Kuwait Times
KUWAIT: Two lecturers at Kuwait University agreed that women were the ones who mostly benefitted from media coverage of parliamentary campaigns, because it was an easy option for those who found it difficult to attend rallies. Mass communication professor Dr Khalid Al-Qihs said that there was a close link between democracy and media, which helped many women in their evaluation of the agenda of candidates. "The conservative nature of many Kuwaiti families makes the movement of women among campaign circles l
imited in some cases, which gives importance to media coverage of rallies and gatherings," he explained.
Al-Qihs noted that democracy and free media were two faces of a single coin, and media helped voters make the right decision and provided them with all the necessary information about those involved in the race and the performance of the government. Moreover, he said that the district system amendment made it more difficult for a candidate to communicate directly with voters, which in turn prompted many to seek the media. On her part, mass media professor Dr Heba Al-Musallam explained that although women a
ccounted for the greatest percentage of people benefiting from media coverage of campaigns, it remained "an insufficient source (of information).
She noted that different media outlets were government by their own policies and thus focused on the candidates that fell in line with these policies, explaining that the "media framing" theory revolved around the media's focus on one aspect and overlooking others. Al-Musallam also noted that the short campaigning time was not enough for candidates to present their agendas to voters in a thorough manner, and again the media offered a suitable alternative. The launch of satellite channels that were speciali
zed in following candidates' campaigns and seminars is also useful, she said. - KUNA
Showing posts with label media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label media. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Saudi Arabia: Saudis Debate Ban on Women Drivers
The New York Times
By Robert Mackey
Updated | May 8 A young Saudi woman has launched an online campaign using YouTube, Facebook and Flickr to get Saudis to discuss, and possibly reconsider, the ban on women drivers in the Kingdom.
As an article published last month in the English-language Saudi newspaper Arab News explained, the project, called “We the Women,” was started by Areej Khan, a 24-year-old Saudi woman currently studying design in the United States. According to Arab News, she started thinking about how onerous the ban was when she saw that her retired father was forced to spend much of his time “chauffeuring her, her mother and three sisters.”
The core of the campaign is a set of stickers, in the form of speech bubbles and bumper stickers, which Saudi men and women are encouraged to download from Flickr, fill in with their thoughts, and then display. Some people are also taking pictures of what they write on their stickers and then adding those photographs to the project’s Flickr set of “Declarations.”
Printed at the foot of each sticker is the simple message: “To drive, or not to drive, that is the question.”
As the project description on Flickr explains, Ms. Khan wants to hear other voices, not just amplify her own:
We the Women is a campaign that aims to raise the issue of women driving in Saudi Arabia and to start a real, public conversation. The We the Women declaration bubbles and bumper stickers were created as a space for self expression. Feel free to fill it out with your opinion on the issue and stick it wherever you feel it needs to be.
An image posted on the We the Women “Declarations” set on Flickr.
The images of the speech bubbles posted on Flickr so far have already sparked debate. Here is part of an exchange Ms. Khan had in the comments thread beneath a speech bubble that said, simply, “I don’t like the backseat!” with two other Flickr users, calling themselves Mac Moo and Mr. Nice 2009 (web punctuation intact):
Mac Moo says:
lol….my dear….u are goood at writing,,,but its for your own safety… women must not left alone…in islam…and thats for good of both man and women…. you know how exactly west world is…..i think the government is doing it rite.
N7nu - We the Women says:
just to clarify…This is a user submission. I did not write this. Secondly, do you think that if women were allowed to drive we would be westernized as a society? How come women in the time of the prophet were allowed to ride camels. Isn’t that the same thing?
Mr. Nice 2009 says:
how pleasure it’s to be drived. the roads in the kingdom need fast driving and braveness. if u got some1 to do for u the driving, u should be proud of. i am against that if woman drive there is alot of dangers, but my confidence in saudi women is high. not driving does not mean u r denied right, but means u r well cared of. Thank ur creator for that.
Other speech bubbles posted on Flickr include: “God did not say I can’t drive” and “I saved 1500 SR by driving myself around Saudi.”
In addition to the back and forth on Flickr, the campaign’s Facebook page has 1,100 fans, who are engaged in an active debate of whether the ban should be lifted, and comments have appeared on the promotional video for the campaign posted on YouTube (the version embedded above is in English, other are in Arabic). The video was shot in Oregon, but Ms. Khan told Arab News “I had to make look like it was in Saudi.”
According to Arab News, there is apparently wide support in Saudi Arabia for ending the ban: “Although there are no specific statistics on the number of people who are for or against women driving, most women believe it is their God-given right to drive.”
By Robert Mackey
Updated | May 8 A young Saudi woman has launched an online campaign using YouTube, Facebook and Flickr to get Saudis to discuss, and possibly reconsider, the ban on women drivers in the Kingdom.
As an article published last month in the English-language Saudi newspaper Arab News explained, the project, called “We the Women,” was started by Areej Khan, a 24-year-old Saudi woman currently studying design in the United States. According to Arab News, she started thinking about how onerous the ban was when she saw that her retired father was forced to spend much of his time “chauffeuring her, her mother and three sisters.”
The core of the campaign is a set of stickers, in the form of speech bubbles and bumper stickers, which Saudi men and women are encouraged to download from Flickr, fill in with their thoughts, and then display. Some people are also taking pictures of what they write on their stickers and then adding those photographs to the project’s Flickr set of “Declarations.”
Printed at the foot of each sticker is the simple message: “To drive, or not to drive, that is the question.”
As the project description on Flickr explains, Ms. Khan wants to hear other voices, not just amplify her own:
We the Women is a campaign that aims to raise the issue of women driving in Saudi Arabia and to start a real, public conversation. The We the Women declaration bubbles and bumper stickers were created as a space for self expression. Feel free to fill it out with your opinion on the issue and stick it wherever you feel it needs to be.
An image posted on the We the Women “Declarations” set on Flickr.
The images of the speech bubbles posted on Flickr so far have already sparked debate. Here is part of an exchange Ms. Khan had in the comments thread beneath a speech bubble that said, simply, “I don’t like the backseat!” with two other Flickr users, calling themselves Mac Moo and Mr. Nice 2009 (web punctuation intact):
Mac Moo says:
lol….my dear….u are goood at writing,,,but its for your own safety… women must not left alone…in islam…and thats for good of both man and women…. you know how exactly west world is…..i think the government is doing it rite.
N7nu - We the Women says:
just to clarify…This is a user submission. I did not write this. Secondly, do you think that if women were allowed to drive we would be westernized as a society? How come women in the time of the prophet were allowed to ride camels. Isn’t that the same thing?
Mr. Nice 2009 says:
how pleasure it’s to be drived. the roads in the kingdom need fast driving and braveness. if u got some1 to do for u the driving, u should be proud of. i am against that if woman drive there is alot of dangers, but my confidence in saudi women is high. not driving does not mean u r denied right, but means u r well cared of. Thank ur creator for that.
Other speech bubbles posted on Flickr include: “God did not say I can’t drive” and “I saved 1500 SR by driving myself around Saudi.”
In addition to the back and forth on Flickr, the campaign’s Facebook page has 1,100 fans, who are engaged in an active debate of whether the ban should be lifted, and comments have appeared on the promotional video for the campaign posted on YouTube (the version embedded above is in English, other are in Arabic). The video was shot in Oregon, but Ms. Khan told Arab News “I had to make look like it was in Saudi.”
According to Arab News, there is apparently wide support in Saudi Arabia for ending the ban: “Although there are no specific statistics on the number of people who are for or against women driving, most women believe it is their God-given right to drive.”
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Bahrain: Women pledge TV rights push
Gulf Daily News
By ANITA THOMAS, Posted on » Monday, May 04, 2009
A SERIES of public service announcements by women's groups could soon be aired on national television.
It follows a three-week workshop in which they were taught how to use computer technology to write, film and edit video messages.
The scheme was organised by the New York-based Barefoot Workshop, along with the Bahrain-based Smart Coaching and Research Centre.
Representatives of seven Bahraini women's organisations have written, directed and filmed a series of 30-second public service announcements, which were first screened last night at the Gulf Hotel.
The announcements aim to raise awareness of women's issues such as access to technology, participation in next year's national elections, domestic abuse, illiteracy and youth development.
Organisers hope they will also be broadcast on national television, posted on the Internet and even distributed to mobile phones.
Awareness
"We hope to support societies in Bahrain, particularly women's societies, to raise awareness about various issues faced by them," said programme director Alison Fast.
"We hope that this will be the first of a series of movements that will create awareness about the issues present within the society.
"Each women's society we have worked with has its own agenda for moving forward and has been equipped to spread public service announcements through the channels they choose and to the audience that they are aimed at."
The societies hope their messages will reach wider audience as possible thanks to advanced technology.
"We are hoping to be able to air the announcements on television where the majority of people can have access to them," said Ms Fast.
"Even illiterate people will be able to view them because nearly everyone watches television these days.
"Also sending them to people as messages on their mobile phones and posting them on the Net will definitely help reach more people."
Participating organisations included the Bahrain Young Ladies Association, Bahraini Society for Women's Development, Bahrain Women's Association - Human Development, Al Reef Young Lady Society, Hamad Town Women's Society, Awal Women's Society, Smart Coaching and Research Centre and the Batelco Care Centre for Family Violence Cases.
By ANITA THOMAS, Posted on » Monday, May 04, 2009
A SERIES of public service announcements by women's groups could soon be aired on national television.
It follows a three-week workshop in which they were taught how to use computer technology to write, film and edit video messages.
The scheme was organised by the New York-based Barefoot Workshop, along with the Bahrain-based Smart Coaching and Research Centre.
Representatives of seven Bahraini women's organisations have written, directed and filmed a series of 30-second public service announcements, which were first screened last night at the Gulf Hotel.
The announcements aim to raise awareness of women's issues such as access to technology, participation in next year's national elections, domestic abuse, illiteracy and youth development.
Organisers hope they will also be broadcast on national television, posted on the Internet and even distributed to mobile phones.
Awareness
"We hope to support societies in Bahrain, particularly women's societies, to raise awareness about various issues faced by them," said programme director Alison Fast.
"We hope that this will be the first of a series of movements that will create awareness about the issues present within the society.
"Each women's society we have worked with has its own agenda for moving forward and has been equipped to spread public service announcements through the channels they choose and to the audience that they are aimed at."
The societies hope their messages will reach wider audience as possible thanks to advanced technology.
"We are hoping to be able to air the announcements on television where the majority of people can have access to them," said Ms Fast.
"Even illiterate people will be able to view them because nearly everyone watches television these days.
"Also sending them to people as messages on their mobile phones and posting them on the Net will definitely help reach more people."
Participating organisations included the Bahrain Young Ladies Association, Bahraini Society for Women's Development, Bahrain Women's Association - Human Development, Al Reef Young Lady Society, Hamad Town Women's Society, Awal Women's Society, Smart Coaching and Research Centre and the Batelco Care Centre for Family Violence Cases.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Yemen: Promoting Yemeni Women’s Political Participation through Media Tools
MEPI
Yemeni women have been successful in removing many legal obstacles to their political advancement. However, they still have a long way to go in terms of overcoming social barriers that pose a serious challenge to their integration in the public sphere. Moreover, gender stereotyping often undermines women’s capacity to lead by misrepresenting their genuine talents and aptitudes. In Yemen, the burden often lies on civic groups to collaborate and deliver information that breaks down cultural biases against women and eradicates discriminatory practices. One such group in Yemen, the Awam Development and Cultural Institution, a non-governmental not-for-profit organization, organized a media awareness campaign, supported by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) local grants program. The project used audio and audiovisual tools to alleviate misguided perceptions on women and encourage their representation in upcoming parliamentary elections.
“This project is for the sake of women in a society that believes in women as effective participants in political decision making”, Thoraya Dimaj, Executive Director of Awam, commented to local press. As part of the MEPI-funded project, Awam partnered with a local TV production company to produce a documentary film on Yemeni women’s achievements in various fields, and a comedy sketch portraying socio-cultural factors that block women’s political advancement. In addition, Awam invited Sanaa University students to participate in a contest to produce an original script for a 30-second public service announcement (PSA). The script delivered a message of awareness and urge for change and action to eliminate social inequality and raise women’s status in the political field. Out of 60 PSA scripts, eight were chosen to have the most compelling messages, out of which one was awarded to a female student for producing the greatest script.
