Sexual Harassment & Blaming the Victim

Reading the comments on this article, I had a hard time controlling my blood pressure. The article discusses sexual harassment against women and how it is still present in Ramadan. First of all, what did ya expect? With all due respect, who doesn't have moral standards for the 11 months of the year isn't going to suddenly develop some, holy month or not. Second of all, the prevailing mentality seems to always blame the women and practically fear them for their "fitnah".

Now I understand that there is such a thing as a provocative outfit that could attract more attention to a female, but any female above the age of 12 who has spent more than one hour walking a street in Jordan will tell you, the demeaning comments will come whether you're wearing a Jilbab, a veil or a a normal jeans and t-shirt. Also, there is something very wrong with a culture that divides women into fully veiled and therefore decent and not veiled or not properly veiled and therefore have no morals.

So it really pisses me off to tell me that it's my fault for being insulted by an asshole with no manners who considers my walking down the street an invitation for him to express his carnal thoughts.

And for the commentators who blame the women, are you comparing yourselves to animals who just can't control themselves at the sight of a woman? By what logic should we lock up the women at home -several comments seemed to suggest that-, if you're the animal that cannot be controlled? I say we should lock YOU up.

I know I'm preaching to the wrong audience here, but sexual harassment is an issue that hits a nerve for each woman. It is an issue that needs to be strictly dealt with, and not by blaming the victim but by punishing the offender. I'm not one to encourage violence, but I think every woman should buy a taser and stun the hell out of any asshole who dares to come near her.

Cervical Cancer Vaccine: The Controversy

Last month's "Living Well" had an interesting topic over Gardasil, the vaccine against cervical cancer. Definitely one of the greatest breakthroughs in the medical field over the past few years has been the development of this vaccine which prevents 70% of cervical cancer cases, the second most common form of cancer among women worldwide. The vaccine should be given to girls ages 9 to 25 as three shots over the course of 6 months with each shot costing 150 JD if memory serves.

So what's the problem? We've come up with a vaccine for cancer! Why would any parent refuse such a vaccine for their daughters? All cervical cancer cases are caused by strains of a virus called HPV which is sexually transmitted. And when the words sexually transmitted are involved, the average middle-eastern parent will become utterly offended by the fact that they're even offering a "sex shot" as it was referred to in the magazine. Such a vaccine will be seen as a green card for girls to start having sex, as if the only thing standing between them and promiscuity is the chance of contracting cervical cancer. One interviewed mother said she would not give the vaccine to her daughter, but were they to develop it for males she would give it to her son.

Tell me one thing, though. Do you tell your child to go play with rusty nails after giving him a tetanus shot? Would you kiss a flu patient because you've had your flu shot? Of course not. A vaccine is not a green card for anything, it is simply a rational precaution against a known disease. And to have anyone die from something completely preventable is absurd, in my opinion. One woman said "I'd rather live with the unfounded suspicion of my daughter sleeping around than to bury her one day because of my irrational decision".

I think at least there needs to be awareness about the subject so parents can know about it before it's too late. I for one had no idea the vaccine was available in Jordan.

So what do you think? Should Gardasil be given to girls? And for the ladies under 25, would you take it? For the parents, would you give it to your daughters?

My Thoughts on CEDAW

A little late to the party, I suppose. I honestly didn't think the discussion would keep going till now, but people can't seem to give it a rest. And by people I mostly mean organizations pertaining to the Islamic Brotherhood.

Firstly, let me state something very clearly, I KNOW that Jordan is an Islamic country. I know that the personal status law which applies to people of all religions living in the country follows the Islamic law. I do know that.

What seems to bother the Brotherhood and more recently the Council of Ifta' are articles 15 and 16, which in a nutshell, guarantee women the freedom to travel and reside freely, as well as equal rights in marriage, occupation, etc. I will not go into discussion as to why would Islam disagree with the previous notions, because in the end it is a personal opinion. But this i will say: Jordan is not Saudi Arabia. We don't apply Islamic teachings to every part of our lives. We don't force women to wear headscarves, we don't force people into mosques at prayer time and we won't chop your hand off for stealing. The Jordanian constitution guarantees freedom of religion, and by that I don't just mean the right for non-Muslims to practice their rites of worship, but also the right for Muslims to choose whether to apply the teachings of Islam to their lives or not.

