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Apr 24

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Us and Them: On Helpless Women and Orientalist Imagery

The web is abuzz with talk of Mona Eltahawy’s latest entry, which made its way onto the front cover of Foreign Policy, ‘Why Do They Hate Us‘, the “war on the women in the Middle East”; reactions vary from unwavering support to venom-laced condemnation, and a multitude of other postures in between. 

In the latest Foreign Policy feature, a part of their “sex edition”, Eltahawy laments that “they hate us”, an unashamed amalgamation directed towards men.

She writes:

“Yet it’s the men who can’t control themselves on the streets, where from Morocco to Yemen, sexual harassment is endemic and it’s for the men’s sake that so many women are encouraged to cover up.”

“…women are silenced by a deadly combination of men who hate them while also claiming to have God firmly on their side.”

“I’ll never forget hearing that if a baby boy urinated on you, you could go ahead and pray in the same clothes, yet if a baby girl peed on you, you had to change. What on Earth in the girl’s urine made you impure? I wondered.

Hatred of women.” Read more

Apr 23

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Action: Tell IHOP Discrimination Is Unacceptable

For all those aware, and those unaware, of the case against @IHOP involving my father I have decided to create a ready-to-send email, for those in agreement with its content. If you are unaware with the case in question the article I have written may be found here:
http://frustratedarab.com/2012/04/21/when-discrimination-hits-home/ Read more

Apr 21

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When Discrimination Hits Home

I have long written of discrimination, abuse and xenophobia as suffered by others; from Blacks in Libya to Muslims in the United States of America. But nothing could prepare me for this piece, one which will attempt to humbly relay what little information I am permitted to discuss, covering a lawsuit against the restaurant chain known as the International House of Pancakes (IHOP).

After my father, Hussein ‘Joseph’ Chamseddine, lead plaintiff in the discrimination suit against IHOP, spoke at a press conference on April 18 both local and international media networks were engrossed with the case; from Good Morning America, The Daily Mail (UK), The Huffington Post, CBS, to FOX, NBC and the New York Post.  Read more

Apr 21

Afghanistan, Where Empires Come To Cry

The number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan are the highest they have been since the invasion in 2001, according to the latest statistics from the United Nations; since January alone the United States of America, and collaborating NATO forces, have been forced to “apologize” for civilian casualties caused by air-strikes, the burning of the Qur’an, massacres and photographs and video footage of U.S. soldiers gleefully posing alongside mangled Afghan limbs and urinating on the corpses of Afghans. Read more

Apr 14

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And Then They Came For The Muslims

29-year-old Tarek Mehanna, a United States citizen and graduate from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, was recently sentenced to seventeen and a half years in prison, followed by seven years of supervised release, on federal criminal charges of “conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and providing or attempting to provide material support to terrorists.”

Mehanna, through instant messages and emails, communicated his opposition of U.S. military operations in the Middle East and openly criticized what he viewed as “the oppression of Muslims in the United States”; as per his defense council, Tarek had been under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to his knowledge, since approximately 2005 wherein he was periodically interviewed and monitored:

“The FBI has monitored a large amount of Internet-based text conversations that involve Tarek.  The instant messages reveal that Tarek was aware of the monitoring activities, or at least believed that they were occurring.  Despite this awareness, he did not cease speaking online.  He discussed the monitoring activities with his friends and correspondents, and he was repeatedly clear as to why he would not stop his online activities:  he was breaking no laws.” 

In US v. Mehanna the State’s case largely relied on allegations of his watching videos about “jihad”, discussing his views about suicide bombings online, translating texts readily available on the Internet, and looking for information about the 9/11 attackers.

Tarek Mehanna’s research, commentary and viewing of alleged “jihad” footage have condemned him live with the label of damnation, the elusive characterization of “terrorist.” His Muslim faith, his beard, his seemingly atypical beliefs which challenge the mainstream and corrupt American ethos in regards to terrorism and his defiance all played a role in his sentencing.  Read more

Apr 9

Sana’a Mhaidli: Guardian of South Lebanon

Today marks the 27th year anniversary of the martyrdom of Sana’a Mhaidli, a Lebanese member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, known as ‘The Bride of South Lebanon’; on April 9th, 1985 Mhaidli rode her vehicle, filled with explosives, next to an Israeli convoy in Jezzin, South Lebanon. After the explosives detonated two Israeli soldiers were killed and twelve were injured.

At the age of 18 Sana’a Mhaidli, born in the Lebanese village of Anko, recorded her last will and testament, wherein she describes her devotion as a guardian of her country, calling on others to join in the struggle against Israel’s occupation of South Lebanon. 

The liberation of South Lebanon from the grips of Israel’s brutal occupation was written with the blood of Sana’a Mhaidli and others.

The history of South Lebanon, liberated in 2000, reads of patient struggle, sacrifice and long-awaited victory; Sana’a Mhaidli’s martyrdom reminds us that we remain the sole protectors of our people, of our land, and of our dignity. Read more

Mar 30

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Afghanistan’s Children: Witnesses To A Tragedy

Yalda Hakim of Australia’s SBS network is the first western journalist to visit the villages of Afghanistan where a U.S. soldier killed 17 Afghan civilians.

Survivors of the attack allege that there was not simply one “rogue soldier”, US Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, a story which much of the mainstream media is peddling; instead, the survivors, some of whom are children, claim there were more soldiers present that bloody morning

“Do you know where your father is?” a voice off-screen asks.
“He died”, replies the small Afghan child.

“How did he die?”
“The Americans.” Read more

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