Blog 7

Nardos Debru

4/3/15

SOC-202-01

No peace for Iraqi Christians this Easter

While Easter slowly approaches, Christians across the globe are taking time to remember and give thanks to Christ for his sacrifices. Unfortunately Christians around the world have also been under attack simply because of their faith, specifically Iraq. In recent years Iraq has experienced “bombings, deaths, explosions, injustice” in the words of Bishop Shlemon Warduni who only wants peace security and freedom for Iraq. The issue reached new heights last summer when ISIS attacked Mosul, one of Iraqs largest Christian communities. “Again and again the world did not respond as it might have, and now the inconceivable has happened: Iraq's Nineveh Plain has been emptied of its ancient Christianity community, which existed there for more than 1,500 years.” One of the largest issues aside from violence is the threat of complete extinction of christianity in Iraq as a whole. No one has the right to attack you because of what or who you believe in. I think that something should be done about this issue. It is hard enough to build a strong community that is opposite of what most people in your country are, but trying to dictate someone else's religion is one thing, going as far as killing someone because of it is a true catastrophe and something should be done. I think that an effective solution to this is reaching out to outside countries for support and ensured security. Things like this need to be eliminated from this world.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/03/living/last-easter-iraq/index.html

Blog 2: "Inequality for women in sudan"

Nardos Debru
SOC-202-01
2/13/15

Blog 2

 



In the week of February 8, 2015 there have been multiple reports of women and young girls being raped by Sudanese soldiers. So far there has been a total of 200 reports. Additionally, there have been government "attacks" on civilians for no apparent reason. From the article it is safe to conclude that the Sudanese government takes advantage of their power. Civilians in Sudan are not safe as far as resources, everything can be stripped from them in the blink of an eye. Women and young girls especially, have an even bigger disadvantage; they are seen a weak and thus used for sexual favors. There are two different types of inequalities displayed here; gender inequality and political inequality. The political inequalities displayed are toward the Sudanese community as a whole, it is as if civilians do not have a say in anything, so it must be a dictatorship. Although this is a horrible attribute to have as a country, it is even worse for the female gender. It is clear that Sudan is a patriarchal country where the men are the bread winners and the women stay at home and take care of the children. There is nothing wrong with just this idea, but when you combine it with depreciation of the female gender and taking advantage of them, it becomes a huge problem for society as a whole. So far, the Sudanese government denies any allegations of these ongoing incidents, and have not been punished in any way. My hope is that the people of Sudan find a balance as to where the power for the government stops.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/13/africa/sudan-mass-rape-report/index.html

