Mirages, Unicorns and Exit Doors...
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Face-veils
Testing out the pic uploading so thought of uploading pics relevant to the discussions we are having at the moment... The second one is of a Bahraini lady voting at the recent first-ever national council elections...
¶ 4:12 PM 2 Comments
¶ 4:12 PM 2 Comments
Curtains for the Veil on TV
This is an article I found about the banning of veiling in certain professions in Egypt. This one is specific to TV presenters.
¶ 1:19 PM 2 Comments
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Veiling...the Egyptian Standard for Women
Luly was talking in her last posting about how the girls on Alexandria Univeristy campus have been evolving over the last years from not being veiled, to basic veiling to more advanced veiling and then now to the most advanced stage of veiling...face veiling...
Something that we miss thinking about when we talk about veiling is the fact that most of the girls we know are the ones who should be classified as a minority or different...Luly is part of a minority in Egypt but then we talk about veiling as being a phenomenon when its more of a phenomenon that people like Luly and most of my friends are not getting veiled in the year 2005...
Tom and I were talking about this a couple of days back and then he went out to observe women on the subway (usually from the lower socioceconomic classes) and he came back with one big observation: the grand majority of the unveiled women were wearing crosses.
It is common knowledge in Egypt that there are certain professions which veiled women can not do. This is not because they wouldnt but because they would not be accepted in jobs in those professions...examples: the foreign service (where male diplomats are not allowed to have veiled wives or daughters...not to mention the female diplomats), airlines, TV and the practice of Public Relations...
I was in PR class when a veiled girl asked our Francophone Christian Egyptian professor, who was in a tight leather suit, high heels and a mask of make up, whether she would be "allowed" to become a PR practitioner. The professor was silent for a couple of moments and was probably thinking of the most diplomatic way of putting it but then I guess she decided to lie...She told her that it wouldnt be a problem since veiling is the norm now and that PR practitioners need not to stand out as being very different so as that they would get accepted easily...
Was true what she said about veiling being the norm but then its not true that a veiled woman would get accepted easily in the business, academic, scientific world as much as a non-veiled woman would...
I think we are still in denial...the veil has become over the last 2 decades the standard attire for Egypt...so will the face veil be part of that in another 2 decades?! ¶ 1:54 PM 4 Comments
Something that we miss thinking about when we talk about veiling is the fact that most of the girls we know are the ones who should be classified as a minority or different...Luly is part of a minority in Egypt but then we talk about veiling as being a phenomenon when its more of a phenomenon that people like Luly and most of my friends are not getting veiled in the year 2005...
Tom and I were talking about this a couple of days back and then he went out to observe women on the subway (usually from the lower socioceconomic classes) and he came back with one big observation: the grand majority of the unveiled women were wearing crosses.
It is common knowledge in Egypt that there are certain professions which veiled women can not do. This is not because they wouldnt but because they would not be accepted in jobs in those professions...examples: the foreign service (where male diplomats are not allowed to have veiled wives or daughters...not to mention the female diplomats), airlines, TV and the practice of Public Relations...
I was in PR class when a veiled girl asked our Francophone Christian Egyptian professor, who was in a tight leather suit, high heels and a mask of make up, whether she would be "allowed" to become a PR practitioner. The professor was silent for a couple of moments and was probably thinking of the most diplomatic way of putting it but then I guess she decided to lie...She told her that it wouldnt be a problem since veiling is the norm now and that PR practitioners need not to stand out as being very different so as that they would get accepted easily...
Was true what she said about veiling being the norm but then its not true that a veiled woman would get accepted easily in the business, academic, scientific world as much as a non-veiled woman would...
I think we are still in denial...the veil has become over the last 2 decades the standard attire for Egypt...so will the face veil be part of that in another 2 decades?! ¶ 1:54 PM 4 Comments
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
The Brazilian Resolution on LGBT rights
From www.brazilianresolution.com:
"August 6th 1992. For the first time ever, homosexuality was openly addressed within the United Nations.
In his speech given in the name of Human Rights Advocates and ILGA, Professor Douglas Sanders deplored how Lesbian and Gay rights issues have received no attention in the human rights work of the UN. He called it "a serious omission". Sanders predicted that it might take ten years of lobbying the UN before lesbian and gay rights are fully accepted at the international level
11 years later, March 2003. To general surprise, Brazil presented a resolution on sexual orientation at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva (UNCHR).
