Blanca 1 Jesse Blanca Professor Green English 1B Thursday, February 12, 2009 Lock and Key I could have

died with my eyes closed, but I discovered something I hadn't known before: a person dies with open eyes, as if wanting to see the process, or as if defending one's life with all senses. Newal El Saadawi Preclusion to social order often draws an antiquated analogy of a lock and key. Men had their place, as do women, never equal, and always skewed. There are expectations of gender roles that cannot be easily defined biologically; for instance, fathering and mothering can easily be assumed by either sex. To define society in a concomitant pairing of a dominant male and subservient female is an age-old aberration that permeates all cultural boundaries. Saadawis chronicle of an Egyptian woman Firdaus reads no different than that of the plight of women in first world, second world, and third world. A battered woman is a battered woman, and abuse is still abuse regardless of stature and class. The only significance in Firdaus story is where and when she committed the murder! Egyptian women hold a unique place in world history, not just for the sake of womankind, also for the sake of humanity in general. Much like the Tudor Queen Elizabeth I who reigned through trying times Cleopatras reign also culminated with a sea battle. As Caesar paramour, Cleopatra quickly allied with Mark Anthony on Caesar assassination. Octavius the adapted son of Caesar had desires for power and a riff for dominance raced across the Empires of the 1st century. For the 16th century Queen Elizabeth I, with only 80 vessels to King Philips Armada of 130 the weather favored her. After a commando like raid on the Spanish Armada, the fleet was blown off course and had to sail around England in heavy seas, and of the 130 ships that left port in Lisbon only 50 made it back. Cleopatra and Mark Anthonys fleet was doomed from the very start, with only 230 ships to Octavians 400. Mark Anthonys fleet was cut down from 500 because of an outburst of Malaria. Cleopatra had a

Blanca 2 commanding view of the defeat from her flotilla of 60 vessels that guarded the rear. The loss of the battle at Actium ended with the eventual double suicide of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony. (Fletcher) It is hard to reconcile the Egypt of the Pharaohs to that of contemporary Egypt. The succession of great female rulers juxtaposes that of the bonded women in Sharia Egypt. Not that a common women held equal position in Dynastic Egypt, it was just not as severely define in such a perverse manner as in Maliki Sharia Doctrine. Under Sharia a marriage contract has three spaces under the grooms name to be filled out if he chooses to add more wives. During the ceremony, a Muslim man does not pledges loyalty to his wife, and wives are not expected to receive them. Infidelity for women is punishable by stoning, or beheading. Rape is regarded as a crime but guilt is often interpreted as the women fault. The common argument is that she prompted the attention therefore it was her fault that such desires was drawn out. It is perplexing to read about a land that bore great women leaders such as Hatshepsut, Cleopatra and then read the contemporary accounts of Firdaus. To have to praise the past while the present sink deeper into the 7th century is disconcerting. Indeed the great if of history bare to mind if only Mark Anthony and Cleopatra won the battle of Actium what would Egypt look like today. Cleopatra not only embraced Egyptian culture but never turn back from her Macedonian Greek creed. She was proficient in eight languages, a master at commerce, a clever stateswoman, and could even lead men into battle. One musing we can assert that current religious topography would be different. Jesus and Muhammad would not have had the political vacuum to cultivate their ideologies. Cleopatra would have kept Alexandria the capital of a new Egyptian-Greek-Roman empire. Unlike the Roman Octavius, Mark Anthony and Cleopatra were beloved in Asia Minor; they were the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie of the 1st century! Scholars have also toyed with the idea of technology advancing sooner by not being crippled by the Dark Ages and the destruction of the great Library of Alexandria. (Kliener) This paper and Saadawi s Firdaus would not exist, what if indeed!

