Bunnies Lay Eggs?

Another round of Easter celebrations are among us. For an agnostic like myself, the mention of Easter merely conjures up visions of a four day weekend and two consecutive four-day weeks of work (Yippee!!) And, having attended a Catholic School for 6 years of my life, Easter Thursday was also the day we all went to Mass for a feet washing event commemorating Jesus's last supper. 

Easter is in fact "a Christian festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion at Calvary as described in the New Testament." (Wikipedia) But as I stared down at the easter eggs given to me during work today, I wondered where this tradition of Easter Bunnies and Easter Eggs came from? Firstly, rabbits are mammals so they don't lay eggs. Secondly, what does it all have to do with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

The answer is simple: Absolutely nothing.

"Bunnies, eggs, Easter gifts and fluffy, yellow chicks in gardening hats all stem from pagan roots. These tropes were incorporated into the celebration of Easter separately from the Christian tradition..." (Discovery News)

Eostre
Source: Wikipedia

The concept of an Easter Bunny originates from  "13th-century, pre-Christian Germany, when people worshiped several gods and goddesses. " (Discovery News) Their goddess of Spring and fertility, Eostre or Ostara, was symbolised by the rabbit due to its high proliferation/reproductive rate. Feasts were held in Eostre's honour at the March equinox.

Eggs have also been a long-standing symbol for fertility. Furthermore, legends stemming from the Persians, Indians and Egyptians who told of the earth being born from a cosmic egg also contributed to it becoming a symbol for birth and life, which was later incorporated into the concept of Jesus' resurrection by 15th century Roman Catholics in Germany. 

"By 1680, the first story about a rabbit laying eggs and hiding them in a garden was published. These legends were brought to the United States in the 1700s, when German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania Dutch country, according to the Center for Children's Literature and Culture." (Discovery News)

The abundance of eggs during Easter may also be attributed to the fact that during Lent egg was not eaten by Catholics, and therefore it was made available after the fasting period.

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More fascinating to me than the history of it, is the fact that people have somehow managed to grip onto meaningless, pagan traditions that have no basis in Christianity (which is more or less a monotheistic religion) whatsoever. But nobody seems to question it, or wonder why these misplaced and incoherent symbols have been commercialised and used to such an extent by the media? It shows that once people become comfortable with a tradition it's difficult for them to discard it.

I understand that these symbols are probably harmless in the present context of the world and only serve as stories used to engage children. But I still believe it is important to know why we give importance to certain practices, and where they came from. Again, being aware and being knowledgeable will benefit us as a race in the long run!


Stay safe, Happy holidays and a Happy Easter to all of you!

Full Article: http://news.discovery.com/history/what-does-easter-bunny-come-have-to-do-easter-120406.htm

Amina

Many of you may have heard about Amina, the girl from Tunisia being threatened with stoning by Islamists in her country for posting two topless photographs of herself on Facebook. In both photos she had scribbled across her chest powerful messages in favour of women's rights, such as "my body belongs to me, and is not the source of the honor of anyone" (in Arabic) and "Fuck your morals". For further details on the event refer to the article at the end of this post.

Renowned activist Maryam Namazie is petitioning and campaigning for Amina to be released, and I am fully supportive of her cause. On 4 April 2013, she has called for an International Day to Defend Amina. Maryam's blog can be viewed here: http://freethoughtblogs.com/maryamnamazie/ - **this page contains uncensored photos of Amina**

A petition for the cause can be found at: http://www.change.org/petitions/petitioning-tunisian-government-amina-must-be-safe  I encourage anyone concerned to sign this ASAP!!

Amina
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/03/26/topless-tunisian-femen-protester-amina-tyler-home-well-lawyer_n_2954864.html

The incident is a grave violation of human rights. Nobody should be able get away with condemning, suppressing  persecuting or harming any individual and stripping them of their rights to express themselves in whatever way they wish. Amina did not hurt anybody, only rightly and boldly demanded her freedom. Her safety is our utmost concern for the moment.

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However, safety and rights aside, I do have some objections to the method of protest chosen by Amina - or FEMEN - the Ukrainian activist group with whom Amina is affiliated. For groups like FEMEN and activists located in Europe or America or Australasia, it is easy to coordinate radical protests and encourage young girls to participate in nude activism. But they should be conscious of the fact that Islamic governments can take drastic actions against these young girls and ruin their lives and their families. This is not a small price to pay. Amina is a teenager, so I am not convinced that she was fully aware of the possible repercussions of this campaign.

