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Mahmood’s Den, one of the most prominent Arabic/Bahraini
blogs, is now blocked by the Bahraini government. The Ministry of Information
in
Update November 2nd: Mahmood's Den is now unblocked in Bahrain, Congrats!!
This
gets even better. For the faithful among us, women don’t just represent the meat
part of the meal, they are the whole deal. Mona Eltahawy has a story for you.
Faith
is dressed in tribal garb as Muslims debate British ruling on niqab
The niqab, or the face veil,
terrifies me. I am a Muslim woman for whom the niqab says very little about
religion but a whole lot about the erasure of a woman’s identity, her very
existence as a human being in any society.
I am the first to admit that my views on the niqab are
thoroughly grounded as much in my own very personal struggles with the hijab,
which I wore for nine years, as they are more generally with the obsessive
focus on how Muslim women dress – an obsession shared by Muslims and
non-Muslims alike.
The woman, dressed in black from head to toe, began by asking me
why I did not wear the niqab. I pointed to my headscarf and asked her “Is this
not enough?”
I will never forget her answer.
“If you wanted a piece of candy, would you choose an unwrapped piece or one
that came in a wrapper?” she asked.
“I am not candy,” I answered.
“Women are not candy.”
Freedom
for Egyptians has more on the theory that women originate from a sugary like
substance:
Believe it or not but in my last years of high school, I had a
history teacher who sometimes volunteered to vomit his personal views on women
and religion. He sometimes digressed from the class to express some personal
opinions.
One of the comments that I cannot forget until today is that when he said one
time that women are like sweets (particularly Basbosa) if left uncovered, flies
will stop on her. Hence, he believes that women’s best place is their homes and
wearing headscarves.
A special deal
Now, only for $9.99, when you order a prime cut of meat we will give you a free bucket of candy!!!
Hurry, Limited time
offer! While supplies last!
Living in Saudi Arabia, where women are typically compared to things other than humans, I really thought that I have heard it all.
Woman = A precious stone (requires the preservation of its purity from preying eyes)
Woman = Animal like (a man must start his prayer over if a donkey, a dog or a woman passes right in front of him)
Woman = Half-human (naturally born with half of the brain power of a man)
Women = The Devil (presumably for their temptatious sexuality)
Woman = A container (for procreation purposes)
Anything missing?
Off course, the latest addition is:
Woman = Meat
In a Ramadan speech in Sydney, the Australian mufti Sheik Taj al-Din al-Hilali, said that some women are attracting sexual assault by the way they dress.
"If you take uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat?"
Off course, the meat, Duh? 
Leilouta says we are specifically talking about lamb meat. I am, on the other hand, leaning more toward a fine piece of a flame-broiled extra-juicy filet mignon (sauce and condiments are up to your choice. I would recommend a complimentary bottle of Chianti).
That’s great, mufti whatever your name is, we were really short on the extra positive publicity. May you be slowly roasted.
I created a poll about the raging niqab controversy (now in the US as well). Please cast your votes and comment as you wish. I will not state my opinion right away. Upon completion of this poll the world will change their rules and regulations according to the popular vote, I will see to it, the world depends on you J
A new editorial about the notable Saudi blogger Ahmed Al-Omran (Saudi Jeans) is on Reuters today. Here are some highlights from the interview:
“And Islamist hardliners, or the "forces of darkness" as Omran's blog has dubbed them, have come out fighting against liberal trends in society, arguing there must be limits to change in the land where Islam was born and which contains its holiest shrines.
"They are visualising that if we change anything this whole country will be destroyed. They view people who call for changes as people who want to destroy the country and are against religion," said Omran, who admits that society remains deeply conservative in general.
But he added: "You've got this feeling that the day will come when everything explodes. But when it does, will we be able to handle the situation?"
Update: For those of you who can read Arabic, check out how Alarabiya website manipulated the Reuters interview in order to generate negative buzz about Ahmed’s opinions. I wish I had time to translate this, but just from the headline you can see how dishonest and unprofessional Alarabya is.
مدون: الشباب السعوديون يشعرون بالملل
A blogger: Saudi Youth are Bored
يرتدي الجينز بدل الثوب الأبيض ويهاجم رافضي التغيير
"سعودي جينز" يود تغيير حياة الشباب في السعودية
Replaces the white thob with Jeans and Attacks traditionalists
“Saudi Jeans” Aims at changing the lives of youth in Saudi Arabia.
Here is a report from Reporters Without Borders about the “15 Enemies of the Internet”. Saudi Arabia is a proud member.
Hijazi Eid traditions are told by the older generation in this news item. I am not sure how and if traditions in Najd, al-Sharqia and aljanub differ from the ones in Hijaz since I never been to these regions during Eid.
“We used to have a program that used to begin with visits to relatives and friends in the neighborhood. After that the entire neighborhood would gather for a massive feast and the nights would be extra special.”
“The main task of the neighborhood mayor was to prepare a Barza, which was a wooden stage in which different folk activities would take place.”
“The women of the neighborhood would wear new clothes and look tremendously beautiful.”
This is a nice read, makes you want to go back in time.
Fences usually have one of three purposes:
1- keep people from entering a certain location
2- keep people from leaving a certain location
3- both 1 & 2
Although the Saudi government is marketing its new hi-tech 550 mile fence along the Iraqi border under purpose #1- i.e. blocking terrorists from entering Saudi Arabia. I think it actually falls under #3 since the government is also seeking to contain a certain element of its own from leaving the country. Earlier this year, when first news about the construction of this fence came out, the government cited fears of rising radicalism in its own Shiite minority as a reason for building this fence. And today, we are told that Saudi Arabia is building this fence in response to the continuously deteriorating situation in Iraq: “the Saudi government was more concerned -- at this point -- with infiltration into its territory from Iraq.” Here is my question, what about the fear that some radical Saudis would be crossing the Iraq and joining the so called Sunni resistance? How about being truthful for a change, and admitting that this fence will be built for several reasons, including fear of our own people who have been brainwashed for years by relentless Wahhabi teachings.
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