An Egyptian court upheld the guilty ruling against actor Adel Imam of “offending Islam.” The actor did not appear in court, but his lawyers made the claim that government censors had approved his roles, therefore he did nothing wrong. The decision can be appealed: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/04/24/world/middleeast/ap-ml-egypt-comedian.html?_r=1
Carolina Fonseca Somalia is a small country in East Africa where female genital mutilation is widespread and consists of the most severe form of female circumcision. This violent act of removing the clitoris, or parts of it, has grown to be a public health issue because the practice has severe physical and mental health consequences … Read more
Dalia Sofer recreates her heartbreaking childhood story illustrating the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution in her novel, The Septembers of Shiraz. Sofer’s story is inspired by her own childhood story and takes place in the 1980’s in the United States, after her family emigrated from Iran. The Sofer’s story portrays the emotional torment and distress … Read more
On Monday, April 18, 2011 the Ethnic Studies Program hosted a film showing of the film Amreeka. Amreeka is the story of an immigrant family’s journey to the US and their introduction to American culture. It also a continuation of their lesson in raw prejudice. Amreeka first deals with problems that many immigrants to US … Read more
This article from the BBC details a the Malaysian Women’s Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s response to a camp that claims to “un-gay” young Muslim boys. She maintains that characterizing these supposedly effeminate teenage boys as gay or transsexual, and then attempting to “correct” their behavior will be detrimental to their mental and emotional health. Though this is the … Read more
This link gives a detailed description about the rhetoric surrounding the banning of the veil in France from the perspective of a female protester and a French Imam. The female protester believes that women should have the right to express their personal identity in what they wear; whereas, the Imam protests that the veil is … Read more
Women Fight Veiling Ban
This New York Times piece is an interview with photojournalist Lynsey Addario, who was held captive in Libya in March 2011. Since her capture and subsequent release, there have been those who argue that she should not have been in Libya working in the first place because of her gender. This interview is in Addario’s … Read more
The issue of sexual assault on college campuses has come to the forefront recently, as Vice President Joe Biden took to the airwaves to discuss the issue last week. As many who are involved in this blog know, my research is dedicated to this topic – so of course I find it heartening to see … Read more
Anna Julia Cooper Public Intellectuals In this article, Carolyn M Cusick discusses the role of public intellectuals in society. Especially that of Anna Julia Cooper, a young woman born into slavery and recently appointed as teacher at the renowned M Street High School. Cusick focuses on the exclusion black female academics suffered from their male … Read more