And that is why I don't think CEDAW should pose a problem. If certain women don't believe it is their right to travel freely, then by all means, don't. No one is forcing you to. What CEDAW does is guarantee this right for people who don't agree with that. What it does is provide women with the choice. I find nothing wrong with that, and if truly there is no compulsion in religion, then this shouldn't even be an issue.

Go ahead now, proceed to chopping my head off in the comment section xD

Encounter With a Creep

One thing I like to do is walk. I usually go for a walk early in the morning, at like 6, when the air is still crisp and the streets are relatively empty. I mostly circle around the neighborhood. I've done it for the past three years I think and today for the very first time, I've had an incident with a creep.

I was walking like usual, with one of my iPod headphones in my left ear, so I can still hear any approaching cars or so. I am always aware of my surroundings. I noticed that there was a man walking behind me but didn't think much of it. He was medium built, wearing black pants with a black jacket, clicking away on his mobile. At some point I notice that he's walking exactly behind me, as in two steps away, so I thought it be best to just turn around, go in the other direction and let him go past me, what I usually do in such situations. So I turn around, but the bastard turns right with me. Staring at him I watch him put his phone right in front of my face. I realized at that point that he's been following me, presumably shooting a video or photos. Why else would he stick the mobile in my face. I flipped out. Screaming at him, I snag the mobile out of his hand but he manages to take it back and starts running. I start running behind him and chase him down for half a street but then he takes a turn, so I decide to turn around so I'd catch him from the other side, but he had disappeared. I'm thinking he hid in one of the garages of the apartment buildings in that area.

Why the hell was he photographing me is beyond me. I was wearing black, baggy sweat pants and my older brother's over-sized hoodie. Other than the pony tail, I swear I looked like a teenage boy.

A man driving in his car saw what happened and asked what's the matter and said he would drive around and see if he can find him. I kept walking around in the area hoping I'd run into him. I'm not sure what would have happened if I had caught up with him. I wish I had snatched his mobile so I'd be able to find out who he is. I don't think I've ever gotten this angry in my entire life. I wanted to beat the shit out of him so bad. I think he was surprised when he saw that I was chasing him. He wasn't expecting that.

But all is well. The whole thing is just a tiny incident, and other than a cut in my finger (I think from when he snatched the mobile back), nothing happened. I'm gonna keep taking my morning walks as usual. I hope I run into him again, though.

This is just to say to all you ladies out there to be careful. Be aware of your surroundings. And fight back. Creeps do exist.

Newspapers Appoint Women Editors for International Women's Day

Thought this was pretty interesting. Ammon is reporting that it is appointing the editor of the english Ammon as the official editor of the online news site for tomorrow, March 8th, in celeration of International Women's Day. Other major newspapers are also participating such as the Jordan Times, Alrai, Aldustour and Al Arab Al Youm.

It's good to see something actually being done, even if just for one day.

Where's That Judicial Reform?

I wanna scream bloody murder at this point.

"A 19-year-old man walked free from the Criminal Court on Wednesday after receiving a six-month prison term for murdering his sister and her alleged Syrian lover in Azraq last year.

The defendant was released as he had already served over six months while on trial.

The court declared A. F., a shepherd, guilty of shooting to death his 23-year-old sister and the 17-year-old Syrian after spotting them walking together in the early hours of March 8, 2008.

The same court acquitted the defendant's two cousins, aged 31 and 33, of complicity
in murder charges for lack of evidence."

[Source]

Ma 3aleina. We've seen a lot more shocking crimes than this. Plus the details or the motives are pretty much irrelevant during the actual trial. "Ah, you murdered your sister, you say? To reclaim your honor? No problem! Acquitted!"

But you see this is what's making me fly over the cookoo's nest here:

The court decided to amend the premeditated murder charges to a misdemeanour as stipulated in Article 98 of the Penal Code, because the defendant "committed his crime in a moment of rage".

Constitutionally, the fit of fury crap piece of law should only be used in cases which are NOT PREMEDITATED. Hear that? Not freaking meditated, as in not previously planned, as in saw something, happened to have a weapon at hand then INSTANTLY committed a murder.

But from yesterday's Alghad story:

وأوضح ان المتهم الأول اتصل بأبناء عمومته المتهمين الثاني والثالث وأخبرهما بالأمر، حيث اتفقوا على أخذ أسلحة نارية والبحث عن المغدورين وقتلهما فور العثورعليهما.