“The importance of announcing the women’s political empowerment script winner is that it will encourage the delivery of a media awareness message that targets all sectors of society through various media tools”, commented Ms. Dimaj. She added that the winning script will be broadcast on local radio stations, and the other scripts will be edited and also broadcast. The documentary on women’s achievements is expected to be completed in May 2009.
Activities of this MEPI lcoal grant project were covered extensively in Yemeni local press including 14October, SabaNews, and Mareb Press.
Yemeni women have been successful in removing many legal obstacles to their political advancement. However, they still have a long way to go in terms of overcoming social barriers that pose a serious challenge to their integration in the public sphere. Moreover, gender stereotyping often undermines women’s capacity to lead by misrepresenting their genuine talents and aptitudes. In Yemen, the burden often lies on civic groups to collaborate and deliver information that breaks down cultural biases against women and eradicates discriminatory practices. One such group in Yemen, the Awam Development and Cultural Institution, a non-governmental not-for-profit organization, organized a media awareness campaign, supported by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) local grants program. The project used audio and audiovisual tools to alleviate misguided perceptions on women and encourage their representation in upcoming parliamentary elections.
“This project is for the sake of women in a society that believes in women as effective participants in political decision making”, Thoraya Dimaj, Executive Director of Awam, commented to local press. As part of the MEPI-funded project, Awam partnered with a local TV production company to produce a documentary film on Yemeni women’s achievements in various fields, and a comedy sketch portraying socio-cultural factors that block women’s political advancement. In addition, Awam invited Sanaa University students to participate in a contest to produce an original script for a 30-second public service announcement (PSA). The script delivered a message of awareness and urge for change and action to eliminate social inequality and raise women’s status in the political field. Out of 60 PSA scripts, eight were chosen to have the most compelling messages, out of which one was awarded to a female student for producing the greatest script.
“The importance of announcing the women’s political empowerment script winner is that it will encourage the delivery of a media awareness message that targets all sectors of society through various media tools”, commented Ms. Dimaj. She added that the winning script will be broadcast on local radio stations, and the other scripts will be edited and also broadcast. The documentary on women’s achievements is expected to be completed in May 2009.
Activities of this MEPI lcoal grant project were covered extensively in Yemeni local press including 14October, SabaNews, and Mareb Press.
Yemen: Lifting the Voices of Yemen’s Women and Youth
Internews
(November 12, 2008) In 2007, Yemen ranked last out of the 128 countries considered in the World Economic Forum’s annual Gender Gap Index, signifying the persistence of serious gender-based inequalities.
To address these inequalities and bring women’s voices to the fore, Internews Network is empowering Yemeni youth and media professionals to explore sensitive issues concerning gender, society, and human rights.
In partnership with the Yemeni Women’s Media Forum (YWMF), Internews Network has begun holding a series of town hall meetings across Yemen to address these issues. Young people and professional journalists will be trained in radio production through the project, “Yemeni Voices: Women and Youth in Support of Free Media.” The project will culminate with the production of 15 thirty-minute radio programs, which will be aired on national and mainstream media.
Internews and the Yemeni Women’s Media Forum held the first town hall meeting in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, on October 22. Over 30 different organizations and NGOs were represented by more than 50 delegates from across Sana'a.
The participants formed three working groups to discuss topics for the radio programs in the areas of education, health, the environment, and human rights. Each group offered 12 to 15 ideas for future production. Suggested program topics ranged from child marriage to the use of weapons in Sana’a neighborhoods.
Participants were universally enthusiastic about the program. "The idea of creating working groups and coming up with results is the best way to show the transparency of the programs, and I hope that at least one of my ideas will be realized with this project through a real radio program," said Radia Khairan, a member of the Hood Organization.
“Yemeni Voices: Women and Youth in Support of Free Media” is supported by a grant from the US Department of State.
(November 12, 2008) In 2007, Yemen ranked last out of the 128 countries considered in the World Economic Forum’s annual Gender Gap Index, signifying the persistence of serious gender-based inequalities.
To address these inequalities and bring women’s voices to the fore, Internews Network is empowering Yemeni youth and media professionals to explore sensitive issues concerning gender, society, and human rights.
In partnership with the Yemeni Women’s Media Forum (YWMF), Internews Network has begun holding a series of town hall meetings across Yemen to address these issues. Young people and professional journalists will be trained in radio production through the project, “Yemeni Voices: Women and Youth in Support of Free Media.” The project will culminate with the production of 15 thirty-minute radio programs, which will be aired on national and mainstream media.
Internews and the Yemeni Women’s Media Forum held the first town hall meeting in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, on October 22. Over 30 different organizations and NGOs were represented by more than 50 delegates from across Sana'a.
The participants formed three working groups to discuss topics for the radio programs in the areas of education, health, the environment, and human rights. Each group offered 12 to 15 ideas for future production. Suggested program topics ranged from child marriage to the use of weapons in Sana’a neighborhoods.
Participants were universally enthusiastic about the program. "The idea of creating working groups and coming up with results is the best way to show the transparency of the programs, and I hope that at least one of my ideas will be realized with this project through a real radio program," said Radia Khairan, a member of the Hood Organization.
“Yemeni Voices: Women and Youth in Support of Free Media” is supported by a grant from the US Department of State.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Bahrain: Bahrain's Shaikha Mai wants better laws, closer media cooperation
Gulfnews
By Habib Toumi, Bahrain Bureau Chief
Published: April 14, 2009, 15:03
Manama: Bahrain's culture and information minister has called for the codification of press freedom to help promote media standards and reinforce liberties.
"We will, persistently and inexorably, move towards the codification of the freedom of the press as part of the general and public freedoms that must be expanded and developed. All legal and administrative obstacles should be removed so that press freedom can be guarantees are built on robust foundations and exercised within an enlightened and advanced environment," said Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammad Al Khalifa.
"We strongly believe that the press plays a crucial role in the civil dialogue that reinforces freedoms and empowers people to comment on them and explain them," she told members of the International Federation of Journalists who were holding a forum in Bahrain.
According to Shaikha Mai, the media has a crucial role in helping the world confront formidable challenges that include creating employment opportunities, addressing problems related with population growth, wars, climate changes and the need protection of civilizations and heritages.
"In the face of such challenges, we need to stimulate solidarity within the media and develop general commitments to international rights and to civil and political pledges and covenants. We should transfer these international accords to our local legislation and review our laws and rules accordingly. We do need robust partnerships for the sake of the future of the press: ethically and professionally and in terms of knowledge and training," she said.
Genuine partnership with the Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists which has around 600,000 members, could result in improving performances, enhancing practices, spreading the values related to diversified media and bolstering professional standards through training programmess and outstanding initiatives, said the minister who was given the media portfolio last September in a limited cabinet reshuffle.
Bahraini journalists have been pushing for the adoption of a new press law that would guarantee greater freedom and the abolition of jail sentences for reporters and editors.
The government last year presented a law draft, but the parliament has yet to decide on its merits.
Journalists are weary that conservative lawmakers in the lower house would oppose lifting prison jails under the claim that people working in the media should not be given any special privileges.
The Bahrain Journalists Association has been lobbying for the promulgation of a more tolerant press law.
By Habib Toumi, Bahrain Bureau Chief
Published: April 14, 2009, 15:03
Manama: Bahrain's culture and information minister has called for the codification of press freedom to help promote media standards and reinforce liberties.
"We will, persistently and inexorably, move towards the codification of the freedom of the press as part of the general and public freedoms that must be expanded and developed. All legal and administrative obstacles should be removed so that press freedom can be guarantees are built on robust foundations and exercised within an enlightened and advanced environment," said Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammad Al Khalifa.
"We strongly believe that the press plays a crucial role in the civil dialogue that reinforces freedoms and empowers people to comment on them and explain them," she told members of the International Federation of Journalists who were holding a forum in Bahrain.
According to Shaikha Mai, the media has a crucial role in helping the world confront formidable challenges that include creating employment opportunities, addressing problems related with population growth, wars, climate changes and the need protection of civilizations and heritages.
"In the face of such challenges, we need to stimulate solidarity within the media and develop general commitments to international rights and to civil and political pledges and covenants. We should transfer these international accords to our local legislation and review our laws and rules accordingly. We do need robust partnerships for the sake of the future of the press: ethically and professionally and in terms of knowledge and training," she said.
Genuine partnership with the Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists which has around 600,000 members, could result in improving performances, enhancing practices, spreading the values related to diversified media and bolstering professional standards through training programmess and outstanding initiatives, said the minister who was given the media portfolio last September in a limited cabinet reshuffle.
Bahraini journalists have been pushing for the adoption of a new press law that would guarantee greater freedom and the abolition of jail sentences for reporters and editors.
The government last year presented a law draft, but the parliament has yet to decide on its merits.
Journalists are weary that conservative lawmakers in the lower house would oppose lifting prison jails under the claim that people working in the media should not be given any special privileges.
The Bahrain Journalists Association has been lobbying for the promulgation of a more tolerant press law.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Yemen: Giving a Voice To The Women Activists In Yemen
Rising Voices
The Republic of Yemen is an Arab country of more than 23 million people located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. It is the only republic on the Arabian Peninsula (not led by a hereditary monarch) and is one of the poorest countries of the region. Its capital is Sana'a and the language is Arabic. Yemen is so often ignored by the international media and people know little about the country. With an internet penetration of less than 2% we do not usually get alternative perspectives from the citizen journalists. This has so often led to stereotyping of Yemenis.
For example Yemenis enjoy some unique freedom as an expat blogger Jalilah informs:
The veiling of women is not law in Yemen as it is in Saudi Arabia. Many younger, educated women merely cover their heads, but not their faces, and some do not veil at all. Those who do, do so in deference to tradition, not to law. [..]
Yemeni Arabic is quite different from other Arabic dialects and the women additionally speak a dialect all their own. I later learned that this was to insure more privacy and to avoid being understood by the men!
Women constitute only 30 percent of the Yemeni workforce and approximately 70 percent of women in Yemen are illiterate. The gap between men and women is very wide in terms of political empowerment and economic participation but the literacy rate is not that different from men. Various social, religious and political factors are responsible for women's low status (source) and women rarely have the platforms to voice their opinions.
But the Yemeni women are fighting back. For example, Yemeni women activists are fighting against the fundamentalists to prove that Islam does not contradict the use of contraceptives an family planning. But these activities are not much visible to the world. It is the high time when they start to harness the power of internet to help spread their activism and widen their campaigns.
Ghaida'a Al Absi plans to change the situation with a Rising Voices micro grant. She writes in her blog:
Human rights are being violated in many countries of the world, particularly developing countries, but there are a lot of people do not tolerate it and is trying to promote what is happening in their countries and to the whole world […] But..Yemen has several cases of gross human rights violations are not known to the world, and because of the weakness of civil society institutions and their lack of knowledge of right-wing.
In the project proposal Ghaida'a mentioned that her goal is:
to prepare and conduct a training course in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen. The project will focus on the Politicians women and the women workers in the field of Human Rights. In addition, the main objective of the project is to strengthen the capacity of those women to be able to express their own thoughts through the Internet. The training course will be conducted monthly for four days, two hours a day.
The targeted community is the activists women who work in politics or in the field of human rights. The trainings will give the targeted community the ability to use Internet in order to publish their point of views, documenting their activities and will give them the space to publish the issues they are fighting for.
Now let us learn more about Ghaida'a. She works at the SOUL Organization for Women and Children Development as WIT program assistant. The WIT (Women in Technology) program is about empowering Women in Technology. She is also doing some voluntary work in the organization like preparing training sessions in various topics for the Yemeni girls in WIT Forum.
She is also a volunteer in Yemeni Observatory for Human Rights, and the founder and coordinator of the Hand in hand Initiative, which is which is a forum of a group of youths engaged in raising awareness and rehabilitation of young people to make them able to change the future for the better, through education, information and capacity-building. In addition, she is a member of the MEPI Alumni.
We interviewed her recently in Germany at a conference on new media activism in the Middle East. In this interview she introduces herself and discusses the contents of the workshops, the challenges the project will face, and what she expects from the Rising Voices community.
The contents of the curriculum of this project will cover the use of Internet in publishing the issues concerning the activists and will be generated by three experts (including Ghaida'a) in new media. The guide will be in Arabic language, and will be arranged in handouts to be distributed to the targeted community.