People like Maryam Namazie and myself can sit safely behind our computer screens and write blogs about equality because we reside in secular nations, but ultimately the people who suffer are the girls living in Tunisia, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi and alike.

Very few in this vastly uneducated world of ours can be enlightened overnight by looking at Amina's photograph. Only the educated or secular- minded will understand her profound symbolism. That is:

• I alone can define what my body represents and how I should use it. 

• Nobody, including my family, has the right to accuse me of being dishonorable by the way I choose to treat my body. They cannot blame my lifestyle for offending them, or bringing dishonor to them. 

• My body is not an object of gaze, sexual desire or a commodity that can be bought and sold. 

• My body is natural and nothing to be ashamed of. I should not have to hide it to keep men and their lustful advances at bay. Controlling themselves is their responsibility, not mine.

When explained, these demands are clear. But when conveyed through nude photography the message is confusing, somewhat contradictory, intangible and not something the majority in Islamic/conservative countries can relate with. The open display of nudity, particularly female nudity, is a concept so far removed from their culture and what they are accustomed to that such activism will only result in girls like Amina to be labelled as perverted, derailed and characterless. Topless activism can merely generate an immediate hype or shock, but not win mass support of Muslims. We need to understand the demographics of a country or a society before propelling new and confronting ideas in their realm. With nude photographs, we can only anger the extremists, embarrass/confuse/entertain the common people, and put those involved in danger. This is not an effective strategy, as this is not an ideal world. 

I believe that the No. 1 weapon against the propagation of degrading moral systems like misogyny, is education and awareness. I cannot stress enough the importance of education for the progress of any nation. And I'm not referring to university degrees or higher school certificates, I'm talking about the kind of education that makes you capable of making a distinction between good and bad morality. Change can only occur if new ideas are introduced slowly while maintaining respectful attitudes towards those we are fighting against, and by keeping with the standards of discourse expected in this day and age. People will listen to us if we are cordial, and appear trustworthy.

In my opinion, re-claiming of my body would be better achieved by:

• Drawing focus to my intelligence rather than my body, and the contributions I make to my surroundings, my community and my family.

• Ensuring that I speak assertively but firmly – using references - to invalidate any harmful/extremist ideas I come across.

• Organising seminars, free thought groups on university campuses, peaceful rallies. Distribute fliers and open stalls.

• Share information with friends/family on networking sites to raise awareness. Create vlogs/blogs/articles/letters to the officials. Street art! Draw tasteful caricatures, cartoons.

If it is in your capacity, then open libraries and encourage reading. Reach out to remote areas of the world and teach women how to become literate, give them access to information through the internet/television/radio/mobile phones. Teach them how to attain the knowledge and resources needed for financial independence and empowerment.

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The reasons why I believe the topless protest is counterproductive is because we are trying to resolve hypersexualisation/commercialisation of the female body by using the body itself. It's artistic, it's abstract, but it's confusing. FEMEN have started a Facebook page where girls can post their topless photos to show solidarity with Amina. The comments by men on these posts speak for themselves, reflecting how blurry their understanding of the matter is, and the photos are just feeding men's eyes like always. Some comments on the photos include: 

"What better way to objectify women than to scrawl on their bodies ...derp!"

 "Post this on Tunisian sites, this is is just reaching USA and Europe, nothing more than that....."
"Yummy!" 

"Amina doesn't need nipples, she needs men with balls to get her back"
"Beautiful"

"Get her out now!"
 "I don't see anything sexual about Femen's protests, I see angry women. I think people must already be thinking of women as sex objects in order to see sex objects!"

"The breasts are for feeding babies and sexually attract potential mates, none of these functions can be denied, therefore Femen's protests with bare breasts are undoubtedly of a sexual nature for most healthy men in reproductive age. If that's right or wrong deserves a separate discussion."
"I agree that Amina should be freed. She should do herself a favor though and cut off all ties with Femen who have proven time and time again to be nothing but a bunch of male-hating airheads with breasts. That said, I admire REAL feminists, not violent nutters like Femen. After all, my mother was one."

