mideastbymidwest

[mideastbymidwest]

Pence stops Syrian refugee resettlement in Indiana

Also, this article. 

After the terrorist attacks in Paris, Republican Gov. Mike Pence announced Monday that he is suspending the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Indiana.He joined several other governors, including those from Alabama, Arkansas, Michigan and Texas, who said they won’t accept Syrian refugees after the attacks.“Indiana has a long tradition of opening our arms and homes to refugees from around the world but, as governor, my first responsibility is to ensure the safety and security of all Hoosiers,” Pence said in a statement.

Because it makes sense to prematurely ban an entire country's refugee population based on actions of a few. I am livid. 

[mideastbymidwest]

I’ve been thinking a lot about the attacks in Paris, as I think much if not all of the world has been doing. I’m an American, and I’ve been to Paris, but I don’t identify with the city. Regardless, it made me ache. But what I couldn’t figure out was why the immediate reactions of my American friends on social media bothered me so much. 

I of course was bothered by the lack of caring about Beirut, or Syria, or the dozens of other countries where attacks have occurred recently and/or are common. As a person who’s studied Arabic and Middle Eastern affairs, I was upset we don’t care until it’s Western. 

I was upset at people saying the media wasn’t covering those countries, because that’s not entirely true and I know damned good reporters who are covering them, and I was upset that such accusations were partially true, because editors believe people don’t want to read about most countries and thus they don’t make the front page. 

But I was honestly mostly upset over people I know who posted photos of themselves smiling in front of the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and other Paris landmarks. It upset me that they used a tragedy to recycle photos from vacations. 

And I felt bad about that, to be honest. Who’s to judge someone else for how they express sympathy or empathy during an international tragedy? I couldn’t figure out why I felt so strongly. 

So, that said, I think this editorial sums up what a lot of people may be going through, when it comes to looking at responses to Paris on social media. The essay is long but worth the read. 

[mideastbymidwest]

Every woman should read this and that’s just how it is. By Roxane Gay, “Bad Feminist.” 

[mideastbymidwest]

The US media freak-out over her going unveiled at a formal Saudi function makes some key — and revealing — mistakes

I am breaking my (relatively long-ish) silence to share this, because I cannot with all of the fucking media coverage over Michelle not covering her hair to attend the funeral in Saudi Arabia. 

LIKE STOP. SHE'S NOT MUSLIM, SAUDI MEN DON'T FAINT AT THE SIGHT OF A WOMAN WITHOUT HAIR, WHY IN GOD'S NAME WOULD SHE VEIL WHEN SHE NEVER DOES OF HER OWN VOLITION?? There is no precedent for American first ladies to veil going to Saudi Arabia, in general Muslims would never like expect a woman to veil who is not Muslim (with some exceptions), Saudi Arabia is not in fact this nation that has no exposure to unveiled women/"Western" customs. 

Do not share articles boasting about how brave she is/what a statement she's making/how she's sticking it to the Saudis. Share this. 

And note that no one mentions the fact Obama wore a western-style suit instead of the more traditional Saudi garb. WHAT A STATEMENT. 

[mideastbymidwest]

Please can you say more about the tennessee thing? I live here and i feel nauseous when i see "vote yes on 1" posters in my own neighbors' lawns. It kills me I want to become more educated on this so could you explain in detail? Thank you so so much

Yeah, no problem. I have not lived here long enough to vote but like I really want to get the word out about what actually is going on (but I can’t in my profession). 

Some history: In 2000 I believe, the state supreme court in Tennessee ruled that a proposal to impose more regulations on abortion was “unconstitutional,” on the grounds that abortion is a right to women, and those women are entitled to privacy. So, what does Tennessee do? They decide to change the constitution so that it is in fact “constitutional.” 

Basically, the pro-amendment folks are saying that this is going to further safety regulations on abortion clinics and abortion doctors in the state of Tennessee. But that is a lie—those places are already regulated, and they’re treated essentially as OBGYN offices, with those regulations. Doctors have to be licensed, and they have to have admitting privileges to hospitals.

The amendment seeks to make them eligible for restrictions put on “ambulatory surgery centers”, when really, the purpose of doing that would be to require extreme modifications to the centers that will make them extremely hard to fix and keep open. The pro-amendment people will say they’re doing it for the health and safety of women, but talk to any abortion clinic and they will tell you, “This is safe. This is 99% safe and effective in the present clinics—twice as safe as a tonsillectomy.” 

