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Egypt: Stop Drug Abuse Campaign Launched

Lasto Adri · 22:04

lingua → es · zht · zhs

“Stop Drugs.. Change your life” was the motto for a new controversial campaign initiated by Amr Khaled in Egypt and other different Arab countries. The campaign primarily aims to fight drug use among youth and to enlighten them about the negative effects of drugs on themselves, lives and countries.

Egyptian blogger ISIS, under a posted titles “Amr Khaled’s Drug Awareness Campaign” writes:

“At last the very popular Amr Khaled does something, in my eyes, truly great, wide scale, and not exclusive to Islam or Muslims. A drug campaign supposedly covering the Middle East, called ‘Hemaya', which literally translates to ‘Protection' was launched only last week by the young and controversial evangelist. The campaign aims to get 5,000 addicts to begin treatment.

While wishing the campaign success,ISIS, who describes herself as “an addict in recovery”, warns that secular youth spreading the message, might fare better than their religious counterparts. She explains:

“ I really want this campaign to work and for more people to know about the disease and as a society fight against it. I don't know about other addicts, but these overtly virtuous goody two shoe'ed people freak me out and if I was still using I'd be scared to ask them directly for help out of fear of being judged and ridiculed actually - this is simply because I'd feel that, even though they're making gigantic efforts to openly speak about this specific ill of society, the volunteer youth are obviously devoted Amr Khaled fans who I bet you anything have never missed an episode of Al Janna Fi Beyoutena (Heaven in our Homes) and 3ala Khouta Al Habib (On The Path of the Beloved - a show where Amr Khaled emotionally tells the story of Prophet Mohamed) [**] - and all that means that they are extremely religious - generally that would be okay, but when you're trying to target drug users and addicts and convince them of starting a treatment program, these volunteer seem like have no experience at all dealing with or understanding drug users and their mentalities - and that may be the main problem in reaching their aim. Anyways - maybe if Hemaya was a bit more secular it would make a more successful attempt at actually reaching the twisted and disoriented minds of addicts like myself. I really believe that with just a few adjustments to the campaign themes and motifs of publicity and marketing this project can truly hit the nail on its head. I really may actually think of volunteering… but I'd be scared of all the stigma, cuz in the middle of all the veiled chicks - I will totally stand out as the recovering addict…
In any case, best of luck to Hemaya, really I hope their goals get reached and their plans achieved…

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Arabeyes: Rebelling the Saudi Way

Amira Al Hussaini · 21:46

On the occasion of the International Women's Day, Saudi activist Wajiha Huwaidar, had herself videotaped driving a car in a rural area in Saudi Arabia, to draw attention to the plight of Saudi women, who are banned from driving, and posted it on YouTube.

Muneeb, from Mideast Youth, sheds light on Huwaider, saying:

She is one of the leaders of the movement to overturn the ban on woman driving [with Fawzia al-Oyouni, Ibtihal Mubarak, and Haifa U.] Infact the petition last September was a brain child of her’s with the other activist. In 1990 some 47 woman drove in the capital Riyad, defying the ban. They were quickly rounded up.. but the difference b/w now n then is alot.. esp w/ all the reforms put in motion by the new King Abdullah n the fact tht lots of ppl are open to women driving. Arab News surveyed 400 women on the issue, and said 282 of them said they would drive alone if allowed to, 44 said they would continue to use drivers, 30 said they would drive, but only when accompanied by a male guardian, and 12 opposed the idea of women driving altogether.

Still at Mideast Youth, Saudi Rasha paints a different picture of women in the Saudi capital.

International women’s day passed unnoticed here in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Almost all the women I talked to didn’t even know that the 8th of March was a day to celebrate women’s accomplishments.

In such a strict culture as the one we have in Saudi Arabia, it is very difficult for women to celebrate this event openly without being attacked by the conservative religious group who mostly believe that women should not set a foot outside their door steps without a male guardian in the first place.

Venturing out to a bookfair, on the day specified for families, Rasha and her friend were faced with an ugly situation. She explains:

As I was browsing through some books, I heard a man next to me repeating under his breath (astagfor Allah) meaning Oh Allah I repent.. he was asking for forgiveness for being so close to two ladies who didn’t cover their faces, that being my friend and I!
I got annoyed at his attitude and pointed out not so kindly that if he didn’t like being in a place surrounded by us women he should leave and visit the fair on the day scheduled for men!

