Sex and the city 2 vs. hijabies in the city

So I watched Sex and the City 2 and wow do I have some mixed feelings about it.

First of all it's filled with stereotypes. Rich Arabs in "Abu Dhabi," dubbed the "new middle-east" which equals to "modernized." So the four ladies go to Abu Dhabi and stay at this super luxurious hotel with fancy shmancy butlers and food. The ladies are awed by the females who are at the hotel, wearing 'niqwab' which is actually supposed to be 'niqab.' I mean if you're going to make a film in an Arab country (the filmed was set in Morocco by the way) then at least get the Arabic words right.

Anyway, so they think it's funny how the niqwab-ed ladies eat french fries and poke some fun at them as well as the female swimmers in burkini's (a head to toe swimmin suit). At that same scene, however, they were talking about how pretty a girl's abaya was because of it's embroidery and this was popular among young liberal females.

Fast forward to dull, unoriginal boring scenes, (and a couple of Samanatha's disturbing scenes which I thought gave American ladies a bad image --i.e. think sexual desires at 52) and in the end you see some niqwab-ed ladies take off their head covering and abayas and are dressed in sexy stylish clothing and look hot.

Anyway, the movie emphasized that in Abu Dhabi (or any Muslim country), people dressed modestly and mixing and touching of the opposite sex is illegal (Samantha got arrested for what she was doing on the beach).

At times it portrayed Arab men as controllers, but it also showed that American men the same way as the lawyer lady (I forgot her name) kept being silenced by her male colleagues). So treatment of women was an issue in the movie, that both American, Arab, Muslim, non-Muslim females can be treated negatively and unfairly.

However, most of the strict scenes that happened in the movie, is most likely not true in a country as liberal and diverse and UAE. I mean if this movie took place in Saudi Arabia, then I'd understand.

Now, for any non-muslim who sees the movie and wonders if arab women are really like that, I'll leave you with a question. Are all american women like samantha?

It was also a bit awkward to walk out of the movie theatre after the movie was done with my friends (being all hijabi's and the movie had a bunch of stereotypes). But we wore stylish clothes, handbags, sunglasses, and walked out in confidence with our hijabs on proudly and out into the city -- Hijabies in the city.


Here's an article that critics the movie:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/25/sex-and-the-city-2-review_n_589155.html

Bear hugs: spreading the love, one cartoon at a time

It's May 20, "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day."

If I had to leave every or page on Facebook except for one, it would be the "It's not that serious" page.

So you've probably heard about South Park controversy where South park depicted Prophet Muhammad as a bear. South Park then censored the episode after the creators were threatened by some guy who claims he's a Muslim and thinks he's tough, apparently.

I found the cartoon offensive. Other Muslims had found the cartoon offensive. But it's South Park. Doesn't the show poke fun at everything and everyone? Including Jesus and Moses. So why didn't Mr. Chester (of Revolution Muslim Website who posted the warning), say something a long time ago when they were being made fun of? All prophets are created equally and we should respect all. People watch South Park because of its satirical, profane humor. It's just a cartoon, therefore it's not that serious to threaten people's lives.

But Mr. Chester took it personally and threatened to kill the creators of South Park, which the media loved and made a big deal out of anything relating to such "Muslims are evils, see I told you" type of news stories because that's what people want to watch and read about.

So, on behalf of bunch of other Muslims who were flabbergasted at what Mr. Chester had said, let me clarify a couple of things. Be warned: the media might not like what I may have to say and maybe even ignore it.

A Jewish woman once brought a lamb that was poisoned to the Prophet Muhammad and he ate it. Afterward, people suggested they kill the woman. But the Prophet refused, although he felt the effects of the poison for years. The Prophet was a forgiving person. In another story, Prophet Muhammad had stones thrown at him by the people of Al-Taif. He bled from head to toe. He could have then asked cursed the people or punish them, but no. He prayed for them. In another example, Prophet Muhammad had sheep intestines thrown at him while he was prostrating in prayer, and he just prayed for justice.

See? It was all not that serious to the Prophet Muhammad. Did he threaten to kill anyone who harmed him? His acts were peaceful, just like a Muslim's acts should be. Just like any human being's acts should be. And if you did find the cartoon offensive because our beloved Prophet was mocked, then express your feelings in other ways. Blog about it. Create dialogue with others. Write a letter to the editor. Send the creators a message telling them it was offensive to you and other Muslims. But it will still go on. People will make fun of prophets and have been making fun of prophets and religion for a long period of time. There are other ways to let the anger out. In a peaceful way.

Prophet Muhammad would give a bear hug (no pun intended) to his enemies if he could, because he was so merciful and just.

As for the Facebook group "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" on May 20, it's your freedom to draw whatever you wish, if it makes you feel good about yourselves. However, Muslims will not threaten to kill you. We will just invite you to read about who Prophet Muhammad really was.

So on a final note to Mr. Chester, South Park Creators, creators of the Facebook group, and the media: I'll quote the Joker: "Why so serious?"

Because it's not that serious. It's just a cartoon, get over it. Now let's just give each other bear hugs and spread love and peace throughout the world! And draw non-offensive cartoon, as well.