The participants will be taught to create blogs to document their activities, voice their opinions and create a community of activists.
We are eager to follow the activities of the “Empowerment of Women Activists in Media Techniques” project and wish its success.
The Republic of Yemen is an Arab country of more than 23 million people located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. It is the only republic on the Arabian Peninsula (not led by a hereditary monarch) and is one of the poorest countries of the region. Its capital is Sana'a and the language is Arabic. Yemen is so often ignored by the international media and people know little about the country. With an internet penetration of less than 2% we do not usually get alternative perspectives from the citizen journalists. This has so often led to stereotyping of Yemenis.
For example Yemenis enjoy some unique freedom as an expat blogger Jalilah informs:
The veiling of women is not law in Yemen as it is in Saudi Arabia. Many younger, educated women merely cover their heads, but not their faces, and some do not veil at all. Those who do, do so in deference to tradition, not to law. [..]
Yemeni Arabic is quite different from other Arabic dialects and the women additionally speak a dialect all their own. I later learned that this was to insure more privacy and to avoid being understood by the men!
Women constitute only 30 percent of the Yemeni workforce and approximately 70 percent of women in Yemen are illiterate. The gap between men and women is very wide in terms of political empowerment and economic participation but the literacy rate is not that different from men. Various social, religious and political factors are responsible for women's low status (source) and women rarely have the platforms to voice their opinions.
But the Yemeni women are fighting back. For example, Yemeni women activists are fighting against the fundamentalists to prove that Islam does not contradict the use of contraceptives an family planning. But these activities are not much visible to the world. It is the high time when they start to harness the power of internet to help spread their activism and widen their campaigns.
Ghaida'a Al Absi plans to change the situation with a Rising Voices micro grant. She writes in her blog:
Human rights are being violated in many countries of the world, particularly developing countries, but there are a lot of people do not tolerate it and is trying to promote what is happening in their countries and to the whole world […] But..Yemen has several cases of gross human rights violations are not known to the world, and because of the weakness of civil society institutions and their lack of knowledge of right-wing.
In the project proposal Ghaida'a mentioned that her goal is:
to prepare and conduct a training course in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen. The project will focus on the Politicians women and the women workers in the field of Human Rights. In addition, the main objective of the project is to strengthen the capacity of those women to be able to express their own thoughts through the Internet. The training course will be conducted monthly for four days, two hours a day.
The targeted community is the activists women who work in politics or in the field of human rights. The trainings will give the targeted community the ability to use Internet in order to publish their point of views, documenting their activities and will give them the space to publish the issues they are fighting for.
Now let us learn more about Ghaida'a. She works at the SOUL Organization for Women and Children Development as WIT program assistant. The WIT (Women in Technology) program is about empowering Women in Technology. She is also doing some voluntary work in the organization like preparing training sessions in various topics for the Yemeni girls in WIT Forum.
She is also a volunteer in Yemeni Observatory for Human Rights, and the founder and coordinator of the Hand in hand Initiative, which is which is a forum of a group of youths engaged in raising awareness and rehabilitation of young people to make them able to change the future for the better, through education, information and capacity-building. In addition, she is a member of the MEPI Alumni.
We interviewed her recently in Germany at a conference on new media activism in the Middle East. In this interview she introduces herself and discusses the contents of the workshops, the challenges the project will face, and what she expects from the Rising Voices community.
The contents of the curriculum of this project will cover the use of Internet in publishing the issues concerning the activists and will be generated by three experts (including Ghaida'a) in new media. The guide will be in Arabic language, and will be arranged in handouts to be distributed to the targeted community.
The participants will be taught to create blogs to document their activities, voice their opinions and create a community of activists.
We are eager to follow the activities of the “Empowerment of Women Activists in Media Techniques” project and wish its success.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Iran: Iran charges detained US reporter with spying
AFP
TEHRAN - US-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi, who has been in Iranian custody since January, has been charged with spying, Tehran’s deputy prosecutor Hassan Haddad said on Wednesday.
“Her case has been sent to the revolutionary court. She, without press credentials, was carrying out spying activities under the guise of being a reporter,” Haddad was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.
“The evidence is mentioned in her case papers and she has accepted all the charges. She has been arrested under the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Saberi, who also holds both US and Iranian nationalities, was initially reportedly detained for buying alcohol which is prohibited in the Islamic republic.
In March, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said Saberi’s press identity card was revoked in 2006 and since then she had been working “illegally” in the country.
Haddad said on Wednesday that Saberi had entered Iran as an “Iranian citizen.”
“She has an Iranian citizenship, passport and an Iranian national identity card. She has entered Iran as an Iranian citizen and if she has another citizenship, we are unaware of it and it has no effect on how we will proceed with her case,” he said.
“There is no evidence that she has another citizenship and the investigation is still on.”
US-born Saberi has reported for US-based National Public Radio (NPR), the BBC and Fox News, and had been living in Iran for six years.
Her parents, Reza and Akiko Saberi, arrived in Tehran on Sunday to pursue her case. They had a 20-minute meeting with her in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison on Monday.
Her father told NPR on Tuesday that he planned to stay in Iran until her case was resolved.
He said Roxana, 31, was surprised by their visit, and that she looked pale and weak but was in good spirits.
He said she also wanted to see her lawyer “to point out ... that apparently some of the statements were made under pressure, under threat, you know. So that they were not valid.”
Reza Saberi said he and his wife would try to visit their daughter once a week.
Last month the parents appealed to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for her release, saying she was in a “dangerous” state of mental health.
Washington has repeatedly called on Tehran to release the journalist.
Iran, which does not recognize dual nationality and has had no ties with the United States for three decades, has detained several Iranian-Americans, including academics, in recent years.
TEHRAN - US-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi, who has been in Iranian custody since January, has been charged with spying, Tehran’s deputy prosecutor Hassan Haddad said on Wednesday.
“Her case has been sent to the revolutionary court. She, without press credentials, was carrying out spying activities under the guise of being a reporter,” Haddad was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.
“The evidence is mentioned in her case papers and she has accepted all the charges. She has been arrested under the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Saberi, who also holds both US and Iranian nationalities, was initially reportedly detained for buying alcohol which is prohibited in the Islamic republic.
In March, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said Saberi’s press identity card was revoked in 2006 and since then she had been working “illegally” in the country.
Haddad said on Wednesday that Saberi had entered Iran as an “Iranian citizen.”
“She has an Iranian citizenship, passport and an Iranian national identity card. She has entered Iran as an Iranian citizen and if she has another citizenship, we are unaware of it and it has no effect on how we will proceed with her case,” he said.
“There is no evidence that she has another citizenship and the investigation is still on.”
US-born Saberi has reported for US-based National Public Radio (NPR), the BBC and Fox News, and had been living in Iran for six years.
Her parents, Reza and Akiko Saberi, arrived in Tehran on Sunday to pursue her case. They had a 20-minute meeting with her in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison on Monday.
Her father told NPR on Tuesday that he planned to stay in Iran until her case was resolved.
He said Roxana, 31, was surprised by their visit, and that she looked pale and weak but was in good spirits.
He said she also wanted to see her lawyer “to point out ... that apparently some of the statements were made under pressure, under threat, you know. So that they were not valid.”
Reza Saberi said he and his wife would try to visit their daughter once a week.
Last month the parents appealed to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for her release, saying she was in a “dangerous” state of mental health.
Washington has repeatedly called on Tehran to release the journalist.
Iran, which does not recognize dual nationality and has had no ties with the United States for three decades, has detained several Iranian-Americans, including academics, in recent years.
Jordan: Queen Noor Discusses Destroying Nuclear Weapons on 'The Colbert Report'
By The Staff at wowOwow.com
Queen Noor on "The Colbert Report"Queen Noor has been making the media rounds for her great new cause — ridding the world of nuclear weapons.
The Jordanian queen, who was born Lisa Najeeb Halaby to an Arab-American family in the U.S. and went on to marry the now-deceased King Hussein, works with Global Zero, a new international initiative working to eliminate the world’s nuclear weapons stockpiles.
Hoping to spread the word, she appeared on Comedy Central’s "The Colbert Report" last night, during which she touted Global Zero’s work — and knighted host Stephen Colbert leader of the Colbert Nation, but not after driving a hard bargain: she required him to sign onto the Global Zero initiative first.
Nuclear proliferation is the "gravest security threat to the world today," she said. Colbert tried to get at which country had the most weapons, but Noor kept her cool.
"But how can we get rid of nuclear weapons — nuclear weapons are what keep us safe from other people’s nuclear weapons?" Colbert asked in his typical snarky style. "Let’s have everyone else in the world give away their nuclear weapons first because we can be trusted — we’re the only ones who have used one. We know how bad it is. We’ll never do it again!"
"That is a Cold War-mindset," she responded.
Meanwhile, the Queen appeared on MSNBC this morning and insisted "nuclear proliferation and the related risk of nuclear terrorism are really the most pressing security threat for nations around the world today." About 40 countries have enough nuclear materials — in addition to nine major nations — to make 100,000 more nuclear weapons that what are already out there. Terrorism is of particular concern, since there have been at least 25 instances of nuclear material theft in the last several decades.
The queen also said she’s heartened by President Obama’s outreach to the Muslim world, and his recent trip to Turkey.
"He has reached out in a way and the use of his word ‘mutual respect’ … it’s vital to relations between any nations but part where the west, and the United States and the Muslim world is concern," she said. But his statements "have to be backed up with outreach," particularly in the Arab-Israeli conflict, she said.
Queen Noor on "The Colbert Report"Queen Noor has been making the media rounds for her great new cause — ridding the world of nuclear weapons.
The Jordanian queen, who was born Lisa Najeeb Halaby to an Arab-American family in the U.S. and went on to marry the now-deceased King Hussein, works with Global Zero, a new international initiative working to eliminate the world’s nuclear weapons stockpiles.
Hoping to spread the word, she appeared on Comedy Central’s "The Colbert Report" last night, during which she touted Global Zero’s work — and knighted host Stephen Colbert leader of the Colbert Nation, but not after driving a hard bargain: she required him to sign onto the Global Zero initiative first.
Nuclear proliferation is the "gravest security threat to the world today," she said. Colbert tried to get at which country had the most weapons, but Noor kept her cool.
"But how can we get rid of nuclear weapons — nuclear weapons are what keep us safe from other people’s nuclear weapons?" Colbert asked in his typical snarky style. "Let’s have everyone else in the world give away their nuclear weapons first because we can be trusted — we’re the only ones who have used one. We know how bad it is. We’ll never do it again!"
"That is a Cold War-mindset," she responded.
Meanwhile, the Queen appeared on MSNBC this morning and insisted "nuclear proliferation and the related risk of nuclear terrorism are really the most pressing security threat for nations around the world today." About 40 countries have enough nuclear materials — in addition to nine major nations — to make 100,000 more nuclear weapons that what are already out there. Terrorism is of particular concern, since there have been at least 25 instances of nuclear material theft in the last several decades.
The queen also said she’s heartened by President Obama’s outreach to the Muslim world, and his recent trip to Turkey.
"He has reached out in a way and the use of his word ‘mutual respect’ … it’s vital to relations between any nations but part where the west, and the United States and the Muslim world is concern," she said. But his statements "have to be backed up with outreach," particularly in the Arab-Israeli conflict, she said.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Saudi Arabia: Women in Saudi media under fire
By Abdul Rahman Shaheen, Correspondent
Published: March 30, 2009, 23:52
Riyadh: Thirty-five prominent Saudi figures including scholars, university professors, judges, imams, researchers and government officials have warned the minister of culture and information against the prominence being given to women in the media. They described the projection of women in the media as a "phenomenon exceeding proper bounds of Sharia".
In a letter addressed to Dr Abdul Aziz Khoja, a copy of which was placed on the website Nurul Islam, the hardliners underlined the need for strictly adhering into the Kingdom's media policy, which prohibits women, including singers and artists, from appearing in the media. The statement, which was also carried by Al Madinah Arabic daily, urged scholars and reformers to examine the matter and come out with their proposals.
