority of women accept this situation as a normal way of living and waiting desperately for their rights fall from the sky or delivered as a gift, they are isolated from the life that they should be part of and participated in. For the woman of Saudi Arabia who chooses to be free they should fight very hard and not to afraid or compromise to acquire normal and basic rights. History has shown us many examples of women who paid their life price for their freedom or take the risk swimming against the stream flaw. One example is, Malalai Joya, “the bravest woman in Afghanistan” according to BBC news. This woman did what thousands or millions of men are afraid to do. She simply raises her voice to unmask those who destroyed Afghanistan in the name of Islam. That voice was against warlords!

Malalai Joya risks her life for the sake of Afghan people, men and women. Even with four assassination attempts and suspend from the Parliament because of her persistent criticism against warlords she never compromise. Thousands of people show their solidarity and support for her and that what encouraged her to say the truth all the time and stand by her people’s side. Malalai Joya has inspired me and many others as well and taught me one important lesson that “Rights are something fought for and not given by others”

The people say their final word

Hey Folks,

I have been asked to write a piece of opinion commenting on the event in Egypt by the University of Manitoba newspaper (The Manitoban). I would like to share it with you here, this is the article:

The people say their final word

Social media leads revolutionary change

Fatema Kareem

Feb 7

The power of the Tunisian people to force Zine El Abidine Ben Ali out of the country more than two weeks ago inspired the Egyptians to start their own revolution on Jan. 25. These events gives many Arab youth the hope for change. Last week has been a tumultuous one not only for Egyptians but also for all those who live in Arab nations. I believe it will change the face of the Middle East.

I have felt mixed emotions of happiness, fear and suspense over what will happen. Despite the fact that the mobile and Internet services were shut down in Egypt by the Mubarak regime, people are continuing their uprising against the dictator. The protesters might have come from different backgrounds and generations, but they are all united to scream out, “Go away Mubarak!” Al-Jazeera and CNN International are doing a great job in their coverage of the event, but most of my attention was to what people say on Twitter and Facebook. Thank God for electronic media! It has played an important role in organizing people, especially youth to challenge the regime.

The revolution came alive with the support of bloggers and young Internet users all over the world. Since the first day of the events in Egypt, I was glued to my laptop and my smartphone for minute-by-minute updates from my trusted sources of information —Facebook and Twitter. Bloggers from around the world showed their support for the Egyptians by writing and offering technical support, such as new proxies for blocked websites before the Internet shutdown. Bloggers are the new generation of journalists doing their part in spreading information. This is magic! That’s why most of the governments in the third world are so afraid of the Internet and are attempting to limit people’s access to it. It is not a surprise to see the mainstream media receive their information through these bloggers materials, be it videos, photos or telephone calls from the demonstrations. The media can even contact the bloggers and have a live view of the situation. As an example, Wael Abbas, one of the Egyptian bloggers, was called by Aljazeera TV to give his opinion.

The events beginning in Tunisia and continuing in Egypt have shown the effect of social media in the third world. It is important for those who support democracy in those countries and for the human rights activists all around the world to demand that Arab governments review regulations and laws that prevent the flow of free information.

Finally, governments in the Middle East should learn the lesson and start to work with their people on the reforms they have promised. If they do not, the consequences will harsh when the people say their final word.

Fatema Kareem is inspired by the power of social media to bring change to the Arab world.

Why this Food is Important on your Diet

Why this Food is Important on your Diet

I bit that you heard at least one time from your physician, dietician or even read it somewhere that eating fish healthy because of Omega-3. What is Omega-3 and why we need it in our body.

Omega-3 is polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) have one or more double bond between carbon molecules chain, there is also another (PUFA) called omega-6 both of them are essential in your diet because the human body cant synthesize them. Although, human can desaturate and elongate (break down the double and make it longer chain to make them less vulnerable to oxidative damages) Linoleic acid (omega-3) to arachidonic acid and ALA –alfa to EPA and DHA acids the forms used in our bodies as protective factors.

Why they are important

Researches has shown that omega-3 and 6 play an important role in preventing Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) as an protective agents, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and some cancer types.

