Friday, November 19, 2010

"I'm a Yemeni, I'm not a terrorist" Initiative

الأخوة الأعزاء،

سئم الكثيرون مما تتحدث به وسائل الإعلام المرئية والمكتوبة والمسموعة عن اليمنيين كـ«إرهابيين» وكـأرض مفتوحة للقاعدة. نحن بحاجة الى التحدث الى العالم بلسان الحقيقة لنبيّن لهم أن اليمن ليست أرضا للإرهاب. نريد أن يطلع العالم على حقيقتنا الأصيلة لا كما يصفها الإعلام المغرض. إننا أمة لها تقاليدها الإنسانية الرفيعة، ومثلها العليا، ومادئها الإسلامية السامية.ولهذا السبب ومن أجل إيضاح الحقيقة قرر البعض منا ان يخرج فيديو قصير ا بعنوان “أنا يمني. أنا مش إرهابي"، مشابها لذلك الفيديو الذي أخرجه مجموعن من المسلمين في أمريكا (http://www.youtube.com/watch؟v=DImb7jvSbaw).

سيحتوي الفيديو على معلومات ملخصة من مختلف المناطق والهويات والمهن. ستكون النصوص قصيرة ومركزة باللغة العربية وترجمة باللغة الانجليزية . إننا نود ممن يقرأ هذه الرسالفة أن يسهم معنا في هذا المسعى حتى نتمكن من إنتاج فيديو جيد يعطي فكرة حقيقة عن سلوك مجتمعنا الرافض للإرهاب، على الا يتجاوز -ونحن في زمن السرعة- 5 دقائق. إننا نبحث عن يمنيين أصحاب المهن التالية : طبيب ، مسؤول حكومي، شيخ ، فنان، صحفي، عامل في المنظمات غير الحكومية، مغني، رياضي، محامي، ضابط وضابطة شرطة، مهندس، إمام مسجد، استاذ جامعة ، حاخام يهودي، مدرس او مدرسة الخ...

فمن يجد في نفسه الرغبة أن يسهم معنا بالتواصل مشكورا مع:

أطياف زيد الوزير: atiaf.alwazir@gmail.com

Dear all,

Many of us Yemenis are sick and tired of the media's constant portrayal of Yemenis as «terrorists» in a land that welcomes alqaeda. We need to speak out and show the world that we are not what the media says we are. We are a nation and a people with humanitarian traditions and moral ideals. For this reason, and in order to clarify the truth, some of us decided to make a very short clip entitled “I am Yemeni. I am not a Terrorist” that will be similar to this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DImb7jvSbaw).

We have a short script that we would like people to follow for a better video production. We will feature Yemenis from various backgrounds, cities, and professions. The clip will be in Arabic with English subtitles. We hope that whoever reads this message will contribute in whatever way they can, so we can produce a good video that will not exceed 5 minutes. We are looking for Yemenis in the following professions: doctor, government official, sheikh, artist, journalist, NGO worker, singer, athlete, lawyer, female police officer, Imam, engineer, Rabbi, and professor, teacher etc.

If you are interested in being featured in this clip or in helping in any way please contact me at

Atiaf.Alwazir@gmail.com




"I'm a Yemeni. I'm not a terrorist" Initiative

Dear all,

Many of us Yemenis are sick and tired of the media's constant portrayal of Yemenis as «terrorists» in a land that welcomes alqaeda. We need to speak out and show the world that we are not what the media says we are. We are a nation and a people with humanitarian traditions and moral ideals. For this reason, and in order to clarify the truth, some of us decided to make a very short clip entitled “I am Yemeni. I am not a Terrorist” that will be similar to this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DImb7jvSbaw).

We have a short script that we would like people to follow for a better video production. We will feature Yemenis from various backgrounds, cities, and professions. The clip will be in Arabic with English subtitles. We hope that whoever reads this message will contribute in whatever way they can, so we can produce a good video that will not exceed 5 minutes. We are looking for Yemenis in the following professions: doctor, government official, sheikh, artist, journalist, NGO worker, singer, athlete, lawyer, female police officer, Imam, engineer, Rabbi, and professor, teacher etc.

If you are interested in being featured in this clip or in helping in any way please write me a comment here.

Thanks!
Atiaf

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Facebook the bearer of bad news

Today, like many days I went on facebook expecting to get the usual updates from friends and family, view some new photos, and watch funny videos or news clips. I also wanted to post a message to my friend Jehan Shaheen's wall to get the usual girly update on her love life, and to write her a message telling her that she can't have fun at the beach without me, because after all, the best beach trip was the one we took together! Well, it turns out she didn't have fun at all because she never got to the beach.

when I got to her wall, I was so confused. I saw messages saying "البقية في حياتك يا جيهان"..... What?? what does that mean? No way, this can't happen!! I was to see her again the next time I went to Cairo. The more messages I read, the more it was confirmed. Jehan has passed away!!! On the road to Nwaiba'a, they got in a fatal car accident. I don't know the details. I never told Jehan how proud I was to know such a strong amazing Egyptian activist like herself. I never told her many things. I hope that I can still tell her, after all, “Death ends a life, not a relationship.”

I know that I never told you all how much you mean to me. You have my life and each one of you stamped it in your own special way. You mean so much to me, and I am so happy to have you in my life. Please know that no matter how far we are, you are part of my life, and I love you very much.