Among other mixed feedback. Some are extremely positive, some nonchalant, some men are just happy to see "free nipples" on FB.

Remember when Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban? The amount of respect and support she received throughout the world was overwhelming. This is because her message was clear, not mirky. She didn't resort to scandalous means to convey her thoughts. She frankly wrote about everything her little heart wanted. Our teenagers should be assertive, vocal, but not repellent or self-destructive.

I know, our bodies are natural nothing to be ashamed of. And the extremists deserve to be shaken up and shocked. Their views should be turned upside down ASAP. But most societies are still not prepared for a radical cultural reformation. And most importantly, where do we draw the line between anarchy and freedom of expression? Just like our breasts, sex is natural and not shameful. Islam requires men to cover parts of their body between the navel and the knee. But a man's penis, buttocks, pelvic area and thighs are all natural and have important non-sexual functions as well. Can we then arrange for public orgies, or a public display of penises/buttocks as well? 

To be frank, I don't want to live in a world where men are desensitised/not excited by women's bodies and vice versa. We would be lying to ourselves if we claimed our breasts are NOT inherently sexual. I believe that we are all a dichotomy of our carnal desires and intellectual rationality. We need to embrace this, and organise our thoughts/actions keeping our fundamental nature in mind. 

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Full Article: http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/is-this-photo-grounds-for-death-20130325-2gpi2.html

>> DON'T FORGET TO SIGN THE PETITION ABOVE!  <<

Women

Since I have started my blog with some female-oriented topics, I thought I really should make a post that pays tribute to International Women's Day. Somewhere, either on a blog or online newspaper I saw a comment box which was collecting people's nominations for women who inspire them, whether it be a family member or a famous figure. Once I saw this I realised how I'd never really thought about this question. I have no famous or non-famous great female idol who I credit as being my inspiration.

So I did a little search on the internet for "the most inspirational females in history" and some interesting lists popped up. One particular site categorised some relatively modern leading women into specialist groups such as "Activists and Campaigners" or "Science and Technology" (the link to the article is given at the end of this post). I selected a few categories and one woman under the "Writing and Academia" section caught my attention.

This lady was Margaret Atwood. The reason she caught my eye was because she was one of the few people on the list whose work I was actually familiar with. Below I've quoted the article's background to the writer, as well as the photograph on its page.

Margaret Atwood, Photograph: Murdo Macleod for The Guardian

Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale has been a relevation for millions of readers – offering a terrifying glimpse of a parallel future where biological determinism and misogyny are taken to their logical conclusions. It's a cautionary tale of a world without feminism, and after the excesses of the Taliban's regime in Afghanistan seems more prescient than ever. As Atwood, 61, said: "People would blithely say, 'It couldn't happen here,' but this kind of thing can happen anywhere given the right kind of turmoil."

I read the book A Handmaid's Tale towards the end of last year, and although it's not the most exciting read, it is definitely a very powerful and thought-provoking book. What would life really look like if women were treated as baby making incubators? What, really, is an ideal society for women and men, and is modern society really any superior to older generations with respect to its treatment and representations of women?

While I was reading the book last year, I took a snapshot of what I believed to be the most poignant part of the book. The protagonist, a "handmaid", is on duty at the home of an important gentleman who's wife is infertile. Her job is to engage in intercourse, devoid of any enjoyment or emotion, with her master under the supervision of his wife so that she may conceive a child through her handmaid. At all other times, the handmaid is veiled. The master, who in the book known as the Commander, begins to secretly invite the handmaid to his study at nights to exchange conversation and talk about the time they left behind where women were free:

"Love", she says. She says the right to love, and be loved, is what was overlooked in that world. It is important to love a woman, because once you truly love someone, there is really nothing else you can deprive her of. In the Handmaid's Tale, the women were fighting for acceptance with their wombs, in the modern West they compete with their beauty and social grace. 

It's not completely ideal anywhere, but wherever a woman is free to love and is loved, that will always be a better place :)

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!

Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/series/top-100-women

B&!*hes Be Crazy

A few months ago I came across the podcast based bloggers "Godless Bitches" who are a group of females who discuss various issues and events from a secularist (if that's the right term) standpoint. The three main speakers are Beth, Jen and Tracie. I think all of these girls feature occasionally on the show "The Atheist Experience" - IMO, Matt Dillahunty, one of the main hosts of this show, is an amazing personality and I have never seen him fail at making an argument. He is a well read, very knowledgeable and an incredibly wise person and if anybody is interested in pro-secular morality then do visit one of their episodes on YouTube.