Blanca 3 As a picaresque protagonist, Firdaus certainly had the odd stacked against her from the very beginning. So does a woman in East Los Angeles, New Orleans, Camden New Jersey, Detroit, St. Louis, Oakland, Flint Michigan, Gary Indiana, Birmingham Alabama, and Richmond California. It is very easy to denounce the lives of others based on personal value judgment; your predilection is a normative process. What is, and why is through western eyes is different from that of eastern, or North African eyes. The what being a factual assumption and the why being a philosophical question! Normative process is how one try to fit their value onto someone else's circumstance, and it seem that the plight of Firdaus struck a cord with western readers only because its amplified by virtue of its foreignness. The further the situation the easier it is to see what is right or wrong. Its as if 7470 mile makes us immune to her story therefore becoming instant adjudicators. It is much easier to judge a culture not so close to your backyard and yet abused children who become battered women that, runs away into a life of prostitution then killing her pimp is not a foreign story. Sixteen miles away from San Francisco in Oakland residence have embarked on a Shaming Campaign trying to plaster the faces of johns on billboards, and bus shelters along International Boulevard. In one bizarre case, a mother found her 12-year-old runaway daughter on the street soliciting. After taking her home a black SUV appeared in front of the house men with guns leap out kidnapping her daughter. The Oakland police believe that they were the pimps, and they found her because the pimps attached a GPS tags on the young woman ankle. (Oakland Post) A special report by the Philadelphia Tribune outlined an alarming boom in child prostitution, child pornography, and human trafficking. The principals of such crime average in the 12 to 14 years of age when they first start prostituting, and for male and transgender, its 11 to 13 years of age. The FBI identifies most major cities in the United States as having high incidences of child prostitution, the metropolitan Bay Area among them. Root of the matter falls on two elements the business and the society. Saadawi have argued to modernize Egyptian society so that Firduas story could become less common, but even in the secular west rise in economic standing did little to stave off the oldest profession. To the contrary, the sex industry has grown in leaps and bounds. The stripping industry is

Blanca 4 worth 75 billion dollar world wide, 15 billion dollars alone in the United States. More than baseball, and pornography have become mainstream that it is listed in the stock market. It is no wonder that the Imam have more than enough fodder to criticize the west. We have to be careful in judging Firdaus life, because even westerners thread at the cusp of morality. Even with blanket of the US Constitution amoral behavior still permeate. The Bowery area of New York City a housing inspector stumble onto a woman who said she was being held against her will. Immigration and law-enforcement officials discovered 31 Thai women in the building as virtual sex slaves. Human trafficking has become big business, and the perception that trafficking affects only developing countries- is not true, said Kavita Ramdas, president of the Global Fund for Women but it is as much an issue for us here in the United States as it is in my home country [India], as it is in Nepal and China and the Philippines." (Ramdas) U.S. State Department estimate 14,500 to 17,500 women and children are trafficked into the states. Trafficking starts with the allure of working legitimate jobs in the United States then the traffickers confiscate their passport and then tell the victims that they have to service 400 to 500 men to pay off their $40,000 debt in travel and other cost. (Knickerbocker) For American children it starts with running away from home, in most cases a broken home, upon arrival on the streets the lack of resources escalate to a disparate situation. Pimps prey on runaways, giving them the assurance of a helping hand then eventually coercing them through violence, drugs or both. Male social desideration is cause for the lucrative business of women exploitation and conservation personified by the prostitutes and her alter ego the virgin. The two perceptions of women are highly sought after, Virgins are epoch of virtue someone who you bring to meet mom and the other satisfy your darkest animal lust. Whither a society ascribe to a higher promulgation of female virtue or open interpretation to individual rights. It is the precept of the two women that roots in the cause, wanting the slut and something like mom in the same time. It is in this case Saadawis works

Blanca 5 brings to light not just the cuffs of Sharia law unto women but a universal male conundrum. Sharia literally means path or path to water it stems from four sources. The holy book of Islam Quran, the Hadith the record of Mohammeds action and saying; Ijma consensus of Islamic scholars, and Qiyas analogies taken from the Quran that is applied to contemporary life. Sharia not only governs religious matter but in Government as well making it a one-way system of law and order. Life therefore is predicated on whither it is or not in the four sources of the Sharia. Therefore, the union of men and women are ordained in Islam through Sharia. Christianity had in the past almost mimicked Islam in womens oppression. After all both religion share fundamental beliefs, there is only One True God, worship only one God, believers who die will go to heaven and live forever, disbeliever will be punished, and God will resurrect all for judgment. What change women in Christianity came in two folds, the ushering of the age enlightenment in the 18th century and the first convention of women rights at Seneca Falls New York in the 19th century. It would be a protracted fight that span to this day, progress in the west assures womans right not only by the law, its also universally acknowledge by western society at large. In contrast to Egypt today that made no such leap, the distinction between societies is dire. How ironic that Newal El Saadawi authored the story of an incarcerated Firdaus in Woman At Point Zero and to be imprisoned herself. During the intellectual round-up of 1981 then Egyptian President Anwar Sadat sent Saadawi to prison for writing The Fall of the Imam a highly inflammatory piece locked Saadawi for 22 years. During an interview in her flat that overlooked the nearby Nile River, Saadawi now 74 wore her gray hair openly in the wind, in contrast to the young journalist head scarf. Saadawi wants to convince young women to give up their scarf a small act of defiance that is still taboo to this day. A small token from one of the mothers of Muslim feminism. In 1972, Saadawi broke barrier by becoming the Egyptian director of public health. As a physician she specialized in thoracic medicine and psychiatry an accomplishment even men in the west could envy. When she spoke and started fighting for women rights trouble

