Reclaiming My (Our) Regional Identity (ies)

Few days ago, I asked my students to search for the origins and use of the ‘Middle East’ expression and identify the most common stereotypes of the ‘Middle East’ and ‘Middle Easterners’. Following the plenary session where they presented their findings, we discussed the importance of deconstructing 100+ year old taxonomy and theories. By deconstruction, […]

Stereotypes about Women in the Middle East

I’ve always been fascinated by stereotypes in general, because we often group individuals together and make collective, controversial judgements about them, despite not knowing them.  There can be positive as well as negative stereotypes, and I believe that they are harmful to society because they oversimplify people’s qualities and create an inaccurate image of them, […]

A Community with a Common Vision and One Heart!

Living in a world that has achieved a certain level of equality and acceptance between gender, race, and religion, I can’t stop myself from pondering about the long journey that lies ahead in the old world. To think that in the span of a hundred years, so many beliefs and preset prejudices were torn, broken, […]

Causes of Divorce: Stop Blaming it on Women!

I am a Lebanese woman living in hell since I divorced. “Social hell” if I can label it this way… Lebanese society is of course diverse, still, its perception of divorced women is archaic and sexist. Women are usually blamed for a failed marriage: “she could have prevented it”, “she did not sacrifice enough”, “how […]

The Sultan's Harem (Harim el Sultan)

You definitely heard of the new Turkish soap opera “Harim el Sultan” (The Sultan’s Harem). The series is inspired from real historical events, and focuses specifically on the harem, scattered with danger, hatred, and a constant competitiveness to the sultan’s heart. The Sultan’s Harem has gained wide success and popularity across the Arab world, but […]

What is Being a Woman in the Lebanese Society?

More often than not, when people speak of inequality of the sexes in Lebanon, they speak of women’s inferior salaries, of women’s inability to pass on the Lebanese nationality to their children, of women’s minor representation in the parliament…They discuss big titles; eye-catching ones. I won’t. I haven’t experienced those situations yet and shall wait […]

Nouns, Adjectives, Definitions and Expectations

This is not an opinion. This is a simple inquiry about the situation in Lebanon. Herea��s how I see things to take place: We have men who objectify women. We have women who do the same to fellow women. Then, we have men who insult and attack women. And, in contrast, we have women who […]

What do I mean by Equality between Men and Women?

There are many challenges to be faced and overcome when living in Lebanon, including trying to answer questions that are not asked anymore in other societies, such as: ‘Is Feminism a movement of angry Lesbian women wanting to destroy men’s supremacy?’ or ‘Why are you fighting for equality? And what is equality anyways?’, ‘Isn’t it […]

A University Workshop on Gender Stereotypes and Women’s Situations in the Middle East

I organized yesterday afternoon a group workshop involving my students at the Holy Spirit University (USEK, Lebanon) on gender stereotypes and women’s situations in the Middle East. First-of-its-kind activity in the Faculty of Theology and in the university! Here are the results: 1- Defining Gender Stereotypes ( Target Group: Women): – Women don’t know how […]

The Revolution of a Scorned Woman

a�?Heaven knows no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.a�? – William Congreve Centuries ago and still up to this day, women are viewed as emotional beings that could explode any moment. And worst yet, they are seen as creatures whose moods can shift from one end to […]