Sources of these fatty acids:

Omega-6 found in membrane of land animal, olive oil, sesame oil, raw nuts seeds, pumpkin seeds and pistachios.

Omega-3 (EPA) and (DHA) found in marine organisms such as cod liver oil, mackerel, salmon and sardine and omega-3 found also in plant and vegetable sources such as flaxseed, canola, and soybean oils and in green leaves in a few plants like, purslane.

What happened when I don’t have sufficient amount of Omega-3,6

Omega-6 deficiency results growth retardation, skin lesions, reproductive failure, fatty liver, polydipsia (excessive thirst).

Omega-3 deficiency results impaired vision, neurological problems.

How much do i need: source

Press on the photo for enlarge

Omega-6,3 Ratios:

As you can see the importance of these fatty acid but it is more important to have balance amount of omega-3,6. An excess amount of omega-6 can saturate the enzyme that helps to desaturate and elongate both omega-3,6 and prevent the conversion of ALA-alfa to EPA and DHA. So the optimal ratio of omega-6/omega-3 has been estimated to be 2:1 to 3:1 that’s why it is recommended to consume more omega-3 than omega-6.

I don’t like to eat fish and I’m not sure if I’m having the recommended amount met of omega-3:

Even if you don’t eat fish you can still able to have your recommendation of om-3 met, you can use flaxseeds, canola, and soybean oils for your cooking instead of oils with high Trans fat levels like coconut oil. There is also some food supplemented with omega-3 to help vegetarian and people don’t eat fish such as, eggs, milk, and orange juice. In addition, you could obtain it as supplementation tablets from cod liver oil tablets or omega-3 marine fish oil tablets.

Sources:

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/benefits-of-omega-3-6-9-fatty-acids/
Krause’s Food & Nutrition Therapy (L. Kathleen Mahan, Sylvia Escott- Stump)



Online Sources

Simply Soups

Soups are always easy to make and easy to get from you daily nutrition recommendations... this is a very delicious website offering a great selections of soups and how you can prepare them. For example, you would find soups for vegetarian, non vegitarian and more of international soups.... and it is just perrrrfect for winter to stay fed and warm. Enjoy it.

Tehran Review

Am always interested about Iran especially the country after Islamic revulotion.. how it is affect the peoples daily life? What they are think about it? And many issues happened inside Iran revealed by Tehran Review website.... Take a look at it ,that might helps you to reads between the lines.. Koda Hafez (May God Bless You).

Saudi Arabia wins seat on UN women’s rights board

This is an interesting point of view am agreeing with Spencer Fernando, the International Comment Coordinator for the Manitoban and the writer of the follow article and sharing the same inquiring:" Why would one let the fox guard the hen house?"

Seriously?
Saudi Arabia wins seat on UN women’s rights board

In Saudi Arabia, women cannot drive, cannot use many facilities utilized by men and must receive a man’s written permission to open a bank account, travel or receive medical care. Apparently, the United Nation sees this record on women’s rights as sufficient to give Saudi Arabia a spot on a new women’s rights board.

This is a disgrace. Allowing Saudi Arabia to have a seat on a board that discusses and determines women’s rights issues is an insult to every woman on earth, as well as an insult to every country that respects the rights of women.

Unfortunately, this continues the UN’s sad history of allowing the opponents of human rights to hold power over the very same rights they deny to their own people. I would love to be able to say that Saudi Arabia is the only country on the board that doesn’t deserve to be there, but that would be ignoring the fact that both Libya, where women are imprisoned for “social rehabilitation,” and the Congo, where rape is practiced with sickening impunity as a tool of warfare, were both offered spots on the board.

The idea of having a UN board to discuss and promote women’s rights makes sense, and it is a noble goal. Sadly, the inclusion of these countries with backwards and barbaric records when it comes to women has discredited the UN women’s board even before it holds its first meeting. Should a country where women do not have the right to dress as they please be allowed to pass judgement on women’s rights in another country? The answer to that is obvious to all of us, yet clearly not so obvious to the UN. Why would one let the fox guard the hen house?