Blanca 6 began by bringing the gender apartheid to the surface. Expectation of women to stay in their place in Egyptian society is very clear and complicated with the transparency of religion and government. What is it about the womans voice that makes men clinch their fist? If not for a woman Sadat would not be, nor would all the Imams and Muhammad for that matter! Fifteen minutes into a test for competency, three psychiatrists signed off on Aileen Carol Wuornos as competent for execution. Convicted for the six murders Wuornos was sentenced to death via lethal injection on October 9, 2002. As a prostitute that worked the truck stops in Florida Wuornos claimed that, she killed in self-defense. That it was a rape or attempted rape that made her take lethal actions. Her story reach acclaim first by being named the first female serial killer and two by an Academy Award winning movie based on her life. Sharon Richardson story is not on the fast track to Hollywood but she is a prototypical case of battered woman who end up taking drastic measure. Convicted of conspiring to kill her abusive boyfriend Richardson continued to profess her innocence 14 years into her 20 years to life sentence. She has is a model prisoner, who earned several certificate, an AA degree with a 3.2 GPA. (Zook) Stacey Shortall a lawyer that took Richardsons case pro bono said recidivism for people who have no prior record, possess a college degree, have undergone counseling and demonstrated a solid work history are virtually zero. (Shortall) Yet, Richardson still sits in jail! What makes the Richardson case different from battered women who end up getting clemency is that they all owed up to the crime. Richardson has maintained her innocence all throughout, "the clemency bureau really wants to see a lot of remorse here. Our courts said she did it, and she's been through all these appeals, so from their perspective, she still is not being truthful about her involvement." (Shortall) Again the mechanism of justice is skewed, its saying that we will let you go just say you did it! In addition, say youre sorry! Sound a lot like, rape is a crime but you probably caused it! Humans are social animals, deprive them of interaction or even light is akin to slow death. It is very easy to rationalize prison being full of people who committed crimes and that caging them is whats best for society. The problem in this rationale

Blanca 7 is who decide what is a crime, is being a woman a crime? It appears to be in some society! Then what is the basis for the edict, a book written in the 7th century! In one respect Saadawis Firdaus and women in the west have the same obstacles to traverse, but for Firdaus the obstacles are near permanent. Even under international pressure, and even though Egyptian government banned the act of Female Genital Cutting its still prevalent six years after the prohibition. (Hassanin) What is a Lock and Key? It is order through patriarchal-neoclassicalfundamentalism that permeates globally in almost all society! The unsaid rule that state "women has a certain place in society and should stay there. It is embedded in the lexicon of society; by effectively naming womens position define the boundaries through the course of a lifetime. The construction of language is divided in gender roles! From the very foundation of society language perpetuating female stereotype without being conscious about it until women speak against the margins. Imago Dei, Latin for in the Image of God is a theological concept that first appeared in Genesis 1:26-27 and depending on who interprets the scripture it can be made in his Image or made in the image of God. Regardless of the inference of the pronoun, the deeper problem is that there are two distinct animals being made by one creator. Moreover, being made in the image of the said creator make the creator what? Man or Woman! From the very binding of Christian, Islamic belief, women are seen equal in the eyes of God but one follows the other! Which is a fallacy of statement from the very beginning, is it equal in the eyes of god or not? Arguing terms are construed by religious leaders as an attack on belief because the interplay between belief (religion) and language evolved concurrently in society. One of the functions of language itself is to conform to the linguistic straitjackets we have prepared for us. (Stanley) Words are owned by definition, a language is owned by society and change can only happen when the consciousness of that society wills it. Womens rights have little to do with prostitution, because ultimately if your wife decided to charge you for your love sessions she could do so at will. By virtue of definition, is she then a prostitute? In the West sexually available woman, the prostitute, the courtesan, the call girl, can command fees in the thousands, and