Jehan's last facebook status updates was

يطير الحمام، يحط الحمام،اعيدي لي الأرض لأستريح

the pigeon flies; the pigeon lands, return me to the land so I can rest.

God has returned her to the land where she will rest in peace, inshallah. Please pray for my friend Jehan.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

The Yemeni Index-How Yemeni Are You?

All my life I dreamt of returning to my birth place Sana’a. This is the place where I spent the first year of my life, and of course occasional summer vacations. Every now and then I fantasized about “returning” to a place I never really lived. I talked to friends about options for work, but then always failed to take the last step of moving. One day, I decided to move to Cairo, which rejuvenated me with its spirit of life. It is also the place where I met my soul-mate, Ben. It was Ben who gave me the final push to move to my Yemen.

Yesterday marked our one month “anniversary” of living in Sana’a. I came to Sana’a numerous times before, but this time it was different. Arriving with the mentality that we “moved” here and that my dream to live in my birth place came true, filled me with excitement, fear, and emotional reflection. This first month was very emotional for many reasons:

One, I am living in the family home where I was born. When I look out, I think about how my grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts all walked, ate, and slept in this same place. When I look at the room upstairs, I think about the very difficult labor that my mom went through on November 4, 1979 (when I was born). I can’t help but wonder what my life would look like if we had never moved. Would I be the same person I am today?

Second, I had such high expectations of what living in Yemen would be like. I hold our traditions and culture in a very high state, but now I am confronted with the reality that my beliefs are too idealistic for any people; and that, naively pains me.

Third, and most difficult is that I feel alien sometimes. Although Yemenis are VERY welcoming, I had expectations that I would fit in society right away. After all, I AM Yemeni, right? But how “Yemeni” am I? What is the index to measure Yemeniness? I think this index is the level of adherence to cultural norms and regulations, including gender and class roles.

For some things, I am very Yemeni. I speak the language fluently with a Sana’ani accent that I’ve been told is very good, especially for someone who never lived in the country. I love Yemeni food, enjoy qat every now and then, love Yemeni music, architecture, and love family gatherings. But at the same time, I am married to a French man, I have been traveling alone since I was 12, I smile in the street and talk to strange men, and I attend mix gatherings. This really confuses some Yemenis. Some of the more “educated” Yemenis and the “elite” of Yemen seem to accept all the above, what confuses them is that I take the dabbab (mini bus) on my daily commute to work, I love local grocery stores, I drink tea at the local tea market (with men), and God forbid I buy my own meat from the butcher. (good girls from a certain class should NOT go to the butcher).

So, it seems I don’t necessarily adhere to gender or class cultural norms of society, and therefore categorizing me based on my gender or class becomes extremely difficult, and it makes me an anomaly in this city of similarities and unchanged attitudes. The fact that I went against some traditions, not only confuses people, but also sometimes offends them. Nevertheless, I hope that my love for Yemen and Yemenis is enough to allow me to keep the title of “Yemenia”. I hope that my fellow Yemenis can understand that in this globalized world it's not a contradiction to be be proud of my heritage, hold on to my individuality, and become a citizen of the world, all at the same time.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Ten Thoughts on Yemen

1) When you are reading the news from outside the country you feel that Sana’a is under fire. It’s really not, other cities may be, but not Sana’a, so feel free to visit.

2) Every time I visit Yemen, the beauty of the architecture and buildings amazes me.

3) Although brown is still a dark color, wearing a brown abaya instead of a black one is an unconventional move that could bring about a great deal of discussion. Some will “love your bold move, and hope that all women start wearing colored abayas." Others will wonder why you want to “bring too much attention to yourself.” But most importantly, everyone in the street will assume you are NOT Yemeni.

4) Since people assumed I was “foreign” because of my brown abaya, I let them believe that. I learned that foreign women have a lot more access to enjoy the city. They can enjoy a nice shay bil7aleeb (tea with milk) and eat kabob in the old city, and no one will ask min bait man (which family are you from)? No one will give them strange looks because they are not supposed to be there, and no one will talk badly about them! Instead, they warmly welcome them to the country. I wish men acted the same way towards women from their own country.

5) The word al-wihdah (unity) sprung up everywhere. Alwihdah supermarket, alwihdah barber, alwihdah school, and even alwihdah Kleenex. I guess that’s the government’s grand plan for preserving unity!

6) The Saleh mosque is seriously misplaced! It really does NOT fit in Sana’a. You can see the mosque from almost anywhere in the city, and from wherever you are you will notice the sharp contrast between the neighboring houses and the grand mosque. It’s a remarkable symbol of ultimate power and corruption in a land of poverty.

7) It is easy for terrorists to operate in Yemen, they just have to put on a lithma (niqab) and no one will check.

8) I sometimes feel like I completely belong in Yemen, but other times I feel like I’m a total stranger in my own city of birth.

9) Everyone is on facebook and I mean EVERYONE! Whether they are your friend or not, they will look at your pictures, and it will be the topic of discussion during lunch or qat sessions. Then you will never hear the end of it from extended family members!

10) Although the political situation keeps getting worse, the Special Olympics ceremony that we attended gave me hope that things can improve. It was an amazing opportunity that showed me that when there is a will we can actually make great things happen.