irandme - Tumblr blog

[irandme]

To deny the authenticity of the [Arab] revolts is to ignore a fundamental change in the Middle East and North Africa that no counterrevolution or hijacking of a revolution can erase: the tearing down of the barrier of fear and a mental move from subservience and acceptance of the autocratic father figure who franchises his neo-patriarchic traits to an unprecedented determination to question and challenge authority and decide for oneself. It constitutes a monumental shift across the political and social spectrum: liberals interrogating and resisting religious precepts, children questioning their parents and young Islamists challenging their ideological elders. The change is ongoing. It’s volatile, messy and often violent. It involves polarization and culture wars. In the words of Egyptian author, activist and writer Ezzedine Choukri-Fishere: “These things take time and they are done through conflict, trouble and confrontation and then they unfold.”

This is a re-post from the "Peoples, States, and Wars" Tumblr, but also relevant to our course. Have a great break.

-AC

I quite enjoyed this course both for our collective theoretical excursions and the ways in which we those excursions have connected to the possibility of contemporary movements for change. The quote above comes from a very thoughtful piece by James Dorsey that gives a tangible example of that connection. You can find his piece in full here: Whither the Arab Revolts?

-Chase

(via afinedisregard)

[irandme]

http://artradarjournal.com/2013/08/23/she-who-tells-a-story-arab-women-artists-in-new-york/

[irandme]

By Yasmine Saleh and Tom Perry CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's political transition was pitched into uncertainty on Sunday when a draft constitution was amended to allow a presidential election to be held before parliamentary polls, indicating a potential change in the army's roadmap. The roadmap unveiled when the military ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July said a parliamentary election should take place before the presidential one. But the draft finalized on Sunday by the 50-member constituent assembly avoids saying which vote should happen first, leaving the decision up to President Adly Mansour, seen as a front for army rule since he was installed to head the interim administration. The draft also says the "election procedures" must start within six months of the constitution's ratification, meaning Egypt may not have an elected president and parliament until the second half of next year.

-Josh 

[irandme]

Kashgar (China) (AFP) - A Chinese government worker in the ancient Silk Road oasis of Kashgar beckons two women to her streetside stand and logs their details under the gaze of a surveillance camera. The "Project Beauty" campaign aims to discourage women from covering their faces -- a religious practice for some Muslim Uighurs, the largest ethnic group in China's Xinjiang region -- in an attempt to improve security. Xinjiang, a vast area bordering Pakistan and Central Asia in China's far west, beyond the furthest reaches of the Great Wall, has followed Islam for centuries.

-Josh 

[irandme]

Two quick and easy guides to the interim nuclear deal with Iran.

CNN - 20 Questions

NY Times - Illustrated Guide

-Chase

[irandme]

Reposted from a presentation in DWA 305.

[irandme]

“If you want everyone to love you,” Saul Bellow wrote, “do not discuss Israeli politics.”

If true, I'm glad we made it through our discussion of Israeli-Palestinian politics in one piece! Beyond that, this quote comes from a review of Ari Shavit's new book, which looks quite interesting -- full review here.

-Chase

[irandme]

Excellent piece in the Council of Foreign Relations blog on the limitations of American foreign policy and promoting democracy in Egypt:

http://blogs.cfr.org/cook/2013/11/18/egypt-anchors-away/?cid=soc-Twitter-in-Egypt_anchors_away-111813

-Cholpon

[irandme]

We didn't talk as much as could be hoped about Turkey's contemporary politics, but this is an excellent piece on current machinations around P.M. Erdogan: "Autumn of the Patriarch?"

-Chase

[irandme]

Filmmaker Antony Thomas talks about the making of "For Neda," his documentary about the death of protester Neda Agha-Soltan. FOR NEDA reveals the true story ...

-Josh 

[irandme]

Two interesting articles on different aspects of religion in the Middle East.

The future of Islamism

The situation of Copts in Egypt

-Chase

[irandme]

Tunisian police accused of torture

Death of man in custody puts spotlight on country's feared security forces

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/11/tunisian-police-accused-torture-2013111011124902997.html

--John O'

[irandme]

Hey Y'all,

I found this cool interactive site by the LGBTQ Palestinian activist group AlQaws! This site promotes their project "Singing Sexuality" which is a music project that is used to raise awareness of and promote LGBTQ rights to the youth in the Palestinian territories and Israel!

~Steve

[irandme]

Link to CIHRS report on Egypt's emerging police state....

[irandme]

As a follow-up to our simulation, some support that the U.S. is acting on the assumption that major breakthroughs are possible. Who knows?!

Read about the latest in diplomacy here

-Chase

[irandme]

Pretty neat!

This coming January, Marvel Comics will be introducing its new superhero, a 16-year-old Muslim-American girl of Pakistani origin.

Quite groundbreaking, especially because characters in the superhero/comic genre are mostly white males. The writers' goals are to create something that reflects the pluralistic and diverse world we're living in, whilst focusing on the issues that we all have in common.

More in this Al Arabiya article:

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/variety/2013/11/07/Pow-Zap-Marvel-Comics-to-present-teenage-female-Muslim-superhero.html

-Cholpon

[irandme]

Cultural appropriation (in our backyard) that's gone a little too far...

Coachella Valley High School's mascot has gotten everyone's harem pants tied in a knot-  taking form as a caricature of an Arab man, complete with a hooked nose, beard, thick eyebrows and a headscarf. Not surprisingly, the Arab community is not too happy about it.

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/11/6/arab-americans-cryfouloversoutherncaliforniahighschoolasmascot.html

-Cholpon