Escape from Saddam

                  Escape from Saddam was by far my favorite text that we have read so far!  Kudos to Katie for choosing it for us.  The story was so engaging that I could not put it down!

                  The most surprising part of the story for me was the first chapter, “The Interrogation.”  It was horrifying to see how the arifs were trying to turn their soldiers into brutal beasts.  It is terrifying to see soldiers being forced to interrogate/ torture their fellow soldiers.   It also seemed like these practices could be counter-productive.  Isn’t the fact that soldiers in a unit are united as comrades- or even as brothers- one thing that makes them more effective when fighting an enemy?  Forcing soldiers to fight against each other takes away their desire to fight to protect each other. 

                  Another thing that surprised me was the fact that the soldiers got to visit their homes once a month.  This seemed odd, compared to the awful brutality of the base where Sarmed was stationed.  Maybe these visits were necessary to keep the soldiers sane, but it did not seem as though the base cared much about the soldiers sanity.

                  The part of the book where Sarmed is imprisoned for no reason contrasted well with the chapters we read from the book about Guantanamo.  Some of the scenes could have even been interchangeable.  Is this what they mean when people say that you have to fight your enemy with their own weapons? 

Tuesday's Class

                  It was a pleasure to have Ms. Eraqi with us in class on Tuesday.  I loved hearing about all of her experiences, especially about her experiences in Cairo.  I also loved hearing her personal stories about her family life here in the West, and about how she is part of many different cultures at the same time.  Thank you, Sara for inviting her!

                  Let me try to better explain what I was trying to say the other day during our discussion about Does My Head Look Big in This? and about headscarves in general.  I remember a woman making the comment that she felt that it was relatively easy wearing the headscarf in America.  I was somewhat surprised to hear this comment.  I wondered if this is true because many Americans do not seem to care about what other people are wearing; they seem to not befriend people based on looks.  But then, I also see the reverse happening in America, especially among “higher” classes and certain groups of people, where one’s clothes and possessions are all that matter.  But I wonder on the whole how Americans do with accepting other cultures.  Traditionally, we are a “melting pot” (though that is debated by some), and I believe this makes it easier for people from all over the world to fit in.  Although people are going to be curious (as Dan mentioned in class, I think), most will also be accepting.

                  The other issue I was contemplating about the hijab being accepted is whether it is just a piece of material or whether it is a symbol of a whole realm of ideas- and even an entire religion.  First, I do not think anyone should be punished for wearing a hijab, because in reality it is only a piece of cloth, and is not intruding on anyone else’s rights.  But it cannot be denied that the hijab is also a symbol of Islam, even if it not worn by every Muslim woman.

Does My Head Look Big in This?

                  Does My Head Look Big in This? Was definitely a high school drama!  Even though it was set in Australia and centered around a Muslim girl, the story seemed as though it would fit right in with any American teenager, Muslim or not.  I enjoyed the story, though it seemed repetitive.

                  The story itself seemed very typical of any novel about high school life, with cliquey girls, short-term popularity, and high school crushes.  Amal seemed like a normal girl- although she was a pretty bratty to her parents (for me, at least!).  It is hard for me to do a post on this book, because I did not get a whole lot out of the story.  There were a few things that I learned from it, though.  I learned more about what struggles a Muslim girl might go through if she decides to wear the hijab, how the hijab may or may not affect the girl for the rest of her life, and how girls use the hijab in their everyday lives (like how they match it with their outfits, etc). 

                  Another interesting aspect of the novel was when her friend ran away on account the pressure for her to marry.  It was neat to see the mother and daughter relationship improve after she came back.

On the whole, this book was definitely an easy read, just not quite as informative as I would have liked it to be.

Arranged

                  Arranged was a nice little film.  It was a little politically charged and quite an Americanized fairy-tale, but a sweet movie nonetheless.  I loved the story, but it seemed to me that it was a little too good to be true- just like “world peace commercials,” etc.  It would be wonderful if everyone could live together peacefully and happily- it is somewhat of the American dream, I think-but it is not going to happen.  That may be a pretty Realist perspective, but it’s true.  And I think the same thing is true about the Arab-Israeli/ Muslim-Jewish conflict; the conflict is so long-standing and deep-rooted that the bitterness and animosity will never be fully washed away.  Maybe they can be friends on an individual basis like the two girls were in the film, but on the whole, I don’t think the conflict will ever fully be resolved.

                  I really enjoyed the aspect of the film that portrayed the arranged marriage processes for both the Muslims and the Orthodox Jews.  It was interesting to see how the whole process worked for both religions, and to see what parts of it the girls liked and what parts they did not agree with.  It was wonderful to see both of them so happily married in the end, with such bright futures ahead of them.