Blog 10: Saudi Women Urgently Need Equal Rights

In Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to drive a vehicle, women cannot travel without a male guardian, and men are allowed to beat their wives simply for being a woman, these are a few examples based on the Qur'an stated by Alnowaiser. In a recent article on arabnews.com, Dr Kahlid Alnowaiser addresses a serious topic in Saudi Arabia, Saudi women are desperate for a speedy equal rights movement. Alnowaiser's has sufficient reasoning for this statement. One reason being that women are essential in influencing and affecting our lives, whether it be through a mother, daughter, wife, sister, or friend. Women also make up more than half of Saudi Arabia's population, and Alnowaiser believes that no real social development can be accomplished without women. He also addresses the fact that Islam causes others to send a repressive attitude towards women by denying their basic civil rights. Alnowaiser's reasoning as to why the large population count of women doesn't show in Saudi Arabia is because of men that hold positions of power in religion and government. He states that because of these men being placed in certain groups, they have a plan to dominate society and control all aspects of a woman's life, so she has no way to achieve the position that they hold. Making a connection with the reasoning of women being a high influence in everyone's lives, Alnowaiser believes that the male method of control "makes no sense" because of the influence and responsibility that women have to teach and influence generations with certain values and beliefs.
Alnowaiser also believes that the religious authorities restrict women's lives through a "management by fear" style, preaching that anyone that disobeys Allah, the Prophet, or any religious authority, becomes a sinner and will be punished for the rest of their life and on the "Day of Judgement." Alnowaiser states some of the restrictions that are not respective of personal freedoms for Islam women.  He makes a few suggestions, specifically gearing them towards men and stating "Saudi men must step in and embrace these reforms to guarantee our country a bright and prosperous future where all citizens are valued and treated equally."
In this article, Alnowaiser approaches the topic with a very logical viewpoint and has great reasoning as to why things are the way they are for Saudi women. The main point I want to address is using religion as a form of social control. Alnowaiser, as well as myself, can agree that the views of Islam and the way they are portrayed by male leaders control all Saudi women in every day life. The Qur'an states that personal freedoms must always be respected if everyone is permitted to make his or her own decisions. The faulty area that arises is the fact that women are not allowed to make their own decisions in Saudi Arabia, leading to social control of all Saudi women. Men in power are constantly using Islam as a form of gender control and gender inequality within Saudi Arabia, while few other Islamic nations do otherwise and let their women have civil rights. Knowing that women must basically have a guardian over them never lets them have their own personal freedom with no interference. I highly agree with the fact that Saudi men need to take a stand with their fellow Saudi women to guarantee their country a higher GDP and a prosperous future. Making a connection with our class studies, if Saudi women had the same civil rights and freedoms that men did in their country, they would have a much higher GDP and human capital. Sociologically, it would be in the best interest of Saudi Arabia's men to take into consideration what their women can do for their country, as well as recognizing that at this current time within their culture, they are the ones that must progress with change.



Source: http://arabnews.com/opinion/columns/article589965.ece

Blog 6: Being a Lesbian Activist in Uganda

In Uganda, a very Christian, West African country, homosexuality is illegal (technically a sexual act with someone of the same gender.) Lawmakers of Ugandan government are debating a bill that would impose severe punishments and even lengthier sentences for homosexuals. Just last year, a bill was turned down that proposed the death penalty of Ugandan homosexuals, if convicted. There are many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) activists and human rights organizations that are trying to stop this bill from being passed in Uganda, who are not protected and very prone to death threats, violence and sometimes murder. Last year, an activist was murdered due to a Ugandan newspaper publishing his name under a headline stating "Hang them!" The current sentences for homosexuals in Uganda are misdemeanors and the individual can spend anywhere from 30 days to a year in prison, including being tortured by police or prison officials. This is not all though, many lesbian women in Uganda are subject to rape by their fellow clansmen or others to try and make them "proper" women. Sometimes these crimes are taken too far, LGBTI peoples have been raped, tortured and beaten, and killed due to their sexuality alone.
 The LA Times spoke to Jay Abang, a 28 year old LGBTI activist that is a program manager for Freedom and Roam Uganda, a human rights organization trying to fight the law. Abang states that the Ugandan community has become more hostile and are willing to enforce the law, if passed. She also states that a main reason for this issue is because of the community being ignorant, uneducated, and misinformed. Many Ugandans believe that homosexuality is all about sex, rather than thinking of the people as human beings wanting to be in a relationship with another human being. Many meetings hosted by human rights organizations, specifically pro-LGBTI organizations, are being disbanded by government officials and making accusations of the organizations. These accusations include telling people how to recruit people to be gay and having homosexual intercourse in the room of the meeting. Coming out as a homosexual in Uganda can set the stage for being disowned by your family, even your clan or village. Many LGBTI people end up running away from home due to safety issues.
This is a huge problem that needs a lot of work. The hatred located in Uganda has stemmed from the fundamentalist Church, which is a large part of Uganda as a country. One way to take care of the problem is to go back into the church and advocate, educate, and create awareness about the truth of homosexuality. Because of Uganda being a very Christian nation, it is very hard to go within the church to host awareness of homosexuality due to the violence. Many LGBTI Ugandans are looking for international help and awareness. There are many petitions going around via internet to make other countries around the world aware of the problem, which has started to receive a lot of attention. Many countries have stood up and spoke out, saying that the bill is not right. Uganda may listen, especially because they are very dependent on aid for their country. Hopefully this bill will not pass and L