The 35 signatories of the statement included Shaikh Abdul Rahman Al Barak, Shaikh Abdul Rahman Al Mahmoud, member of the faculty of Usooluddin at Imam Mohammad Bin Saud University of Riyadh, and Shaikh Abdullah Al Sulaiman, judicial supervisor at the Ministry of Justice. They urged the minister to establish a supervisory Sharia committee at the ministry in cooperation with the Ifta Department, in line with Article 15 of the Media Policy of the Ministry of Culture and Information.
The signatories hoped the minister would undertake media reforms after rooting out "deviation" as far as radio, television, press, literary clubs and book fairs are concerned.
The statement, which was also carried by the Saudi news website Al Masdar, heavily criticised "plans to Westernise Saudi women and deprive them of their legal rights while travelling, as well as gender-mixing, opening doors for clashes with liberal ideologies, giving prominence for staging songs and playing musical instruments by women, publishing women's pictures, allowing women singers and broadcasters to mix with men at the ministry building, allowing entry of obscene newspapers and magazines with sexy pictures of women inside the pages and folders into the Kingdom", and described that all these are "no doubt, prohibited by Sharia".
According to the hardliners, all these phenomena are contrary to the laws of the country, royal decrees and the media policy of the Kingdom.
"This also involves violation of Article 7 in Item 2 of the Basic Governing System, which says that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia shall be governed by the Book of God and the Tradition of the Prophet (PBUH).
The statement also drew attention to the fact these trends were also in violation of the Royal Decree No 2/4185, which prevents the staging of any dance programme involving women or appearance of female singers or news readers on television.
The decree also prevents the appearance of any types of pictures of women on newspapers or magazines for any reasons. The statement urged the minister to grant permission for a meeting with a delegation of 10 of the signatories to discuss the matter.
Published: March 30, 2009, 23:52
Riyadh: Thirty-five prominent Saudi figures including scholars, university professors, judges, imams, researchers and government officials have warned the minister of culture and information against the prominence being given to women in the media. They described the projection of women in the media as a "phenomenon exceeding proper bounds of Sharia".
In a letter addressed to Dr Abdul Aziz Khoja, a copy of which was placed on the website Nurul Islam, the hardliners underlined the need for strictly adhering into the Kingdom's media policy, which prohibits women, including singers and artists, from appearing in the media. The statement, which was also carried by Al Madinah Arabic daily, urged scholars and reformers to examine the matter and come out with their proposals.
The 35 signatories of the statement included Shaikh Abdul Rahman Al Barak, Shaikh Abdul Rahman Al Mahmoud, member of the faculty of Usooluddin at Imam Mohammad Bin Saud University of Riyadh, and Shaikh Abdullah Al Sulaiman, judicial supervisor at the Ministry of Justice. They urged the minister to establish a supervisory Sharia committee at the ministry in cooperation with the Ifta Department, in line with Article 15 of the Media Policy of the Ministry of Culture and Information.
The signatories hoped the minister would undertake media reforms after rooting out "deviation" as far as radio, television, press, literary clubs and book fairs are concerned.
The statement, which was also carried by the Saudi news website Al Masdar, heavily criticised "plans to Westernise Saudi women and deprive them of their legal rights while travelling, as well as gender-mixing, opening doors for clashes with liberal ideologies, giving prominence for staging songs and playing musical instruments by women, publishing women's pictures, allowing women singers and broadcasters to mix with men at the ministry building, allowing entry of obscene newspapers and magazines with sexy pictures of women inside the pages and folders into the Kingdom", and described that all these are "no doubt, prohibited by Sharia".
According to the hardliners, all these phenomena are contrary to the laws of the country, royal decrees and the media policy of the Kingdom.
"This also involves violation of Article 7 in Item 2 of the Basic Governing System, which says that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia shall be governed by the Book of God and the Tradition of the Prophet (PBUH).
The statement also drew attention to the fact these trends were also in violation of the Royal Decree No 2/4185, which prevents the staging of any dance programme involving women or appearance of female singers or news readers on television.
The decree also prevents the appearance of any types of pictures of women on newspapers or magazines for any reasons. The statement urged the minister to grant permission for a meeting with a delegation of 10 of the signatories to discuss the matter.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Jordan: Community Radio Station Tackles Issues Affecting Women and Youth
Internews
(March 5, 2009) Farah Al Nas, a Internews-founded community radio station in Jordan that focuses on women and youth issues, is tackling topics that are usually taboo on the airwaves.
Based in Amman, the station recently held a week-long campaign dealing with violence against women that featured the voices of women affected by violence. It was a rare moment to hear women talking openly on the air about their experiences of rape and domestic violence.
In January, when a six-year old child was killed by a truck in the residential area of Abu Alanda, community members grew upset at how many children had been injured or killed by trucks passing through that neighborhood. Working with all affected parties, Farah Al Nas held a successful campaign to ban trucks from entering the area.
“I am very happy with what we have achieved so far at Farah Al Nas,” said Haitham Atoom, the station manager. “Our programs are out there, people are listening and we are responsive to their requests. I have great expectations for Farah Al Nas.”
Internews trains and supports young people ages 10 to 24 to operate the radio station. The young journalists learn the technical and journalistic skills needed to operate a community radio station.
Run by and for the local community, Farah Al Nas produces three main programs dealing with women, youth and social issues:
“Woman Today,” broadcast twice weekly, deals with issues such as women’s right to education, a career, and life and discrimination against women whether judicial or societal. It also stresses the importance of empowering women financially and intellectually . Some topics of discussion are: Jordanian women’s right to give their nationality to their children; the right to get promoted based on qualifications rather than gender; the right to all vacations as per the labor law; and injustice to women due to the what so called “honor crimes” and sexual harassment.
“Youth” deals with the concerns and aspirations of young people and is aired three times weekly.
Min Qalb El Nass (“From the Heart of the People”) deals with people’s daily concerns
Farah Al Nas began broadcasting in May of 2008 and was established by Internews Network, the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD) and the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) through a grant from the US Department of State.
(March 5, 2009) Farah Al Nas, a Internews-founded community radio station in Jordan that focuses on women and youth issues, is tackling topics that are usually taboo on the airwaves.
Based in Amman, the station recently held a week-long campaign dealing with violence against women that featured the voices of women affected by violence. It was a rare moment to hear women talking openly on the air about their experiences of rape and domestic violence.
In January, when a six-year old child was killed by a truck in the residential area of Abu Alanda, community members grew upset at how many children had been injured or killed by trucks passing through that neighborhood. Working with all affected parties, Farah Al Nas held a successful campaign to ban trucks from entering the area.
“I am very happy with what we have achieved so far at Farah Al Nas,” said Haitham Atoom, the station manager. “Our programs are out there, people are listening and we are responsive to their requests. I have great expectations for Farah Al Nas.”
Internews trains and supports young people ages 10 to 24 to operate the radio station. The young journalists learn the technical and journalistic skills needed to operate a community radio station.
Run by and for the local community, Farah Al Nas produces three main programs dealing with women, youth and social issues:
“Woman Today,” broadcast twice weekly, deals with issues such as women’s right to education, a career, and life and discrimination against women whether judicial or societal. It also stresses the importance of empowering women financially and intellectually . Some topics of discussion are: Jordanian women’s right to give their nationality to their children; the right to get promoted based on qualifications rather than gender; the right to all vacations as per the labor law; and injustice to women due to the what so called “honor crimes” and sexual harassment.
“Youth” deals with the concerns and aspirations of young people and is aired three times weekly.
Min Qalb El Nass (“From the Heart of the People”) deals with people’s daily concerns
Farah Al Nas began broadcasting in May of 2008 and was established by Internews Network, the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD) and the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) through a grant from the US Department of State.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Jordan: Women make waves in Jordan Valley
By Suha Philip Ma’ayeh, Foreign Correspondent for The National
AMMAN // For the past year, Muneera Shatti and Asma Raja, two young women from the Jordan Valley, have broadcast a weekly radio show that tackles the issues faced by their impoverished community, from a lack of buses and the theft of water, to boys using mobile phones to take photos of schoolgirls.
The work is not without challenges as the tribal-dominated valley on which they report is staunchly conservative and one of 20 pockets of poverty where the average income is about US$1,800 (Dh6,624) per year.
“At first there were men who refused to be interviewed by us. They would say, ‘You are women’. But they got used to us. Just last week I interviewed young men in a cafe to gauge their views regarding public services,” Ms Shatti said. “Interviewing men is something I would have never imagined myself doing before I became a correspondent for the radio.”
In one programme, Ms Shatti reported on the lack of buses connecting her town with a nearby village. Within a week, the Jordan Valley Authority responded and provided the needed bus.
“That was encouraging even though later the bus was taken away as other bus drivers protested that it was affecting their business.”
In another broadcast, Ms Raja, 24, reported on water theft.
“Farmers were stealing water from the main pipes, depriving residents of drinking water. I talked to a senior water official who promised to provide citizens with another source of water while the government closed some of the pipes to try to stop those from stealing. Since then, water theft has declined.”
Because the women do not have a licence to broadcast in their community, Radio Al Balad, an Amman-based community radio, produces and hosts their show, called the Voice of the Valley.
The women take three buses to get to Amman to broadcast the show, but for them, the trip is worth it.
Radio Al Balad has been pushing hard to get a licence to launch the first all-women community radio in Jordan.
But last month, the government turned down the licence application without giving a reason. The country’s laws do not oblige the government to explain why it rejects applications.
The decision, however, has frustrated Daoud Kuttab, the founder of Radio Al Balad, who has been trying to launch Zaharat Alghor, the Flower of the Valley, which would not broadcast news or political programmes.
“We were excited. It is a station run by women. It was supposed to be a women empowerment station. We were already seeing success in the one-hour programme,” he said. “If the government did not want to give us a licence, then why entertain our application in the first place? It took us a year and a half to fulfil the requirements of the application, including paying $15,000 for the initiation licence fee. We rented offices [in the Jordan Valley], too.”
In 2002, Jordan liberalised its airwaves and a year later created an audiovisual commission tasked with licensing independent satellite and radio stations. Since then, 26 independent stations have been granted licences, most of whom provide music, entertainment and social programmes. Seven have licences for news and political programmes.
It is 50 per cent more expensive to get a licence for a news and political broadcast because, according to insiders, the AVC believes the latter generates more advertisements, while sceptics see it as another restriction on media freedom.
It is the second time in two years that the government has rejected an application by Mr Kuttab for a community radio licence, raising some speculation that the decision was motivated by personal reasons.
Conservative officials are concerned that community radio in a traditional society could create problems among tribes and upset their social and cultural values.
Mr Kuttab has also been criticised for allowing Palestinian refugees from Gaza to make their plea for citizenship on his radio programmes. Jordan sees such a policy as serving the interest of Israel because the refugees would then no longer be able to apply to return to Israel.
Because Radio Al Balad is licensed to broadcast only in Amman, residents in the Jordan Valley can only hear the programme by tuning into Al Qamr radio station in Jericho, a West Bank city on the other side of the Jordan Valley.
Mr Kuttab had signed an agreement with Al Qamr to rebroadcast the show until he was able to obtain a licence. The programme can also be heard online, but only 16 per cent of Jordanian households have internet access.
Mr Kuttab has made it clear in editorials and blogs that he is not happy with the AVC’s decision. But Hussein Bani Hani, the AVC head, argued the government had acted in the interest of investors.
“The government wants to give a chance for every investor. We want to give equal opportunities to all,” he said. “All the governorates are covered with radio stations, and we have community stations in several universities that also provide training for university students on media broadcasting.
“The stations tackle different subjects in different communities and broadcast social programmes which vary from women and child issues to youth issues. They are funded by organisations involved in media development.”
Although the community radio stations have been welcomed in most areas, there are some criticism that they are not completely independent.
Ms Shatti and Ms Raja were discouraged at first by the government’s decision not to grant them a licence. They closed the offices that Radio Al Balad had rented for them last week. But the women said they will continue to broadcast from Amman.
“I will not let the licence get me down. I will continue to work to make the voices of people in remote areas heard,” Ms Raja said.
AMMAN // For the past year, Muneera Shatti and Asma Raja, two young women from the Jordan Valley, have broadcast a weekly radio show that tackles the issues faced by their impoverished community, from a lack of buses and the theft of water, to boys using mobile phones to take photos of schoolgirls.
The work is not without challenges as the tribal-dominated valley on which they report is staunchly conservative and one of 20 pockets of poverty where the average income is about US$1,800 (Dh6,624) per year.
