Aretta Williams The One-Child policy in China has become quite controversial since its beginnings over 30 years ago. Chinese officials say that the one-child policy has controlled China’s increasing population, preventing between 250-300 million births between 1979 and 2000. Others, particularly outside of China, claim that this policy has led to violations of human … Read more
Role Reversal In reading The Naqib’s Daughter I witnessed things that not only shocked me, but also dissolved my preconceived notions about what I knew about the French occupation of Egypt. The most prevalent of these new revelations was the presence of women in society, in particular the person of Sitt Nafisa. Previously, I thought … 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
Adel Imam, actor in the film version of The Yacoubian Building, and countless other films failed to show up in court for his appeal on his contempt for religion charge. The case is adjourned until April: http://www.egyptindependent.com/node/749431 .
There are many aspects that separate the people of every society. While differences in some societies are subtle, in others, they are great. Wealth and social class have always been the greatest aspects that created differences in societies such as the Islamic Middle Eastern ones. However, as technology flourished and people began seeing and comparing … Read more
In Leila Ahmed’s Women and Gender in Islam, the argument concerning the act of wearing the veil or deciding to take it off is an intriguing one. Ahmed is clear in saying that “Islamic societies did not oppress women,” but the focus of the veil is based on Western society rather than the interests of … Read more
Unlike the other readings in this semester thus far, a male writes this novel. It is evident through the book that while he may feel he sympathizes with the plight of Egyptian women, he obviously does not. The stories and dimensions of the female characters show Aswany’s true perception of women. While all females … Read more
In Alaa Al Aswany’s The Yacoubian Building, the author chronicles the everyday life of an assortment of people who live and work in this antiquated downtown Cairo building in the 1990’s. Among the main characters that the story follows is Hatim Rasheed, the respectable editor-in-chief of Le Caire, a French newspaper, and a homosexual. While … Read more
After the removal of the Pahlavi dynasty, the poor and mistreated citizens revolted against those who had been prospering under the Shah. They interrogated and imprisoned those they felt guilty of respecting the Shah and opposing the Islamists that were attempting to take power. Septembers of Shiraz describes this reign of terror as people lived … Read more
by Kristin Wade In the year 2004, 2,774 women were killed in the name of honor, primarily in the Middle East and Eurasian countries. Honor killings are committed when a relative is thought to bring shame to a family. The murdering of the shamed family member is supposed to restore honor within the family. Actions … Read more