Seeing Our Selves

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

Response # 9:

S.P.Wakil:

Last week`s NYTimes had a great story on a courageous young girl, who has been teaching for sometime, in Afghanistan. Previously, she was teaching a few friends, but has recently taken a bold step of enrolling others in the neighborhood.

The Talibaans have been keeping an eye on her activities. Salutes to the Brave & Macho Men!

The article was on the first page of NYTimes, showing a pretty cute girl with color and enthusiasm, on her face. I did not see any fear in her eyes and that was very comforting. The article`s heading was quite ironic.

“Afghanistan’s Girls Fight to Read and Write” – I could never ever imagine that reading and writing could be equivalent to arms and ammunition. And the girls, enlightening themselves can be dangerous/threatening for the Talibaans.

Haif` Sud Haif’!

Probably, History needs to highlight and identify the true meaning of Bravery, and Chivalry for these fellows. Webster should come and assist as well!

Dear YLH:

I did respond to your question. See reply #8.

In case you missed it-- here it is again:

ylh wrote:

``how so you differentiate between a real victim and someone who is trying to get just sympathies?``

I don`t look at things that way.

It is not for me to judge who is a ``real``

victim. If someone believes they are a

victim/survivor of violence...I believe them.

take care,

Sham-e-Ali

Re: hamidm

*Chuckle *

ps Sham- love the poem.

..................here we go again. These wicked wicked women - daughters of Eve who had us evicted from Eden, the root cause of evil on earth and chaos in heaven, lousy cooks, bad seamstresses and terrible drivers - are once again complaining about how we, those created in God`s image and robbed of a rib, are mistreating them. Astaghfirullah ! Now we know why Al Gore is Satan incarnate - he has given these creatures, who should never be seen or heard, the means to spew foul basphemy over broadband, fiber-optic and modem. Bukhari warned us, but only the good people of Salem listened, when he declared:

``Allah`s Apostle once said to a group of women :`I have not seen any one more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. A cautious, sensible man could be led astray by some of you.` The women asked: `O Allah`s Apostle, what is defi cient in our intelligence and religion?` He said: `Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?` They replied in the affirmative. He said: `This is the deficiency of your intelligence`... `Isn`t it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?` The women replied in the affirmative. He said: `This is the deficiency in your religion.`

Oh, so now they write poetry and mask there carnal desires and treachery with words that rhyme. Mullah Omar is right .... and Sheikh Ibn-Baz was blind but nobody`s fool .... when they told us to keep an eye on the temptress who can`t make a decent biryani but quotes Jean Rousseau and that... that... insufferable Jewish Prophetess Gloria Steinhem - the one who should be forced to wear hijab so as not to offend the hairdressers of the world.

Brothers, let us unite. Honour killing is good - after all honour is the only thing we have left .... that and a few oil wells, dug by farangis, which keep us in Cadillacs and Guucis but ruin our date palms and frighten our camels.

You didnt answer me????

How do you determine if a woman is really a victim or is just crying wolf?

I was looking for appropriate location(s) to post the following. My intention was to post it on as many boards as I could.

I spent considerable time looking for the appropriate ones. After wasting half an hour or so I suddenly saw this and decided that this was it. If you see it elsewhere, it is because I want it to have as much exposure on the Chowk as is relevantly possible:

U.N. Protests ... on

International Women`s Day

March 8, 2000 1:09 PM EST

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters)

UNICEF, the U.N. Children`s Fund, condemned ``honor killings,`` an ancient practice in which men kill female relatives for forced or suspected sexual activity outside marriage, even if they had been raped.

In 1997, some 300 women were killed in the name of ``honor`` in Pakistan alone. In Yemen, as many as 400 such crimes took place in 1997, while in India an estimated 5,000 women are killed annually because their in-laws consider their dowries inadequate.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnmmmmmmmmm

Women`s Day Marked With

Protest ...

March 8, 2000 2:42 PM EST

LONDON (Reuters) - Women marked International Women`s Day Wednesday with protests at continued violence and discrimination, while men praised them and gave them perfume and flowers.

Acting U.N. Coordinator for Afghanistan Sayed Ahmed Farah, told a news

conference in neighboring Pakistan: ``In terms of attitude, in terms of approach, I am not saying there has been a 100 percent turnaround.

``But yes, (we have moved) from a very tough and difficult period to a much more flexible period,`` he said.

He said the Taliban had slowly allowed the reopening of some of the girls`

schools it closed after capturing the capital, Kabul in 1996 and allowed restricted health facilities to women.

Thank you for the kind replies.

Chowk wrote:

``The poet uses vivid images to paint the soul-stirring resilience of women surviving against the odds, amongst violence and oppression``

I wanted to clarify that, for me,

this poem was not about a victim/survivor of

domestic violence (though it could be).

I was exploring representations of Muslim

women and how Muslim women (may) see

themselves through their own eyes.

There is no single interpretation

and if people connect to the above description, that is fine.

ylh wrote:

``how so you differentiate between a real victim and someone who is trying to get just sympathies?``

I don`t look at things that way.

It is not for me to judge who is a ``real``

victim. If someone believes they are a

victim/survivor of violence...I believe them.

take care,

Sham-e-Ali

SJ:

Bo`hat khoob! Bo`hat Achchay!

rgds

t

PS: Why? (And not here. You know where to reach me.)

sham,

i love the weaving motif that you have in your poems..

flourishing even without nourishment...thers something about that line that i dont feel fits, but im going to need to take more time figuring out exactly why :)

the middle section is great..i feel it really holds the piece together.

take care

love,

zehra.

What a fabulous poem! You`ve woven intricate thoughts together so very beautifully, and with such simplicity. It`s rare to come across such heartfelt creative writing about a subject as shrouded in taboo as this one, even in the `free world` of ideas we are told we inhabit. Please, say more.

Simple yet powerful. Thanks!

By the way, back in `94/`95 I knew of a Sham-e-Ali . Lived in boston, studied law? Hint: Isnet.

If you are the same one, drop me a line at zaidif786@yahoo.com

Regards,

Fozia

This is my question to you as an activist .....

how so you differentiate between a real victim and someone who is trying to get just sympathies?

Sham -

it was beautiful.

Thank you.

I love how you use imagery with fabric and related verbs.

Very beautiful line...

``Sharing story

over dinner as we

carefully weave

soul strands together``

All the best.