“At first there were men who refused to be interviewed by us. They would say, ‘You are women’. But they got used to us. Just last week I interviewed young men in a cafe to gauge their views regarding public services,” Ms Shatti said. “Interviewing men is something I would have never imagined myself doing before I became a correspondent for the radio.”
In one programme, Ms Shatti reported on the lack of buses connecting her town with a nearby village. Within a week, the Jordan Valley Authority responded and provided the needed bus.
“That was encouraging even though later the bus was taken away as other bus drivers protested that it was affecting their business.”
In another broadcast, Ms Raja, 24, reported on water theft.
“Farmers were stealing water from the main pipes, depriving residents of drinking water. I talked to a senior water official who promised to provide citizens with another source of water while the government closed some of the pipes to try to stop those from stealing. Since then, water theft has declined.”
Because the women do not have a licence to broadcast in their community, Radio Al Balad, an Amman-based community radio, produces and hosts their show, called the Voice of the Valley.
The women take three buses to get to Amman to broadcast the show, but for them, the trip is worth it.
Radio Al Balad has been pushing hard to get a licence to launch the first all-women community radio in Jordan.
But last month, the government turned down the licence application without giving a reason. The country’s laws do not oblige the government to explain why it rejects applications.
The decision, however, has frustrated Daoud Kuttab, the founder of Radio Al Balad, who has been trying to launch Zaharat Alghor, the Flower of the Valley, which would not broadcast news or political programmes.
“We were excited. It is a station run by women. It was supposed to be a women empowerment station. We were already seeing success in the one-hour programme,” he said. “If the government did not want to give us a licence, then why entertain our application in the first place? It took us a year and a half to fulfil the requirements of the application, including paying $15,000 for the initiation licence fee. We rented offices [in the Jordan Valley], too.”
In 2002, Jordan liberalised its airwaves and a year later created an audiovisual commission tasked with licensing independent satellite and radio stations. Since then, 26 independent stations have been granted licences, most of whom provide music, entertainment and social programmes. Seven have licences for news and political programmes.
It is 50 per cent more expensive to get a licence for a news and political broadcast because, according to insiders, the AVC believes the latter generates more advertisements, while sceptics see it as another restriction on media freedom.
It is the second time in two years that the government has rejected an application by Mr Kuttab for a community radio licence, raising some speculation that the decision was motivated by personal reasons.
Conservative officials are concerned that community radio in a traditional society could create problems among tribes and upset their social and cultural values.
Mr Kuttab has also been criticised for allowing Palestinian refugees from Gaza to make their plea for citizenship on his radio programmes. Jordan sees such a policy as serving the interest of Israel because the refugees would then no longer be able to apply to return to Israel.
Because Radio Al Balad is licensed to broadcast only in Amman, residents in the Jordan Valley can only hear the programme by tuning into Al Qamr radio station in Jericho, a West Bank city on the other side of the Jordan Valley.
Mr Kuttab had signed an agreement with Al Qamr to rebroadcast the show until he was able to obtain a licence. The programme can also be heard online, but only 16 per cent of Jordanian households have internet access.
Mr Kuttab has made it clear in editorials and blogs that he is not happy with the AVC’s decision. But Hussein Bani Hani, the AVC head, argued the government had acted in the interest of investors.
“The government wants to give a chance for every investor. We want to give equal opportunities to all,” he said. “All the governorates are covered with radio stations, and we have community stations in several universities that also provide training for university students on media broadcasting.
“The stations tackle different subjects in different communities and broadcast social programmes which vary from women and child issues to youth issues. They are funded by organisations involved in media development.”
Although the community radio stations have been welcomed in most areas, there are some criticism that they are not completely independent.
Ms Shatti and Ms Raja were discouraged at first by the government’s decision not to grant them a licence. They closed the offices that Radio Al Balad had rented for them last week. But the women said they will continue to broadcast from Amman.
“I will not let the licence get me down. I will continue to work to make the voices of people in remote areas heard,” Ms Raja said.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Public cinema after 30 years enthralls audience
JEDDAH – After a long wait of 30 years, public cinema is back in Saudi Arabia. Using the occasion of Eid Al-Adha, Rowad Media and Kawthar Foundation and Production screened a show for the public at the King Abdul Aziz Cultural Center in Abraq Al-Raghama, attended by a large number of interested men and women who watched the comedy film “Manahi.”
“We haven’t had public cinema in Saudi Arabia for 30 years,” said one viewer. “That’s a long time, and we have missed it,” he added.
The 9-day festival began on Dec. 10 and two shows are being screened daily in Jeddah and Taif.
“On the opening night there was a flood of media personnel which made it just like a red carpet Hollywood premier,” said Fayez Al-Malki, the film’s main actor.
“I hope that this film will be a real commercial breakthrough in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “I am fully satisfied with the Rotana production and hope the film will be appreciated in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and around the world,” he added.
“Manahi,” which takes its title from the name of the film’s hero, is a comedy with a touch of Saudi culture and tradition. Apart from Al-Malki, the film stars Syrian actress Mona Wassef, Kuwaiti actor Abdul Imam Abdullah and a number of young Saudi actors.
“This is the first film in the revival of Saudi cinema,” said Ayman Halawani the director general of Rotana Studios.
“We are pleased with this achievement and we thank the organizers for such an opportunity. Soon we will provide the public with films which are appropriate to the customs and traditions of our society,” he said.
“I want to thank Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, for giving us an opportunity to show films in Saudi Arabia just as is being done in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Egypt,” said Mamdouh Salim, director of Rowad Media.
Thousands of viewers enjoyed the film on the first day with the audience laughing at every scene and singing songs with the hero. “We enjoyed the movie as there was entertainment with an important message,” said one man who brought his wife and children to see the movie.
“I think that the opposition to public cinema will not continue for long. We previously witnessed opposition to satellite channels in Saudi Arabia and a ban on mobile phones with cameras,” he said. Among those who came to see the film, young Saudis enjoyed the movie a lot.
“We have been looking forward to movies being shown publicly for a long time,” said Abdul Aziz, a 23-year-old Saudi.
“Instead we have had to travel to other countries to see films. We want movies in our own country that reflect our traditions and culture,” he said.
–By Fouzia Khan, Saudi Gazette
“We haven’t had public cinema in Saudi Arabia for 30 years,” said one viewer. “That’s a long time, and we have missed it,” he added.
The 9-day festival began on Dec. 10 and two shows are being screened daily in Jeddah and Taif.
“On the opening night there was a flood of media personnel which made it just like a red carpet Hollywood premier,” said Fayez Al-Malki, the film’s main actor.
“I hope that this film will be a real commercial breakthrough in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “I am fully satisfied with the Rotana production and hope the film will be appreciated in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and around the world,” he added.
“Manahi,” which takes its title from the name of the film’s hero, is a comedy with a touch of Saudi culture and tradition. Apart from Al-Malki, the film stars Syrian actress Mona Wassef, Kuwaiti actor Abdul Imam Abdullah and a number of young Saudi actors.
“This is the first film in the revival of Saudi cinema,” said Ayman Halawani the director general of Rotana Studios.
“We are pleased with this achievement and we thank the organizers for such an opportunity. Soon we will provide the public with films which are appropriate to the customs and traditions of our society,” he said.
“I want to thank Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, for giving us an opportunity to show films in Saudi Arabia just as is being done in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Egypt,” said Mamdouh Salim, director of Rowad Media.
Thousands of viewers enjoyed the film on the first day with the audience laughing at every scene and singing songs with the hero. “We enjoyed the movie as there was entertainment with an important message,” said one man who brought his wife and children to see the movie.
“I think that the opposition to public cinema will not continue for long. We previously witnessed opposition to satellite channels in Saudi Arabia and a ban on mobile phones with cameras,” he said. Among those who came to see the film, young Saudis enjoyed the movie a lot.
“We have been looking forward to movies being shown publicly for a long time,” said Abdul Aziz, a 23-year-old Saudi.
“Instead we have had to travel to other countries to see films. We want movies in our own country that reflect our traditions and culture,” he said.
–By Fouzia Khan, Saudi Gazette
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Saudi Arabia: 'Don't strip me of my humanity'
Riyadh: The one-minute video airing on Saudi-owned satellite channels shows an Arab businessman screaming at his maid, pleading poverty when a domestic server asks to be paid, and denying an employee time off to visit his daughter in the hospital.
The clip closes with the businessman at prayer, pleading God for compassion, before fading to a line that reads: "He who is not merciful himself, will not be afforded mercy [by Allah]".
The video is part of the 'Mercy' campaign, a privately funded public service effort aimed at reminding Gulf Arabs that their religion requires them to treat employees, particularly their omnipresent maids and drivers, in a humane way.
The 'Mercy' campaign also includes brutally candid ads in Saudi newspapers, including one that depicts a maid peeking out from a doghouse with a chain around her neck. "Don't Strip Me of My Humanity!" the title reads.
"We want to raise public interest, to make people talk...and remind people what Islam is saying," says Kaswara Al Khatib, managing director of FullStop, the Jeddah-based advertising firm producing the public service ads, or PSAs.
Social responsibility
Al Khatib says the campaign is part of his company's social responsibility. "I look at what is going on around us and try to do something about it," he says.
The way some people treat their household help is "not good enough", he says, noting that 13-hour workdays are common and that living conditions are sometimes poor. "We think it's normal, but maybe we need to check, to go the extra mile," he says. "We need to treat them as equals."
Mercy is an important virtue in Islam. According to its scriptures, the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) once said: "The merciful are shown mercy by the All-Merciful. Have mercy on those on earth, and the Lord of the Heavens will have mercy on you."
And before beginning most endeavours, Muslims invoke God's blessing by saying, "In the name of Allah the most Merciful, the most Compassionate."
Nonetheless, the treatment of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries is a sensitive and controversial matter, with critics charging that they are often underpaid and overworked.
There are an estimated 5.6 million foreigners living in Saudi Arabia, whose native population is 22.5 million, according to the CIA World Factbook. Many foreign workers are from poor Asian countries, such as Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
In July, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report about the conditions of the estimated 1.5 million household staff workers in Saudi Arabia. The report, titled As If I Am Not Human, said that these workers "receive less protection in Saudi Arabia than other categories of workers, exposing them to egregious abuses with little or no hope of redress.
"While many domestic workers enjoy decent work conditions," the report said, others endure "slavery-like conditions" that included "nonpayment of salaries, forced confinement, food deprivation, excessive workload, and instances of severe psychological, physical, and sexual abuse."
Exaggerated
The report caused a furore in Saudi Arabia, where newspaper columnists and government officials slammed it for being one-sided and exaggerated.
Many Saudis say that they, too, are victims, citing instances of maids running away to look for higher paying jobs after their employers had paid several hundred dollars to bring them to the kingdom.
"I'm sure there are abuses," Turki Al Sudairy, president of the government-appointed Human Rights Commission, said in a phone interview. "But a neutral person would think that all Saudis are doing this...We want a fair judgment. They [HRW] never thought that there are cases where the girls are hurting their employers."
Mazen Hayek, spokesman for the Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC) in Dubai, said that there has not been a lot of viewer feedback about the television ads of the 'Mercy' campaign.
He attributed this to the fact that "it's not an accusatory campaign, it's an awareness campaign...It calls for basic human rights and good treatment of human beings...It's not controversial".
MBC and MBC-owned Al Arabiya TV, which are popular throughout the Middle East, are both airing the three 'Mercy' videos "free of charge as part of its commitment to society," Hayek says.
MBC is owned by an in-law of the late Saudi King Fahd.
Rotana, another popular satellite television network among Arab audiences, which is owned by Saudi Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal, is also planning to air the 'Mercy' videos, Al Khatib says.
Glimpses
Apart from the clip of the Arab businessman, two others show an Arab housewife shouting abuse at her maid, who appears to be Filipina. In one, she tells the maid to "get out of my sight" and in another, she yells at her "not to sleep until the house is spotless" as she apparently retires for the night.
The 'Mercy' ads are not appearing on Saudi government-owned television stations, Al Khatib says.
One Saudi newspaper offered the print version of the campaign declined to take it, but several others are running it, he added.
He says he'd only seen one negative comment so far from one newspaper reader. The $100,000 cost of the videos and print ads, which were all produced in Saudi Arabia, was borne by an individual who wanted to remain anonymous, Al Khatib says.