According to an article appearing on TheStar.com, a man in Saudi Arabia is able to marry up to four wives. When the reporter asked why this was allowed, a Saudi delegate responded that “[ . . . ] it was to ensure a man's sexual appetite was satisfied legally if one wife could not fulfill it.” Charming. Thank goodness that Saudi Arabia will be able to lecture the countries of the world on how to treat women; what would we do without their brilliant guidance?

This sends a disturbing message to those who support the UN and to all of us who support women’s rights. The UN is saying that they will not stand against those who treat half of their own people like second-class citizens. They are saying that they lack a value system based in reality, and they are showing that they lack a moral compass.

The sad thing about this, aside from the legitimacy granted to the oppression of women, is the fact that the United Nations was once an organization with lots of potential. When formed from the wreckage of the Second World War, the UN offered the world a chance to achieve a unity of purpose and gave hope to those still suffering that one day they too would be free. Today, this potential is lost. The UN has become a weak and for the most part ineffectual organization. Though there are various programs that do some good things, and though there are many UN workers who are compassionate people determined to help those in need, the overall organization itself has become an impediment to the goals it claims to be fighting for.

Where do we go from here? Though opinions will vary, it seems that the UN is close to the breaking point when it comes to its public credibility. For many, including myself, the UN lost all credibility long ago, and it will be difficult for the UN to justify the dues it receives from member countries when that money is put towards foolish mistakes such as a women’s rights board that features countries such as Saudi Arabia. If the UN does not get their act together soon, it might be better off for the democracies of the world to form their own organization, one based on human rights and a true set of values.

Spencer Fernando is the International Comment Coordinator for the Manitoban.


The source of this article

Samar's case was a consequence behind bigger dilemma

Samar's Case was the tip of an iceberg of women's abuse series in Saudi Arabia. Thousands of stories similar to her's happening every time behind the closed door and since the victims stayed silent their story disappeared in the men's world. Samar Badawi, Saudi woman who are divorced and have a son. She is abused by her father, who are considered to be her fully guardian since she is divorced and her son are not adult to take this turn according to Saudi law. The father insulted her verbally and physically not just this he was interfering in her personal life and that probably caused the end of her mirage. Interestingly, the father was documented to be abused but this was not enough for the judge to be justice. He is like most of the men in Saudi Arabia thinks women must submit to their guardians ( father, brother, husband or even son).



Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) DC chapter activist Fatima Thompson Leads Saudi Arabia Protest in Washington DC - June 26, 2010



The woman was staying in women's shelter for more than a year waiting for a miracle happend to be responsible on her life as adult. Samar and her lawyer Waleed Abulkhair decided to go public and spread out internationally to catch international people and human’s rights attention. I think this is successful way with a country like Saudi Arabia, which is care too much about its international image. Finally they made it and have lots of people's support. She have her story published in many international newspapers.

This issue wasn't about one woman its about more that 50% or audi Arabian population "Women" iit could be other Saudi woman who suffer from one of her family's member. It could be me!! The guardianship law is one of hundreds of oppressive low against women should be change. This must change to protect the women from all types of abuse. By supporting such thing we are empowering women and letting our country and our life to improve.

Ramadhan Kareem

Women Driving Debate, Again

Women Driving Debate, Again

wajiha Al-huwaider ( human rights activest )

It was the day of November 6, 1990 when more than fifty women, whom university professors and some of their students decided to break the silence and drive their cars for half an hour around the capital city of Saudi Arabia, protesting against their country's ban on women driving. The police arrested them immediately even when they showed their international drivers licence. In addition, the police asked their male guardian to sign a statement promising they wouldn't do this again. Moreover, they weren’t able to work or travel for one year as their passports were confiscated. The inability to work or travel was not the only thing these women face at that time but also the protestor's names and their family name was spread everywhere on the streets and mosques, as they were called "whores" and "pimps", and in one day the heroes turned into a bunch of pariahs. After eighteen years from this historic event, the protesting of these women changes nothing. The debatable issue of letting women drive in Saudi Arabia has come to the surface from time to time, especially after some women write about it in the newspaper or even take an action toward it. For example, Wajiha Al-Huwaider, a human rights activist, tried to send a message to the public when she drove her car in a private compound. As many of people saw on YouTube, that women should not be denied this right just because she is born female. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world who inhibits women from driving by using many excuses to not to change this thing. Although some governors and religious scholars oppose the regulation of allowing women to drive, there are several reasons that encourage reversing such decision.

