Women in the Middle East/ Western Asia: the Fight for Equality Continues!

I have been following closely the diverse campaigns on Facebook and other online platforms such as the “Uprising of Women in the Arab World”. Somehow, most testimonies reflect my concerns. As a Western Asian woman, but also as a university professor, researcher, author, artist and activist, in one of the most Patriarchal institutions i.e. the […]

The veil in Ancient Middle Eastern/Western Asian Cultures

Today, veiling is a globally polarizing issue, and a locus for the struggle between contemporary and traditional interpretations of Islam. But veiling was a practice long before Islam. Veiling— of women, of men, and of sacred places and objects—has existed in countless cultures and religions. This article introduces to the use and symbolism of the […]

Women in Canaan: What can the Past teach us?

The idea of learning from the past so that mistakes are not repeated is one of the basic foundations for studying the past. But it should be remembered that each situation is different, no matter how close it resembles a past. The trick is to pick the correct lessons of the past and apply them to the […]

Expanding Spaces of Equality in the Middle East/Western Asia: My Recommendations

Much is needed in order to implement full gender equality in the Middle East / Western Asia, or at least expand existing spaces of equality. Below are few recommendations: 1) First, extensive researches in the past of this region’s societies would shed a light on current diversity and gender management. A central finding is the […]

Womanhood in Western Asia Cannot be Summarized in ‘Clichés’

Most Western Asian societies are struggling nowadays with social, political and economic crisis. They also suffer from diverse forms of discrimination (gender, religious, political, etc.) based partly on highly selective memories serving particular interests and ideological positions. However, there are spaces of dialogue and conviviality, and gender equality cases. Just as memory and identity support […]

Womanhood in Western Asia: A Journey to the Past

“In the nineteenth century, the central moral challenge was slavery. In the twentieth century, it was the battle against totalitarianism. We believe that in this century the paramount moral challenge will be the struggle for gender equality around the world” (Nicholas D. Kristof, in Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide). In […]

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 […]