Recently in politics Category
Do Muslim women need liberating? is an interesting article*; although I cannot say I'm as involved with the struggle regarding femiinism in Islamic cultures as I might like to be (or should be?), it well reflects a number of isues I've heard/read over the years. It also reflects much of the trension regarding women who preform raqs sharqi "over there":
And yet, this is the critical take-away; these issues are, indeed, tied to underlying cultures, and the evolution of those cultures, as much as any other source. Islam was reinterpreted just as Christianity was reinterpreted; the man who drove moneylenders from the temple, and who's early followers lived in a communal style, might not recognize the Prosperity Gospel so prominent now, not to mention certain high-living, politically astute pastors. You cannot assume that practices in one culture apply to all of Islam, over all of it's long history.
Indeed, aside from the 5 Pillars of Faith, there is great variation in the religion, esp. in regards to laws, and the enforcement thereof. Shari'a is not always harsh and unforgiving, and in fact, even with the law, the pratical application may differ. I'm mindful of a paper I have that tracked down actual Prostitution cases in period Ottoman Istanbul, and found that the actual punishment was never carried out, in any recorded case. Those familiar with "50 dollars and time served" get the jist of what the reality was.
Too often do I hear people -- including fellow dancers! -- describe Islam in terms that are monolithic. And we must guard against these things, for it is no longer enough to defend our dance; we must defend it's cultures in a time where many people seek to dismiss us via dismissing any good coming from those cultures. This is the minefield we must traverse to gain more, and stronger, mainstream acceptance for raqs sharqi, and it's related forms.
*(h/t) LiveJournal's islam_feminism community
I would add that my personal opinion is that women's rights were eroded over time; looking at descriptions of women being shrouded in the public sphere in the 'Abbasid era differs mightily from what we read about women in the time of the Four Righteous Caliphs. I've read, and personally think, that the incorporation of Persian culture, primarily for administrative purposes as the Empire grew, has a great deal to do with this, but I have no doubt there were other influences as well.Merve Kavakçı - the former Turkish politician - claimed the modern evaluation of the situation of Muslim women was inherently biased. She believes there is a Western assumption that Muslim women are subjugated, which is attributed to Islam - a non sequiteur in her view, since while Muslim women do need to be liberated, it is not from the religion but from their indigenous culture. This is a crucial point: it's worth noting, for example, that female circumcision - the biggest stain on Islam's reputation - is predominant in Egypt, a secular country, and virtually non-existent in Saudi Arabia. The distinguishing factor is the different cultures in both countries.
She should have been more mindful of the reasons why Islam is seen as
oppressive by non-Muslims - she failed, for instance, to tackle the question of whether the Qur'an and the hadith may have inherent qualities or messages that lend themselves to a male dominant interpretation, a monopoly she herself acknowledged. Women from the very beginning of Islam participated in military combat and were given rights of divorce, alimony and so on, but such scriptural verses which compromise women's credibility in testimony, raise issues surrounding women's inheritance rights in addition to controversial texts in the Qur'an cannot be ignored in any debate about whether Islam subjugates women
And yet, this is the critical take-away; these issues are, indeed, tied to underlying cultures, and the evolution of those cultures, as much as any other source. Islam was reinterpreted just as Christianity was reinterpreted; the man who drove moneylenders from the temple, and who's early followers lived in a communal style, might not recognize the Prosperity Gospel so prominent now, not to mention certain high-living, politically astute pastors. You cannot assume that practices in one culture apply to all of Islam, over all of it's long history.
Indeed, aside from the 5 Pillars of Faith, there is great variation in the religion, esp. in regards to laws, and the enforcement thereof. Shari'a is not always harsh and unforgiving, and in fact, even with the law, the pratical application may differ. I'm mindful of a paper I have that tracked down actual Prostitution cases in period Ottoman Istanbul, and found that the actual punishment was never carried out, in any recorded case. Those familiar with "50 dollars and time served" get the jist of what the reality was.
Too often do I hear people -- including fellow dancers! -- describe Islam in terms that are monolithic. And we must guard against these things, for it is no longer enough to defend our dance; we must defend it's cultures in a time where many people seek to dismiss us via dismissing any good coming from those cultures. This is the minefield we must traverse to gain more, and stronger, mainstream acceptance for raqs sharqi, and it's related forms.
*(h/t) LiveJournal's islam_feminism community
Something I think I've not done, is really, deeply, talk about what's going on here. My dreams for this site, if you will. After reading Greenwald, I think I need to explain a bit further what's going on with APOSTATE, deep down.
I mean, right now, I have damn few readers here. Some of that's simply because I don't promote enough...and some of it's because of the content. Politics isn't sexy. Calls to arms aren't really sexy. Dance history is traditionally boring. And I can be downright dialectic.
In short, I bore the shit out of anyone just dropping in.