In country like Saudi Arabia, where the male dominates the life, it is not strange to find that women are eliminated from specific positions to study or to work places. There are many restrictions on women, no matter what position the woman holds or how old she is! Always, she needs male guardian to do things like receiving medical treatment, going to school or even work. In addition, the women driving ban is one of those restrictions.

Opponents of such regulation claim that this decision will encourage women and society as well to move towards westernization and may lose the privileges that women held in Islam. However, encouraging women's mobility and empowerment does not mean that we put away the religion or even traditions. The pressing reality pushes us to embrace different lifestyles in order to improve our situation socially and economically. In the economic problems all over the world, it is necessary for women to work, and driving will help her to have access to the public institutions and achieve this goal. There are a significant number of Saudi women who are barred from work and cannot improve their economical condition because they lack mobility. Moreover, the unemployment problem in Saudi Arabia does not help them to use a private driver or pay for a taxi every time they need a ride. Many women decide to give up getting a job because of the lack of public access, and it is hard to pay what they get from their work for a private driver or taxi. For instance, Friend of me has found work opportunity in kind of far area from where she live for about 1500 SR but when she found a driver, he said that he going to charge her 700RS per month. At the end, she could not accept the job offer and work for only 800 RS. It does not worth it! She said. What privileges Saudi women have! They are dependent completely on male guardian, lack mobility and cannot even make any decisions without income.

Opponents also argue that supporting this decision can increase the number of sexual harassments cases among women if they decided to be on the road alone. In spite of this claim, the number of harassment charges related to sex was not low. The sexual abuse does not report itself. Many children and women are afraid to report these cases because they are afraid they might have received the blame while they are victims. Why do the opponents assume that women don’t know how to deal with their problems in different situations, while they trust and encouraged 16-year-old males to be on the road even if he is behaving irresponsibly? Women are grown up and able to make decisions and actions like male adults. The Saudi society and government usually does not take serious action toward women abuse since they are the ones who encourage such action by improperly dressing or talking. Moreover, due to the fear of bringing shame to the family name, the victims stay silent. As a result, The number of these cases is not consolidated therefore This issue should undergo investigation to prove the influence of hiring private drivers on families and women especially as Nasser Aloud, a professor of social services, reported. According to Aloud, the number of the private drivers in Saudi Arabia has reached to 740,000 drivers. In addition, because families and women are in need of someone to drive them everywhere and there is no chance for women to access the public easily the number of the private drivers might increase if the banning continues. The regulation of allowing women to drive can help to reduce the sexual abuse cases as we decrease the times women and children are spending time alone with a stranger. By encouraging women to work as private drivers, we are helping to ensure that women who cannot drive or the children will be in safe hands. Because the foreign workers don’t speak the native language fluently, and they are not familiar with the society traditions so that might not help the people to reduce the sexual harassment cases as such law still absent.

Opponents' state that women do not need to work while there are somebody taking care of them since the opponent believe that work and bring the money is the male duty and it is not even necessary for women to work. However, there are more than 70% of Saudi women finished university degree but only 5% of them working for private sectors. In addition, the unemployment rate of the women in the kingdom up to 79%. Why women should live dependently for their whole life, while they can work and enhance their social life and economical condition as well. In fact, Saudi women have the lowest percent of participation in the labour force among the other gulf countries. For example, the highest rate was for the United Arab Emirates 59% while the lowest percent was for the Saudi women 15% for the government-employed and 5% for the private sectors. The differences between Emirates women and Saudi women obviously clear as the UAE women have many privileges over Saudi women. By supporting such decision, we are offering huge work opportunity for the women. Not only increase the job chances but also the country will benefit from keeping the money circulate inside the country which is positive for the national economy as the foreign drivers send the remittances abroad.

