The West

Individual Rights
  -  Related to the video, Westerners were concerned about gender equality and free speech.

Strength in Diversity

Rules=Limits on Freedom

Logic
    -  Look for a motive before an event
    -  Isolated events with underlying causes

Guilt Culture

The Middle East

Group Rights
  -  Related to the video, Muslims were concerned with apostasy and blasphemy.  As Selin pointed out, these are both connected to the idea of respect.

Strength in Unity

Rules=Balance and Safety

Logic
  -  Look at the result of an event
  -  Events are connected to large underlying forces (usually intentional)

Shame Culture

What do you think?  Do you recognize these differences?  How do these differences apply to perceptions of Submission and media like it?  Do these ideas fit Turkey or Iran?  How useful or accurate are the categories “West” and “Middle East.”

Related Links

Shame & Guilt Culture Explanation

…their (wives) are your garments and you (Husbands) are their garments. [2:187]

I shall not lose sight of the labor of any of you who labors in My way, be it man or woman; each of you is equal to the other (3:195)

O mankind! Be conscious of your Sustainer, who has created you out of one living entity (nafs), and out of it created its mate, and out of the two spread abroad a multitude of men and women. And remain conscious of God, in whose name you demand your rights from one another, and of these ties of kinship. Verily, God is ever watchful over you! (4:1)

And whatever wrong any human being commits rests upon himself alone; and no bearer of burdens shall be made to bear another’s burden…” (6:165)

For muslim men and women – for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their charity, and for men and women who engage much in God’s praise for them has God prepared forgiveness and great reward. [33:35]

No human being shall be of the least avail to another human being. (82:19)

YaHind - Indian website talking about Islam and gender equality.

Muslim Women’s League

RAWA – The Revolutionary Association of Women in Afghanistan

Ztohoven’s Message Video

Anatomy of a photograph - A look at how images can be used in the media to shape or distort a story.

Arabian Gulf? - A google bomb created by Iranian bloggers related to the Arabian-Persian Gulf debate.

Blogger Explains how he made the Google bomb

The short film is Submission, directed by Theo Van Gogh and scripted by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

As a result of making the film, Theo Van Gogh was murdered by Mohammed Bouyeri.

The project is to research the actors, motives, background, and reactions that came about as a result of the film.  The class came up with these questions to be answered:

Who are the people involved?

Why did Bouyeri kill Van Gogh?

Which company(ies) funded the film?

Were there similar events before or after?

How was the film and murder portrayed in Western media?  How was it portrayed in non-Western media?

What kind of comments did people make about it online?

What is the culture like in the Netherlands and how did that affect events, reactions, and perceptions of all involved?

What was the reaction by various communities (i.e. local Muslims, local non-Muslims, Europeans, Arabs, Iranians, Turks, etc.)

All answers to the questions need to be presented with facts and cited sources.  Opinions and speculation will not be considered for the beginning of this project.

How to cite Internet sources

How to write a bibliography

How to cite sources within a text

Related Events:

Fitna by Geert Wilders

Salman Rushdie and the Satanic Verses Controversy

Danish Cartoon Controversy

Iranian Cartoon Contest - a response to the Danish cartoon controversy.

Schism - A response to Fitna against Christianity.

12 Year Old’s Persuasive Speech

Absolute Rescue by Jeffrey Kaplan – an academic look at the movement.

Missionaries to the Preborn - The organization Pastor Matt Trewhella started.  Lots of good videos here.

Mercy Seat – Pastor Trewhella’s church.

A Pro-Choice Perspective

Notice the difference in focus between pro-life groups and pro-choice ones.  One group talks about the rights of women to choose, especially concerning their body.  This group is generally secular.  The other group focuses on the rights of the unborn and is generally religious.  While both groups are fighting about abortion, they aren’t talking about the same things and use very different language.

Persuasive Speech Outline

Learning Languages

Update 2: Niqab banned for women in universities in Syria.

Update: Born Free, Unless You Are Female: Women’s rights in Europe and the Middle East

Chris mentioned that you talked a bit about the new anti-niqab laws in France.   Here’s a little more on the subject that delves a bit more into why one would choose to wear a headscarf.  Of course, you could also just ask your friends and neighbors as well.