                  Watching the film, I could definitely tell that it was an American film, and that this situation would probably only (or at least mostly) happen in the US, particularly in a place like New York.  Plus, New York is far from the Middle East, and thus rather far from the conflict.  One has to wonder if these girls would have been able to be friends if they lived in the Middle East, right in the heart of the conflict.

                  One last thing… the one little kid in the movie asked a question that was not answered.  The question was along the lines that yes, some of the Muslims hate the Jews, but not all of them.  But the little kid asked, “How many?”  This is an important question.  How would one find the answer?  Was it significant that they did not answer it in the film?

                  

Year of the Elephant

                  I confess that though I read and enjoyed the Year of the Elephant, I actually forgot most of what I read (probably from reading too many things at once!).  The story I most remember from the book is “A House in the Woods”; it is the first one I read and its symbolism intrigued me.  While reading it, I actually wondered if the girls were going to be kidnapped by the man in the woods, because it seemed as though the author was setting the story up to be a mystery.  When the ending was not what I expected, I was confused about the symbolism.

                  I wonder if the author was using the story as an analogy of international relations.  She describes the beautiful land in the beginning, and informs the readers that she sees three sisters who “appear” to be sisters.  The oldest takes control and tells the other two what to do, and they set off to build a house.  The two younger ones try hard to please their older sister with their work.  Then comes the old man who sees what’s going on and offers to help the two younger ones.  But then he falls asleep, and the girls start aggravating him.  He comes alive and again helps them.  There were also the hornet, the pebbles, and other things that the girls were collecting; maybe these symbolize things that the girls/states were chasing (such as peace, power, etc?).  Sometimes they were successful in grasping them, but other times, such as with the hornet, they were unsuccessful.  The funny thing is that if the youngest had caught the hornet, it probably would have stung her.

                  I do not know if my interpretations of the text are correct, but it seemed that the author may have been portraying different countries and how they relate to each other, specifically her own country (which is represented maybe by the youngest sibling?). 

Two Women

                  Two Women was an excellent film, and one of my favorite of the media that we have analyzed this semester.  Roya and Fereshtah were beautiful characters with whom I could easily sympathize.  The film also gave a peek into Iranian culture and the issues that have to be dealt with by women living there.

                  Fereshtah was a compelling character.  In the beginning of the film, she seemed almost too “perfect,” being beautiful, smart, and independent.  One could tell that although she studied diligently to get good grades, she also possessed an incredible intelligence.  Then, after being stalked by a male stranger, she was afraid to go to the police, because it would dishonor her family; and her life ended up being ruined.  Her father forbade her to go back to the university and pressured her to enter an arranged marriage.  Her being stalked caused terrible dishonor on her family, her father said; he blamed the actions of the stalker on Fereshtah, and even said at one time that he would kill her for the dishonor she had brought on him.  The man she married also deeply distrusted her, and practically kept her as a slave because of his jealousy for her and his fears that she would misuse her independence, though she never gave him any reason for him to distrust her.  She is only freed when both her husband and her stalker die.  Then she is free to live her own life and raise her two sons the way she feels is best.

                  I loved Roya’s character, though her story is not the main one.  Though she is much more timid in the beginning of the movie, and does not seem as intelligent as Fereshtah, she is the one who ends up with the “good” life.  She is free to finish her education, and she marries a more liberal-minded husband and becomes a career woman.  Her education and independence elevates her and gives her freedom.  But though she succeeds, she never forgets her beloved friend.

 

Women in the Middle East: First Day!

                  This past Tuesday was one of my favorite class periods so far.  Women in the Middle East and in women in Islam are two subjects that are of great interest to me.  It was wonderful to have two different women come to speak so that we could get different points of view.  I only wish Professor Hanan could have stayed longer.

                  Gulnar’s presentation “Women in Islam: Debunking the Myth” was well prepared and thought out.  I could tell that she has done a lot of studying about women in the Quran and knew many of the questions that people outside Islam would want to ask.  But I also had trouble believing that the Quran is this favorable towards women.  It is hard not to draw a relationship between Islam and the oppression of women.  Let me explain why I think this is true.  It is true that almost every society through all ages has oppressed women in some way or another, whether it has been by physically oppressing them or by not giving them equal human rights with men.  Even some so-called Christian societies have oppressed women.  But when I look at the world today, I cannot help but see that most countries that have a majority of citizens who believe in Islam also have a huge problem with oppression of women.  You may again argue that other religions- including Christianity- and other countries have this problem as well, and that it does not necessarily mean that Islam in its true form is oppressive towards women.  But it is just as logical to say that if Islam in its true form frees women, then the majority of people who believe in Islam and/or interpret the Quran interpret it wrong.  Is that likely?  Maybe it is possible, maybe not. 

                  I hope I have not offended anyone; these are just my own observations.  I will leave them up to you to decide whether they are drawing accurate conclusions.  And many thanks to Professor Hanan and Gulnar for coming and sharing their views on this subject.