His firm has done other public service campaigns in the past, he adds, including ones against smoking and gossiping. Others have encouraged people to be good to their mothers, be devout Muslims, and demonstrate their patriotism by helping to improve Saudi society.
-- Caryle Murphy, Christian Science Monitor
The clip closes with the businessman at prayer, pleading God for compassion, before fading to a line that reads: "He who is not merciful himself, will not be afforded mercy [by Allah]".
The video is part of the 'Mercy' campaign, a privately funded public service effort aimed at reminding Gulf Arabs that their religion requires them to treat employees, particularly their omnipresent maids and drivers, in a humane way.
The 'Mercy' campaign also includes brutally candid ads in Saudi newspapers, including one that depicts a maid peeking out from a doghouse with a chain around her neck. "Don't Strip Me of My Humanity!" the title reads.
"We want to raise public interest, to make people talk...and remind people what Islam is saying," says Kaswara Al Khatib, managing director of FullStop, the Jeddah-based advertising firm producing the public service ads, or PSAs.
Social responsibility
Al Khatib says the campaign is part of his company's social responsibility. "I look at what is going on around us and try to do something about it," he says.
The way some people treat their household help is "not good enough", he says, noting that 13-hour workdays are common and that living conditions are sometimes poor. "We think it's normal, but maybe we need to check, to go the extra mile," he says. "We need to treat them as equals."
Mercy is an important virtue in Islam. According to its scriptures, the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) once said: "The merciful are shown mercy by the All-Merciful. Have mercy on those on earth, and the Lord of the Heavens will have mercy on you."
And before beginning most endeavours, Muslims invoke God's blessing by saying, "In the name of Allah the most Merciful, the most Compassionate."
Nonetheless, the treatment of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries is a sensitive and controversial matter, with critics charging that they are often underpaid and overworked.
There are an estimated 5.6 million foreigners living in Saudi Arabia, whose native population is 22.5 million, according to the CIA World Factbook. Many foreign workers are from poor Asian countries, such as Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
In July, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report about the conditions of the estimated 1.5 million household staff workers in Saudi Arabia. The report, titled As If I Am Not Human, said that these workers "receive less protection in Saudi Arabia than other categories of workers, exposing them to egregious abuses with little or no hope of redress.
"While many domestic workers enjoy decent work conditions," the report said, others endure "slavery-like conditions" that included "nonpayment of salaries, forced confinement, food deprivation, excessive workload, and instances of severe psychological, physical, and sexual abuse."
Exaggerated
The report caused a furore in Saudi Arabia, where newspaper columnists and government officials slammed it for being one-sided and exaggerated.
Many Saudis say that they, too, are victims, citing instances of maids running away to look for higher paying jobs after their employers had paid several hundred dollars to bring them to the kingdom.
"I'm sure there are abuses," Turki Al Sudairy, president of the government-appointed Human Rights Commission, said in a phone interview. "But a neutral person would think that all Saudis are doing this...We want a fair judgment. They [HRW] never thought that there are cases where the girls are hurting their employers."
Mazen Hayek, spokesman for the Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC) in Dubai, said that there has not been a lot of viewer feedback about the television ads of the 'Mercy' campaign.
He attributed this to the fact that "it's not an accusatory campaign, it's an awareness campaign...It calls for basic human rights and good treatment of human beings...It's not controversial".
MBC and MBC-owned Al Arabiya TV, which are popular throughout the Middle East, are both airing the three 'Mercy' videos "free of charge as part of its commitment to society," Hayek says.
MBC is owned by an in-law of the late Saudi King Fahd.
Rotana, another popular satellite television network among Arab audiences, which is owned by Saudi Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal, is also planning to air the 'Mercy' videos, Al Khatib says.
Glimpses
Apart from the clip of the Arab businessman, two others show an Arab housewife shouting abuse at her maid, who appears to be Filipina. In one, she tells the maid to "get out of my sight" and in another, she yells at her "not to sleep until the house is spotless" as she apparently retires for the night.
The 'Mercy' ads are not appearing on Saudi government-owned television stations, Al Khatib says.
One Saudi newspaper offered the print version of the campaign declined to take it, but several others are running it, he added.
He says he'd only seen one negative comment so far from one newspaper reader. The $100,000 cost of the videos and print ads, which were all produced in Saudi Arabia, was borne by an individual who wanted to remain anonymous, Al Khatib says.
His firm has done other public service campaigns in the past, he adds, including ones against smoking and gossiping. Others have encouraged people to be good to their mothers, be devout Muslims, and demonstrate their patriotism by helping to improve Saudi society.
-- Caryle Murphy, Christian Science Monitor
Monday, December 8, 2008
Iran: Amnesty Film On Iranian Women's Movement Striking Global Chord
A video shot by Amnesty International to show its support for the Iranian women's movement is attracting a surprising amount of worldwide attention.
The short but moving film -- posted on Amnesty's website and on YouTube -- was filmed at last month's Amnesty International U.K. Student Conference in the English city of Reading. It features evocative music and shows hundreds of students carrying banners and standing in support of the One Million Signatures Campaign to end discriminatory laws against women in Iran.
Not a single word is spoken.
Heather Harvey, Amnesty International U.K.'s Stop Violence Against Women campaign manager, says the annual student conference is always a big event for participants, but doesn't always generate a lot of media coverage.
This year was different, she says, with the video sparking calls of support from the Iranian diaspora, from Kurdish and other ethnic minority groups, and from student and women's organizations.
"I think it just shows how many people all around the world are actually watching what is happening in Iran and are supporting the women's campaign," Harvey told RFE/RL's Radio Farda.
She said the film is not a direct effort to change Iranian laws. That's for the authorities in Tehran and the Iranian people to do, she says.
"We are trying to show solidarity, to say to the women that we do support what they're campaigning for. They're simply campaigning for equality and for equal rights. [Those] equal rights are perfectly within the framework of the Iranian Constitution, within Islamic women's rights, [within] international human rights. There is no real conflict."
Harvey calls the One Million Signatures Campaign in Iran "extremely courageous and inspiring."
Women's rights activists in Iran are under increasing pressure from the government over their campaign for equal rights.
"What I find shocking, I suppose, is that the Iranian authorities see it as so threatening," Harvey said, "because all it is is women want to have an equal role in building and creating their society. If you exclude 50 percent of the population from decision-making, then ultimately your decisions are going to be flawed because you're not going to be coming up with policies or solutions that are really helpful to the whole of that society."
-- Radio Free Europe
The short but moving film -- posted on Amnesty's website and on YouTube -- was filmed at last month's Amnesty International U.K. Student Conference in the English city of Reading. It features evocative music and shows hundreds of students carrying banners and standing in support of the One Million Signatures Campaign to end discriminatory laws against women in Iran.
Not a single word is spoken.
Heather Harvey, Amnesty International U.K.'s Stop Violence Against Women campaign manager, says the annual student conference is always a big event for participants, but doesn't always generate a lot of media coverage.
This year was different, she says, with the video sparking calls of support from the Iranian diaspora, from Kurdish and other ethnic minority groups, and from student and women's organizations.
"I think it just shows how many people all around the world are actually watching what is happening in Iran and are supporting the women's campaign," Harvey told RFE/RL's Radio Farda.
She said the film is not a direct effort to change Iranian laws. That's for the authorities in Tehran and the Iranian people to do, she says.
"We are trying to show solidarity, to say to the women that we do support what they're campaigning for. They're simply campaigning for equality and for equal rights. [Those] equal rights are perfectly within the framework of the Iranian Constitution, within Islamic women's rights, [within] international human rights. There is no real conflict."
Harvey calls the One Million Signatures Campaign in Iran "extremely courageous and inspiring."
Women's rights activists in Iran are under increasing pressure from the government over their campaign for equal rights.
"What I find shocking, I suppose, is that the Iranian authorities see it as so threatening," Harvey said, "because all it is is women want to have an equal role in building and creating their society. If you exclude 50 percent of the population from decision-making, then ultimately your decisions are going to be flawed because you're not going to be coming up with policies or solutions that are really helpful to the whole of that society."
-- Radio Free Europe
Monday, December 1, 2008
Egypt: Dissident poet is allowed to speak, but Egypt's leaders aren't listening
Reporting from Cairo — Iman Bakry has a fortuneteller's voice, husky and cracked. It coaxes you into her colloquial poems, which once were about romance, but have since shifted to a cutting critique of President Hosni Mubarak's government and an Egypt plagued by self-doubt, repression, corruption and a dangerous divide between rich and poor.
Iman Bakry has risen to national prominence with her politically barbed verse about repression, corruption and poverty, appealing to the intellectual as well as the illiterate.
"I see a storm coming," begins a stanza in one of her poems.
Bakry is a media-savvy wordsmith who has risen to national prominence through television appearances and public readings. Her politically barbed verse articulates the frustrations and false dreams that have embittered a cynical public and laced the air with hints of rebellion. Opposition forces are often silenced and intimidated by the authoritarian government, but Bakry senses the anger welling.
"The explosion is already happening," she said in an interview in her Cairo apartment. "There's demonstrations, political activism, labor strikes, protests over clean water and bread shortages. All this signals the collapse of the whole society. We are walking to hell, toward a very dark future."
A former Arabic language teacher, Bakry has a curious relationship with the government she pillories. Until recently she headed the publishing department of the Egyptian Cultural Ministry. She resigned after complaining that her superiors resisted new writers and new ideas. She also sensed that some within the ruling National Democratic Party were fed up with her criticism of Mubarak's 27-year rule.
But Bakry has not been censored. She publishes and speaks when she wishes; she gets invited onto state-owned TV. And that, she said, illustrates the irritating, beguiling power of a police state that creates the veneer of democracy by tolerating a degree of freedom of expression.
Some dissident bloggers and political opponents are jailed. However, there is no reliable pattern of whom the government targets. The state allows certain artists such as Bakry, regarded by officials as passionate but harmless to national security, to write about whatever they choose, even if it causes a few politicians to wince. She skewers the state but does not directly call for unrest or overthrowing the government.
"Yes we can say it. The only problem is the regime doesn't listen to what we say," said Bakry. "The people listen to me instead of telling political jokes. My poetry allows them to vent, but as far as the government is concerned, neither I nor any other poet has much of an impact."
Nonetheless, her jabs are thrown with wily force. One of her poems, "Hello, Our Masters," attacks the ruling party's 2005 rewriting of the constitution to make it easier for Mubarak's son, Gamal, a 45-year-old businessman with no government experience, to succeed him. In the poem, Mubarak is a manipulating patriarch grooming the way for his child:
They are going to promote kindergarten students.
Heredity (succession) will become fashionable.
Call on the men and follow me to the coffee shop so we can weep and cry.
He intends to do it, he is making tactics even before he bids us farewell.
If you agree just say okay.
If you agree just say okay.
Either way, there is no way.
Shaaban Youssef, a literary critic, said he believes Bakry is the first Egyptian woman to master conversational-style political verse. "She has succeeded in widening the popularity of this type of poetry," he said. "Her poems appeal to highly sophisticated intellectuals . . . as well as to those who don't even read."
The other night, Bakry strolled into her living room, a jumble of design styles that include a stuffed fox, porcelain ballerinas, French baroque tables, a treadmill, horse statues and ruffled curtains that look as if they were on loan from an opera house. She sat, dressed in black, makeup carefully done, a headband slightly aglitter. In her deep voice, each syllable is granted distinctive weight.
She began writing love songs, she recalled, when she was a student at Cairo University under the tutelage of one of Egypt's most respected poets, Ahmed Rami. Her first collection was published in 1987, when, she said, the nation's poets stayed safe from arrest by scribbling verse heavy in symbolism. Her poems grew increasingly political throughout the 1990s, and her writing today is that of a street sage summoning satire and defiance to shake a mood of resignation.
"I became more aware of people's struggles," she said. "I didn't think about repercussions. I wasn't calling for war or killing. I just called people to hold to their dreams, their dignity."
Bakry does credit Mubarak for keeping the country out of war and improving infrastructure. The economy is growing and foreign investment is up in a painful push toward privatization. But these gains, she added, don't inspire a nation's soul when so much else is wrong: unemployment, inflation, religious extremism, and the embarrassing reality that nearly half of Egypt's population lives on $2 a day or less.
