The C.R.I.M.E. Report

ISSUE #46 CONTENTS:


SPOTLIGHT CASES:

“Studies or Death!”: Dying to Get to School in Tunisia

Student union leaders in Tunisia have been on a hunger strike now for more than 50 days, challenging a decision by the government to bar them from enrolling in university classes for the spring semester. Several strikers have been rushed to the hospital due to deteriorating health, but the strike continues with the slogan: "Studies or death!" A few days go, over 150 supporters went on a one-day hunger strike in solidarity with the student leaders.

The Tunisian Student Union (UGET), like many student unions in the region, was originally created by the ruling regime as a tool to bolster support among students. But younger members of the movement are disenchanted with Tunisia's one-party rule and social stagnation. They have launched non-violent campaigns for improved educational and living standards, as well as increased job opportunities. Police have cracked down on these protests, patrolling university campuses, preventing assembly and detaining and torturing young activists.

In the most recent crackdown, five UGET leaders were banned from returning to university this semester. In protest, the group launched a hunger strike on February 11 and posted daily updates on their blog. Despite the gravity of the students' health conditions, there has not little international press coverage on the hunger strike. Nor has the Tunisian government acknowledged the strikers or met their simple demand to allow them to return to school.



Unlicensed Attire: Saudi T-Shirt Protest for the Right to Drive

Activists in Saudi Arabia have protested a government ban on women drivers before, but it's never been this fashionable. Noha Berjes and Naglaa al-Oteibi , both students of King Faisal University, decided to express their protest via hip attire. Specifically, they have designed shirts emblazoned with license plates – and they personalize each shirt with the name of the female purchaser. The message is clear: let me drive.

Berjes and al-Oteibi make the shirts from their homes and sell them to female classmates at the university. They have expanded their sales online through Facebook. The two students’ creative new form of protest is making a big splash among fellow young Saudis. Since their launch, the shirts have become the latest fad, profiled even on the Saudi government owned satellite station Al-Arabiya.

The shirts are a new phase in the history of Saudi women's campaign for driving rights. Back in 1990, 70 veiled Saudi women asked their hired drivers for the car keys. They drove as a convoy of 40 cars through the capital of Riyadh. Police quickly put down the protest and the women were forced to pledge not to repeat their actions (many were also fired from their jobs). Last year, over a thousand Saudis signed a petition to King Abdullah asking for women’s right to drive. Perhaps this latest t-shirt initiative will finally win over Saudi authorities.



UAE Officials Target the "Fourth Sex"

"Excuse Me, I Am a Girl" is the title of a new initiative launched by the UAE Ministry of Social Affairs. No, it's not a women's rights campaign, but rather an official effort to scapegoat women who act too masculine, at least by the government's definition. UAE authorities have dubbed the individuals targeted in this latest crackdown... the "fourth sex."

With the financial downturn battering UAE's economy, officials seem to have identified a convenient scapegoat. Their vague terminology – "the fourth sex" – is an awkward euphemism for describing any women who do not fit traditional female stereotypes, as well as tomboys, lesbians, and transgender. Since lesbianism is officially considered non-existent in the UAE, the target of the campaign is simply all women with masculine characteristics.

Officials claim the fourth sex is harassing "normal" women in schools and offices, attributing the phenomenon to outside influences, including the different nationalities living in the Emirates and access to foreign media via satellite TV and the Internet. The campaign will review the causes of masculinity among females, educate citizens about the phenomenon and its treatment, and provide families with psychologists to help girls be "repatriated" to femininity.

 

Quiz: Which illustrator was hauled into court in Cairo this weekend?
Answer: Magdi El-Shafei, author and illustrator of the graphic novel Metro. Egyptian officials allege that the popular novel’s language and topics (i.e., exposure of corruption) are “against public morals.” Last year, police broke into the novel’s publishing house, Malamih, to confiscate copies of the book. In a trial that began Sunday, the author and his publisher stand accused of "publications contrary to public decency," which carries a penalty of up to two years imprisonment.

BECOME A PARTNER IN CRIME:
Here is a list of quick ways you contribute to the Middle East civil rights movement: