Ruba Saqr speaks out on music censorship

I just finished watching a fairly recent interview with Jordanian singer Ruba Saqr, during which she talks about the censorship of musical expression in the Middle East. I enjoyed the interview a great deal, as some points she raised were spot on. I also enjoyed hearing her perform her song I’m a lantern, which is, as I understand it, dedicated to the city of Amman. Ruba’s voice is still just as beautiful as I remember from back in the days when I used to hear her perform in Amman.

Here is a blurb about her and her views.

Having worked as a reporter for several years, Ruba Saqr has written several articles to different Jordanian publications about the need to support underground musicians, and the need to change perceptions of musicians, in particular Arab female musicians in her part of the world. Ruba Saqr believes that female musicians are often reduced to being performers or singers and are seldom acknowledged by producers as full-fledged musicians who can write their own lyrics and music. She has experienced that some female musicians are pushed away from the music scene by society because it is not viewed as a "respectable" vocation, especially in traditional circles.

You can read more here. And you can hear more of her songs along with singer Ramzi Rais here. I love the improvisations on the song Gulli walla tahbaeeh ya 3ein. You can listen to it here. According to the website, Ruba is working on her debut album, which she expects to finish by the end of 2007. I wish her the best of luck.

The vibe of the city

Lafayette Park One of the many things that I enjoy about my current job is its location in the heart of Washington, DC. The very minute I get out from my metro stop, I sense the potent political vibe of the city. There are the anti-war demonstrators, the presidential entourages, and of course the lobbying center of the world: K Street.

For the past week or so, I have been taking my lunch breaks in Lafayette Park, which is located right in front of the White House. I usually bring my lunch and some reading material and sit on one of the benches or the small picnic tables scattered all over the park and watch the demonstrators buzz around while the lobbyists are taking a breather over Chinese noodles and Subway sandwiches.

The other day while savoring my Mujaddara, I paused for a minute after being hit by the surrealism of the moment. Here I was, a Jordanian, working in Washington DC, eating my Mujaddara, flipping through the Economist, right in front of the White House, as anti-war demonstrators roamed about. At that moment, I had to pinch myself to make sure that I was not in a trance. I ♥ DC.

‘I would do it again if I had to’

The UN news agency, IRIN, has a new feature about honor crimes in Jordan. According to the article:

"Jordanian law continues to be lenient on those who kill their female relatives in the name of protecting family honor. Last year, between 15 and 20 women were stabbed, beaten or strangled to death by family members, sometimes women themselves."

And here is the most disturbing part:

Mohammad Rai — from Salt, 30km west of the capital, Amman — killed his cousin a few years ago to uphold his family’s honor. He was 17 years old at the time and said he did it under pressure from family elders. But a few years later, he has no regrets.

"I would do it again if I had to. People here would have stigmatized my entire family if I had not killed her and shame would have followed us wherever we went," said Rai, who is now a bus driver. He served just six months in prison because the victim’s father dropped the charges.

The only crime Rai’s cousin committed was that she told her conservative father that she was in love with a man from another family and that he wanted to ask for her hand in marriage. "We are prisoners of our own social habits, there is nothing we can do about it," said a defiant Rai.

The fact that Mohammad Rai says he would do it again is extremely and utterly disturbing. It should give those that support honor crimes something to think about. Since Rai got away with committing such a heinous crime, why should he fear doing it again? Since Rai is a free man after murdering another human being in cold blood, what would stop him next time? The answer is nothing. He’ll do it again if and when he wishes. This is just horrendous. Read the whole article here.

Jordan retracts limits on ‘single women’ tourists

An outcry from Jordanian tour operators has compelled Amman to backtrack on a controversial new regulation that was intended to limit the entry of single eastern European and North African women into the country. Tour operators throughout the country were notified earlier this week of a new visa regulation issued by Jordan’s Ministry of Interior. The directive stipulated that women traveling alone to Jordan from several eastern European and North African countries would be required to obtain special entry visas.

The ministry notice gave no reason for the new regulation. But tour operators said the conservative government was trying to clamp down on the growing trend of prostitution in Jordan imported by women from these countries.

Source: [The Media Line]

Phew! What were they thinking? I’m glad that if my Moroccan friend Soumia or my Tunisian pal Leilouta ever decided to visit Jordan — on their own — they won’t need a "special entry" visa.

It reminds me of my attempt to get a visa to Dubai from Doha, Qatar a few years ago. I went there with Jeff, but for some reason did not mention that I was married. I just simply requested a visa. The woman in charge of visas at the embassy gave me a hard time, asking me to do a tedious amount of paper work that really baffled me.

However, when I mentioned my husband and pointed to him, she told me: "You should have told me you are married to the American. You can pick up your visa tomorrow." I was later told that Arab single women (along with few other nationalities) applying for a visa to the Emirates usually face some "special" restrictions. The logical explanation I was give for this was the country’s quest to curb prostitution.

I guess somehow being married or maybe being married to "the American" made me much less likely to spread moral corruption. Dangerous, dangerous me!

The depressing status of Jordanian journalists

Jordan’s Press Association (JPA) slammed parliament Thursday for approving a clause in a draft law that allows the imprisonment of journalists. "We reject this decision. We are opposed to the imprisonment of journalists for expressing their opinions by writing, verbally, or by any other means, and linking this to four taboos," JPA president Tarek Momani said. "At the same time we welcome parliament’s decision to scrap a clause calling for the arrest of journalists over publication matters," he added. During its deliberations of a controversial press and publication draft law, the 110-seat lower house approved Wednesday a clause to imprison journalists over four violations outlined in Article 26.

Source: [Middle East Times]

Yes, I’m disturbed by the news but not surprised. The sad reality is that such a step was somehow expected from the current parliament — whose performance thus far has been extremely disappointing. The Jordanian blogosphere wa quick to react to this new development. Khalaf has a nice wrap up of Jordanian columnists’ reaction to this new draft law. Also the UN news agency, IRIN, ran a feature last week detailing the depressing situation facing Jordanian journalists. Here is an excerpt:

Several incidents of attacks and harassment against journalists in Jordan have been reported since the beginning of this year. The latest involved a reporter from al-Rai newspaper, the most widely circulated Arabic daily, who was beaten up by a group of policemen last month in Amman. The journalist, Khalid Khawaja, was admitted to hospital because of wounds sustained in the attack. The police denied wrongdoing and shifted the blame on Khawaja for allegedly "beating and insulting a policeman on duty."

A few weeks earlier, three journalists from al-Ghad, al-Arab al-Yawm and al-Doustour dailies were arrested when they tried to cover a story in the northern city of Irbid and were reportedly threatened by the military governor to leave the area. Also, the editor al-Mehwar weekly tabloid, Hisham Khalidi, was fined US $15,000 on 9 February for publishing controversial material about a public institution. These events have provoked angry reactions from the media community, including the Jordan Press Association (JPA) and rights groups, who said such measures represent a flagrant infringement of basic human rights and curtail media freedoms.

You can read the full IRIN article here.