Wajda by Haifa Al Mansour

For this active blog post I went to the Museum of Islamic art to attend the movie wajda, which was directed by Haifa Al Mansour, the first Saudi women to direct a movie. The movie discuses the issue of women’s right in Middle East in general and Saudi Arabia specifically. It portrays the life of wajda, a young girl who always dreamt of riding a bike, but the fact that it is not accepted by her society made it difficult to make her dream come true. It was surprising for me to know that women in Saudi Arabia before two weeks ago they where not allowed to ride a bike! And they only allowed them to rid bikes two weeks ago but with restrictions such as they can only ride bikes in parks and recreational areas, and they have to be accompanied by a male relative!

The movie is an example of neo-feminism because it talks about personal choice, and how wajda is fighting so hard to make her dream come true. This movie though it talks about an issue that is only in Saudi Arabia (bike and cars) but it discusses the issue of women’s right in middle east, yet not a lot of women were interested to come and watch. Before going there I expected to see more Qatari specially women attending such movie! However, there was about 12 Qatari attended this movie. The way she discusses the problem of women driving and girls riding bikes is by show the society’s attitude toward the problem.

When looking at the problem it is not only men to be blamed but also women!
I was wondering why women were not present in this movie! Most women in Middle East don’t appreciate women who fight for their rights! Is it the society that restricts them not to fight for their rights or is it that they are really happy with their lives and what they have? Why they are so reluctant to fight for their rights?

Women in Middle East care a lot about their reputation and their families’ reputation. Thus, they do what’s allowed and appreciated by the society. The pressures they face from the society around them force them to obey and conform. So, it is not usual to see women present in such places. It is not that they are not interested but they do what is expected from them.

After the movie there was a discussion with Haifa Al Mansour, the director, she talked about what inspired her to write it, and the difficulties she faced directing it. One of them was that she could not be on the street when they were shooting out doors, she had to stay in a van and talk to them through the phone. There is no rule that restricted Haifa not to be on the street when they were shooting but the fact that the society will not appreciate it she stayed at the van. from my opinion, women's right in Middle East countries need women's voice, determination.

Nice White Ladies in NUQ

In Hollywood films, there is a high school film genre, in which films focus on a certain high school as there setting. Usually in these films, the class room is filled with troubled, underachievers, who are saved by one teacher or principal (Sutherland, Jean, and Feltey, P.71). One common theme is the "Outsider as the Teacher-Hero". This theme can be seen in films such as Dangerous Minds and Freedom writers. In these films, the classroom consists of ethnic minorities and the teacher is the "white savior" that saves the day and communicates with the students is a middle class white teacher who is new to teaching and does not belong to the community (Sutherland, Jean, and Feltey, P.71).

  

Even though Arabs and Qataris are not ethnic minorities in Qatar, however, some professors who come here think of themselves as saviors that came to educate these poor little Arabs who live in the middle of the desert. For some reason, these “nice white ladies” do not seem to differentiate between the fact that they came to Qatar for a paid job, and in return, they get so many privileges just for being ‘white’. However, this form of social inequality is not even the problem. The problem is that some ‘nice white ladies’ have crossed the thin line between being an educator and being orientalist. When the ‘nice white ladies’ could not get over their fascination with the Qatari and Arab culture and traditions. Their preconceived stereotypes of Arabs living in deserts and moving around with camels confuses most 'nice white ladies' that come to teach in the Arab world, especially in Qatar. When these 'nice white ladies' see the real lifestyle of Arabs it conflicts with all the preconceived notions they have been socialized to believe in through years and years of reproduced stereotypes through different agents of socialization, but especially movies. When these ideas conflict, the 'nice white ladies' fascination with Abayas and high heels and brands make them disregard the fact that the people who wear such stuff still have brains.

  

vs. 

 

It is important to note that the dynamics in Qatar are different than those found in the films. In the films, the nice white ladies are from a higher social class than the students, while in NUQ, a lot of the students are from a higher class than the professors who usually come from a middle class background. 
Usually, social class can be defined as a group of people who share a similar position in society based on wealth, education, and occupational prestige. However, in Qatar, what matters the most to social class is race. So even if the professors get a lot of privileges when the come to work here, however, they are still in a lower class than the Qataris. 
Unfortunately we have some nice white ladies (and men) in NUQ and Education City, that just because they are white teaching Arabs mainly and other nationalities made them think of themselves as saviors, and just because Qatar chose to bring American Universities made them believe that we –as Arabs- aspire for “Western modernity”, and that they should teach the "spoiled Arabs and Qataris" the value of education and liberty. 