The text simply asserts that sexual diversity is an integral part of Universal Human Rights. However, the resolution immediately met strong opposition. A solid block of countries, under the pressure of the Organisation of Islamic Conferences and the Vatican opposed the voting of the text in 2003. In 2004, Brazil, realizing that the resolution still did not have sufficient support to ensure passage of its resolution, decided to postpone discussion to 2005."
Do you want to contribute, then sign the petition at the following link: http://www.ilga.org/brazilianresolution/petition.asp?LangueID=1
I have already signed and sent it around to a number of people. I hope a lot more of you would do the same.
I wish that this issue can be brought up here at home...but then I guess lets start with the UN and then maybe that will get the Egyptian government to stop arresting gay men...
umm... I doubt that...its just one other way of making the government homophobes feel happier, feel in control of the people and in the same time distract them from everything else that they might be screwing up on... ¶ 5:40 PM 2 Comments
"August 6th 1992. For the first time ever, homosexuality was openly addressed within the United Nations.
In his speech given in the name of Human Rights Advocates and ILGA, Professor Douglas Sanders deplored how Lesbian and Gay rights issues have received no attention in the human rights work of the UN. He called it "a serious omission". Sanders predicted that it might take ten years of lobbying the UN before lesbian and gay rights are fully accepted at the international level
11 years later, March 2003. To general surprise, Brazil presented a resolution on sexual orientation at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva (UNCHR).
The text simply asserts that sexual diversity is an integral part of Universal Human Rights. However, the resolution immediately met strong opposition. A solid block of countries, under the pressure of the Organisation of Islamic Conferences and the Vatican opposed the voting of the text in 2003. In 2004, Brazil, realizing that the resolution still did not have sufficient support to ensure passage of its resolution, decided to postpone discussion to 2005."
Do you want to contribute, then sign the petition at the following link: http://www.ilga.org/brazilianresolution/petition.asp?LangueID=1
I have already signed and sent it around to a number of people. I hope a lot more of you would do the same.
I wish that this issue can be brought up here at home...but then I guess lets start with the UN and then maybe that will get the Egyptian government to stop arresting gay men...
umm... I doubt that...its just one other way of making the government homophobes feel happier, feel in control of the people and in the same time distract them from everything else that they might be screwing up on... ¶ 5:40 PM 2 Comments
Monday, March 21, 2005
KEFAYA on the American campus of Cairo...
I was waiting for Samy to pick me up from infront of AUC (the American Univeristy in Cairo, where I used to study) and then I saw something that was the first since the last time the security guards were stopping a face-veiled girl from getting on campus.
However, this time it was not a girl with a face veil but a guy whom I remember knowing at some point...A biology major with a pony tail (that does say something about him in Egypt)...Mohamed the security guy was not letting him walk through the metal detectors and onto Greek Campus and I was wondering why, coz he was definitely not a fundementalist Muslim or a anti-US demonstrator. Then I find out, that all that was "bad" about him was that he had two yellow circular stickers stuck on his shirt...They were no ordinary stickers but they were ones where the word "KEFAYA" was written in red bold Arabic letters...
Kefaya is the literal translation for "enough" and it is also the name they use to call a movement in Egypt that wants this year to be the last year were President Mubarak is in office (President Mubarak has been "ruling" Egypt for the last 24 years!!)...
First of all, I do not completely agree with the Kefaya movement in that if the people of Egypt decide that they want to re-elect Mubarak then they should have their way...However, as long as the elections are run in a fair and a democratic way with more than one candidate running for the position...Mubarak is not that bad after all, lets compare the Egypt of now to the Egypt of Nasser or even that of Sadat...
Second of all, I think AUC has become just another of the "government's institutions" that oppress people and stop them from expressing their views, opinions and beliefs...The way things are happening at AUC remind me of this incident when a guy in Port Said (I think) cursed the President and then the police decided to arrest him for it, though not justified by any law...and the story ends up with the President asking the police to let the guy go home. But is AUC doing this voluntarily? I think it is coz no one can force the Americans to do anything in Egypt...
AUC is not arresting people but then it is taking away their right to be on campus when they had actually paid loads of money to get access to it and why? not coz the girl with the face veil was a serial killer or coz the guy with the stickers was a thief but coz they were expressing an opinion or a belief in a completely non-violent and civilised way....
If one of the most reputable American institutions in Cairo can't do this right...how are we expecting the governments to get it right??!!
