Jordanian blogger examines sexless marriages

Oula Farawati I just came across a new blog by Jordanian journalist Oula Farawati. I enjoyed reading most all of it. One post that grabbed me was an article she wrote about sexless marriages in Jordan.

I thought the article was well researched and extremely engaging. I also thought it was very brave of her to tackle a taboo subject like this in Jordan, which remains conservative and not open to such frank sexual discussions. I salute her courage and journalistic instincts. Here is a link to the article.

Review: Kafka on the Shore

Kafka on the ShoreWhile vacationing in Myrtle Beach, I managed to finish Haruki Murakami’s Kafaka on the Shore, a lengthy novel that I had been carrying around for over a month. This was my first book by Murakami. It was actually the first time I’ve ever read anything by a Japanese author. The novel had a unique style (at least to me). It played and reminded me a bit of Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams, where reality blended with mysticism. There were parts in the novel where leeches dropped from the sky and others where characters spoke with cats. Some bits really engaged me while others failed to attract me making the novel a bit of a drag.

A reviewer on Amazon.com described the novel as the last ten minutes of Magnolia. What an accurate description! I had the same thought while I was in the middle of the novel. One thing I noticed about Murakami’s style is that he is a great creator of characters. I managed to empathize with each of his characters, even his darkest character, who he christened "Johnny Walker." Yes, like the whiskey!

One character that really intrigued me was Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Murakami brought him to life in this novel, although he doesn’t represent himself but rather plays the role of a floating soul who has adopted the physical appearance of Colonel Sanders. For anyone looking for a bit of off-beat reading, this is your book.

Disturbing news in the Kingdom

I read two news items related to Jordan today. Both have negative vibes — one particularly so– making me still more skeptical of any reform prospects in my native land. The first thing that caught my eye was this:

Syrian film director banned from visiting Jordan
Film director Omar Amiralay, whose trenchant documentaries on life and government in Syria earned him praise abroad, has briefly been arrested by Syrian authorities at the Jordanian border and barred from leaving the country, a leading human rights activist said. Ammar al-Qorabi, president of the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria, said Amiralay was heading to Jordan on Monday to work on his new film — the reason for his repeated visits to the neighboring country. After several hours, the authorities released the filmmaker and rights activist but banned him from visiting Jordan, said Qorabi.
Source: [Yahoo News]

It is not clear why this director was banned from visiting Jordan. If this piece of news proves accurate then some explanation is due from one side or the other. Was it a Syrian decision? Or was he black-listed in Jordan? I wonder. The details are unclear but hopefully it will be resolved. The second bit of news was this:

Human Rights Watch accuses Jordan of torture at central detention
A New York-based human rights group Tuesday accused Jordan’s security services of carrying out frequent arbitrary arrests and torturing detainees. Human Rights Watch also alleged that many suspects were held in solitary confinement without being charged before they were eventually released. The group urged U.S. President George W. Bush and members of the U.S. Congress to take up the matter with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and the head of the main detention facility, Maj. Gen. Muhammad al-Dhahabi, who are currently visiting the United States.
Source: [International Herald Tribune]

These torture allegations have been tainting Jordan’s reputation for quite some time. We all know the drill by now: first the accusation, then the denial. The truth lies somewhere in between. My take: For the sake of humanity, torture must be put to an end no matter where it occurs or what the reason.

Update: Reading the film director banning story one more time, I’m inclined to believe that it was a Syrian decision. Maybe this story is not as Jordan-centric as I thought. I hope so.

Blog on equal citizenship rights for Arab women

Reader Christina notified me of a "nationality campaign" blog that was launched here in Washington DC last week. The blog, found here, features six organizations in the Middle East and North Africa that are working towards changing legislation so that women are granted equal citizenship rights. According to Christina, the aim of the blog is to create a network of concerned citizens that want to work together for change and to produce a constant resource for women and human rights activists dedicated to this issue.

I think this is a wonderful idea. Raising awareness about the rights of women to grant citizenship to their children is highly needed. Stripping me of the right to pass my kids Jordanian nationality means that every single time my future children (who have a non-Jordanian father) decide to visit Jordan they will need a tourist visa! If they ever decide to live in Jordan then they will need to get a residency permit, which would not be granted to them automatically. It is a long and hectic process! However, children of Jordanian men married to foreign women are granted nationality automatically. Sexism at its best!

A Myrtle Beach vacation

A storm rolls in at Myrtle Beach We spent this past week at South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach for a big family gathering. Among the many unique experiences I went through during this marvelous vacation — besides spending quality time with family — was swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. It was a first for yours truly.

What was so exhilarating about this activity was battling the "ferocious" waves and eventually learning to ride/surf them. If memory serves, I don’t recall ever facing high waves while swimming in the Red Sea – the site where most of my outdoor swimming experiences took place. Is this what distinguishes a sea from an ocean? I wonder. I must admit, being whacked by a strong wave can be painful but it’s loads of fun.

Another fascinating moment was watching a fisherman catch a shark, drag it and gut it out to get its meat. I was not the only spectator either, as many tourists gathered around the fisherman to take pictures of his most recent acquisition. However, I was the only one who asked the fisherman: "Is that a ‘real’ shark?" Somehow the whole thing was just surreal. Anyway, I’ll let the pictures [they enlarge on click] speak for themselves.

Shark attack! Off with his tail Sunset at Snug Harbor