To conclude, in every society you will find different opinion of different issues that may people face every time and it is not fare to take one of these opinions into account and ignored the rest. No body will suspend from his/ her rights. There are always options and those who are not agreeing with women drive they can choose not to do. Religious and opponent always taking the easy way to evade the discuss of many issues by saying that the society is not ready yet for the change and neglecting the people's right to express their opinions about many issues. This is unbreakable circle and we need to understand as Saudi men and women that the longer we wait the harder it will get to change it. All we need is to train the police officers and be harsh on whomever breaking the rules of driving on the road by execution of punishment and penalties. In addition, if they aware of the mingling between both sexes then establish separate driving schools for the women could be the solution of this aware. It will be hard at the beginning but for sure, it will work at the end.

hidden happyly

Almost four weeks from the time that I decided to write about Muslim Women wearing Niqab or Burka I could not write it, yet it comes to my mind every time I saw veiled face woman walking through the city. I care to express my opinion about this issue, and the reason why is to confirm that wearing Niqab is not a part of Islam, so any women who doesn’t wear it won’t be non-Muslim. It is just tradition, and it might belong to some culture such as Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan. It is so easy to make anything wide spread anywhere and anytime quickly by banning it from use or existence. I remember when the University of King Faisal in Saudi Arabia banned wearing coloured shirts and replaced them by white ones with black or blue long skirts to confirm to the equality between all girls students who are came from different economical backgrounds. Most students started buying new coloured shirts even though they weren’t doing this before; it is human nature. The same scenario happened with Niqab or Burka when it banned first in France and recently in Quebec, a Province in Canada .In fact, Canadian police state that every person who covers their face by using garments like Niqab or any thing will be charged after denying removing it while arrested for any issue. According to Statistics Canada, Out of thirty four millions in Canada there is one million are muslim and their number could be increased three more times in twenty years. Some women wear a face cover to practice the religion as they think. The Niqab issue rose in Canada after a woman immigrant from Egypt refused to take her Niqab off in French language class even though they let her present from the back of the class. Not only refusing to take her Niqab of but also refused to sit around U shaped table to do the speaking part with the other student. The question is how is she going to learn the language if she does not practice it with others! Actually, I don’t understand what this woman is thinking; she knows already what kind of culture she will live in and what kind of life she will have. In addition, this woman and more others continue following the same practice every time when they have to mingle with other males.

In fact, the nature of life in western countries promotes certain kind of life style. It is hard to depend on single income family. Muslim families understand this fact, but when it comes to the real life, there will be some obstacles for the women to go out and work. Some never worked in their home countries, and if so, they worked in different environment, which encourages them to wear specific kind of clothes and face cover if they work with males in same place. They have to realize that to cover their face could bring some problems and misunderstanding by others, which they do not need.

"While in Rome do what the Romans do". Hijab has brought enough attention to us. As Muslim women living in non-Islamic countries, we don’t want to be under the lime light and have extra attention from the others because of the practice of wearing Niqab when it even has no basis in Islam. There is no reason to keep yourself isolated and present inappropriate image of the Religion by using such things. I am not saying that they don’t have to follow their beliefs because this is not religion, it is just part of traditions. They could do both things: follow their religion and live normal life with other as citizen of one country.

No basis in Islam for Niqab or Burka:

Face cover was and still negotiable issue in and outside Muslim countries. One side argues that Niqab has no basis in Islam; it was just practiced back in history by some people and shouldn’t have to be as a pillar of Islam. While the other side criticises that it is mandatory for women to wear it because it is part of their beliefs. In addition, third party stated that this is just about womens choice; they are the ones who decide to wear it or not.

Canadian Muslim group was call for banning Burka, and according to the spokesperson of this group, Farzan Hassan stated, “wearing Niqab or Burka is more rooted in Middle East culture and it has nothing to do with Islam and there is nothing in Quran that asks women to cover their faces”. She added that this is public security matters and choosing to practice such things means that you hide your identity. I have talked with Muslim women from different backgrounds. All of them are not wearing Niqab or Burka just the headscarf. Surprisingly, some of them disagree with the idea that allows sitting a regulation that banning the face cover. Moreover, they argue that by supporting such regulation one day they will give up their Hijab for the same reasons of banning Niqab.