وتابع القرار أن المتهمين خرجوا بواسطة سيارة "بكب" يعود للمتهم الثاني وبعد البحث عثروا على المغدور داخل محمية الشومري، حيث قاموا بوضعه في صندوق الـ"بكب" وأجبروه على دلالتهم على مكان المغدورة، وعندما وصلوا اليها أشهروا جميعاً أسلحة نارية غير مرخصة وبدأوا بإطلاق النار على المغدورين الى أن أردوهما قتيلين.

The suspect called his two cousins, and they agreed to take firearms, look for the two victims and kill them when they find them.

The three defendants took a pickup truck and found the victim in Al-Shomari Reserve, put him in the trunk and forced him to disclose the female victim's location. When they found her, they drew their unlicensed guns and shot them dead.

[Source]

This is not premeditated?

THIS IS YOUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM? These are the people entrusted to ensure JUSTICE? Is this JUSTICE?

I swear I am pretty close to committing a crime "in a fit of fury" over this.

Where's your judicial reform, Jordan...?

Honor Crimes in 2009: Two & Counting

“ Zarqa criminal prosecutor has referred a 17-year-old youth, who confessed to murdering his younger sister over the weekend, to a juvenile court for further questioning.

The suspect, confessed to stamping on his 13-year-old sibling’s head several times with his boots, then stabbing her 30 times at their family home on January 21, to defend his family’s honour, a senior official source said.

The suspect then headed to the nearest police station and handed officers on duty a dagger which he claimed he “used to stab and kill his sister”, according to the source.

In his initial testimony, the suspect told investigators that he killed his sister after learning from his friends that a man gave her a piece of paper with his phone number written on it.

“The victim informed her mother about the paper and when the suspect came home he grabbed a knife and stabbed his sister, who denied any wrongdoing,” the source said.

The victim was rushed to hospital with multiple stab wounds to her chest, stomach, liver and back, but she was declared dead on arrival, according to the official source.

A postmortem conducted by government pathologists indicated that the victim was not sexually active. ”

What's going to happen to the brother? Well since he is a juvenile, he'll spend some time in some juvenile correctional centre at best then leave with a clear criminal record.


Meanwhile,

“ Criminal Prosecutor has charged a 73-year-old man with the manslaughter of his younger divorced sister in the second reported so-called honour crime since the beginning of the year.

The 19-year-old victim received three bullets to her head and chest.

The suspect claimed that he killed his sister due to “accusations by her ex-husband that she had a bad reputation and because she went missing from her home on several occasions”.

He told investigators that he shot his sister after seeing her attempting to leave the house without his knowledge, and also claimed that he had carried a gun for the past 30 years.

“These are all claims by the suspect, but we have expanded our investigations and are currently questioning the victim’s family members,” the official source said.

A senior judicial source confirmed to The Jordan Times on Saturday that 18 people were killed in so-called honour crimes last year in the Kingdom. ”

[Source]

The same disgustingly violent, ridiculous rituals of these crimes happening over and over again and nobody is doing a single thing about it. It's like honor crimes have become integrated into the country's traditions and customs.

And nobody is doing a damn thing about it.

And I don't understand how are we to change any stereotypes about us when murderers of innocent women are being set free.

It's sickening.

20% of Women Face Domestic Violence, 19% Have No Problem With It

The stupidity of the human race never ceases to amaze me, really. A recent scan conducted by the Department of Statistics revealed that 20% of married women suffer from domestic violence, and that 19% of women believe it's a man's right to punish his wife. As in beat her whenever he damn chooses. So if we assume that those 19% are married, only 1% have a problem with having the crap beaten out of them.

Sometimes I think what's the point of feminism here if women are content with all the injustice they're facing. Then I think that maybe it's their way of dealing with such an awful reality.

But here's something to feel optimistic about. In 2005, statistics showed that 87% condone violence against women.

Honor Crime and No Punishment

The Criminal Court attorney general on Saturday said he plans to appeal a ruling acquitting a family of an honor crime that occurred in July 2006. I know all honor crimes sound the same more or less, so I'll sum this one up for you:

• 16-year-old is abused by her family, so she leaves the family tent (I'm serious), and heads to the Family Protection Department and files a complaint against them.
  