She also voices her exasperation with such incidents and writes:

This man and many like him do this when talking or dealing with strange women (non relatives), I have dealt with several in my work. I usually discard this attitude of attempting to belittle me, since a woman is looked upon as something filthy, dirty and an object of pleasure for men to own and possess. I don’t know why I am becoming sensitive all the sudden to such actions.. I am fed up with such insults I guess!

Rasha asks herself: “Do Saudi women deserve to celebrate the International Day for Women?” and her response is:

I was looking at it in terms of us not progressing much then I realized that we are constantly comparing ourselves to everyone around us and that is unfair to our own achievements! I am sure we have progressed although it does seem like tiny little steps compared to other middle eastern countries even.

Our country is holding on to certain traditions as if it’s hanging on for dear life, and many of us are pulling at roots that are so thick and embedded so deep in us that it is almost impossible to just extract. I see many who want to discard it the easy way by chopping at the thick trunk of these traditions not knowing that the roots are still embedded there.. they might still grow with the least amount of water. I would rather invite friends who share the passion and interest I have in this unique event, hand each one a shovel then unite our strengths to dig all around the tree to find its core.. roots.. then loosen it up. It will take more effort, patience and time.. Once I feel the ground loose around this thick, heavy and ugly tree, I will embrace it. I might even shed a tear not knowing if it’s for the pains I suffered because of its sharp thorns that pierced through my skin so many times reminding me with each scar of my womanhood, the shame in being a woman or a tear for so many women who moved on to be buried under the ground after they have been buried when they were above it; without having the chance to witness such a bright day where women embrace and are actually proud of their womanhood!

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Guatemala: Public Support for the Death Penalty

Renata Avila · 17:01

lingua → mg · es

Picture “brooms head romans.. ” by Antigua Daily Photo and used under a Creative Commons license.

One might see a contradiction in Guatemala in regards to attitudes towards the death penalty. On one hand, Guatemalans are heavily devoted and participate in religious festivities of the Catholic and Protestant churches during holy week, which is the time for the faithful to commemorate the execution of Jesus Christ. However, with the same devotion and passion, most Guatemalans strongly support the death penalty. First, it was announced that death penalty will not be applied to the criminals (there are more than 40 waiting in line), and the international community supported this decision, while several ordinary citizens were really upset. Then the President said that the decree was unconstitutional, and that the law had to be enforced.

Bloggers have divided opinions, some in favor, some against it. But sadly, in all of them you can read the lack of credibility in the system and the loss of hope. Such contradictions are clearly exposed by El Toronteco on his post Overdue Pride, where he argues:

During my quarter of a century growing up in Guatemala the death penalty was a non-issue. It existed, it was enforced every now and then, it was even broadcast on the news at noon. I learned compassion, thought, through the eyes of my Tía Luz who served somewhat as our nanny and to whom I am in debt for who I am almost as much as my parents. Her reaction to anyone being incarcerated or taking in by police, or worse, anyone who was in death row was Pobrecito (”poor little guy”). Compassion for a criminal is something that is not often seen, particularly in Guatemala where the sole mention of the “Human Rights” in relation to common criminals provokes the outcry of the general public as a way of letting people get away with their wrongdoings. Now that I think about it to put it in black and white pixels Human Rights have so many different meanings in Guatemala. On one side we have the issue of the genocide of those who were fighting against the government (blowing up the extremely necessary and scarce infrastructure of the country, I must say to echo my “maternal” point of view); those who are seen by the international community as criminals against humanity, the masterminds and executors of the massacres during the civil war and even after the peace accords of 1996. And then we have the Human Rights of the common criminal (or even the organized one) which are completely disregarded by the common public. Linchamientos (”lynching”) was (is?) a usual way of the people of taking the law into their own hands, as democratic as an open town hall. Out of frustration, the general public chased the criminal (be it someone who was stealing a pair of sunglasses or someone being suspected or trying to kidnap a baby), beat him/her up almost to death, until “the authorities” arrive. Is in this context that Human Rights are looked down by Guatemalans, not in the context of the massacres”.