"We are living as if in a theatrical play," Bakry said. "All the actors have their makeup expertly on, but no one believes them. They don't speak the truth."
In her poem about fraudulent democracy, she writes:
Democracy is our ruse.
The big guys in the alley fabricated it, just to improve our image,
and to believe that we live an easy life.
Out her window, beyond the chic CityStars mall, the pyramids rise in the desert, testaments to a great, ancient civilization that has for centuries lost its way. And Bakry worries what the future will bring.
"The most uplifting trait of Egyptians is a sense of belonging," she said. "Throughout history we have felt attached to the land, the Nile, the country. But you can't keep this alive through force. It has to be felt naturally, a belief. And that is what's disappearing, our sense of belonging is diminishing."
By Jeffrey Fleishman, LA Times
Iman Bakry has risen to national prominence with her politically barbed verse about repression, corruption and poverty, appealing to the intellectual as well as the illiterate.
"I see a storm coming," begins a stanza in one of her poems.
Bakry is a media-savvy wordsmith who has risen to national prominence through television appearances and public readings. Her politically barbed verse articulates the frustrations and false dreams that have embittered a cynical public and laced the air with hints of rebellion. Opposition forces are often silenced and intimidated by the authoritarian government, but Bakry senses the anger welling.
"The explosion is already happening," she said in an interview in her Cairo apartment. "There's demonstrations, political activism, labor strikes, protests over clean water and bread shortages. All this signals the collapse of the whole society. We are walking to hell, toward a very dark future."
A former Arabic language teacher, Bakry has a curious relationship with the government she pillories. Until recently she headed the publishing department of the Egyptian Cultural Ministry. She resigned after complaining that her superiors resisted new writers and new ideas. She also sensed that some within the ruling National Democratic Party were fed up with her criticism of Mubarak's 27-year rule.
But Bakry has not been censored. She publishes and speaks when she wishes; she gets invited onto state-owned TV. And that, she said, illustrates the irritating, beguiling power of a police state that creates the veneer of democracy by tolerating a degree of freedom of expression.
Some dissident bloggers and political opponents are jailed. However, there is no reliable pattern of whom the government targets. The state allows certain artists such as Bakry, regarded by officials as passionate but harmless to national security, to write about whatever they choose, even if it causes a few politicians to wince. She skewers the state but does not directly call for unrest or overthrowing the government.
"Yes we can say it. The only problem is the regime doesn't listen to what we say," said Bakry. "The people listen to me instead of telling political jokes. My poetry allows them to vent, but as far as the government is concerned, neither I nor any other poet has much of an impact."
Nonetheless, her jabs are thrown with wily force. One of her poems, "Hello, Our Masters," attacks the ruling party's 2005 rewriting of the constitution to make it easier for Mubarak's son, Gamal, a 45-year-old businessman with no government experience, to succeed him. In the poem, Mubarak is a manipulating patriarch grooming the way for his child:
They are going to promote kindergarten students.
Heredity (succession) will become fashionable.
Call on the men and follow me to the coffee shop so we can weep and cry.
He intends to do it, he is making tactics even before he bids us farewell.
If you agree just say okay.
If you agree just say okay.
Either way, there is no way.
Shaaban Youssef, a literary critic, said he believes Bakry is the first Egyptian woman to master conversational-style political verse. "She has succeeded in widening the popularity of this type of poetry," he said. "Her poems appeal to highly sophisticated intellectuals . . . as well as to those who don't even read."
The other night, Bakry strolled into her living room, a jumble of design styles that include a stuffed fox, porcelain ballerinas, French baroque tables, a treadmill, horse statues and ruffled curtains that look as if they were on loan from an opera house. She sat, dressed in black, makeup carefully done, a headband slightly aglitter. In her deep voice, each syllable is granted distinctive weight.
She began writing love songs, she recalled, when she was a student at Cairo University under the tutelage of one of Egypt's most respected poets, Ahmed Rami. Her first collection was published in 1987, when, she said, the nation's poets stayed safe from arrest by scribbling verse heavy in symbolism. Her poems grew increasingly political throughout the 1990s, and her writing today is that of a street sage summoning satire and defiance to shake a mood of resignation.
"I became more aware of people's struggles," she said. "I didn't think about repercussions. I wasn't calling for war or killing. I just called people to hold to their dreams, their dignity."
Bakry does credit Mubarak for keeping the country out of war and improving infrastructure. The economy is growing and foreign investment is up in a painful push toward privatization. But these gains, she added, don't inspire a nation's soul when so much else is wrong: unemployment, inflation, religious extremism, and the embarrassing reality that nearly half of Egypt's population lives on $2 a day or less.
"We are living as if in a theatrical play," Bakry said. "All the actors have their makeup expertly on, but no one believes them. They don't speak the truth."
In her poem about fraudulent democracy, she writes:
Democracy is our ruse.
The big guys in the alley fabricated it, just to improve our image,
and to believe that we live an easy life.
Out her window, beyond the chic CityStars mall, the pyramids rise in the desert, testaments to a great, ancient civilization that has for centuries lost its way. And Bakry worries what the future will bring.
"The most uplifting trait of Egyptians is a sense of belonging," she said. "Throughout history we have felt attached to the land, the Nile, the country. But you can't keep this alive through force. It has to be felt naturally, a belief. And that is what's disappearing, our sense of belonging is diminishing."
By Jeffrey Fleishman, LA Times
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Yemen: Lifting the Voices of Yemen’s Women and Youth
Internews
(November 12, 2008) In 2007, Yemen ranked last out of the 128 countries considered in the World Economic Forum’s annual Gender Gap Index, signifying the persistence of serious gender-based inequalities.
To address these inequalities and bring women’s voices to the fore, Internews Network is empowering Yemeni youth and media professionals to explore sensitive issues concerning gender, society, and human rights.
In partnership with the Yemeni Women’s Media Forum (YWMF), Internews Network has begun holding a series of town hall meetings across Yemen to address these issues. Young people and professional journalists will be trained in radio production through the project, “Yemeni Voices: Women and Youth in Support of Free Media.” The project will culminate with the production of 15 thirty-minute radio programs, which will be aired on national and mainstream media.
Internews and the Yemeni Women’s Media Forum held the first town hall meeting in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, on October 22. Over 30 different organizations and NGOs were represented by more than 50 delegates from across Sana'a.
The participants formed three working groups to discuss topics for the radio programs in the areas of education, health, the environment, and human rights. Each group offered 12 to 15 ideas for future production. Suggested program topics ranged from child marriage to the use of weapons in Sana’a neighborhoods.
Participants were universally enthusiastic about the program. "The idea of creating working groups and coming up with results is the best way to show the transparency of the programs, and I hope that at least one of my ideas will be realized with this project through a real radio program," said Radia Khairan, a member of the Hood Organization.
“Yemeni Voices: Women and Youth in Support of Free Media” is supported by a grant from the US Department of State.
(November 12, 2008) In 2007, Yemen ranked last out of the 128 countries considered in the World Economic Forum’s annual Gender Gap Index, signifying the persistence of serious gender-based inequalities.
To address these inequalities and bring women’s voices to the fore, Internews Network is empowering Yemeni youth and media professionals to explore sensitive issues concerning gender, society, and human rights.
In partnership with the Yemeni Women’s Media Forum (YWMF), Internews Network has begun holding a series of town hall meetings across Yemen to address these issues. Young people and professional journalists will be trained in radio production through the project, “Yemeni Voices: Women and Youth in Support of Free Media.” The project will culminate with the production of 15 thirty-minute radio programs, which will be aired on national and mainstream media.
Internews and the Yemeni Women’s Media Forum held the first town hall meeting in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, on October 22. Over 30 different organizations and NGOs were represented by more than 50 delegates from across Sana'a.
The participants formed three working groups to discuss topics for the radio programs in the areas of education, health, the environment, and human rights. Each group offered 12 to 15 ideas for future production. Suggested program topics ranged from child marriage to the use of weapons in Sana’a neighborhoods.
Participants were universally enthusiastic about the program. "The idea of creating working groups and coming up with results is the best way to show the transparency of the programs, and I hope that at least one of my ideas will be realized with this project through a real radio program," said Radia Khairan, a member of the Hood Organization.
“Yemeni Voices: Women and Youth in Support of Free Media” is supported by a grant from the US Department of State.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Women Find an Unlikely Role Model: Oprah
By KATHERINE ZOEPF
New York Times
DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia—Once a month, Nayla says, she writes a letter to Oprah Winfrey.
A young Saudi homemaker who covers her face in public might not seem to have much in common with an American talk show host whose image is known to millions. Like many women in this conservative desert kingdom, Nayla does not usually socialize with people outside her extended family, and she never leaves her house unless chaperoned by her husband.
Ms. Winfrey has not answered the letters. But Nayla says she is still hoping.
“I feel that Oprah truly understands me,” said Nayla, who, like many of the women interviewed, would not let her full name be used. “She gives me energy and hope for my life. Sometimes I think that she is the only person in the world who knows how I feel.”
Nayla is not the only Saudi woman to feel a special connection to the American media mogul. When “The Oprah Winfrey Show” was first broadcast in Saudi Arabia in November 2004 on a Dubai-based satellite channel, it became an immediate sensation among young Saudi women. Within months, it had become the highest-rated English-language program among women 25 and younger, an age group that makes up about a third of Saudi Arabia’s population.
In a country where the sexes are rigorously separated, where topics like sex and race are rarely discussed openly and where a strict code of public morality is enforced by religious police called hai’a, Ms. Winfrey provides many young Saudi women with new ways of thinking about the way local taboos affect their lives — as well as about a variety of issues including childhood sexual abuse and coping with marital strife — without striking them, or Saudi Arabia’s ruling authorities, as subversive.
Some women here say Ms. Winfrey’s assurances to her viewers — that no matter how restricted or even abusive their circumstances may be, they can take control in small ways and create lives of value — help them find meaning in their cramped, veiled existence.
“Oprah dresses conservatively,” explained Princess Reema bint Bandar al-Saud, a co-owner of a women’s spa in Riyadh called Yibreen and a daughter of Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the former Saudi ambassador to the United States. “She struggles with her weight. She overcame depression. She rose from poverty and from abuse. On all these levels she appeals to a Saudi woman. People really idolize her here.”
Today, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” with Arabic subtitles, is broadcast twice each weekday on MBC4, a three-year-old channel developed by the MBC Group with the Arab woman in mind. The show’s guests, self-improvement tips, and advice on family relationships — as well as Ms. Winfrey’s clothes and changing hairstyles — are eagerly analyzed by Saudi women from a wide range of social backgrounds and income levels.
The largest-circulation Saudi women’s magazine, Sayidaty, devotes a regular page to Ms. Winfrey, and dog-eared copies of her official magazine, O, which is not sold in the kingdom, are passed around by women who collect them during trips abroad.
The particulars of Ms. Winfrey’s personal story have resonated with a broad audience of Saudi women in a way that few other Western imports have, explained Mazen Hayek, a spokesman for the MBC Group.
Saudi Arabia was an impoverished desert country before it was transformed by oil money and, in just a couple of generations, into a wealthy consumer society. Saudi women readily identify with “this glamorous woman from very modest beginnings,” Mr. Hayek said, in a phone interview from Dubai.
Maha al-Faleh, 23, of Riyadh, said, “Oprah talks about issues that haven’t really been spoken about here openly before.
“She talks about racism, for example,” she said. “This is something that Saudis are very concerned about, because many of us feel that we’re judged for the way we veil or for our skin color. I have a friend whose driver touched her in an inappropriate way. She was very young at the time, but she felt very guilty about it — and Oprah helped her to speak about this abuse with her mother.”
MBC edits some “Oprah” episodes to remove content banned by censors in the region, officials at the channel say. It does not broadcast segments on homosexuality, for example. But the officials say they make most episodes available to their regional viewers uncensored, including some about relations between Arabs and Westerners and about living with the threat of Islamic terrorism.
Saudi women say they are drawn to Ms. Winfrey not only because she openly addresses subjects considered taboo locally, but also because she speaks of self-empowerment and change.
Wafa Muhammad, 38, a mother of five from Riyadh, said she believed that, in their adoration of Ms. Winfrey, Saudi women are expressing a hesitant sense of longing for real change in their country.