  
• Her family become enraged when they find out, and decide to kill her. So they tie her up, pour kerosene on her and ignite her along with the family tent.
  
  
• Victim tries to scream and flee but the father, mother, and two siblings (aged 19 and 16), prevent her. After she was dead, one of her brothers starts calling for help, claiming it was an accident.
  
  
• The postmortem report indicated that the woman received burns on 96 per cent of her body and was charred beyond recognition.
  
  
• Victim's female sibling refuses to testify against her family.
  
  
• The court decides that the family never plotted to murder the victim and that the fire was "accidental", and acquitts the four defendants. “The defendants tried to wake the victim but were unable to in time. They managed to escape the fire but the victim remained trapped in the tent,” the court said in its 10-page ruling.
  
  
  

And if you're not sick to your stomach yet, this should do it:

“ Criminal Court Prosecutor Saturday charged a father and son with the premeditated murder of their 23-year-old female relative in the Kingdom’s latest so-called honor crime on Thursday, an official source said.

“The victim went missing for around four months. When she was found by police, they discovered that she was living with a man,” the source said.

The administrative governor ordered the victim to be detained on charges of adultery for an indefinite period for her own safety.

But after several visits, the father convinced him that he would not harm his daughter and won her release after signing a JD5,000 guarantee that he would not hurt her.

The father took his daughter home and as she was about to enter the house, her 21-year-old brother approached her and fired six shots at her, then immediately surrendered to police claiming that he had killed his sister in order to cleanse his family’s honor.

The victim became the ninth woman reportedly murdered in the Kingdom in a so-called honor crime since the beginning of the year. She is the second to be killed in the month of July. ”

Jordan's Gender Equality Campaign

Yesterday I got the chance to join Gender Equality campaigners in Al-Wakalat Street as they walked around talking to people on the street about the campaign, asking them questions about equality and handing out stickers, posters and pins. I even got to walk around with my very own writing board and talk to some people. This campaign was started by a group of young Jordanians to raise awareness about women's rights.

Here's what I noticed. Equality is such a broad subject, and the term itself has a different meaning for each person. For some it may mean having equal opportunities as to education and work, while for others it means women being able to do whatever they want without society pressing down on them. While most of the people I talked to agreed that we need to have equality in general, when you ask specific questions, like does your husband help you in household chores, or do you allow your wife to work late, they would say no.

So my thoughts would be to focus on one side of the argument, for example the injustice against women in the constitution itself, like the citizenship law or punishment for honor crimes. Because to change laws you need to change mentalities, and this is how we can start.

Bravo to all you campaigners for taking matters into your own hands and raising awareness about a very important subject! They saw something, didn't like it, and decided to do something about it. You have restored my faith in our youth. And special kudos to Dina Liddawi and Lulwa Kilani, organizers of the campaign. Join the facebook group for news and updates on upcoming events.

Do You Find This Offensive?

Take a look at this cartoon by prominent cartoonist Emad Hajjaj. It shows a man talking to Mohannad from the hit show Noor, saying "The Arab woman is a fan. She's her own enemy in elections. She consents to beating and polygamy. She likes to have boys and not girls. She doesn't continue her education because of society's customs. She is of dark skin but with a blond complex. Modern in appearance but empty in substance." To which Mohannad replies, "Just what I needed! An Arab woman who is no match for the Turkish women! Just give her my photo and tell her much obliged."

The National Committee for Women in Jordan, represented by Asma Khader, whom I greatly admire, sent a letter to Alghad newspaper, where the cartoon was published, expressing resentment about the drawing, which according to them "portrays an unfair image about Arab women, and Jordanian women in particular, and that the negatives he mentioned are the exception and should not be generalized."

Now I agree, the drawing is overly generalizing, because of course it does not describe all Arab women, but then again, isn't exaggeration the point of most cartoons? That's how they convey their message. And let's face it, the negatives are not the exception. Most of what he said is sadly correct. Women are their own worst enemy, and I always say that. Last elections were the first time a woman won outside the designated women's quota. A step forward, without a doubt, but ONE woman. Out of 104 parliamentary seats, just one woman won. Also, many women are just looking to get married, and whether their husbands are already married, beat them, forbid them from working or continuing their education is besides the point, because society dictates they get married or else they're considered a source of shame for their families. And don't get me started on how in this day and age, people, including WOMEN, still prefer baby boys over baby girls. And the blond complex? How else could Fair and Lovely still be in business? Or the rest of Amman's hairdressers for that matter?