As blogger Miguel Arriaga said on his post Pena de Muerte en Guatemala [es]:

Mi postura es totalmente a favor de la pena de muerte, y tengo entre otras, dos razones que considero válidas. La primera, es que debe hacerse cumplir la ley, si la ley dice 5 años que se den 5 años, si 10 pues que se den 10, y si la ley dice pena de muerte se debe aplicar; porque de antemano se sabe cuales delitos se castigan con la pena de muerte y el delincuente lo sabe, y si aun sabiendolo delinquio, pues que se le de la pena máxima.

My position is totally in favor of death penalty, and I have, at least 2 valid reasons. First, you should enforce the law, if the penalty is 5 years, then you should apply it, if it is 10 years, then you should give them 10 years, if the penalty is death, you should do so, because one knows in advance which crimes are punishable by death and if the criminal commits the crime regardless, then they should be punished with death penalty.

On the other side is Lucía, who argues on ¡Que pena con la Muerte! [es]:

Por supuesto que hay tipos a los que dan ganas de matar, y mejor si es lenta y cruelmente. Conozco a unos cuantos que merecerían bailar eternamente en la horca. También sé que las cárceles de Guatemala son escuelas del crimen, y que nosotros pagamos la comida de los presos, etcétera, etcétera. Pero de eso a pensar que la pena de muerte es justificada en una cultura hay mucha diferencia. ¿Tiene un ser humano derecho a quitarle la vida a otro.

Of course there are people that you wish you could kill, and is better if the death is slow and painful. I know some that deserve to be hung forever. I also know that prisons in Guatemala are schools for criminals and that we have to pay taxes so prisoners will have food, etc. However, from that to justify death penalty in a culture, there is a huge difference. Has a human the right to kill another human being?

Death Penalty is supported by some Protestant churches, as explained by El Blog de Chapu [es]:

Me referiré con todo respeto a la actitud tomada por la Alianza Evangélica, ellos dicen que: “Dios nos creó a imagen y semejanza y, por lo tanto, el que alguien destruya su propia imagen y semejanza merece el máximo castigo posible. No hay duda de que Dios es no sólo el Creador del hombre, sino creador de la pena de muerte”. El pastor general de la Fraternidad Cristiana dijo que: ” el hombre es una creación divina y cuando alguien atenta contra esa creación, se merece y se gana el derramamiento de su propia sangre”. Recuerda que cuando crucificaron a Jesucristo, había otros condenados a muerte, cuya sentencia fue ejecutada.

I will respectfully refer to the attitude adopted by the Evangelical Alliance, they say: “God created man in his image, so, if someone destroys the image of God, he has to be punished with the highest penalty. There is no doubt, God is not only the Creator of man, but also the creator of death penalty”. The leader of Christian Fraternity said that “Human beings are a divine creation, so when someone acts against such creation, he deserves that his own blood to run”. He argues that when Christ was executed, there were also other people that were executed.

On his post: Deshojando la Margarita… Blogger Hablando de Guatemala [es] said:

Estados Unidos nos da un ejemplo, ellos no la han abolido y en varios estados aun sigue siendo la pena máxima. ¿Entonces porque aquí no? Álvaro Colom tiene dos opciones ser Nerón o Ser Pilatos las dos opciones son difíciles pero hay que analizar la situación detenidamente y hacer lo que la sociedad demanda, lo que la mayoría demanda. Así funciona la democracia. ¿Y las victimas que pensaran? ¿Acaso no es correcto hacerles justicia? ¿La ley del Talión acaso?

The United States provides us an example, they have not abolished capital punishment, and in several States it is still the highest penalty. Then, why not here? Alvaro Colom can either be Nerón or (Pontius) Pilate, which are the hardest roles, but the situation has to be examined carefully and what the majority of society has to be done. That is a democracy. What about the victims? Is it not fair to rule in favor and for justice for them? Lex Talionis, then?

The streets in Guatemala are covered by flowers and images of Christ during Holy Week. You can see flower vendors, candle vendors,, people in the streets at night, whole neighborhoods making the arrangements for the festivities. In Guatemala, with public support and an ambigious response of the Head of State, the death penalty is still in effect and a couple of criminals will be executed in the next weeks. The discussion took place just before the holidays.

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Morocco: Fouad Mourtada Robbed of His Life

Jillian York · 15:52

lingua → jp

Fouad Mourtada probably never guessed he'd become a household name. Arrested on February 5 and sentenced on February 22 to three years in prison (plus a $1,000 fine) for creating a Facebook profile impersonating Morocco's Prince Moulay Rachid, Mourtada is now famous, but unfortunately, that fame has come at an enormous price.