Getting back to my story, when I was on the ladies' blog a few months ago I was surprised by one of their segments on pro-choice for women seeking abortion. I am definitely pro-choice, but it saddened me to see these girls strip away all emotion when discussing the concept of having an unplanned baby. Really girls, are babies THAT bad?

The bulk of the discussion was centered around the logic that:

• A woman should have all the right to decide what she does with her body
• Nobody has the right to use her body and the nourishment it provides without her consent 

I think their choice of words seemed frigid and mechanical. Topics like these are delicate, and although I'm all for rational and logical discourse, the way abortion was talked about was a bit strange. 

Firstly, referring to a fetus as some kind of squatter or parasitic organism that occupies a woman’s body without “consent” is an absurd and irrelevant comparison to make, specially considering that a fetus is in no position to seek “consent” in the first place. You cannot say the fetus is not a person until born, and then accuse it of being inside you without consent as though it is a fully functioning person separate from the mother. That is contradictory to the pro-choice argument.

If we are talking about consent, the two people answerable to this question are the parents - by engaging in intercourse knowing very well the probability of falling pregnant (which will vary according to what contraceptive method you’re using) is a form of indirect consent. There’s no paper signing here, it's all about reading the fine-print and being aware of the possibilities of your actions before taking them. I say scrap this confusing "the fetus is like a parasite" line of debate and instead focus on why we need abortion in the first place so that we can defend the rights of those who really need it.

I am pro-choice simply because I understand that there are women who have been raped or sexually used and abused, are too young/poor to mother a child, or are under a health risk due to the pregnancy. All of these situations and others can be helped by abortion. If having a child is detrimental to the mother's health/well being, then of course the sole decider is the mother. But for self-sufficient, educated and Godless women, who have no fear of being judged by religion/society for having illegitimate children - the decision should be made by both parents and rests on their individual and emotional discretions. 

We often forget the role of the father in this issue. Why is the decision to abort or not abort only given to the woman, when the father has just as much right to WANT the child? Men don’t have the option of carrying a child, and this is reality. If you can’t handle the responsibility, but the father can and is willing, then why not let him? I'm always reminded of the situation between Christina and Owen in Grey's Anatomy. I think it was unfair of Christina to crush Owen's dream of becoming a father simply because of her career, even though he agreed to take full responsibility for taking care of the baby.

Beth and Tracie also discussed whether the same logic would still stand if we extended it to a new born baby. She suggested a situation where a mother and her new born is stranded on a deserted island where food is scarce, and hence breastfeeding the baby would be energy-draining for the mother. Would it then be logical for the mother to deny the baby its right to breast milk  in order to keep herself alive, as it is her body and she can choose what to do with it.

I thought it was useless trying to compare a fully functioning newborn to a fetus. I'm not a lawyer, but I'm sure such a case would most likely be related to man-slaughter! So I will leave out my verdict on the case.

You can’t judge every situation with a legal definition of “freedom of choice, or freedom to use my body as I please” - our humanity is our litmus test. Laws change from country to country, but any decent human being should know when it is right to keep a child. I think the law should trust that base instinct, and allow people, both men and women if the father is available, to make that choice through a negotiation process.

Full episode: http://godlessbitches.podbean.com/2012/06/24/episode-215/

Scholars

Was scrolling up and down my news feed on Facebook today and came across a status update that bothered me. I was going to comment on the status, but I knew that it would probably lead to a debate and end with a bad feeling overall.

The quote said:

Ibn Mas’ud –(radiyallaahu ‘anhu) – would advise his students, “If your intention is one of these three, do not seek knowledge: To shame the ignorant, or to argue with the Fuqahaa’ (scholars), or to cause people to turn their faces in your direction. Intend with your actions and words that which is with Allaah, for indeed that which is with Allaah shall remain and everything else shall perish.”

If I had commented on the status I would have simply and politely pointed out that the advice given by Mr Ibn Mas'ud was very poor, and wasn't very encouraging of a healthy, dynamic and versatile learning platform for students. How someone can post a quote like this as though it is some great piece of wisdom is beyond me, that too in this day and age.

