I like to move it- move it…

Check out Aurat at her new home auratonline.com.Funkier, smarter and more gorgeous than ever…

Vultures circle Pakistan

Today seems a particularly fortuitous day to reflect on the leadership of Pakistan.

Former Pakistani Prime-Minister Nawaz Sharif swoops back after seven years of exile for his dramatic comeback today- with Pakistani media abuzz on the impact of his return.

Would he be exiled, executed or arrested? What would the impact of his comeback be in the wake of a year of disasters for the General Dictator Pervez Musharraf from sacked Chief justices, militant mosque massacres and secret deals with former Prime-Minister Benazir Bhutto?

The interesting piece in this political love triangle is of course the feudal fair-skinned princess Benazir Bhutto.

Labels of Death and other things

An interesting review by Shakira Hussein of Waleed Aly’s new book in the Australian.

Hussein’s review got me thinking about two important issues- men speaking on behalf of women, and the meaninglessness of the labels of death we throw around.

Waleed Aly: Gender Jihad

I promised myself I would NOT do any pieces on the endlessly dissected “hijab”.

The Hijab is our modern day celebrity- consistently analysed, its status has been blown out of proportion in a tabloid frenzy of insinuations and associations.

Depending on who you speak to- Hijab is a metaphor, a threat, a chastity belt, a symbol of the apocalypse/clash of civilizations, a fashion statement, a protest, a revolt, oppressive, liberating, frightening- all in turns and sometimes at the same time.

(Hijab is now in detox wearing dark sunglasess and will not be releasing any statements.)

So I couldn’t help but linking to this extract from the Australian from Waleed Aly’s book which seems to get it exactly right.

Review: Quran and Woman

Tariq Ramadan once said, “We are in dire need of a constructive critical reassessment of the Islamic discourse and understanding on women.”

Crucial to this was “a new perspective that… will read the sacred texts with fresh eyes (including those of female scholars).”

Enter 1- Dr. Amina Wadud the American Muslim scholar and controversial author of “Quran and Woman: Rereading the sacred text from a woman’s perspective. ”

Her book is revolutionary precisely because it’s not revolutionary. She is no wishy washy “progressive” but a true scholar and woman of faith.

Harry Potter, Black Magic, Bizarre forwards and email wars

The subject of “religious” forwards from various busybodies who feel they can cowardly proclaim from their invisible internet pulpits their worldview and threaten with damnation those who disagree with them has been a continuing issue with me.

Usually I ignore these messages- angered that my email could be abused in this way. Occasionally I make a polite request that they refrain from using my email in this way. Sometimes in my more angry and creative moments it provides an opportunity to exchange with very interesting mindsets.

Recently this occurred with a series of emails declaiming Harry Potter as “unislamic.” I publish these exchanges here because it gives an indication of the kind of mentalities that progressively minded muslims are up against when they are raising concerns about women’s rights, human rights and reform.

Diversity of Feminisms

In an effort to engage in a global feminist dialogue we will have ongoing interviews with prominent women’s rights advocates from around the world.

In our second interview I talk to Elli Nur Hayati, the director of Rifka Annisa in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Rifka Annisa is one of largest domestic violence crisis and counselling centres in Yogyakarta. It also conducts advocacy and training for social and economic development.

We conduct our interview in the beautiful Rifka Annisa centre. The centre has rooms interloped with bamboo walkways across shallow pools of water. Green luscious vines adorn the walls and beyond the open court there is a kitchen, an emergency housing room, counselling rooms and information posters and slogans on every wall.

Tariq Ramadan- Islam’s John Stuart Mill?

An interesting blog special in The Washington Post where leading Muslim thinkers, politicians, and religious leaders were invited to blog about their opinion on the three most controversial and politicised issues in modern Islamic polities- apostasy, jihad and women’s rights.

From Egypt’s Grand Mufti to the ideologues of Hezbollah and the lofty towers of Cambridge and Georgetown- the blog special succeeded in representing the diversity of Islamic opinion, life and practice around the world.The variety of responses on the “muslim woman” question was very interesting.

Tariq Ramadan- Islam’s John Stuart Mill?

An interesting blog special in The Washington Post where leading Muslim thinkers, politicians, and religious leaders were invited to blog about their opinion on the three most controversial and politicised issues in modern Islamic polities- apostasy, jihad and women’s rights.

From Egypt’s Grand Mufti to the ideologues of Hezbollah and the lofty towers of Cambridge and Georgetown- the blog special succeeded in representing the diversity of Islamic opinion, life and practice around the world.The variety of responses on the “muslim woman” question was very interesting.

Living in Limbo Land

A never-published investigative feature where I explore the problems faced by Muslim women in gaining an Islamic divorce in Australia and the anguished limbo status these women face in getting their rights recognised by a legal system which ignores their cultural and religious concerns.

 

Nuzhat’s Story

Nuzhat Mukhtar* sits on the lounge of her Sydney flat gesturing for me to eat. Her twenty- one year old son Junaid walks to the kitchen and brings out a smorgasboard of dishes- Turkish pizza, profiteroles with cream, cherry topped cake, three bottles of soft drink, as well as plates and glasses.

She won’t talk until I eat at least one gargantuan slice of Turkish pizza.

Her son sits beside her supportively his somber face creased with worry.

Nuzhat was eighteen years old when she came to Australia as a new bride from Pakistan in 1982. Within three months she knew there was something drastically wrong with the marriage.

“The place I came from was a medium type of family and here where I come was very strict. At home there was no TV, no radio, no bed, no nothing. I was not even allowed to go on the balcony without covering myself completely. Everything was changed for me so much…. But I tried,” recalls Nuzhat.

The fact that she was unable to communicate or seek help from anyone in her new country was particularly difficult.

“In couple of months it was so bad that I was really badly homesick. And I was losing weight heaps, within 3 months time I was thirty- seven kilos. I could not say anything to anybody . Hardly anybody here was Pakistani and could speak my same language,” says Nuzhat.

This reality for women stuck between two different cultural systems is not uncommon. Many women cope with the abuse in silence, reluctant to seek help or advice. The situation is heightened when religious considerations come into play, changing the dynamics of marriage and divorce proceedings.