Basically, the amendment is unfairly targeting abortion clinics when it isn’t targeting other “surgery centers.” It’s doing this because it seeks to shut down the clinics. Politicians such as Haslam have said this, in semi-veiled language. It also (in my opinion) seeks to bring back mandatory waiting periods before getting an abortion, as well as mandatory counseling and other restrictions, despite the fact no woman would go get an abortion without deeply thinking about it, in my opinion. Tennessee is called the “abortion capital of the Bible belt” by surrounding states, and maybe it is—but that’s because other states literally throw up so many barriers that women in those states cannot get abortions even when they desperately need them. They have to travel hundreds of miles and spend several days just to get the procedure done, even in the first trimester. 

The amendment is not for the health of women. It is discriminatory. It’s seeking to take away the privacy rights of women—that language is written into the amendment. And it’s a horrible step backward for women who need the services provided in Tennessee. 

I do not understand how anyone could see it to be otherwise. And I hope that this helps you, and that you’ll go out to vote, because they only need a 50% + 1 vote to pass the amendment. 

[mideastbymidwest]

So I have to go cover a "pro-life rally" today where some of the Duggars (from 19 kids and counting) are going to be there and so far all I can think of are questions that would make me get fired or end up as a gif set on the internet. 

[mideastbymidwest]

On women's rights in America vs. "everywhere else"

I’ve been wanting for a while to make a post about sexism and gender inequality in America and sexism in gender inequality elsewhere, most notably, the Middle East.

I don't know what it is lately but I’ve been hearing a lot of, “Women in other countries have it so much worse” and “They don’t let women drive in the Middle East” and “We don’t need feminism in America we need it other places like Egypt and Iraq.”

And here’s the thing.

Violence and discrimination against anyone, including women, for something that they cannot help is never okay.

But in the Middle East, the West can recognize there are problems. We send in humanitarian aid. We do studies on the violence against women. And the people who live in those countries recognize, for the most part, what a vast problem it is.

In the Middle East, there are example on example of men and women who live in those countries stepping up to protect women when it is necessary. The men who circled women for protection in Tahrir Square in Egypt. The villages that band together to protect identities of victims of rape or sexual assault, so that they won’t be killed or hurt as repercussion for being a victim. The women in Saudi Arabia—which, by the way, is the only country where women cannot drive and it has nothing to do with mainstream Muslim or Middle Eastern culture—drive anyway, often with support of their husbands or male family.

Many horrible things happen, but here is the thing: America can recognize those are horrible things. Here, it seems, we cannot. 

In America, boys—even young boys—shoot girls for turning them down, and people focus on is the mental health of that boy or the fact he was able to get a gun.  Those other issues are extremely important, but the issue of the fact he thought it was okay to kill a girl because he rejected him almost never is, and then people wonder why women give out fake numbers or fear strange men who are attracted to them. 

In America, men who rape may go to court—often they do not—but rarely are they punished and, if they are, people, including members of the media, will still question if they did it and bemoan the fact that their futures are ruined.

In America, 1 in 5—and way more, if we’re being realistic—women are raped or sexually assaulted. That is the highest rate of anywhere in the “developed” world and, shocker, higher than much of the “undeveloped” world. (although I hate those terms)

To put that in perspective, as my mother pointed out, I was safer from sexual assault while studying abroad in Cairo—which horrified so many people when they “let me go”—than I was walking home to my college apartment in southern Indiana. 

Let’s not forget that in America, women are representative of only 17% of congress and the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, Afghanistan? 28%. Iraq? 25%. Pakistan? 21%. Shall I continue? The numbers essentially are nowhere where they should be, but America is especially dismal.

Do NOT try to pretend that this is a problem that affects America less than other places, or that American women need to shut the fuck up and accept what we have.

Also, it’s worth noting that when Western feminists try to blatantly “help” the women in other countries, they generally end up doing a terrible job. Because our feminism does not look like other women’s feminism, and that is okay. It’s great, actually, because it represents the great diversity among women and how we all need different things given where our communities are and are willing to fight for that.

But, that means, American feminists can not “take our problems elsewhere where they are bigger,” because it is not our right. And even if we did, guess what?

We are not leading the way in this. Not by a long shot. I highly doubt anyone wants American women coming in to teach them what “feminism” or “liberation” looks like when we are so far from even coming near to achieving this ourselves.

We need to all move forward together and acknowledge that all of us, in nearly every country, have a really fucking long way to go. 

[mideastbymidwest]

File under: Whenever you think your state is conservative, refer to this.

Tennessee is waging an epic battle (again) over whether to include wine in grocery stores (THE HORROR) and the commercials are so on point I can't. Glory.

Although this is basically what I ask myself at all points during the day, regardless of location. 

[mideastbymidwest]

The mirage of a "New Egypt"

This is a really great editorial about the problems plaguing Sisi's "New Egypt" that have gone wildly un-reported in most of the media. By Mona Eltahawy for the New York Times. 