References: 
Sutherland, Jean, and Kathryn Feltey. "Social Class." Cinematic sociology: social life in film. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press, 2010. 75-79. Print.

Good vs. Bad

We’ve been talking about Arab stereotypes quite a bit recently and how Hollywood portrays us in several different negative ways: the most prominent being as terrorists. When we see these images, we usually (as expected) criticize the film and the filmmaker for having such prejudiced views against us.

But, when we were watching the film, Amreeka, which was directed by an Arab woman, I realized there were a lot of stereotypes about Arabs in there as well. These stereotypes, however, had a much different effect on me.

For me, a lot of the comedy in this film came from recognizing these stereotypes. My favourite one being the cute, sarcastic grandmother that tends to worry a bit too much.

I started to wonder why these were stereotypes different. Was it because they had nothing to do with portraying Arabs as backwards and violent people? Or did it have more to do with the fact that these were stereotypes I faced on a daily basis and were written by an Arab herself?

I think who the filmmaker or the screenwriter is makes a huge difference. Usually, when Hollywood uses Arab stereotypes, they use it to create an outgroup – they make the Arab the “other.” They use this to socialize the viewers and fill them with fear, hatred, and discrimination, When an Arab filmmaker uses an Arab stereotype, however, they create an ingroup, allowing other Arab viewers to identify with what’s going in the film and better connect with it.

I even caught myself writing a very stereotypical portrayal of a Palestinian mother who only cares about her daughter getting married in one of my scripts. When my friends read it, they found it absolutely hilarious because they could all almost relate the character to their own mothers. When I took a second look at it myself, I criticized myself because I know that there is a lot more to Arab mothers than just being an obsessive and psychotic matchmaker. But for some reason, I was reinforcing that stereotype.

I guess the important thing with all stereotypes, whether they’re “good” (I’m not sure they can be) or bad ones, is to recognize the fact that they are stereotypes and to interrupt the process of socialization. 

Arabs: Bombers, Belly Dancers, Billionaires

As the blog posts can be about any aspect of sociology, in this blog I will connect this weeks reading, by Susan Williams & Travis Linnemann, about “Portrayals of Arab Terrorists in American Film”, with the music video of Jad Choueiri in Funky Arabs. Jad Choueiri’s music video is all about representing the Arabs in being a very similar culture and society to the west, and not the usual stereotype portrayed in Hollywood. According to this weeks reading, Arabs have been portrayed negatively in Hollywood, page 193, “Muslim Arabs have been stereotyped racially and religiously as the “cultural other” from the beginning of American cinema”. The lyrics of Jad’s song are trying to fight the negative representation of the Arab World, in fact the first sentence of the song says “ We are not what you see on CNN or BBC take a look at us, we’re not bombers we got the guts” using those words to describe and speak about the Arab image in the media is very interesting, especially by mentioning CNN, and BBC, the largest two news agencies in the world. Arabs always being portrayed by one of the 3 B’s, Belly Dancer, Billionaires or Bombers is the usual image portrayed in Hollywood. Later in the song, it’s said “you’re gonna experience, an Arab touch with a modern sense” the whole song moves on to showcase everything that is done in the west from tattooing to drinking, the video clip of the song showcases to the world that the societies in the Arab world are actually very similar to any other culture. I think this is a new and interesting way of showcasing that Arabs in reality are as similar to Hispanics, Americans, or even Europeans.

http://youtu.be/I4D6hJA846M

Picture: A representation of Arabs in Hollywood

Video: Jad Choueiri , Funky Arabs

Stereotypes of Americans in Khlaiji Drama

We always hear about Arab image and stereotypes in American films. Before 9-11, Arabs were portrayed as thieves, murderers, and ignorant. After 9-11, the term terrorist was added to the list. According to L Susan Williams and Travis W. Linnemann, Arabs in the movies were subjects to what some call "the three B syndrome" being portrayed as "bombers, belly dancers, or billionaires." (193). And the list goes on and on.

