ISSUE #2 CONTENTS:
- “Dream Deferred” Essay Contest Winners
- Girls Gone Wild: A Review of Girls of Riyadh
- Interview with Abbou: Jailed for Criticizing Jails
- Essay Winner Spotlight: Cartoon Blogger
- QUIZ: Something is Phony in Yemen
- Become a Partner in CRIME
SPOTLIGHT CASES:
$10,000 Awarded in HAMSA's “Dream Deferred” Essay Contest
Winners have just been announced in the second annual Dream Deferred Essay Contest. Inspired by Langston Hughes’ poem about the fate of a Dream Deferred, the contest asked young people in the Middle East and the United States to take a stand on the stunted struggle for civil rights in the Middle East.
Over 1,000 people from 20 countries participated in the contest, submitting essays in English, French, Farsi, and Arabic. Participants were asked to answer one of several provocative questions, with prizes awarded in two categories: young people in the Middle East and young people in the United States.
From among hundreds of participants, ten cash prize winners and 50 book prize winners were selected. Middle Eastern winners spanned the region, from Syria to Saudi Arabia to Morocco. Some recounted personal experiences, others wrote creative “news reports,” poems, and short stories. American winners came from across the country, featuring a range of arguments for why and how young people can support Mideast reformers.
Provocative topics addressed in essays included: Internet censorship, defending arrested activists, honor killings, stoning executions of women, assaults on gays, disenfranchised foreign workers, and mobilizing seemingly disillusioned Americans to get active.
Congratulations to the winners and to the 1,000+ young writers who participated in the contest! Future editions of the CRIME Report will feature essay excerpts as well as profiles of winners. In the meantime, read the winning essays here.
Girls Gone Wild: Shaking up Saudi Society in Girls of Riyadh
Celia Richa, assistant editor of The CRIME Report, offers this review of Girls of Riyadh, released earlier this month in English:
When Rajaa Alsanea's debut novel was released in Lebanon in late 2005, it created a sensation in the Middle East by portraying the private lives of young Saudi women in colloquial Arabic and relatively explicit detail. Now, English-language readers can see what the fuss was about.
Alsanea dives into the world of a group of women typically shrouded from public view. The four friends - Gamrah, Sadeem, Michelle, and Lamees - all belong to Saudi Arabia's upper class. Each wages a mini-rebellion (some large and some small) in an attempt to gain control of their lives, refusing to allow legal restrictions and societal norms to dictate their futures.
The protagonists' little revolutions reveal how Saudi laws criminalize simple acts most women take for granted. Daring actions include: wearing red under their abayas to school on Valentine's Day (a banned holiday); dressing up as men to drive a car to the mall; sneaking sips of alcohol from their parents' illicit stash; and strolling with boyfriends by pretending to be escorted by their male relative (the only legal way a single woman can appear with a man in public).
Each woman charts her own path through the challenges of Saudi society. The range of personalities and family dynamics Alsanea portrays should shatter monolithic stereotypes about Saudis. Girls of Riyadh shows a modest feminist movement blossoming behind the scenes. While no character organizes a demonstration, all pursue some sort of reform in their personal lives. But will this discontent with the status quo ever generate a larger public movement?
After finishing the book, I found myself wondering how I would act in the place of the four protagonists. Would I flee to another country, like Michelle, or would I remain in my family's custody forever without putting up a fight, like Gamrah? What would you do?
No Surrender for Tunisian Lawyer Jailed for... Criticizing Jails
On Tuesday, jailed Tunisian attorney Mohamed Abbou – serving a Kafka-esque four-year sentence for criticizing conditions in Tunisian prisons – was unexpectedly released after two years in prison. HAMSA Outreach Director Nasser Weddady spoke with Abbou the day after his release in an exclusive interview.
The Tunisian lawyer’s arrest became an international cause, exemplifying suppression under President Zein El-Abdin Ben Ali (in office since 1987). Abbou, jailed for an article comparing Tunisian prisons to Abu Ghraib, sewed his own mouth shut in prison as an act of defiance.
That feisty spirit seemed to remain strong, as Abbou spoke by telephone from his home, which was surrounded by Tunisian police keeping an eye on the attorney activist.
“If the regime thinks they can silence me and stop my work, they are mistaken,” declared Abbou. “I do not regret what I wrote about the terrible situation in Tunisian prisons. My time inside as a prisoner only confirmed my outside impression as a lawyer. Now I am only more determined to challenge repression and promote the rule of law instead of the rule of the dictator.”
While Abbou sat in jail, activists launched an international campaign on his behalf. Abbou noted the campaign’s success. “The Tunisian regime seems to think it is still the 1970s, when activists could be thrown in jail for years and the world would stay silent.” Indeed, Abbou’s case shows that international solidarity campaigns, leveraging the Internet and global communications, can effectively pressure international leaders to protect civil rights reformers.
What’s the biggest immediate challenge facing Abbou now that he is home? Abbou reveals: “I haven’t checked my email in two years!”
TAKE NO PRISONERS:
2006 Winner Runs Cartoon Blog
Tarek Shahin won first place in last year's Dream Deferred essay contest with an imagined news report from the future on a cartoonist under fire. Shortly after winning, Shahin went public with his own cartoon skills, launching a blog featuring his work - Cairo Freeze - where no taboo is safe. Click on the image at right to see one cartoon featuring Egyptian police officers discussing a crackdown on journalists.
PHONY CRIME QUIZ:
If you live in Yemen, you can no longer receive SMS text messages with news updates. Do you know why President Ali Abdullah Saleh just made this form of news distribution a crime? And do you know what type news sources are still allowed to send SMS text messages?
BECOME A PARTNER IN CRIME:
The Middle East civil rights movement needs your support. Here is a list of four quick ways you can contribute:
- Forward this newsletter to friends & encourage them to subscribe.
- Write a letter to imprisoned Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer.
- Join 6,000 others in demanding the release of Haleh Esfandiari.
- Apply to participate in HAMSA’s civil rights fellowship program.