I disagree with Hajjaj in that not all those who watch the show are empty and superficial. I mean come on, it's just a TV show, even though I still do not understand the obsession. And half the poeple I know who watch the show are actually guys. I think maybe Hajjaj was lamenting how people became obsessed with a show and seemed to forget all the problems we have? I don't know. But I for one, refuse to attack Hajjaj. He is one of the very few openly speaking male feminists in our society and he deserves some credit for that.

Another Victim In the Name of Honor

“ Authorities are still questioning the family of a minor who allegedly stabbed his older sister to death to cleanse his family’s honour earlier this month, official sources said.

The 23-year-old victim, who was not identified by officials, was stabbed 11 times in the chest, reportedly by her 17-year-old brother at their home on July 3.

The suspect immediately turned himself in to the police claiming to have killed his sister to cleanse the family’s honour because his sister went missing from home for 35 days.

“So far, the only person to be detained is the suspect and the criminal prosecutor has charged him with manslaughter,” an official source told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

The victim was arrested almost a week before her murder, the source said, adding that the governor handed her over to her family on July 3 after her father signed a guarantee that he would not harm his daughter.

The following day, the suspect reportedly stabbed his sister to death after she allegedly informed him she was involved in an affair with a man in the area, according to the source.

A postmortem conducted at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine by pathologist Hani Jahshan indicated that the victim was not involved in any sexual activity.

In his initial testimony to police, the suspect claimed he was sitting alone with his sister in the kitchen discussing her absence from home when she told him that she was “seeing a man”.

“The suspect told interrogators he became enraged and stabbed his sister to death in a moment of rage after hearing her confession,” the source added.

Meanwhile, a second source close to the investigation told The Jordan Times that a pathologist examined the victim shortly after the police found her and she denied being involved in any affair.

“The victim informed examiners that she left home because her family discovered that she owned a mobile phone and she feared their reaction, adding that she stayed at a friend’s house until the authorities found her,” the source explained.

The victim became the eighth woman reportedly murdered in a so-called honour crime in Jordan since the beginning of the year. ”

[Source]

I don't know what to say. I really don't. Even if the brother is convicted of manslaughter without the use of article 98, the juvenile law would be implemented which allows him to return to society with a clear criminal record after an educational training in some juvenile correctional centre.

I'm so sick of this. I'm disgusted. And I'm ashamed that this happens in MY country. OUR country. And I feel helpless.

What a perverse definition of honor we have.

Sigh.

Note: So did Arabic newspapers just stop reporting honor crimes? There was no mention of this in Alghad.

The New Traffic Law

“ Lawmakers on Sunday began deliberating the long-awaited draft traffic-law amid hopes that the new legislation would discourage reckless driving and reduce deadly road accidents.

The draft stipulates that drivers who cause the death of an individual in a road accident will face a six-month prison term and/or fine ranging between JD1,000 and JD2,000 and will also have their driving license suspended for a minimum of six months to a maximum of one year.

But the Legal Committee, which studied and endorsed the bill with minor changes, reduced the incarceration period in such cases to three months. ”

[Source]

This amendment was disputed, much to my surprise, by Legal Committee member Mahmoud Kharabsheh, who sent a letter to Lower House speaker Abdul Hadi Majali demanding tougher punishments against “road criminals”. Kharabsheh was one of the members who were against changing the laws regarding honor crimes in 2000, because according to him, that would be "an invitation to obscenity," since "females are the ones who take the initiative and demonstrate consent to committing adultery."

Good for him.

But back to the subject. I think that in traffic accidents, where the driver is proven to be at fault, 6 months is too short a sentence. 6 months isn't going to discourage reckless drivers out there, it is hardly a slap on the wrist for someone who took another's life because they like speeding, so let alone 3 months. But then again, it's not always the driver's fault. Naseem points out how in many cases, pedestrians can be just as irresponsible as the drivers. We need to figure out a formula so that drivers will not be wrongfully accused, but at the same time combat this massive problem we seem to be having.

I long for the day when I open a newspaper and not find a report about a number of citizens who lost their lives in a car accident.

