http://www.arabnews.com/?page=9§ion=0&article=94217&d=27&m=3&y=2007
Tuesday, 27, March, 2007 (08, Rabi` al-Awwal, 1428) Status of Arab Women at Home and Abroad: NY Panel Discussions Rima Abdelkader, Arab News NEW YORK, 27 March 2007 - What comes to mind when you hear "feminism"? When I asked my mother, she said, "women, power, and strength," three words not widely associated with the term. Back to reality, you probably conjure up a negative image - that of a bra-burning, man-hating, warrior woman. But what comes to mind when you hear "Arab" juxtaposed with "feminism"? These coupled terms would be viewed as a formidable relationship, from the East, who view feminism as a Western colonial "cultural transplant," and the West, who view Arab women as oppressed. We have seen these portrayals once before in American popular media. The typical Arab male is portrayed as a terrorist and the typical Arab woman is portrayed as oppressed, covered and subordinate to the male. The status of Arab women in their communities is often misrepresented, both within and outside the Arab community. All too often, Arab women are categorized in stereotypical roles - ranging from the hopeless, oppressed figure to the sexy pop star. This begs an important question: Where do Arab women really stand? With regards to the hijab, why is it that a covered Muslim woman is seen as "repressed," whereas a covered nun, bride, Amish woman, and religious Jewish woman are seen as "devout"? In the US, why is "liberation" synonymous with "less clothing"? As young, Arab-American women and men, what can we do? These were just some of the questions that were posed to an expert panel featuring an academic, community activist, and UN representative at this past week's forum on the status of Arab women, moderated by Al-Jazeera Arabic's DC Bureau Chief Abderrahim Foukara, and co-sponsored by the Network of Arab-American Professionals of New York as well as the Adult Education Committee at the New York Society for Ethical Culture. Foukara's flight down from DC to NY to be a part of a room packed with - for the most part - young, educated Arab Americans was seen as a profound gesture of his support for Arab women's rights. He informed them that feminism is shared by both men and women and referenced Arab male scholars who advocated this suffragist idea a century ago. Dr. Azza Karam, former senior policy research adviser at the United Nations Development Program in the Regional Bureau for Arab States, coordinated the latest Arab Human Development Report on Arab women and addressed the most, significant challenges facing Arab women's development in Arab countries. "The spring of Arab reform has yet to bloom," she said if Arab countries do not make women's development a precondition to any type of revolutionary change. Unfortunately, Dr. Karam explained, others believe that, "Arab women's rights have to be relegated to achieve this." She referenced some Arab countries that have made this their requirement. Audience members found it upsetting that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates still have not granted Arab women voting rights. Dr. Aseel Sawalha, urban anthropologist and Pace University professor, focused on the emergence of postwar Arab feminism. Arab women's lack of agency, she said, is the major hurdle in overcoming the social, political and economic challenges inhibiting them from empowering themselves. She called attention to the distress of Arab women and said, "More and more women are suffering." "Rarely is the question," she rhetorically inquired, "How are Arab women being taken care of?" Dr. Anny Bakalian, board president of TAMKEEN: The Center for Arab-American Empowerment, in Brooklyn, discussed domestic violence within the Arab-American community. Most Arab women remain silent, she said, because they are "unaware of their rights and the services that are available." "There are economic consequences, language barriers, lack of trust, and fear of racism," she said that restrain Arab women from speaking out about being abused. Although this program did not give a definitive answer to the complex question on the origin of misogyny and the future for an Arab women's movement, many Arab-American men and women who attended felt that it helped them reach an understanding of the representation of gender. Columbia University law student, Hamiuda Jebara, an Arab American male attendee, said, "The panel reminded people of the fight for women's rights in the Middle East. The strife in the Middle East has drawn attention away from other domestic and social problems. Hopefully, peace occurs, and people have a better view on life and work to improve women's rights." Rutgers University clinical psychology student, Said Shehadeh, another Arab American male audience member, said, "I would have liked to hear more about the status of the Arab feminist movement (advocacy for it)..." He continued, "I guess I'm just coming from a feminist background and was hoping to hear a more critical stance against patriarchy within Arab societies. This requires (feminist) grassroots mobilization of women and men alike." The program was designed to nurture leadership skills among Arabs/non-Arabs through civic participation, community action, and advocacy for social change in hopes of raising awareness of the need for change. One Arab mother living in New York City for the last 25 years said, "I would have wanted to say to all the young professionals who asked what we can do, and I have a daughter who will graduate this year and is probably their age, 'Go ahead, believe in yourselves. Do not ask for permission, just do it.' Do not let your mothers know that I said so." There is a new Arab women's movement by Arab women in the West who believe that the woman's job is not just to cook, clean and to bear children and men's work is not just to defend their homeland and household. Arab women are taking on different roles, dispelling stereotypes, while working with their supportive male counterparts, like Hamiuda and Said. - Rima Abdelkader has worked as a NY correspondent for Bridges TV and as a journalist in the United Nations. She is on the board of the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association and is an active member of the New York Women in Communications and the Network of Arab-American Professionals of New York. ([EMAIL PROTECTED] ) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]