Wanna know more about Kefaya, check www.kefaya.com (Thanx Luly) ¶ 2:31 PM 7 Comments
However, this time it was not a girl with a face veil but a guy whom I remember knowing at some point...A biology major with a pony tail (that does say something about him in Egypt)...Mohamed the security guy was not letting him walk through the metal detectors and onto Greek Campus and I was wondering why, coz he was definitely not a fundementalist Muslim or a anti-US demonstrator. Then I find out, that all that was "bad" about him was that he had two yellow circular stickers stuck on his shirt...They were no ordinary stickers but they were ones where the word "KEFAYA" was written in red bold Arabic letters...
Kefaya is the literal translation for "enough" and it is also the name they use to call a movement in Egypt that wants this year to be the last year were President Mubarak is in office (President Mubarak has been "ruling" Egypt for the last 24 years!!)...
First of all, I do not completely agree with the Kefaya movement in that if the people of Egypt decide that they want to re-elect Mubarak then they should have their way...However, as long as the elections are run in a fair and a democratic way with more than one candidate running for the position...Mubarak is not that bad after all, lets compare the Egypt of now to the Egypt of Nasser or even that of Sadat...
Second of all, I think AUC has become just another of the "government's institutions" that oppress people and stop them from expressing their views, opinions and beliefs...The way things are happening at AUC remind me of this incident when a guy in Port Said (I think) cursed the President and then the police decided to arrest him for it, though not justified by any law...and the story ends up with the President asking the police to let the guy go home. But is AUC doing this voluntarily? I think it is coz no one can force the Americans to do anything in Egypt...
AUC is not arresting people but then it is taking away their right to be on campus when they had actually paid loads of money to get access to it and why? not coz the girl with the face veil was a serial killer or coz the guy with the stickers was a thief but coz they were expressing an opinion or a belief in a completely non-violent and civilised way....
If one of the most reputable American institutions in Cairo can't do this right...how are we expecting the governments to get it right??!!
Wanna know more about Kefaya, check www.kefaya.com (Thanx Luly) ¶ 2:31 PM 7 Comments
Sunday, March 20, 2005
MENA Rocks!!
There are a good couple of things that are exciting me these days...(AIESEC wise)...but then the most important thing is how the MENA dream is coming true...
Jen said something about how history is in the making on her blog...and now thinking of it, I can really see how big this is...
The first physical Middle Eastern and North African MCPs meeting ever to be held on MENA soil...it will not be at IC or IPM, but the meeting will be held of the land of Egypt!!!
What can this mean??
MENA growth network, regional exchange and ER partnerships, MENA conferences, MENA sharing of competencies, expansion into more countries in the region and so much more...
Im really excited that this is happening at last and that it is happening now and all of it is starting here in Egypt...
The MENA MCPs and the US delegation will be meeting in Cairo starting the 2nd of April and for 4 days.
Nadine, Deepak and Eric are arriving a bit earlier for a bit of sightseeing...
So, during those 4 days, we will have in Cairo, 3 people from @US, 3 people from @UAE, 2 people from @Tunisia, 2 people from @Morocco, 3 people from @Egypt and 2 people from AI (not for the meeting but will be around): 2 current AI Directors, one of them being the PAI elect: Arthur and Brodie...
Ahh...Im really excited about this and cant wait till it all starts!!! ¶ 11:46 AM 0 Comments
Jen said something about how history is in the making on her blog...and now thinking of it, I can really see how big this is...
The first physical Middle Eastern and North African MCPs meeting ever to be held on MENA soil...it will not be at IC or IPM, but the meeting will be held of the land of Egypt!!!
What can this mean??
MENA growth network, regional exchange and ER partnerships, MENA conferences, MENA sharing of competencies, expansion into more countries in the region and so much more...
Im really excited that this is happening at last and that it is happening now and all of it is starting here in Egypt...
The MENA MCPs and the US delegation will be meeting in Cairo starting the 2nd of April and for 4 days.
Nadine, Deepak and Eric are arriving a bit earlier for a bit of sightseeing...
So, during those 4 days, we will have in Cairo, 3 people from @US, 3 people from @UAE, 2 people from @Tunisia, 2 people from @Morocco, 3 people from @Egypt and 2 people from AI (not for the meeting but will be around): 2 current AI Directors, one of them being the PAI elect: Arthur and Brodie...
Ahh...Im really excited about this and cant wait till it all starts!!! ¶ 11:46 AM 0 Comments
On Nomadlife...
Ahhh...I am so not good at this stuff...Im just trying out for the first time on nomadlife..wanna c how it works and then I will actively get into blogging :)
¶ 11:39 AM 5 Comments
