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16Don’t steroetype me. Photo: Mia GröndahlBlog:By: Hind Aleryani,Yemeni blogger andjournalistWhy don’t mencover their faces?
17We used to play at my aunt’s garden whenwe were younger…girls and boys, therewas no difference… we grew up together…we used to race, play, laugh… sometimeswe would fight playfully… we used towatch TV together… cry at the end ofsad cartoons together… we grew a bitolder... we began to study for our classestogether… whenever we’d fight we used tothreaten the other that we’d tell on themto the teacher… we used to play practicaljokes on one another… we’d laugh with allour hearts…And so the days went by…My cousin and I are staring outside thewindow… we are looking at the gardenwhere my male cousin and his friends areplaying… this is the garden where we usedto play together… they used to be our friendsonce upon a time… these are the boyswe used to play with… what happened?Why are we prisoners at home, while theyplay ball outside with all freedom… whatdid we do? Did we grow older? Did ourbodies change? Did we become an objectof temptation that needs to be coveredfrom people’s eyes? Aren’t those the boyswe knew since we were children? Whatchanged? Why are we strangers? Why do Irun and hide whenever I hear one of theirvoices? Is it just because the pitch of hisvoice changed? Is that why we aren’t friendsanymore? Are we supposed to act differentlytowards one another? Different tohow we acted just yesterday? We started toact shy and anxious whenever we’d speak…we stopped playing with one another…My cousin and I began spending our sparetime watching Mexican soap operas, as ifwe were in our 50s…And so the days went by…« I remembered my favorite male singer… hiseyes were beautiful too… his hair is beautiful…why doesn’t he veil? »I am at school…we are learning aboutwhat a woman should cover… her hair istemptation… her eyebrows are temptation…I remembered my favorite male singer…his eyes were beautiful too… his hairis beautiful… why doesn’t he veil? I askedmyself this question, however, I couldn’tfind the answer… I remembered that I wasbanned from playing in the garden becauseI hit puberty… however, my male friendsweren’t… didn’t they hit puberty too?Why weren’t they imprisoned at home? Ialso couldn’t find the answer…And so the days went by…I hear it all the time… “A woman isa jewel that needs to be protected (i.e.covered)”… and sometimes it is even saidthat a woman is like candy “if you removethe wrapper (i.e. the cover) the flies willswarm around her”… I turn on the TVand find that favorite male singer that I amso fond of brushing his soft silky hair andflaunting his handsomeness… his armsare bare… his chest is bare… why isn’tthis object of temptation covered? Whyisn’t he imprisoned at home? Why aren’twomen tempted by him? Some mightclaim that a woman shouldn’t look at this…then shouldn’t men shield their gaze whenlooking at a tempting female “object”? Icouldn’t find the answer…And so the days went by…I am at university… I see some peopledistributing a small religious book…“Temptations of a Woman”…Her hair…her feet… her eyes, and “thus, a womanmust cover one of her eyes as both ofthem together are tempting”…I swear thisis what I read in this book!... it’s as if thereis nothing left in this world to talk aboutand scrutinize other than a woman andhow she is a temptation…I decided toobserve men’s looks…I wanted to knowwhich women would attract men withher temptation… in front of me walksa woman wearing a tight Abaya (longblack cover)… aha!.. I found her… sheis an object of temptation… I continuewatching… in front of me walks a womanwith a baggy Abaya, however, with anuncovered face…the man stares at her…aha! So her face is also a temptation… athird woman walks in front of me... herface is covered and she is wearing a baggyAbaya from top to toe… the man is staringat her! Huh? I don’t understand… what isso tempting about a black Abaya? No eyes,no feet… What is this man staring at? Atthat moment I realized that clothing hasnothing to do with it… men would stareon all occasions… however, he, with hisbroad shoulders and his hair, eyes and lipsisn’t considered an object of temptation,even if all the women in the world startedat him… he is a man…he shouldn’t hidein his home… no one calls him a jewel...at that moment I wished I wasn’t a jewel. Iwished to be a free man…And so the days went by…I am in a Western country... women arewalking around me…one is wearingpants... the other is wearing a short skirt…another wears shorts…men and womenare walking side by side… it is strange...no one is staring… why don’t I see thelooks of men I saw in my country? Thoselooks that made a woman feel naked…those looks that I hated… the ones thatmade me hate being on this earth, andhate being born a woman… those looksthat deny me my humanity…why don’t Isee those looks here? All the women aredressed up… why don’t I see those lookseven though all the women are attractivehere? I saw one women run and laugh…I remembered that I wasn’t allowed torun once I hit puberty… I rememberedmy aunt’s window… I remembered Iwas an object of temptation that must becovered… I remembered that a man in mycountry wears white, while I am coveredin black… I asked myself, why don’t menwear black? Why don’t men cover theirfaces? And I couldn’t find the answer…And so the days go by… Published at Your Middle East, 29.04.13.
Page 1 and 2: Women united no. 2 - 2013
Page 4 and 5: 4Section« Kvinnene, som for to år
Page 6 and 7: 6Photo: Rabii Kalboussi, Your Middl
Page 8 and 9: 8av: gro lindstadI slutten av mai i
Page 10 and 11: 10During battles, I will be behind
Page 12 and 13: 12Bokanmeldelser:Journalistens blik
Page 14 and 15: 14Painting of Mursi. Photo: Thierry
Page 18 and 19: 18BY: Hibaaq Osman,Founder and CEO,
Page 20 and 21: 20age and leadership in the uprisin
Page 22 and 23: 22SectionSnapshot from «Because Ou
Page 24 and 25: 24av: Amal A. Wahab,frilansjournali
Page 26 and 27: 26AV: ODA gillebergHvis den syriske
Page 28 and 29: 28Syria, og de har ingen sperrer,
Page 30 and 31: 30BY: Lina Abou-Habib,excetutive di
Page 32 and 33: 32AV: Monika Lindbekk,Stipendiat ve
Page 34 and 35: 34Debatten om familielovenedreier s
Page 36 and 37: 36Kvinner underpress etter denarabi
Page 38 and 39: 38Av: Liv Tønnessen,Senior researc
Page 40: 40BPostAbonnementReturadresse: FOKU

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