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

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