IT WAS THE GAYS

When I found myself grabbing my desk last week while the earth shuddered and the building shook, I had no idea what caused it. Thanks to Israeli Member of Knesset Shlomo Benizri, I've since been enlightened. It was the gays.

Clearly there is an orgy of monumental proportions going on that I'm missing out on, big time.

The epicenter turned out to be in southern Lebanon, which blows my theory that the feature in Haaretz Magazine a few months ago about Israeli gay tourism in Amman (and the 'Arab world') spawned some hott coexistence action at Books@Cafe's Friday brunch. Leave it to the Lebanese to throw the most awesome party that's been seen in these parts for the last century or so, and not invite me.

The Haaretz article basically lays out Amman's gay scene from the Roman amphitheater to Books to RGB and Culture Street. Books, ok that's a given. But the Roman amphitheater? Seriously? Joseph Massad, please step in here so we can all get our panties in a tizzy discussing whether the young men apparently selling sex to foreign tourists are actually 'gay.' And whether that makes the Roman amphitheater also 'gay.' (Though didn't the Romans kind of start the whole orgy thing?)

The article is seeing gay in places where I've been a thousand times and just saw West Amman. But I guess that's kind of the point, isn't it, for the tourists in the article looking for sex in the Middle East-- finding a place that is in a separate space altogether where men touch men in public all the time, where sex lurks behind every corner and under every veil and/or kuffiyeh, and where sex is exotic, exciting, and a conquest. Where gay sex isn't really gay sex. It's one big orgy, people! Veiled, of course. (That's why they cause earthquakes but we didn't actually see the orgy.)

For an Israeli gay man who might be mistaken for Mossad (not Massad),

The fear of being exposed as an Israeli heightens the thrill, some of the visitors say.

It is absolutely a type of conquest or operation in enemy territory and a speedy withdrawal. I came, I experienced a few things, I pulled out. The moment I have collected intelligence, withdrawal back to the hotel as quickly as possible.

Now let's all chant Edward Said to conjure his presence.

Another person interviewed in the article says that being gay essentially makes you "international."

Gays have a tool that allows them to enter deep into communities that are rooted in the local culture. ...You can see the house, meet the friends, have breakfast with them.

And that tool is, you guessed it, the one night stand. Sorry to let you down, dude, but that isn't 'internationalism.' You enter deep but for a superficial interaction (possibly followed by breakfast at Books). That's just good old Flaubert-style penetration of and experiencing the natives.

I sincerely hope you're using a condom.

Read More...

Collapse Post...

How many Muslim women leaders can you name?

Charismatic, striking and politically sly, Benazir Bhutto, 54, was reared amid the privileges of Pakistan's aristocracy and the ordeals of its turbulent politics. Smart, ambitious and resilient, she endured her father's execution and her own imprisonment at the hands of a military dictator to become the country's - and the Muslim world's - first female leader.

The Muslim world's first female leader? Really? Are they serious? Maybe the first democratically elected prime minister of a modern nation-state that is majority Muslim, but to make the jump to say the first leader in the entire history of the 'Muslim world' is misleading and incorrect methinks.

What an incredibly misleading way to begin a story. I said as much to someone, and they said, why is that misleading? So I said umm, Aisha led politically (right?) after the death of the prophet. The person said, "Well I didn't know that." And she's right- no one does, which is why major respected papers with international readership can get away with making such a statement (which really has not much to do with the rest of the article). Notice how the author can write a biography of a female leader of a Muslim modern nation, something that would contradict the stereotypes of most of the readers, without actually challenging the stereotype. With that sentence they reinforce the idea that women can't lead- she must have been the first.

Can we please note here that there hasn't been any non-white non-male president in the US?

Here are some of the FEST's favorite Muslim women leaders (min zamaan and in this current zaman):

Khadija: The first wife of Muhammad. Also his elder, his distant cousin, and his financial sponsor. She was the first person to convert to Islam, and the prophet didn't marry any other wives until after her death. She is remembered as having a leading role in early Islam.

Aisha: A later wife of Muhammad, remembered as having had a special relationship with him, who after his death was respected for her accounts of the prophet's sayings and actions. Up to a quarter of Islamic law may be attributed to her explanations. In the battle that split Islam into Sunni and Shia, she raised up and led an army.

Najah Al-Attar: Syrian Vice President as of 2006 and former Minister of Culture. Don't let her fake wig distract you from her accomplishments.

Khaleda Zia: Bangladeshi Prime Minister from 1991-1996 and 2001-2006. Also she was Forbes' 33rd Most Powerful Woman in 2006.

For a plethora, see here.

Tarboush Tip: Nadeem, May, Fadi

Read More...

Collapse Post...

I Dream of Good Ole American Exoticism

While most of you were grilling up meats on skewers kabob-style but not calling them kabobs on the pinnacle of American holidays, I spent most of the day scouring youtube for clips from classic 80s sitcoms and the famous LBC interview that saw Haifa Wahbe weeping and pleading with the host to "bleaz, bleaz, khalas."

And what better way to celebrate this lovely 4th of July day than to serve up a classic slice of homemade American Orientalism from arguably one of the best sitcoms of the 80s...even though others think otherwise?

This post is meant as a consolation prize for all the less fortunate, non-Transformers attending folks. :



(Warning: The second part of this episode is 10 seconds off sync!)

Read More...

Collapse Post...