Iranian-American Journalist Freed

A few weeks ago I blogged about the unjust imprisonment of the Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saber and on Monday she was freed after the four month ordeal. Last month she was convicted on charges of espionage in a trial that took only a day and was closed to the public including her own father. When the verdict was read, Saber was sentenced to eight years in prison. For the past month, the US government including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been pressuring the Iranian government to free the journalist, and it seems to have worked. The reversal came after Sabers day of appeals in an Iranian court, where the jusge ruled in favor of Saberi. The judge stated that  Saberi shouldn’t be punished because she is “cooperating with agents of a nation at war with Iran.” As a result her sentence was changed to a two year jail t that has been suspended for five years. Saberi looking to return to the united states as soon as possible.

Saudi Judge Proclaims Slapping OK

For the past semester I have been following women’s rights within the Middle East and I before the year comes to an end I wanted to write about one last blog pertaining to the issue. A judge in Saudi Arabia has said that husbands are allowed to slap their wives if they spend lavishly. Many have condemned this ruling calling it unjust based on the fact that the fundamental ideals of Islam support compassion and justice not abuse.

A few months ago almost 2,000 academics from 30 different countries came together in the first symposium to study domestic violence throughout Saudi Arabia. These scholars examine the numerous reports of domestic violence and child abuse while keeping in mind a solution to fix the growing epidemic.

The judges ruling and recent symposium designed to figure out a method to combat the rampant abuse plaguing Saudi Arabia has brought added attention to the issue. I think it will be very interesting to see how Saudi Arabia will tackle the issue in light of the of the recent ruling.

Violence on The Rise in Baghdad

Earlier this week I blogged about the increase in social participation in the city of Baghdad due to the decrease in violence, however it seems the Iraqi people acted too soon as two female suicide bombers killed 60 people in Baghdad today leaving at least 125 wounded according to medical officials. Today’s attacks marked the deadliest day in Iraq, after several month of plummeting violence.

Last year the US and Iraq reached a security agreement which deemed June 30, 2009 a deadline for the combat troops to withdraw from urban areas including Baghdad. While it is unclear whether the Iraqi government will request that the forces remain in the cities, if the agreement decided upon last year is amended US troops could remain in Iraq until the end of 2011.

I am interested to see, how Obama will handle the new situation, as withdrawing from Iraq was part of his campaigns platform and if he reneges his promise I don’t know how the public will react.

Iraqi Marriage Rates on The Rise

Couples who had put their lives on hold during the last years of turmoil in Iraq are taking advantage of the recent lull in violence. This rising marriage rate has lead to the revival of the lavish wedding parties populating the Baghdad social scene before the start of the war. During 2006 and 2007, when Shiite and Sunni insurgents were killing members of the opposing sect, many Iraqi families were focused on mourning the death of loved ones, dealing with living in a war zone, and trying to stay alive, leaving dating and marriage in the dust. While some marriage unions continued, they were small close familial affairs as wedding parties were considered a “favorite target for suicide bombers”.

Today, violence is down 70 percent from a year ago, which has lead to an increase in the number of marriage licenses issued daily from about 70 to 100. As a result of this increased number of newlyweds, the hotel and social scene in Baghdad is booming, with many rushing to book ballrooms and hotel room months in advance. However, weddings aren’t the only thing on the rise in Baghdad, now restaurant, bars, and night clubs stay open later as people are no longer cowering inside. With US troops preparing to withdraw from Baghdad, many fear that as the hotels become more exposed the number of hotel suicide bombing will increase. While this raises a concern for the marriage rate, one man states, ” war or peace, the young are young, they want to get married,” signaling this new boom in love and marriage will continue.

 

 

 

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517365,00.html

Journalist Sentenced to 8 Years in Iranian Prison

Earlier this week a US journalist, Roxana Saberi was sentenced to eight years in prison after being charged with espionage. After being led into the court, all outsiders including her father were forbidden to enter the court for the one day trial. Roxana appeared in front of the Revolutionary court on Monday, in which she was found guilty of the espionage charges. Her father told NPR, a former employer of Saberi, that he believes she was coerced into making damaging statements after being detained for three-months in Evin Prison. After the guilty verdict was read, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was “deeply disappointed” by the news. “We are working closely with the Swiss Protecting Presence to obtain details about the court’s decision, and to ensure her well-being.” Many world diplomats have also stated that they believe there is “no evidence to support charges of espionage and that they were ever furnished by the authorities in Iran.” The Unites States has also issued several other reports stating that they will “continue to vigorously raise our concerns to the Iranian government.” I think it will be interesting to see if Saberi is released considering US-Iran relations are improving.

New Law to OK Marital Rape

After writing about the disturbing marriage of an 8 year old girl a few days ago, and the negative effect it has had on the woman rights movement within the Middle East, a recent Afghani protest demanding a reformation of women’s law, has given a much needed wave of momentum to the movement. A large group of Afghan Shia women protested against a new law, which would take women’s civil rights back to the days when the Taliban ruled.