Bloggers in Morocco immediately expressed outrage at Mourtada's arrest and sentencing and continue to do so. Here are a few examples of what the blogoma is saying:

A Moroccan About the World Around Him, a newcomer to the blogoma, has some advice for Mourtada's prosecutors:

Here is a book I would like to recommend to the prosecutor who indicted Fouad Mourtada on charges of identity theft because he created a fake Facebook profile of HRH Prince Moulay Rachid and the Kafkaesque judge who sentenced him to three years of prison. It is Charles Baxter’s latest and by far his best novel since he started publishing in 1987. The title is “THE SOUL THIEF.” The story tackles the issue of identity and its ownership as the life of a tepid protagonist, graduate student Nathaniel Mason, collides with fellow student Jerome Coolberg’s. The latter is described as a psychopathic attention-seeking and disconcerting individual who becomes obsessed by the persona of Nathaniel. He insidiously, yet cunningly, starts incorporating details of Nathaniel’s life into his own life history; with the complicity of a friend named Theresa, he even hired a thief to break into his room and steal his clothes; he would later put them on and strut in front of Nathaniel mimicking his mannerisms not in a comedic way, but rather seriously. Nathaniel finally succumbs to a breakdown. It takes him thirty years to recover his soul which he feels it was “mortgaged.”

The blogger concludes, “The true victim here is Fouad; he is literally robbed of his life.”

Prolific blogger Myrtus has a permanent post at the top of her blog that will not go away until Mourtada is free, which includes a March 13 update from the Free Fouad Mourtada Committee.

Francophone blogger Larbi has a call for support on his blog:

If you would like to show your support and solidarity, wherever you are, please take a picture of yourself with a sign that includes your message of solidarity with Fouad. Please send the picture to: larbiblog@gmail.com . Please include your name (or nickname) and the name of your city/country…..

Many readers have already sent in photographs. An example from Tokyo:

Free Fouad Tokyo

This Flickr page has a collection of Free Fouad photos, including those on Larbi's blog.

Ironically, a Facebook group has also been created in support of Mourtada. One comment in the group reads:

We are the change.
Dont just dream about it, become part of it.
We are responsible for what is happening in Morocco, and we are responsible for what happened to Fouad Mourtada.
If you think that some things must change, then do your best to make that wish a reality. I demand Justice, Respect for Rights, Tolerance and Intolerance of intelorance, Education, Peace… These are more than words, many men died and many are in prison because they beleived a better world is possible, not only for us, but for our children and their children.

Finally, Culture Maroc [fr] reminds us that the 43rd day of Mourtada's incarceration is upon us:

Ce n'est pas vraiment en accord avec le but de ce blog, je l'avoue. Mais ce qui arrive à Fouad Mourtada est tellement stupide et malheureux que je me fais , de temps en temps , le relai du comité de soutien.
Aujourd'hui, c'est son 43ème jour de détention…

This is not really in line with the goal of this blog, I know. But what has happened to Fouad Mourtada is so stupid and sad that I will, from time to time, take it upon myself to be a liaison for his campaign. Today is [Mourtada's] 43rd day of detention…

For more information on Fouad Mourtada's case, visit the Free Fouad Mourtada page. This BBC article is also recommended reading.

1 comment · »»

Afghanistan: Women's Day in the Unrest Country

Joshua Foust · 04:50

lingua → mk · es · zhs · zht

March the Eighth was the International Women's Day, a global celebration of the unsung heroes who make society function. Afghan bloggers noted it was happening, but placed the long struggle for women's rights in a rather historical context.

Mohammed Khairy laments,

In my country, Afghanistan, women are always marching and protesting for their rights. Unfortunately, the politicians never listen to them nor give them any benefit…
The few Afghanistani women who got the opportunity to serve in a high position of the new Government soon became involved in oppositional political games rather than working for women.
The Afghanistan government failed to stop the crimes against women, instead there are many criminals who have been hired in different positions.
Afghanistani women are again left to the injustice of cruel husbands, child-marriage and women trafficking. Men still have the power to do anything to their wives such as torturing and killings. There are hundreds of women being shot to death, sold out to other men, having parts of their bodies cut off, such as ears, noses and fingers, according to the Afghanistan Human Right commission.

M. Ashraf Haidari, on the other hand, sees much to celebrate: (more…)

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