Anyhow, when watching Arab (Khaliji) drama, I notice that they, too, have stereotypes about Americans. American men are usually portrayed as feminine, soft, and with schemes to take over the protagonists' business. American women are portrayed as promiscuous, gold-diggers, and blonde. The appearance of Americans in old khaliji drama was rare. A character or two would appear throughout the series. However, in contemporary dramas, we see more American characters appearing as regulars.

In the Khaliji drama Droub Alshak the young male protagonist falls in love with an American girl when he was studying abroad, he brings her home to meet the family, but receives negative sanctions from the rest of the society. The girl was portrayed as a gorgeous blonde. She speaks little Arabic, merely to explain to the family that she is not here for the money, but simply because she fell in love with the man. Later in the show, she brings her father to Kuwait. Because the family of the man refuses to marry their son without meeting the family of the girl. Her father was portrayed as an ignorant old man who tries to convince his daughter of getting a share of the khaliji family's business. However he fails and gets sent away at the end.

The stereotypes about the American women still exist nowadays. Men who marry American women are frowned upon because it serves the stereotype of gold diggers. Another stereotype for American girls is being promiscuous. Society thinks that "yellow" blonde girls are unfaithful to their husbands, and that he should stick to the women in his own society, because they're "flawless." Overall, Arab stereotypes of American people do exist, and always will. Cultures of fear exist everywhere, in American and Arab societies. But why do we create our fears from celluloid images?

Modern (Not) Versus Traditional

Since this week’s reading was about family, I decided to observe the socialization found in my own family. In class we discussed how in most societies there is a stereotype of the father being the breadwinner and the mother being the one who stays home and takes care of home-related topics. In the U.S, this has become less common and moreover, many countries are moving farther away from this ideology. In my blog post, I will talk about how being brought up in an Arab home has affected the way I think when it comes to family related matters.

In my own family, I notice that my parent’s roles are alike in some aspects but are different in others. For example, both of my parents are employed however, they have very different household responsibilities. My father is the one who provides us with a house but my mother turns it into a home. My father provides us with a quality education by enrolling us into the best schools but my mother comes home from work and helps us with our homework. Simply put, my father pays bills and my mother pays attention.

Growing up in a semi-traditional, semi-modern Arab family, I formed specific assumptions concerning what my role would be as a wife and mother and what my future husband’s roles would be as a husband and father. I know that as an Arab woman I am expected to know how to cook, clean and take care of the children at a minimum. Additionally, I am expected to work since more and more women of my generation are entering the workforce. I am expected to marry a man of the same social status as that of my own family or higher. My future husband is expected to have received an education equivalent to or higher than that of the one I did. He is also expected to be a workingman who can provide for his family by ensuring a house for them, good education for his children, and a comfortable lifestyle in general.

     

After taking a closer look into my own family, I realized how I am influenced by the modernization found in my generation yet still connected to my Arab roots. Societies are in fact shifting away from the old stereotype of the male being the breadwinner and the female being the home caretaker. However, they are not completely letting go of their traditional views.

Diversity

We all share diverse cultures and traditions, come from a different race or ethnicity and communicate through assorted languages. Last Thursday, I went to the cultural village, Katara, with my friends Rana and Ola to see an African band from Nigeria perform. Although I didn’t know exactly where the band was from, I knew they were African because their physical features indicated their race. They were obviously distinct from everyone else because of the language they spoke, the way they dressed and the way they looked.





I didn't understand any of the words they were singing, but I was into it because I could sense their passion. Their music was lively and vibrant and captured a big audience. The band was playing with enthusiasm and they were breaking it down with their dance moves. The audience was a mixture of different races. I saw Qataris, Indians, Filipinos, Americans and other Arab nationalities. It was easy to distinguish the ethnicity of all these people because of their social factors such as language, dress and physical appearances. The majority of the people were appreciative of the art they were performing, however others were more critical and showed prejudice towards it. For instance, there was a group of rowdy Qatari teen boys that were flocking around the main vocalist and being rude to him and mocking him when he was introducing his band. They made racial comments and were making fun of their dancing, singing and clothing. This lack of respect is a result of ignorance regarding another person's culture and traditions.