 

Last month Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president signed a law that allows marital rape and forbids women to leave the home without the permission of her husband. However, after coming under attack from the UN, US, and Canada, Karzi has ordered a review of legislation which he says should result in the eradication of any law that violates women’s rights.

 

One of the articles which has caused uproar within both Afghanistan and well as Western countries states that the husband has the right to demand sex from his wife every fourth day, and if she does not abide, he has the right to rape her.

 

Many who support the new legislation say that the legislation has been misinterpreted by outsiders who have in turn brought added attention to the issue at hand.

 

There seem to be many different accounts and reasons for why these laws have been put into place all of which provide conflicting reports, further convoluting what had been done, what is being done and the future legislative steps pertaining to the women’s rights movement in Afghanistan. I think it will be interesting to see if Karzai sticks to his word and folds under the weight of the UN, US and Canada.  

 

Marriage of an 8-year-old

Earlier this week a Saudi Arabian Judge upheld his previous ruling in the city of Onaiza, refusing to grant a divorce to an 8 year old girl. The young girl was forced to marry a 47 year old family friend at the demand of her father in an attempt to reconcile his debt. The universal declaration of human rights states marriage “consent cannot be free and full when either party to a marriage is too young to make an informed decision”. The irony in this case lies in the fact that after delivering his ruling the judge stated that the girl could file for divorce when she reaches puberty. The questions remains, if she is not mature enough to ask for a divorce how is she mature enough to consent to a marriage on the first place?

Over the past few months the child marriage has become a hot topic of discussion within Saudi Arabia, as the kingdoms top cleric declared girls as young as ten able to marry. In a land where religious rule remains supreme, the efforts of Saudi ministers to protect children are not always the respected and upheld in the court, as seen in the case of this yyoung girl.

In a country working toward the advancement of women, this example of child marriage marked a step backward in the feminist movement of the Middle East, as girls forced to marry at a young age often “lose their sense of security and safety. Also, destroying their feeling of being loved and nurtured. It causes them a lifetime of psychological problems and severe depression.”

Oops Forgot Link….again

Here is the link to the article talked about in my earlier post.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7988399.stm

Lenanese Education

While my group for the case study project is focusing on the different uses of propaganda in the war between Israel and Palestine, my area of interest lies in the use of education propaganda. While this article, “History lessons stymied in Lebanon’, does not necessarily deal with the direct Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it does talk about political and historical omissions within Lebanese textbooks and lectures, a problem  of propaganda very prevalent within both the Israeli and Palestinian education system.

            Natalia Antelava, a BBC correspondent visited a school in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, to witness first-hand the educational flaws within Lebanon. Modern history is not taught within history classes due to the fact that the country is divided along sectarian lines as well as because adults fail to agree on what should be taught. However, modern issue aren’t the only ones in which spark debate, ancient history is also considered a thorny issue.  

            “Depending on their religious affiliation, schools can choose books that describe the French as colonialists or liberators and portray the Ottomans as conquerors or as administrators”. This approach result in a lack of unity, which Professor Ohaness Goktchian, professor of political science at the American University in Beirut, says is what is dividing the country as the younger generations are growing up without a uniting sense of history. This, he says forces individuals to identify with communities, as they have no collective memory of history, a detrimental approach which may further divide Lebanon.   “For the sake of the future, we need to create one narrative that all of us will be able to believe in”.  

            In an attempt to counter this historical void, Mr Messara and several of his colleagues from various religious communities came together to create a historical narrative, calling for the “creation of a unifies historical curriculum”. While this initiative failed, the new prime minister elected in 2007, said she hopes to develop a new historical curriculum.

            Today, the curriculum remains unchanged leaving some students with questions as to the happenings of modern Lebanon and others believing teaching modern history foster the hatred and the problems found within the outside political world, to develop within the academic environment.   

 

 

Gaza Cartoon Causing Media Frenzy

Considering we just had a discussion about cartoons and censorship I though it would be appropriate to post an article about an anti-Semitic cartoon that has stirred up a lot of media attention since its publications. The cartoon that was published Wednesday in several newspapers and throughout the Internet shows a small woman, labeled Gaza, carrying a child who is being chased by a headless figure holding a sword and pushing a fanged Jewish star on a wheel.

The anti-defamation league states that the cartoon was antisemitic citing, “‘It employs Nazi imagery by portraying Israel as a jack-booted, goose-stepping headless apparition.The implication is of an Israeli policy without a head or a heart. Israel’s defensive military operation to protect the lives of its men, women and children who are being continuously bombarded by Hamas rocket attacks has been turned on its head to show the victims as heartless, headless aggressors.’ “

I thought the cartoon would be an interesting point of discussion, especially considering we discussed cartoon censorship class a few days ago. Many have asked the cartoon be removed the internet and no longer printed in newspapers however there has been no word as to which news organization will answer this request… 

Here is the link to the article and a mini version of the cartoon:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/26/controversial.cartoon/index.html