On the other hand, Mohammad El-masry, the former president of the Canadian Islamic Congress added that face veil is part of these people culture and identity, so they have the right to choose between wear it or not. The Burka is a veil generally covers the entire body, with the only mesh screen left to see through while the Niqab covers virtually all of the face with a slit generally left open for the eyes. I have no sufficient information about when is The Niqab or Burka start to appeared and practiced in Middle East countries. For example, when you ask someone old from Saudi Arabia, this person would tell you that men used to work in their fields and farms side by side with other women and the women didn’t bother to wear face veil because they were living simple and natural life together. Maybe the Burka or Niqab starting to appear after the oil discovered in the country and people there substituted working in farms by hiring foreign workers from near countries or Asian countries as well. The women did not participate anymore in everyday life. Moreover, it becomes noticeable that in the eighties when new understanding of Islamic rules by what they call it “Sahwaa” which is mean in English “The wake up” The austere form of Islam is based on the literal interpretation of Quran. From then everything changed in Saudi Arabia. In addition, the women there were prevented from participating in normal life. If they appear, they will be covered from head to toe to not allure men in the society.

Muslims all over the world became  stricter because of the wahhabism view of Islam. Moreover, because of the Wahhabi oils, money and their power play important roles it to spread the strictest understanding of Islam. Somebody may take a look of what happened in Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and other Muslim countries. In the past, it was notable that there were fewer women wearing Niqab fewer than those who did not. The influence of wahhabism in the world becomes very obvious. Thus, some Islamic groups think that wearing Hijab, Niqab makes them good Muslim regardless of what they really think and what they really do in this life in terms to live together peacefully. Nevertheless, Islam is about how people live together in peace and love.

Some religious leaders mentioned that there is no basis of Niqab in Islam; it is just practiced by old societies back in history. Still there is a lot of Muslim not willing to understand it is not a piece of cloth, which decides if we are good people or not!! Rather than that, they insist not to let their wives and daughters to take it off and live natural life. Are those women and people who are still believed in such things more Muslim than others? I couldn’t believe that a piece of material would decide how much Muslim I am.

I understand that countries as if Saudi Arabia is very usual to see most of the women there in twentieth century still wearing Niqab or Burka. In recent years, some Saudi women have decided to take the hard decision of not wearing the Niqab or Burka anymore. Taking such a decision was not easy sometimes especially for those who come from strict families that expect wearing face veil from their daughters and other women in the family as a normal thing. I remember when my sisters and I decided not to wear Niqab anymore because it was hiding our identity and our personality and makes us just additional number between millions of women in Saudi Arabia. It is hard to think that you are here in this world to serve one purpose and you should be hidden until somebody comes and pick you up from your father’s house. You as a woman could be a disaster if you go out without your veil or face cover. To conclude,Islam, like many other religions, always there is people have their traditions and it is possible to have some misunderstanding, such as the face covering issue. By letting this happen, we are ruining beautiful traditions and religion as well.

The pianist

How bizarre the life is, some times you had the chance to meet people you wouldn’t expect to meet them in your life, Talk to them, or even like them. I used to live in downtown but after moving to quiet area which is near to the University I was so unhappy with the new place I don’t know why.

 I am still emotionally connected to this place; the coffee shops there, the public library, and shopping mall. No matter if, I need to spend thirty minutes to get to my sanctuary, my comfort zone, my first memories place in Canada. I spent my main time reading at the public library or at Starbucks enjoying my coffee or green tea frappuccino recently. He was there, sixty year old, handsome, with completely gray hair. I saw him every time sitting by himself reading newspaper or solving words game in his small book. He always smiling at me and looks comfortable but I always feel that lonesomeness in his eyes.

On Thursday I was there returning from volunteer interview. I stop by starbucks to get my favorite coffee and sit down for few minutes before catching my bus. The moment I was heading to the starbucks sitting area I surprised by the over peopling there. There is no empty spot left! I was standing for a moment figuring out what is my next step would be. He was smiling at me from the first moment I showed up there and then he had the reason to talk to me and asks me if I do not mind sit with him since there was no empty spot left for me. I do not know how to describe this moment but it was not that strange I felt that I was like a present from the sky to him. He wants someone to speak with and because I've tried how hard when you do not have any one to speak with or spend time with. We were talking for two hours in randomized topics, about him and me. He is a pianist working in a hotel playing his music for the hotel's residents. I'm always interested in learning play musical instruments especially piano or the Arabic music instrument "Oud".

