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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
sundari
Published Letters: 158 Editor's Choice: 5
A lot of people here seem to think that the form is just about answering when your last period was - but in fact, women are being required to give a full menstruation history, including dates of their last maternity leave. So, it's not about x-rays or date of your last period or anything like that.
Also, the BBC reports today that because of backlash, the form is now being re-evaluated.
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6547909.stm
Female genital mutilation happens all over the world, and even in this country (albeit illegally). One could argue that it in fact is not really like losing a limb - there are prosthetics that can help one regain some functionality of a lost limb in many (most?) cases; however, FGM is not always just limited to removal of the clitoris. It often includes the closure of the vagina and other kinds of mutilation, to ensure virginity in the marriage bed.
It is also not like male circumcision - while I am also not in agreement with male circumcision, it does not have the same effect or intent, which is the total removal of sexual pleasure. Although some botched male circumcisions have had disastrous effects in regard to sexual pleasure, it is the very small minority. I would have to agree with Tracy here, that it seems to me to be more about the cultural relevance and value of female sexual pleasure vs. reproduction. After all, if it really were like losing a limb, would the panel send a refugee who had lost his arm back to Darfur, where he awaited more violence, especially if it was his own family?
What strikes me in the discussion here is that no one is talking about the other part of her argument - that she will be forced to marry her first cousin, and that her daughters will be forced into genital mutilation, as well. This is not just about what happened to her, but what will happen if she returns.
This also seems to be about precedent - what happens if they protect a woman from the hands of her male relatives? Will the world come to an end if they admit that this is a personal freedom worth protecting, the right of a woman to choose her own sexual and reproductive fate? The kind of violence being perpetrated here against this young woman by her family and culture really should be acknowledged, and she protected.
Check out this story on Rediff.com, where a gang rape victim has been sentenced to receive 200 lashes for being in the car of an unrelated male when the rape happened:
http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/nov/15saudi.htm
"The 19-year-old victim was initially ordered to undergo 90 lashes by judges from the Qatif General Court, but the case was referred back to an Appeals Court after her lawyer had urged a harsher punishment for assaulters, the Arab News reported."
The rapists were also punished with prison terms, of course, but talk about blaming the victim; this is a travesty. I hope Broadsheet will bring this to light, and try to help raise the international outcry against this barbaric treatment of a poor young woman who has already been through enough. Talk about discouraging victims from coming forward...
And one of the things that America stopped paying attention to was race.
So I guess racial profiling and other forms of racism don't apply to those of Arabic, Persian, Pakistani, Indian descent and so on. Or perhaps I missed the memo that there are only two colors that count in this country?
I'd like to think that racism is on its way out, but it seems to me that if Mr. Kamiya is correct about America not paying attention to race anymore, it could only be in terms of black and white. I certainly agree that there needs to be more than a sort of "us vs. them" dualist model of ethnicity (not to mention gender, sexual orientation, religion, politics, etc.); however, placing things in such "black" and "white" terms, and completely ignoring an enormous section of the American population in this discussion, is not going to help us get anywhere.
I'm not saying that Mr. Kamiya actually thinks that there are only two races in this country, it's just unfortunate that the article comes across that way.
My sister received an unexpected visit from Child Protective Services a few years ago, on the report that she had drugs in the house, and was a frequent drug user. The caseworker was very nice, and after talking to my sister for a while intimated that these kinds of things happen a lot - sometimes the accusations are true, but often they're not, and are just issued to scare people, or get back at someone in the most horrible way possible. The fear of losing your child is terrifying.
Still, they have to investigate, because if the accusation is true, then they've got to step in. If it isn't, their time is wasted. The CPS caseworker said she could tell my sister wasn't a "junkie" (as it was quoted in the report) just by the state of her home. For what it's worth, my sister works in a hospital, is subject to regular drug testing, and is clean as a whistle. She doesn't even drink!
In my sister's case, it was her ex-husband's wife who called CPS and made the accusation, she found out later. It makes sense, as the woman is terribly insecure and controlling, and has often tried to get at my sister through the kids.
But Cary is right - it does spark outrage. The fact that there are people who could be so callous and cruel as to get the state involved over something so petty and, well, childish... it's simply outrageous.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
