Iraqi government’s use of women in their anti al-Qaida campain

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/28/133213152/iraqi-women-wed-to-insurgents-find-little-hope

The campaign goes “Marry a terrorist, and your children will have no rights, the campaign goes. Marry a terrorist, and you’ll be shunned by society”.
Alas, most of these women were forced into those marriages at a very young age and the government is not providing any kind of social service to women (many of whom are mothers) who find themselves helpless when their husbands are detained by the Iraqi government

I am Woman Hear me Roar–Social Networking a Revolution

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgjIgMdsEuk&feature=player_embedded

This is one of the voices that helped to start the protests in Egypt–it is a Must See!  If you see photographs or news footage you might get the impression that women are not involved–WRONG!  See these amazing pictures just out of Egypt since the internet reopened. http://www.kaldasianarts.com/blog/2011/02/02/egypts-largest-pro-democracy-demonstrations-in-history-so-far-february-1st-2011/

M Russell

New Republican Congress and “forcible” rape

The first act of the new Republican leadership in Congress was to try and repeal the Obama health care act. Their second act is to propose a bill called, “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion.” A key component of the bill is to allow funding for abortion only in the case of “forcible” rape instead of rape. Since all rape is forcible, you can only wonder at the intent of this bill. How would “forcible” be defined and why are they instituting this change?

Here is a link to the full story:

http://gawker.com/5746007/house-republicans-are-already-redefining-rape

Holly Mathews

In the Beginning: The Origins of Patriarchy

Margaret Huffman

HIST 5005

In the Beginning: The Origins of Patriarchy

            When asked, most American students would say that Islam has had a negative effect on women.  Islam did not create patriarchy in the Middle East.  Monotheism in general, and Islam in particular, have had a significant impact on the roles of women and their rights, but it is not the root cause of male domination.  The beginnings of patriarchy trace back to ancient civilization, but there is not consensus on the most important factors leading to reduced rights for women.

            The traditionalist argument is founded upon the assumption that biology constitutes the impetus for differing gender roles for men and women.  Because women are mothers, a sexual division of labor emerged and women’s sphere became the household.[1]  The feminists counter that patriarchy is a historical phenomenon; its creation has a beginning and therefore can have an ending.  Gerda Lerner states “Patriarchy as a system is historical…it can be ended by historical process.”[2]  Yet the search for matriarchal societies as evidence against the universal nature of patriarchy is mostly fruitless.  Patriarchy seems deeply embedded in societies across the globe, especially in many developing countries. 

            Prior to Islam there were several observable movements that enforced the escalation of patriarchy.  For example, the roles of mother-goddesses and other female deities were gradually revised to reflect patriarchal cultures.  Monotheism also contributed this erosion of women’s influence in religion.  Before Islam, seclusion was already in effect, but escalated in the centuries following Mohammed’s life.  The veil, previously used to signify the chastity or class of a woman and identify prostitutes, came to have a slightly altered meaning.  The Bible similarly reinforced women’s subservient role to men.  Women were no longer priestesses and female deities ceased to exist. 

            Thus, patriarchy was clearly established prior to Islam and other monotheistic religions, but how and why?  It is crucial to remember that there is not a single answer.  The establishment of patriarchy was multi-causal and gradual.  As Lerner suggests, patriarchy grew out of biological and social conditions to become the cultural norm.[3]  The most important misconception that needs correction is that Islam created patriarchy in the region, although perhaps it explains certain circumstances in the Middle East today.

[1] Guity Nashat and Judith Tucker, Women In the Middle East and North Africa (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1999), 17. 

[2]  Gerda Lerner, The Creation of Patriarchy (New York: Oxford University Press, 1986), 6.

[3] Lerner, 42.

Revolution

The Tunisian people demonstrated that they would not complacently allow their government to continue its authoritarian and predatory policies unchallenged as it had for decades.  In its wake, the whole Middle East is on the brink of revolution, with riots, demonstrations, and immolations despite efforts of governments to cut prices on bread and other staples.  As seen in this clip, men might form a majority of the protestors, but women are active participants, with differing perspectives on what changes might be needed or how change should take place.  In other words, the Middle Eastern woman in general, or the Egyptian woman in particular, cannot be painted with a single brush stroke. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2VsGQpNnqA&feature=player_embedded#!