Some other noteworthy heroes of the Arab Spring

    An impassioned post for the Common Ground News Service, the latter an online initiative aimed at exploring "Muslim-Western relations," contributes to an effort I hold very dear - celebrating the women of the Arab Spring, whose names are largely absent from public discourse.
     In addition to Tawakul Karman, one of the most critical figures in the Yemeni uprising, whom I've committed myself to following, the article celebrates two other women: Aasma Mahfouz of Egypt, who in the early stages of her country's revolution posted a hugely influential video calling for young people to demonstrate en masse, and Munira Fakhro, an organizer and spokesperson for the Pearl Square demonstrations in Bahrain, who stressed that the movement was "not Sunni, not Shia, but Bahraini." I confess that I was not aware of either of the two prior to reading this. You can expect more from me soon!
     The post also reiterated the critical point that the women of the Arab Spring risk being shut out of whatever changes they help to implement.
     Per Dr. Natana J. DeLong-Bas, author of the post:

     "As we look at the Arab spring today, we must remember the lessons of Algeria and Kuwait. Although many courageous women risked their safety and gave their lives in the struggles for  independence, once the conflict was over and independence declared, women were thanked for their contributions – and sent back home to leave the 'real' work to the men. The ruling entities may have changed, but the patriarchal order remained intact."

      It's an observation that can just as readily be applied to the feminist movement here in the U.S., and one that in fact has an interesting resonance for me personally.

      On Saturday, I have the honor of speaking at a panel in Tampa for the NOW National Conference. Our conversation will address men's involvement in feminism, and will include among its topics of discussion the danger women face of having control of the movement wrestled away from them, by men who, often with good intentions, say "thanks for your work, ladies, but we'll take it from here." 

      Just as the experiences of Arab's female revolutionaries are the precise opposite of a vacuum, so is the abuse of power universal: power, its consequence, and the cost it exacts. 

      

An infuriating end to the Wal-Mart sexual harassment suit

     If any of the recent Supreme Court decisions offered up a cause for mourning, it would be yesterday's dismissal of the Wal-Mart sexual harassment suit, the largest employment class action in American history, and a critical development in the depressingly volatile field of women's rights.
     There is nothing short of tragic irony in the Court's rationale for the decision - that the prosecution needed to prove a nationwide policy or practice on the part of Wal-Mart to discriminate against its female employees - when in fact discrimination against women either through hiring, promotion, or inappropriate conduct is not only national but near-universal, and not just by Wal-Mart. The critical factor is the Court's naive assumption (or not so naive) that said discrimination would be blatant and codified, and that the existence of an anti-discrimination policy was enough to preclude it, when of course the abuse of women is overwhelmingly under the radar.
     Needless to say, the decision is not only a blow to women, but also to to ethnic and racial minorities, the LGBT community, persecuted religious groups, and any other routine target of abuse, in that it sends a message to all of the above that even a colossal articulation of resistance won't be enough to sway the tide of big-business.
     That said, I know I'm joined by many in claiming with defiance that this won't be the end of it, though it's most certainly the end of my ever setting foot in a Wal-Mart store again.

Tawakkol Karman - Yemeni Revolutionary

     I've spoken earlier about Tawakkol Karman, a Yemeni journalist, human rights activist, member of Yemen’s main opposition party, founder in 2005 of Women Journalists Without Chains, and a mother of three . . . in short, one of those women in the world of whom you really want to keep track. Unfortunately, the news hardly ever manages to land on her, and I have Google Alerts to thank for this outstanding article in The New Yorker, which offers an excellent briefing both on Karman and the turbulent nation whose freedom she's struggling to realize.
     Block out some time on a weekend: it might be a lengthy writeup, but it's shorter than any book you're likely to encounter, while still conveying a volume's worth of information. Now that Yemen has joined the ranks of nations we bomb in secrecy (did you know we're bombing it now?) we owe ourselves, and our so-called enemies, the barest margin of knowledge .

Mona Eltahawy on "The Power of the 'I'"

     Before I follow through on my promise to stop irritating my readers with my fanboy relationship with Mona Eltahawy, I wanted to share a dynamite video of a speech she offered at the Personal Democracy Forum 2011, where she discusses "the power of the I"; that is, the transformation of revolution and war from the abstract to the intensely personal. The latter, she argues, is the most effective means for revolutionary thinking to spread. 

      It's ten minutes long, but very much worth it: 

Happy Birthday, Merrick!

     I wanted to take a moment to wish a happy birthday to my sister Merrick.
     I'm not sure the term "Renaissance Woman" has come into vogue yet, but when it does, she should be first in line to receive it. Without any kind of exaggeration, I can attest to her incredible skill as a painter, sculptor, poet, carver, dancer, and world traveler.  
     Here's to 26 years of astonishing talent, sis. The world can't wait for at least 52 more.

A surprisingly happy ending to the flooding of Atchafalaya

    In mid-May I blogged in dismay on Louisiana's bayou country, the Cajun community therein, and the profound danger both faced at the hands of an imminent flood.
    One month later, the waters appear to be receding, this thanks to a series of engineering miracles and the perseverance needed to see them through. The damage was much less severe than expected - negligible in some areas - such that Paul Naquin, the President of a local parish, remarked, "everything is working in our favor right now."
    It's the kind of ending that one might find habit-forming.

Some scattered but encouraging threads from the Strauss-Kahn case

    With the Strauss-Kahn case poised at the brink of getting ever more hideous, it's worth noting at least a few heartening threads in the narrative.

   First, Kenneth Thompson, one of the attorneys representing the maid, has appealed on French television for other potential victims of Strauss-Kahn to come forward and testify. His statement is stirring: "My law firm champions the rights of people who are taken advantage of all over the world. And so we take this case because we feel that no woman should be sexually assaulted anywhere."

     Nor - as I pray this case will help to establish - should any assaulter ever be able to operate with impunity. 

    Second, the increasing visibility of French feminists who protest the actions of Strauss-Kahn is helping to challenge what at times seemed a monolithic image of French chauvinist tolerance. Anne-Elisabeth Moutet, an analyst of French politics and culture, argues that "this is a key moment, a watershed moment,” and that, while "France is a difficult country to budge," the case is "an important step." 

    "Women are emboldened," she concludes.

    Third, the case has shed some light on the exhilarating power of the New York Hotel Worker's Union, rated one of the strongest worldwide. The Union provided buses to hotel workers who wanted to protest at Mr. Strauss-Kahn's arraignment, and has opened dialogues with hotel associations about equipping chambermaids with panic alarms. Since the commencement of the Strauss-Kahn case, at least one other cry for help has been honored:, a former chairman of one of Egypt's banks was arrested at another Manhattan hotel, also on charges of sexual abuse.  

     Finally, and perhaps most encouraging of all, two Democratic lawmakers responded to the Strauss-Kahn case by introducing legislation that would require hotel owners in New York State to provide sexual harassment training to their employees, and establish reliable system for reporting incidents of sexual assault.  

     Am I always on the lookout for a little dash of morale-boosting? Certainly, but these reports at least make it apparent that I can do so without grasping at straws.