Here’ s an interview I did while at a teaching conference in Cyprus with two really nice women I met.
My Interview with 2 women from Syria

This is a good article written by a women in Canada as to why she chooses to wear hijab.
Canadian Muslim explains her reasons

Update: Sidika Pilatin, abuse, and courts in Turkey

If you know anybody that needs help, please use the link for Mor Çatı at the bottom to contact them.

Further reading on domestic violence in Turkey in English:

Turkey’s Shocking Domestic Violence Statistics

Amnesty International: Women Confronting Domestic Violence in Turkey

Amnesty International: Shelters Not Cemeteries

Stop Violence Against Women: Turkey

Shadow NGO Report

Violence Against Women in Turkey Report

Domestic Violence Study in Sivas

Turkish Politics in Action: Landmark Decision

In Turkish:

Mor Çati

Kadına Yönelik Şiddet

You may make any comments on the articles or from today’s discussion below.

The link to the Onion article is here.

The Onion is a satirical newspaper started in Madison, WI, which is near my hometown.  American humor often uses a lot of satire, parody, and sarcasm and this paper often gives a good look into American culture. 

Along similar lines would be the news program The Daily Show with John Stewart.

Please vote for the ending you like the best.

Ending 1:

“Okay since everybody here we can start it.” Mr. Summers said with his usual happy voice.  Mrs. Hutchinson looked up at Mr. Summers as if he had forgotten something.  Though she looked rather horrified.

“Ok, for the love of all that is holy!” she said.

“Who?  What is it?”

“The box.  There’s a hole under it.  All of the papers inside it has scattered all over the ground.  Why nobody noticed it?”

The crowd all started to argue over the box before Mr. Summers once again got the control.

“That is all right.  No need to fuss about.  We are about to gather missing ones.  Maybe this was some kind of sign for us to change our needs-to-get-retirement box.”

The people seemed to agree that conclusion.  Apparently old box had been eaten by moths and until the last second no one saw the hole.

After they fixed the little problem, they continued the lottery.

Bound to the incident they had changed their broken black box with a rounded one.

For who wants to know what happened to the old one.  They putted in a glass-made frame for every new generation to see.

Ending 2:

And suddenly, Mr. Summer’s foot hit the stool and the black box crashed on the ground and falled into pieces.  Villagers were shocked.  They haven’t seen anything like that before.  Their tradition had just dissappeared in front of their eyes.  years later when the lottery night came, villagers started to throw the box after they had done the lottery.  So they started a new tradition.  Finally, they started to make a new black box every single year.

Ending 3:

At the end of the lotery.  Everyone was waiting for impatiently for the result of a big black box.

But old box has crushed at the same time all the papper has scattered all over the ground.  Everyone has seen with confusion.

Ending 4:

As Mr. Summers started to talk, Mrs. Hutchinson looked at the old black box.  It looked as if it were sleeping with the tiredness of years which gave it nothing but staleness.  “How weird,” thought Mrs. Hutchinson “it’s like watching someone you know getting killed.  Every year, this faithful friend of ours has one more step to death while nobody cares about it.  Everybody here thinks about only their benefits of the lottery, but no one seems to know that we’re killing our own spirit coming from our ancestors”  her thoughts were interrupted by her husband’s howling voice.  “We won it, darling!  We won it!”

Ending 5:

Mrs. Warner lived in a village.  Everybody liked him.  He was very old.  He was very reliable.  he predicated on their tradition.  And he always told his village’s tradition to the environment.  Everybody depended on his says.  one day A tourist came to Mr. Warner’s village.  And she was a psychiatrist.  She wanted to meet the eldest man in the village.

The villagers introduced Mr. Warner to the doctor.  Traditionally Mr. Warner started to tell their lottery day’s story.  She listened for a long time.  She asked him some queastions.  And tan she diagnosised.  She thought, “He was a very heavy dementia.  She said this happened to village’s leader.  He understood their tradition was Mr. Warner’s imaginary sight.  She said hi “Mr. Warner’s, should admit into nursing home.  For him health.”  Everybody heard this happened in the village.  Finally They left their tradition in the length of time.