So why continue? In part, because of the basic remit -- I'm trying to poke into the nooks and crannies of this dance form, to see what we've left behind, or are unwilling to explore. The very things that make the Internet such a perfect medium for talking about the dance -- the extension of the "us vs. them" mentality, the "casual sisterhood" connection that's a mile long and a inch deep, the discussions about music and clothing and gigs and makeup that have gone 'round in circles -- all these are the pits I'm trying to avoid. Sure, some of it's because I don't wear makeup, and I'll never put on bedlah, and I still can't get a hold of Melodia or her team to make me a pair of The Damned Pants --
But in the end? We have to find ways of Doing Better. We have to stop siting in the corners of virtual coffeehouses, bitching about Hillary Duff. I feel, in my bones, that we, as dancers, are the ones responsible for the form, for the presentation of the form. That we are the ones who have to write the stars and the music video people and the journalists, and explain, over and again, why they are wrong. That if they fail, it's in part because we ourselves still cling to too many fantasies, too many myths, and not just because the myth makes what little money we can, and props up egos with promises of ancient ways.
History is written by the people on the ground. Right now, take a look at the history we dancers have left behind in the media, and shudder at the many origins, few of which are backed by anything like scholarship. How can you demand respect when you pass off myth without a critical eye? Look at the undercutters, at the people eager to sell themselves short for "just another gig". You can retrain some of them, but you have to reach them, first and foremost. And disdainful whispers and screaming posts online send the wrong message.
What if we joined together, like a union, and demanded not just honest wages, but honest treatment? What if we dancers finally, as a group, took responsibility for the next generation, be they raqs sharqi, ATS, Tribal, or the next big thing? What if we organized ourselves to present a strong face to the media, and a strong back for beginning dancers? What if we started to actually write down the collected wisdom, and shared it openly and honestly? What if we made it easier for a dancer to move from student to performer to professional to businesswoman?
Imagine, just for a second, the difference all that would make in your life as a dancer. imagine being part of a truly healthy and vibrant dancer ecosystem. Wouldn't it be nice?
That's the core of APOSTATE, when I talk about raqs. It's not just about me bitching, it's about one man finding a way out of no way. It's about my undying love of this dance form, and trying to stop being catty, and starting to be angry. And then taking that anger, and, like and Old Testament Prophet, spreading the word that the world can be better, must be better. And then trying like mad to have others talk about these issues, to try to bring us together.
It's one day at a time, one post at a time, one fight at a time.
I mean, right now, I have damn few readers here. Some of that's simply because I don't promote enough...and some of it's because of the content. Politics isn't sexy. Calls to arms aren't really sexy. Dance history is traditionally boring. And I can be downright dialectic.
In short, I bore the shit out of anyone just dropping in.
So why continue? In part, because of the basic remit -- I'm trying to poke into the nooks and crannies of this dance form, to see what we've left behind, or are unwilling to explore. The very things that make the Internet such a perfect medium for talking about the dance -- the extension of the "us vs. them" mentality, the "casual sisterhood" connection that's a mile long and a inch deep, the discussions about music and clothing and gigs and makeup that have gone 'round in circles -- all these are the pits I'm trying to avoid. Sure, some of it's because I don't wear makeup, and I'll never put on bedlah, and I still can't get a hold of Melodia or her team to make me a pair of The Damned Pants --
But in the end? We have to find ways of Doing Better. We have to stop siting in the corners of virtual coffeehouses, bitching about Hillary Duff. I feel, in my bones, that we, as dancers, are the ones responsible for the form, for the presentation of the form. That we are the ones who have to write the stars and the music video people and the journalists, and explain, over and again, why they are wrong. That if they fail, it's in part because we ourselves still cling to too many fantasies, too many myths, and not just because the myth makes what little money we can, and props up egos with promises of ancient ways.
History is written by the people on the ground. Right now, take a look at the history we dancers have left behind in the media, and shudder at the many origins, few of which are backed by anything like scholarship. How can you demand respect when you pass off myth without a critical eye? Look at the undercutters, at the people eager to sell themselves short for "just another gig". You can retrain some of them, but you have to reach them, first and foremost. And disdainful whispers and screaming posts online send the wrong message.
What if we joined together, like a union, and demanded not just honest wages, but honest treatment? What if we dancers finally, as a group, took responsibility for the next generation, be they raqs sharqi, ATS, Tribal, or the next big thing? What if we organized ourselves to present a strong face to the media, and a strong back for beginning dancers? What if we started to actually write down the collected wisdom, and shared it openly and honestly? What if we made it easier for a dancer to move from student to performer to professional to businesswoman?
Imagine, just for a second, the difference all that would make in your life as a dancer. imagine being part of a truly healthy and vibrant dancer ecosystem. Wouldn't it be nice?
That's the core of APOSTATE, when I talk about raqs. It's not just about me bitching, it's about one man finding a way out of no way. It's about my undying love of this dance form, and trying to stop being catty, and starting to be angry. And then taking that anger, and, like and Old Testament Prophet, spreading the word that the world can be better, must be better. And then trying like mad to have others talk about these issues, to try to bring us together.
It's one day at a time, one post at a time, one fight at a time.