“Many of us feel that the solutions for our problems have to come from outside,” Ms. Muhammad said. When President Bush visited Saudi Arabia in January, she continued, as an example, his presence briefly became a locus of hope for Saudi women. “A lot of women were saying that they wished they could talk to Bush about problems like forced marriage, about how our children are taken away if our husbands divorce us.”
In a country where women are forbidden to vote, or to travel without the permission of a male guardian, a sense of powerlessness can lead women to look for unlikely sources of rescue, Ms. Muhammad explained. “If women here have problems with their fathers or their brothers, what can they do but look to Oprah?” she asked. “The idea that she will come and help them is a dream for them.”
Nayla, the homemaker in Dammam, a Persian Gulf port city, says Ms. Winfrey helps her cope with a society that does not encourage her to have interests. “The life of a woman here in Saudi — it makes you tired and it makes you boring,” she said, sighing.
Like many Saudi women, Nayla struggles with obesity, a major issue in the kingdom because many women are largely confined to their homes and local custom often prevents them from participating in sports or even walking around their neighborhoods.
She says that Ms. Winfrey has inspired her to lose weight and to pursue her education through an online degree course, a method acceptable to her husband since she will not have to leave home.
As she spoke, Nayla sat on the floor of the women’s sitting room of her mother-in-law’s house. A battered wooden bureau, its top littered with hairbrushes, plastic figurines, and perfume bottles, was the only piece of furniture.
Several female relatives sat with Nayla, and the door was kept slightly ajar so that their small children, chasing one another in the hall outside, could enter. But at the sound of heavier, male footfalls approaching, the women all jumped to their feet and scurried to hide their faces behind the bureau. It would be shameful if a brother-in-law accidentally caught a glimpse of their uncovered faces, Nayla explained.
“Oprah is the magic word for women here who want to scream out loud, who want to be heard,” Ms. Muhammad said. “Look at what happened to the girl from Qatif,” she said, referring to the infamous case of a young woman who was gang-raped, then sentenced to flogging because she had been in a car with an unrelated man.
The young woman from Qatif received a royal pardon last year after her case became an international media cause célèbre.
“The Qatif girl was heard outside the country, and she was helped,” Ms. Muhammad said. “But we need to have Saudi women who help women here. We need to have women social workers, women judges.”
“We have a very male-dominated society, and it’s very hard sometimes,” Ms. Muhammad said. “But for now I have my coffee, and sit, and I watch Oprah. It’s my favorite time of day.”
New York Times
DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia—Once a month, Nayla says, she writes a letter to Oprah Winfrey.
A young Saudi homemaker who covers her face in public might not seem to have much in common with an American talk show host whose image is known to millions. Like many women in this conservative desert kingdom, Nayla does not usually socialize with people outside her extended family, and she never leaves her house unless chaperoned by her husband.
Ms. Winfrey has not answered the letters. But Nayla says she is still hoping.
“I feel that Oprah truly understands me,” said Nayla, who, like many of the women interviewed, would not let her full name be used. “She gives me energy and hope for my life. Sometimes I think that she is the only person in the world who knows how I feel.”
Nayla is not the only Saudi woman to feel a special connection to the American media mogul. When “The Oprah Winfrey Show” was first broadcast in Saudi Arabia in November 2004 on a Dubai-based satellite channel, it became an immediate sensation among young Saudi women. Within months, it had become the highest-rated English-language program among women 25 and younger, an age group that makes up about a third of Saudi Arabia’s population.
In a country where the sexes are rigorously separated, where topics like sex and race are rarely discussed openly and where a strict code of public morality is enforced by religious police called hai’a, Ms. Winfrey provides many young Saudi women with new ways of thinking about the way local taboos affect their lives — as well as about a variety of issues including childhood sexual abuse and coping with marital strife — without striking them, or Saudi Arabia’s ruling authorities, as subversive.
Some women here say Ms. Winfrey’s assurances to her viewers — that no matter how restricted or even abusive their circumstances may be, they can take control in small ways and create lives of value — help them find meaning in their cramped, veiled existence.
“Oprah dresses conservatively,” explained Princess Reema bint Bandar al-Saud, a co-owner of a women’s spa in Riyadh called Yibreen and a daughter of Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the former Saudi ambassador to the United States. “She struggles with her weight. She overcame depression. She rose from poverty and from abuse. On all these levels she appeals to a Saudi woman. People really idolize her here.”
Today, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” with Arabic subtitles, is broadcast twice each weekday on MBC4, a three-year-old channel developed by the MBC Group with the Arab woman in mind. The show’s guests, self-improvement tips, and advice on family relationships — as well as Ms. Winfrey’s clothes and changing hairstyles — are eagerly analyzed by Saudi women from a wide range of social backgrounds and income levels.
The largest-circulation Saudi women’s magazine, Sayidaty, devotes a regular page to Ms. Winfrey, and dog-eared copies of her official magazine, O, which is not sold in the kingdom, are passed around by women who collect them during trips abroad.
The particulars of Ms. Winfrey’s personal story have resonated with a broad audience of Saudi women in a way that few other Western imports have, explained Mazen Hayek, a spokesman for the MBC Group.
Saudi Arabia was an impoverished desert country before it was transformed by oil money and, in just a couple of generations, into a wealthy consumer society. Saudi women readily identify with “this glamorous woman from very modest beginnings,” Mr. Hayek said, in a phone interview from Dubai.
Maha al-Faleh, 23, of Riyadh, said, “Oprah talks about issues that haven’t really been spoken about here openly before.
“She talks about racism, for example,” she said. “This is something that Saudis are very concerned about, because many of us feel that we’re judged for the way we veil or for our skin color. I have a friend whose driver touched her in an inappropriate way. She was very young at the time, but she felt very guilty about it — and Oprah helped her to speak about this abuse with her mother.”
MBC edits some “Oprah” episodes to remove content banned by censors in the region, officials at the channel say. It does not broadcast segments on homosexuality, for example. But the officials say they make most episodes available to their regional viewers uncensored, including some about relations between Arabs and Westerners and about living with the threat of Islamic terrorism.
Saudi women say they are drawn to Ms. Winfrey not only because she openly addresses subjects considered taboo locally, but also because she speaks of self-empowerment and change.
Wafa Muhammad, 38, a mother of five from Riyadh, said she believed that, in their adoration of Ms. Winfrey, Saudi women are expressing a hesitant sense of longing for real change in their country.
“Many of us feel that the solutions for our problems have to come from outside,” Ms. Muhammad said. When President Bush visited Saudi Arabia in January, she continued, as an example, his presence briefly became a locus of hope for Saudi women. “A lot of women were saying that they wished they could talk to Bush about problems like forced marriage, about how our children are taken away if our husbands divorce us.”
In a country where women are forbidden to vote, or to travel without the permission of a male guardian, a sense of powerlessness can lead women to look for unlikely sources of rescue, Ms. Muhammad explained. “If women here have problems with their fathers or their brothers, what can they do but look to Oprah?” she asked. “The idea that she will come and help them is a dream for them.”
Nayla, the homemaker in Dammam, a Persian Gulf port city, says Ms. Winfrey helps her cope with a society that does not encourage her to have interests. “The life of a woman here in Saudi — it makes you tired and it makes you boring,” she said, sighing.
Like many Saudi women, Nayla struggles with obesity, a major issue in the kingdom because many women are largely confined to their homes and local custom often prevents them from participating in sports or even walking around their neighborhoods.
She says that Ms. Winfrey has inspired her to lose weight and to pursue her education through an online degree course, a method acceptable to her husband since she will not have to leave home.
As she spoke, Nayla sat on the floor of the women’s sitting room of her mother-in-law’s house. A battered wooden bureau, its top littered with hairbrushes, plastic figurines, and perfume bottles, was the only piece of furniture.
Several female relatives sat with Nayla, and the door was kept slightly ajar so that their small children, chasing one another in the hall outside, could enter. But at the sound of heavier, male footfalls approaching, the women all jumped to their feet and scurried to hide their faces behind the bureau. It would be shameful if a brother-in-law accidentally caught a glimpse of their uncovered faces, Nayla explained.
“Oprah is the magic word for women here who want to scream out loud, who want to be heard,” Ms. Muhammad said. “Look at what happened to the girl from Qatif,” she said, referring to the infamous case of a young woman who was gang-raped, then sentenced to flogging because she had been in a car with an unrelated man.
The young woman from Qatif received a royal pardon last year after her case became an international media cause célèbre.
“The Qatif girl was heard outside the country, and she was helped,” Ms. Muhammad said. “But we need to have Saudi women who help women here. We need to have women social workers, women judges.”
“We have a very male-dominated society, and it’s very hard sometimes,” Ms. Muhammad said. “But for now I have my coffee, and sit, and I watch Oprah. It’s my favorite time of day.”
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Yemen: Civil service minister discusses women employment issues
SANA'A, Sep. 08 (Saba)- Minister of Civil Service and Insurance Yahya al-Shuaiby discussed on Monday with deputy chairwoman of the National Committee for Women Huria Mashhour a number of issues related to women, coming on top women employment process and increasing ratio of employing women in the governmental sector, specially in sectors of education and health.
The meeting dealt with structure of the National Committee for Women and its institutional built. They affirmed the importance of disseminating media message that supports women and integrating them in the labor market in accordance with trends of the government and its development policies.
The minister said that "the civil service is currently undergoing a provisional period and will change into a ministry to draw policies consisting of three sectors."
For her part, Mashhour reviewed recommendations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) which recommends increasing the number of women in the workforce, specially in the governmental sector.
- AM/AM Saba
The meeting dealt with structure of the National Committee for Women and its institutional built. They affirmed the importance of disseminating media message that supports women and integrating them in the labor market in accordance with trends of the government and its development policies.
The minister said that "the civil service is currently undergoing a provisional period and will change into a ministry to draw policies consisting of three sectors."
For her part, Mashhour reviewed recommendations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) which recommends increasing the number of women in the workforce, specially in the governmental sector.
- AM/AM Saba
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Kuwait: Sheikha Fariha unhappy at newspaper attacks
KUWAIT: Sheikha Fariha Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the head of the Supreme Committee for the Ideal Mother Competition, has expressed her disappointment at media attacks on her by some writers opposed to the Parliamentary Committee for Studying Negative Phenomena (also known as the 'Alien Phenomena' committee).
This followed attacks on her work in the media after the committee invited her to contribute to its efforts, given her long experience in working with cases of sexual and social deviancy, including gay people and Satanists.
Sheikha Fariha said that the writers who had launched these attacks were either unfamiliar with the phenomena in question or were consciously attempting to destroy the morality, values and wellbeing of young people in Kuwaiti society. She also claimed that many local websites and other sources in neighboring states hold negative views about Kuwait due to the prevalence of such phenomena here.
Moreover, she claimed, university lecturers in some neighboring states have started citing examples from Kuwait when addressing the subject of deviancy.
Sheikha Fariha insisted that it is deviancy alone which causes the phenomenon of homosexuality and that this phenomenon can be successfully treated, with many sufferers coming forward for treatment, knowing that their behavior is abnormal and morally repugnant.
She said that one local female journalist had written an article about homosexuality which took up a whole page of a local newspaper and suggested that homosexuality is widespread in schools and shopping centers. She added that, following publication of the article, a number of outraged readers had warned the newspaper not to publish any further articles about homosexuality.
---Kuwait Times
This followed attacks on her work in the media after the committee invited her to contribute to its efforts, given her long experience in working with cases of sexual and social deviancy, including gay people and Satanists.
Sheikha Fariha said that the writers who had launched these attacks were either unfamiliar with the phenomena in question or were consciously attempting to destroy the morality, values and wellbeing of young people in Kuwaiti society. She also claimed that many local websites and other sources in neighboring states hold negative views about Kuwait due to the prevalence of such phenomena here.
Moreover, she claimed, university lecturers in some neighboring states have started citing examples from Kuwait when addressing the subject of deviancy.
Sheikha Fariha insisted that it is deviancy alone which causes the phenomenon of homosexuality and that this phenomenon can be successfully treated, with many sufferers coming forward for treatment, knowing that their behavior is abnormal and morally repugnant.
She said that one local female journalist had written an article about homosexuality which took up a whole page of a local newspaper and suggested that homosexuality is widespread in schools and shopping centers. She added that, following publication of the article, a number of outraged readers had warned the newspaper not to publish any further articles about homosexuality.
---Kuwait Times
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