What are your opinions and thoughts?

Because Muslims are always the bad guys ...

two scenarios:

1- Muslim flies plane into building.
2- American white guy flies plane into building.

Hmm they seem pretty similar to me. innocent people die/injured in both scenarios. there's certainly a 'bad guy' involved in both scenarios.

But. Guess who makes it on all national news, with his religion's name plastered in every direction? Guess who will be labeled a terrorist?

Take a wild guess.

http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/82387-muslim-group-wants-government-to-call-austin-plane-attack-terrorism


Muslim group wants government to call plane attack terrorism
By Jordy Yager - 02/19/10 04:40 PM ET

A leading Muslim advocacy group is pushing government officials to call the suicide plane crash in Texas “an act of terror,” saying that if a Muslim had been flying the plane there would be no hesitancy to call it terrorism.

On Thursday, Andrew Joseph Stack III flew a small plane into the IRS's four-story office building in Austin, killing himself and at least one federal employee. Before the incident, Stack allegedly left a series of messages on a website expressing his disgust with the IRS, saying at one point that “violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer.”

“Whenever an individual or group attacks civilians in order to make a political statement, that is an act of terror,” said Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

“Terrorism is terrorism, regardless of the faith, race or ethnicity of the perpetrator or the victims,” said Awad, adding in a statement that “if a Muslim had carried out the IRS attack, it would have surely been labeled an act of terrorism.”

In the hours after the crash, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo told reporters that the incident looked to be “a criminal act by a lone individual.” And while Acevedo refrained from calling it an act of terror, he said the FBI, which is heading the investigation, would make the judgment call on how to categorize the crash.

A spokesman with the FBI’s San Antonio office on Friday said that the FBI was handling the case “as a criminal matter of an assault on a federal officer” and that it was not being considered as an act of terror at this time.

The White House had yet to make a public statement about how it viewed Thursday’s incident, other than to say that both President Barack Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano had been notified and had asked to be kept apprised of the situation.

But two lawmakers from the area were quick to call the plane crash, which resulted in two seriously injured people and 13 people with minor injuries, an act of terror.


http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/82387-muslim-group-wants-government-to-call-austin-plane-attack-terrorism

It's about time!

It's about time! Sexual harassment in Egypt is crazy. It's especially embarrassing when foreign females are there and they're harassed-- do they think that these tourists are going to like Egypt more? It happens to everyone-- veiled, not-veiled, and niqab (burqa) and abaya (long, loose dress) wearing people also. It's disgusting to walk around the street in Egypt, minding your own business and you're forced to look down because if you make contact with a guy, it's a 'bad' thing and they'll assume you want to be harassed. I mean, it happens everywhere, but in Egypt, other people just watch as you're being harassed and if you tell the police near by, they don't do anything. Heck, policeman and guards even harass you! I hope this law works, come on Egypt, you can do this!

Egypt moves closer to passing sexual harassment law

Dina Zayed
CAIRO
Wed Feb 17, 2010 12:55pm EST

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt, under pressure from activists, has moved closer to passing laws to crack down on sexual harassment after overcoming initial legislative hurdles, members of parliament said on Wednesday.

World

Activists said sexual harassment has been an obstacle to women having a full economic and political role in Egypt, where a 2008 study found 83 percent of those surveyed had been sexually harassed and half said it happened daily.

The push for a change in the law gained prominence in 2008 when a truck driver was jailed for sexually harassing a woman, in the country's first case to be brought to court.

Members of parliament backing draft bills said that without a specific definition in law, penalties can be arbitrary. Activists say a law would curb harassment, an issue that can harm the image of tourism-reliant Egypt.

One bill was presented to parliament's legislative affairs committee this week and another was approved by the Justice Ministry so it can be presented to the committee in days.

MPs behind the drafts say they differ on details, such as the level of fines to be imposed, but would welcome either.

STATE RESPONDING

"It shows the state is responding and changing ... They are now understanding the significance of the issue," said Nihad Abu Al-Qumsan, head of the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights.

"There has to be a law criminalizing sexual harassment in Egypt," Abu Al-Qumsan told Reuters, referring to a need to address issues exposed in the 2008 study on harassment.

That study, conducted by Abu Al-Qumsan's independent NGO, was based on a sample of more than 2,000 Egyptian men and women and 109 foreign women. Ninety-eight percent of the foreign women said they had experienced harassment in Egypt.

Both draft bills define sexual harassment, specify its forms and assign punishments. Egypt has so far dealt with such cases under laws referring to lewd acts in public.

"I think the bill will pass, for the simple reason that it has been thoroughly studied by the government," said MP Georgette Kalini, who is sponsoring the bill that has been approved by the Justice Ministry.

The second bill, backed by MP Mohamed Khalil Qaweyta, had been derailed in a preliminary review but was now back in the legislative committee. Qaweyta said he aimed to have it on an agenda for MPs to discuss and vote on within a month.

In October 2008, Egyptian courts sentenced Sharif Gommaa to three years in prison and ordered him to pay about $950 (5,000 EGP) in compensation to Nuha Rushdi, a woman he sexually harassed. Gommaa's appeal was rejected earlier this week.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61G3ZS20100217