As a matter of fact, Saudi Arabia banning learning music or even listen to it, whether in schools or public areas such as coffee shops according to the wahhabi interpretation of Islamic rules. He invited me to listen to him at the hotel lounge on Friday it was like a dream when he starts playing on the piano and I feel like a princess, he was so happy to see me and I felt good about it because I was the reason for some ones happiness in this world.

Embrace your future

I am a big fan of Horoscopes actually. Yet, am not that obsessed person who is not taking any step out of my place befor checking out my horoscope. I was reading today in hotmail website and my luck for today was telling me that it is effictive to move toward your future without keeping an old objects stuck with you.

 

"Discard those items from the past for which you really no longer have use. As much as you like to surround yourself with objects of sentimental value, the time comes when it's necessary to look to the future rather than dwell on the past. The time spent cleaning your home and throwing out extraneous things will release you from the past and allow you to embrace the future"

Its quite true that i have collecting stuff disorder and i dont want to call it hoarder problem its not that worse. I dont know since when i have started that. I have been keeping stuff like, old school exams, advertisements for some programs that i might go to, scrap papers that i used for study one day, news papers and magazinse. Im not sure about the reasons for that it could be for secure feeling or for more controling of things in your life but im sure that its hard.Persons with this problem might experience; anxiety, uncomfortable feeling or even failed attempts to sleep at night.

Im not going to talk about the reatment for this disorder but i want to say that gething rid of useful feelings and stuff not just important to your place but also to your soul, it will gives you the feeling of purity and "every thing under control". Lots of peoples stuck with thier past and dont know what to do about it, so this is the time to do it and live freely.

Childhood memories

      

Here are some photos that i found online, they reminds me in my childhood therefor i post them here... Is it true that we have changed through time?! is it true that our life become more complicated, people become less carefull toward each other and less friendly or it is just becouse i have changed and grow emotionally and physycally and my feeling and understanding for everyting has changed as well.

      

When i was Bill Clinton lol

Leader Test Results

http://similarminds.com/leader.html

when happiness vanished

 How strange for your happiness moments turn upside down immediately. This spring I decided to visit Vancouver for few days after finishing the final exams. It’s very nice city unlike Winnipeg the most things I like is the crowed and noise especially in weekends. I got my results for the three courses for this semester couple days ago and every joy moment vanished and now the all I can see is unclear picture for my life and future for woman in Saudi Arabia. The good news is I passed them all but the sad thing is one of the courses I really did badly on it I didn’t expect this result. Maybe someone said at least you pass them all!! NO.
I’m special student in premaster program and it has been requested from me to have the highest mark to be eligible for the master program but now I’m very worry especially when the professor asks me to set an appointment to discuss the updating in my school performance. My days in Vancouver become boring and I want to come back to Winnipeg very fast to figure out what is going on and look for another solution to continue my study anywhere in Canada.

Lost Memories

Dear God, I know I need long time to achieve what I want to be, or simply what makes me satisfied about my crazy life. I was so sad when I started studying in agricultural collage specifically in foods and nutrition school from a long time ago (about five years ago). I felt that was not my fate! That wasn’t me; end up as a home economic "often fat" teacher in high school somewhere in Saudi Arabia. All makes jokes on home economic teachers with common thoughts. For example, home economic teacher are not in important position "they are silly, love to eat too much, and not sexy at all". Day by day, minutes by minutes in this collage with that voice growing inside my head”you will be something different". In recent years of school I recognized that I’m learning something great. I understand that nutrition have changed my life, I lose about 25 KG from my weight and I really want to change others life through foods and nutrition. I have never imagined that I can travel to Canada for continuing my education but now my prophecy come true. The more time I spend in school the more I feel I’m in the right place.

Thanks



Daughter of Arabia