After we enjoyed their music, we spoke to them they asked were we from and they guessed that Ola was Brazilian. Although both Ola and I are Sudanese, he thought she was Brazilian because she had a lighter skin tone than him and curly light hair. When he found out that we were both Sudanese, he said to us, "You are my sisters." Being Africans, he believed we had the same ethnicity, deeming that "share national origin; a common ancestry; a place of birth; distinctive concrete traits; or socially important physical characteristics." This really got me thinking of my own identity and what I view myself as. The physical and social characteristics that I inherit from my parents and family are by chance. I very much consider myself as African, but only in terms of context meaning the only thing that I believe makes me African is geography. I regard myself to be culturally and ethnically Arab; therefore I am Arab by choice , culture and ethnicity.

Socialization - A Perspective

When I noticed the idea of socialization, I started to notice how my views of the world have gradually changed. We are all sponges sucking up the norms and behaviors of those around us. Therefore, there is no difference between any human being and I, except for being sponges at different places.

For example, all the social expectations regarding what’s right and wrong are artificial. All the ideas of what to do and what not to do is flexible over time. Yet, how come we see so many similarities between cultures in the world? What guides our universal values and morals, and what stopped them from diverging through out the centuries? If Erving Goffman's Dramaturgy views the world as theater in which we play roles in, then the world is full of many similar plays.

My theory to this is simple. At a certain point of time the majority of the world’s population were close to each other. They traded and communicated with a shorter proximity, and developed general code of ethics that they agreed upon. Huge empire such as the Greek and the Roman Empire had huge social impacts in the territory they controlled. And in both case, those territories have spread over more than ten countries of today.

Even in the modern Arab history in the Arabian Gulf, such normalization process took place between tribes. Each tribe has its own territory, and every territory has its own unique culture. However, they all come together when it comes to how to treat guests. That is feeding him and hosting him for three days at least, before even asking him why he came about.

Sociologists often consider the nurture aspect when looking at people behavior. However, I believe the nature has a role in shaping culture too. The environment in which people live in changes the way they view the world, and those that live in it. It also changes simple behavior such as temper and humor. Why is that many people that live in huge crowded cities have a bad temper and are angry all the time? Why is that people that live close to the sea, have a calmer behavior? This is true to all the countries I’ve been to. It is also valid here in Doha, between the Bedouins that live in harsh environments in the desert and the Hathars who have lived traditionally in smaller villages on the coastlines. Yet, because this observation is not based on any scientific study, I’m in no position in stating it as a fact.

Al Khor: A serene coastal city in Qatar

As Qatar’s capital city, Doha, grows massively in its population and development in the last couple of years, other cities of the country are becoming sort of more “ignored” or simply, left out.

Although it is true that capital cities around the world provide most of the facilities that tourists ─or even citizens and residents─ look for, some people , like I and my family, still like to go on road trips to other neighboring cities in the country every once in a while to have a break from Doha’s vitality and noticeable cultural diffusion. One of the cities we often go to is Al Khor “Alkh-OR” City, up in the northern parts of the country. For this city being only few kilometers away from Doha (around 50 kilometers north), Al Khor City is not like Doha City at all. It is totally different from the capital city in a variety of ways. For instance, it often rains more in Al Khor than here in Doha. The wet season in Al- Khor City keeps it leafy and green throughout the whole year. As a result, people who visit this area often see plants and animals that are not seen elsewhere in Doha or in any other southern part of the country.

Besides its uniquely magnificent weather, the architecture and other material culture in Al Khor City are biased more toward the Qatari heritage and innovation. You will often see a lot of traditional Qatari houses as you drive down the streets of the city. And as you approach the coastal regions of the city, you will notice traditional fishing boats almost everywhere along the shore. The fishermen subculture is highly noticed in the shore regions of the city as well.

One of the other beautiful things in Al Khor City is that you hardly see or get stuck in traffic jams in the morning or during busy hours in general. This is of course; a big advantage of not arriving late to school or work, as well as its major advantage of having road accidents.

Shining the light on Al Khor's non-material culture, the norms and beliefs of the people who live in this city (mostly citizens) does not differ from the ones of people who live in Doha. It’s just that a one may notice that non-material culture more easily in Al Khor than doing so in Doha, since that the sociology of Al Khor City has a little bit less of multiculturalism.