The Legal Side of Honor Killings

This post will not talk about the number of women killed in the name of honor, be they innocent or guilty. This post will not talk about how honor is attached only to females and not to males. This post will not talk about how possible victims are jailed "for their protection", only to be bailed out and killed by their families. This post will talk about the legal side of honor killings, mainly because I've noticed that a lot of people do not know what actually happens in such cases. I didn't even know until I did a research on the subject.

Article 340:

This article from the Jordanian penal code states that: "any man who kills or attacks his wife or any of his female relatives in the act of committing adultery or in an “unlawful bed” benefits from a reduction in penalty."

In 2001, this article was amended, under a temporary law, to give women the same reduction of penalty. in 2003, the amended law was rejected by the lower house of the parliament. Praise democracy.

While this article has become almost synonymous with honor crimes, it has rarely been used in the past as it requires "actual" discovery of, e7em, female indiscretion. Activists campaigned to repeal the law because it sends the message that the constitution considers honor killings as legal. While I agree, I think more effort should've been put into actually changing the status quo.


Article 98:

Article 98 states that: "A person who commits a crime in a state of fury (fit of fury) benefits from a reduction of penalty."

It is article 98 that is mostly used in honor killings. It does not require actual discovery or any evidence of female indiscretion for that matter. In fact, any man who kills a female relative, regardless of the circumstances, can claim she tarnished his "honor" and consequently benefit from the reduction of penalty.

Under article 98, the killer can receive a minimum of six months up to a maximum of two years that can be further reduced into half if the family does not wish to file a complaint (which is nearly always the case).

How honorable, huh?

I honestly thought that after the honor massacres that happened in May (3 outrageous killings, 2 of them less than a week apart), that someone, ANYONE, was going to do something. A campaign maybe, or I don't know, perhaps a member of our female quota would wake up and suggest doing something about it. But nah, I'm guessing comparing officials to Mossad spies for popularity is a better use of time, and let's face it, it's more entertaining.

Note: I recommend watching this.

Taking Homophobia to a Whole New Level

In today's news:

أعلنت وزارة الصحة أمس أنها رصدت 20 مثليا جنسيا في المملكة، في خطوة تعد الأولى من نوعها التي تكسر فيها الوزارة حاجز الصمت الرسمي، حيال ما يشاع عن حالات مثليي الجنس في الأردن

وأفصح العزة عن أن هذه الأعداد "متدنية ولا تشكل ظاهرة في مجتمعنا"، لكنه لم يستبعد أن تتضاعف أعداد المثليين في مجتمعنا "المحافظ" وتتجاوز التقديرات المعلنة، في حال لم تتكاتف جهود كل الجهات الوطنية، للتصدي إلى هذا السلوك "المنبوذ في مجتمعنا"

ويقول العزة من خلال تعامله المباشر مع مراجعي القسم من المثليين جنسيا، إنهم "أذكياء ومتعلمون، لكنهم لا يميلون إلى الجنس الآخر"، ومن ثم، فإن "تفاعلهم مع مجتمعهم كأسوياء، سيكون له إيجابيات عديدة"، ويؤكد على أن "علاجهم ليس مستحيلا لكنه صعب"

على صعيد آخر، يصر الشاذ جنسيا على أنه غير مسؤول عن هويته، أو رده النفسي أو حتى لقائه الجنسي الأول، الذي ربما أجبر عليه، لكنه لا بد من أن يتحمّل كلّ شخص شاذ جنسيا مسؤولية اختياره الدخول في أسلوب حياة الشاذين جنسيا، وان يعي عواقب ذلك الاختيار

وبعتقد العزة، بالاستناد إلى الخبراء النفسيين والاجتماعيين، بأن الشذوذ الجنسي سلوك يتم تعلمه، ويتأثر بعدة عوامل من اهمها: حياة غير مستقرة في السنوات الأولى من الحياة، وقلة الحبّ غير المشروط من ناحية الأمّ أو الأب، وعدم القدرة على التقرب من الوالد من الجنس نفسه

Not surprising of course, in a country which has yet to adjust to the radical notion that women are people. But to have an official establishment spread homophobia, to combat STDs? How about some sex education first? This state of denial we continue to live in is very dangerous.

