Feminism brings the picture of a militant babe with a bazooka clutched in her muscular arms to mind. A female Arnold with a mission to decimate the chauvinistic world and build a matriarchal utopia on its ruins.
Truth however tells us otherwise, apart from the hyped western feminism that we know of, silent progress has been made in other parts of the world that either go unreported or unnoticed.
In the world of blogging I came across some interesting Islamic feminist blogs. Here are my five favorite bookmarked ones I have been keeping an eye on-
Asra Q. Nomani- She is a muslim feminist who is fighting for the right of women to equal access in mosques and the ability to pray side by side with men. She was a former reporter for Wall Street. She is a true beacon for women; a courageous individual striving to change age old customs and traditions from within.
Yasmin- An aussie mom who blogs about everything under the sun from her love of food, to humor to insightful, refreshing interpretation of Islam in context of feminism.
Hijab Madness : She is a woman who loves her hijab but wants it to be dabbled with chic designs and creative colors. She poses vital questions such as who or what oppresses women when true liberation comes from Allah.
Her blog has some interesting links that gives us a wider perspective into the minds of Muslims.
Nzingha's soapbox- Here is an interesting blog of a muslim american woman living in Saudi Arabia. She talks about the customs and traditions in Saudi Arabia. Her recent post is about sexual harrassement by men in public spots which unfortunately is inherent in many conservative patriarchal societies.
Mukhtaran Bibi- Mukhtarman Bibi's story is about having an infallable spirit and the heart of a lion. Though the tribesmen of her village tried to make an example of her by having her gang raped and paraded naked Mukhtaran Bibi defied the stigma of shame, fought for justice and used the compensation to start a school.
Article comments
1 - NoPillowTalk
Feminism is over-rated, and these women could end up following the same path as their US counter-parts, and not be satisfied with the end results.
Good for them, though
2 - SFC SKI
I wanted to reply to this post earlier, but I was on my ay out the door.
Islamic feminists will have issues that are very different, (dare I say a bit more important?) than man of their western counterparts will address.
3 - swingingpuss
SKI, you are right - their fight is multi-faceted and I don't think Mukhtaran Bibi knows what feminism means.
What she wants probably is the right to live with dignity instead of being treated like a sub-human by society.
4 - SFC SKI
There is a series of books by Elizabeth Warnock Fernea that are very pertinent and revealing for anyone interested in Feminism in the Islamic, and especially Arabic world. Dr Fernea's books also deal with many aspects of Arabic life in general.
Form what I have read by her and a few other Arab Muslim women, (and a few Arab Christian women as well) the feminism they advance is similar but not identical to what westerners commonly think of as big-F Feminism.
5 - Aaman
These Islamic female bloggers are no better than armchair pundits (like myself) - except Mukhtaran Bibi
6 - Vendetta
Program on the emergence of civilization.
"14 species of large animals capable of domesitcation in the history of mankind.
13 from Europe, Asia and northern Africa.
None from the sub-Saharan African continent. "
Favor.
And disfavor.
They point out Africans’ failed attempts to domesticate the elephant and zebra, the latter being an animal they illustrate that had utmost importance for it's applicability in transformation from a hunting/gathering to agrarian-based civilization.
The roots of racism are not of this earth.
Austrailia, aboriginals:::No domesticable animals.
The North American continent had none. Now 99% of that population is gone.
AIDS in Africa.
Organizational Heirarchy
Heirarchical order, from top to bottom:
1. MUCK - perhaps have experienced multiple universal contractions (have seen multiple big bangs), creator of the artificial intelligence humans ignorantly refer to as "god"
2. Perhaps some mid-level alien management
3. Mafia (evil) aliens - runs day-to-day operations here and perhaps elsewhere (On planets where they approved evil.)
Terrestrial management:
4. Chinese/egyptians - this may be separated into the eastern and western worlds
5. Romans - they answer to the egyptians
6. Mafia - the real-world interface that constantly turns over generationally so as to reinforce the widely-held notion of mortality
7. Jews, corporation, women, politician - Evidence exisits to suggest mafia management over all these groups.
Survival of the favored.
Movies foreshadowing catastrophy
1985 James Bond View to a Kill 1989 San Francisco Loma Prieta earthquake.