Clearly the speaker believes that children should be seen and not heard, and that they should refrain from questioning their teachers and challenging them to reconsider their views. It asks people to not criticize ignorance, which basically means anybody can propagate false or harmful information and/or ideas and just get away without being condemned for it. This is PRECISELY why humankind fails to make progress, because people latch onto old, obsolete ways of thinking only because they were left behind by some epic scholar who cannot be disrespected.

I'm NOT against being respectful, or acknowledging those who have studied and gained expertise in a particular field. But every person must be prepared to face and ask questions, then only can they take their knowledge and their student's knowledge further.

Sex

While I am at work each day I often browse through the online news in the mornings and during the breaks. As I am unable to share news articles on Facebook (because it is blocked here), I email the articles to myself   with the intention of sharing it at a later time! But that never happens because the articles either become outdated by the time I remember to post them, or I hear someone comment on how annoying news-related Facebook posts can be, so I've decided to filter my deeper musings through to this page.

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I read the article "What the sex doctor orders" by Amrit Dhillon on SMH, Feb 28 2013. It is linked at the end of this page. The purpose of me referring to articles on this blog is not to paraphrase them here, or to repeat the same ideas. But to briefly share things which stir strong emotions inside me, whether it be anger happiness or  sadness.

The article is about a doctor named Mahinder Watsa who specialises in sex in India. He answers people's questions and concerns in the paper alongside seeing patients in person. Speaking about, writing about and depicting honest and natural sexual behaviour is sometimes a challenge in India, and can lead to major controversies especially when it comes to film. The article highlights a handful of common misconceptions about sex among young people in India, which I found to be quite frustrating but hardly shocking considering the number of people who are unable to access good education there.

''A man who had no sexual experience married a woman who happened to have received some basic sex education at her Catholic school,'' Watsa says. ''The first time they made love, neither had any idea what to do. So she made a suggestion. He was so horrified that she seemed to know about sex that he divorced her.''

This caught my attention because although I live in a developed country where there's little social pressure for anybody to be a virgin prior to marriage, I have still heard of this mentality showing through in our ethnic community. The idea of a girl knowing more or even as much as a man about sex is terrifying to them. This makes me angry, particularly because nowadays there is nothing you cannot Google to find out. And women are just as curious about sex as men are. And even if her knowledge came from practical experience, how she has chosen to use her body in the past does not define her morality. Or anyone's morality. So long as they did not hurt anybody in the process.


I have also heard of guys here becoming angry with their girlfriends because of the absence of blood during their first time. This frustrates me, as there is no way of telling if a man is a virgin or not, so it gives them no right to expect or want her body to show signs of virginity. 

''I had a 28-year-old woman from a rural background with no child. I told the husband to get a sperm count done,'' Watsa says. ''Before he could do it, she jumped into a well because the family kept blaming her. It's only when men remarry, after divorcing their wife for so called infertility, that they realise it's their problem because they can't conceive with the second wife either.''

Again, a similar kind of problem. I am surprised at how a family can blame the woman for everything, when they already know that it could be the man's problem (he was going to get a sperm count done - this validates my point that they were not uneducated about this). And many a times it is the mother-in-law and other female-in-laws who are most involved in the verbal taunting and blaming. They should know better. Everybody should know better. And that is why it is important for women to be independent and confident about their ability to live without a man, so that they don't jump into a well every time divorce is mentioned.

People say that ignorance is bliss. I believe ignorance is dangerous. Very very dangerous. I salute Dr Watsa for providing practical answers for the young generation, despite his age. He should be an inspiration to others in the same field as him.

Dr Mahinder Watsa

Full article: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/what-the-sex-doctor-orders-20130227-2f64a.html

Why?

This is my third attempt at starting a blog. I think this time, I will definitely take it seriously.

I decided to take this step one more time because I have a serious problem with internalising all of my emotions, angers and frustrations from people I love. And almost always this habit backfires on me. Because at some point, someone will always tip me over the edge of tolerance, no matter how hard I try to hide how I feel. And when I explode, it is not a pretty sight.

So, as I'm sure it is with many other bloggers, I've opened a blog to channel all my thoughts into. Because I have more thoughts than my brain can contain. And because there will always be a limit to how much your friends can understand.