Suffice to say most commentators believed it is a phenomenon from the west that needs to be dealt with strictly. I was glad to see these comments, however:

أنا مش فاهمة شو خص وزارة الصحة بالمثليين جنسياً؟ دور وزارة الصحة علاج المرضى مش الحكم عليهم اجتماعياً أو اخلاقياً. طبعاً هناك ضرورة لدراسة الظاهرة بس مش على طريقة أحمدى نجاد عندما قال في جامعة هارفارد أنه ليس هناك مثليين في إيران. واليوم وزارة الصحة تقول أن لدينا فقط 150 مثلي وأننا أقل من معدلات الدول الأخرى؟؟ المثلية الجنسية حالة اجتماعية وليست حالة صحية. مين قال إنه كل مثلي لازم يروح على الطبيب ويعلن أمامه أنه مثلي؟ دور وزارة الصحة منع انتقال الأمراض الجنسية وحتى تفعل ذلك لا بد لها أن تكسب ثقة المريض أولاً، وهذا التصريح يذهب بالاتجاه المعاكس. علاج هذه الظاهرة لا يبدأ من وزارة الصحة

ترصد؟ هل المثليون كائنات غرائبيّة أوفصائل نادرة ليتم رصدها؟ أو لعلّهم شهب سماويّة تمرّ في سمائنا كل قرن. تمالك نفسك أيها الأردني البرئ والبسيط والذي ولد مساء البارحة، تمالك نفسك وتعلّم فالاحتمال أنّ المثلي يجلس إلى يمينك في الباص أو يرأسك في العمل أو هو صديق طفولتك وارد جدا، بل احتمال أنك أنت مثليّ وارد جدا. لا يمكن للدولة أو وزارة الصحة أن تعامل شعبها كأنهم أطفال وتستمر بإخفاء الحقائق ومداراتها كيلا يتخرّج المواطن الأردني إلى الواقع ويصبح ممارسا لمواطنيّته. المثليّون والمثليّات هم جزء لا ولن يتجزأ أي مجتمع، ولن أعود إلى الوراء عقودا من الزمن وأتحدث عن حقوق الإنسان وكرامة الفرد وغيرها، فالمفروض أن الأردن اليوم تعرف كلّ هذا الكلام، فتوقفوا عن الإدّعاء بالجهل

Maybe we're not a hopeless case after all.

Hey, I Wanna Live There

Don't you want to live in a country where "men and women are equal under the law. There shall be no distinction between them in rights and obligations regardless of difference in race, language or religion. They shall exercise their constitutional rights and uphold the higher interest of the state and the national ethic in such a manner as to ensure that the material and spiritual resources of the society are freed and directed towards achieving the national objective of unity, progress and building a better future". Sounds pretty good. Where'd I get it from? THE JORDANIAN NATIONAL CHARTER. Haha, right?

Women In Power

The other day, during a family get-together, we started talking about the American elections and how Hillary lost to Obama. "It shows how even Americans are not ready for a woman to take charge", one of my relatives said. It got me to thinking, is that really why Hillary lost? I don't think anybody has a definitive answer, but if that's the case, why are women still not being taken seriously in domains such as politics? Now regardless of whether Hillary is the better choice or not, her being a woman should NOT be a factor of why she should or shouldn't be elected.

"Women are just more emotional, it compromises their ability to make decisions." I've heard this over and over again, and people, especially in our part of the world, use it automatically to justify denying women certain positions.

OH GIVE ME A BREAK! So women may be more expressive of their emotions, but how exactly does that compromise their ability to make decisions? How exactly does that make them unfit to be presidents, judges or CEOs? Men are more violent and hotheaded. Wouldn't that compromise their actions more seriously? But no, the laws made by men would naturally excuse men, such as the "fit of fury" loophole handed to men on a silver platter in honor crimes.

Also, if women are more emotionally sensitive, why is it that women are always the subject of violence, from domestic abuse, to rape, to sexual harassment, all of which are committed by men! You’d think men would take into consideration all their “sensitive” emotions.

The way I see it, men who say that women are unfit to handle positions of power are insecure to handle being subordinates to a woman who endangers everything they've been taught to believe: that women are weaker and inferior. Well wake up and smell the roses, women ARE successful thinkers, women ARE successful judges and women ARE successful in politics. If anything, a woman who is able to reach such positions is more competent than a man, simply because of all the sexist crap she has to deal with.

P.S. By men, I do not mean ALL men. Just the sexist, chauvinistic ones. :)