It illustrates Egypt through different billboards that have been seen throughout Cairo and Times Square in New York. It discusses Sisi's words versus his action, and points out that Egypt is not, in fact, fixed, as the media and many Westerners seem to think that it is. 

It's just a good read, and it's informative, although bear in mind it is a column--not a news article. 

[mideastbymidwest]

What.

The other day I did a story on the Special Olympics equestrian competition here in TN. But get this. 

One of my sources just emailed me that she'd seen part of my bio on the website and was completely blown away when she saw that I spoke Arabic--because she happens to have an original Quran commissioned by King Saud. She was like, "Let me know if you want to see it!" 

This. World. 

[mideastbymidwest]

"The secret casualties of Iraq's abandoned chemical weapons"

If you haven't read this article from the NYT, read it. Now. It's long, but it will blow your mind. 

It details how the US public was misled for ten years about the chemical weapons situation in Iraq, and it has documents to back up the huge claims that the article is making. It is breathtaking. 

I feel like this piece has flown under the radar, but it is a game changer. 

[mideastbymidwest]

There are many regrets patients share in the months before they die. But those about the time they waste hating their bodies are the saddest.

I usually don't read or obviously post from CNN, but this piece really struck me. 

"I know I'm supposed to hate my body...because I'm fat.

Everyone told me--my family, my school, my church. When I got older, magazines and salesgirls and boyfriends (told me), even if they didn't say it out loud. The world's been telling me for 75 years that my body is bad. First for being female, then for being fat and then for being sick.

But the one thing I never did understand is, why does everyone want me to hate my body? Why does it matter to them?"

[mideastbymidwest]

Some days I love people.

Just interviewed an 84-year-old Georgia woman who is on fire for women's rights and creating a Southern Woman's History Museum. She told me this:

"Back in the '60s, I was researching things and finding footnotes in our books that said, 'does not concern women, idiots or children.'”

Since then, she said she's done everything she can to learn about the powerful woman leaders in the South. She's always wanted a museum, but has been shut down by government and non profits. So, she started her own advocacy groups--multiple of them, nationally and internationally.

"Basically what I said is, 'There's nothing like that around here, so we'll just do it ourselves,'" she said. "We're doing it ourselves. That's what women have to do. Although I'm sure you've come to realize that."

So long story longer, sometimes a 22-year-old reporter and an 84-year-old retiree end up laughing on the phone together during an interview because of the ridiculous things men have told us or discussing the women who have been ignored, despite a gap in three generations and 60 years between us. And that is pretty cool. I'm very glad she's finally getting her museum.

[mideastbymidwest]

Hey, Alphacat. The First Lady wants to know… #TurnipForWhat? #AskTheFirstLady #TD4W

Why. 

[mideastbymidwest]

Hi! I find your blog really interesting seeing as I am an Arabic student in the Midwest as well. I was wondering if there was a particular dialect that you're learning in addition to MSA? Also, being in only my first semester of Arabic, I'm curious what your experience is in acquiring the language in terms on length of study, easiness of grammar, etc.

hi! and thanks! :) 

I have actually graduated (got my degree in Arabic hollah), BUT while in school I studied MSA and colloquial Egyptian. My school didn’t actually offer like dialect courses really, so I started picking up Egyptian after I studied abroad in Egypt, and then continued with the Egyptian option in all of our text books (if you’re using Al Kitaab, you know what I mean). Egyptian is good because people tend to understand it wherever you go due to movies and such, even if they cannot speak it back. 

Not gonna lie, Arabic for me was nothing but blood sweat and many many tears ha. It’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever attempted to learn, and I still can only speak like a third grader, if that. I took it all four years. The grammar is a bitch but what’s really bullshit is how they teach it. If you can, try to learn the grammar as you go on your own, as well as the roots. Otherwise, they will throw these at you in like third year and it is confusing as hell. 

Honestly, you’ve just gotta put in the work. Go to the office hours. Go to the conversation hours if you have them. Study/review the flashcards every night. Charts are your friend when it comes to the grammar, particularly case endings. And do them all in the beginning (now especially). I tried to just breeze through it first semester like I did in all my classes and it totally screwed me over for like a year. Also, take the politics courses. Those helped me a lot with Arabic because the words are woven into the history and the culture, and it made it stick. You learn things like Al Jazeera, the news group, means “island.” Among many other more useful associations haha. 

Although it was a struggle and I hated myself sometimes while studying it, I do not regret taking it all. I only hope that I can find a way to use it now that I’ve graduated so that it wasn’t four years for nothing. 

I hope that helps? Maybe? 

[mideastbymidwest]

Islamic headscarf 101.

[mideastbymidwest]

Watching the Mummy Returns

Nathan: Are those weapons even Egyptian?

Me: Nathan nothing about this is Egyptian. Not the weapons, clothes, history, or actors.