Blanca 8 some having earned college degrees work the business as sole proprietor. Of course, there is also the prostitute that lives a life of horror. We cannot assume that women who use their sexuality to their advantage do so reluctantly. When Cleopatra unrolled herself from a carpet in front of Caesar, she knew what she wanted to get. Though it is not clear whither, she bedded Mark Anthony first for love or duty it is clear that she wagered the future of Egypt with whom she saw as the true heir of Rome. Cleopatra was a mother to her three children, to her nation, lover to Caesar and to Mark Anthony, and a leader that used her womanly wiles to achieve her objective. She was a virtuous priestess deserving of the statues erected of her next to the Greek Gods in the Acropolis, she was also a cunning slut who knew the reality of her position and maneuvered to achieve her ambitions. The love hate relationship between men and women is as old as time. Freud would argue that mens sole desire in life is to kill father and marry mother, not being able to do that manifest in lusting for the motherly surrogates. Yes, the truth is your beloved mom was once a slut, an object of desire that aroused many men. Some might see this as a testament to her beauty of which you will carry on; others are scorn by the mere fact that mothers like to have sex! In this reductive way, its very easy to see the warped Mamas Boy that clung to Holy Scripture looking for order. When the key does not fit the lock, what do you do? In all we cannot say that every men in Saadawis society is a male oppressor of women after all she was encourage by her father to be educated. This was in the 1960s and 1970s a time where a womans place never exceeded secretary status in the United States let alone Saadawis Egypt! What lifted the ceiling for women in the west is the redefinition of the gender lines and the simple act of allowing your daughter to decide what she wants to be echoes a lifetime. As Firdaus tells her tale, catharsis come at the verge of her execution with the realization of her life had been doomed from birth. "All the men I did get to know, every single man of them, has filled me with but one desire: to lift my hand and bring it smashing down on his face. But because I am a woman I have never had the courage to lift my hand. And because I am a prostitute, I hid my fear under layers of make-up."

Blanca 9 Firdaus, Woman At Point Zero by: Saadawi

Works cited

Saadawi, Nawal El (Woman at Point Zero) Zed Books 1984 Translated by Sherif Hetata Edition: 2, reprint Published by Zed Books, 2007 ISBN 1842778730, 9781842778739 El Saadawi, Nawal (War Against Women and Women Against War: Waging War on the Mind.) Black Scholar; Summer/Fall2008, Vol. 38 Issue 2/3, p27-32, 6p Abstract: The article examines the development of Islamic fundamentalism as a form of war on the mind of people and its impact on women. Newson-Horst, Adele S. (Conversations with Nawal El Saadawi.) World Literature Today; Jan/Feb2008, Vol. 82 Issue 1, p55-58, 4p, 1 color Abstract: The article presents an interview with author Nawal El Saadawi. El Saadawi describes how her family's views of God inspired her play "God Resigns at the Summit Meeting." She comments on how several of her books were banned at the Cairo International Book Fair. She discusses how her book "The Fall of the Imam" depicts ways that religious fundamentalism can deprive writers of creativity. Nassef, Ahmed (EGYPTIAN WOMEN: EGYPT'S LEADING FEMINIST UNVEILS HER THOUGHTS.) Women's E-News (Feb 1, 2004)(1286 words) From General OneFile. 'Big Talk' is the talk of Cairo. Contemporary Sexuality; Oct2007, Vol. 41 Issue 10, p77, 1/3p Abstract: The article focuses on the belief of sexologist Heba Kotb to convince Egyptians that sexual pleasure within the context of marriage is not only permitted in Islam but is celebrated. "Memoirs from the Women's Prison." Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America: Primary Documents. Jeffrey Lehman. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. Discovering Collection. Gale. City College of San Francisco. 9 Feb. 2009 Otterman, Sharon (Islam: Governing Under Sharia ) 2005 Council on Foreign Relations Link: http://www.cfr.org/publication/8034/#1 Fletcher, Joann Dr. (From Warrior Women to Female Pharaohs: Careers for Women in Ancient Egypt) BBC, Ancient History Egyptians Links: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/women_01.shtml Kleiner, Diana E. E. Yale University (Cleopatra and Rome) 2005 Harvard University Press

Blanca 10 C. Martin, "Lord Howard: The Armada 1588" in E.J. Grove (Ed.) Great Battles of the Royal Navy (London, 1994). Knickerbocker, Brad (Prostitution's pernicious reach grows in the US. (cover story)) Christian Science Monitor; 10/23/96, Vol. 88 Issue 230, p1, 3 color Abstract: Reports on the increasing practice of prostitution in the United States (US), and the steps being taken to reverse the trends. Who participates in the prostitution; Establishment of `prostitution-free zones' in Portland, Oregon; Types of measures being taken in San Francisco and other parts of the US; Comments from former prostitutes. Silbert, Mimi H., Pines, Ayala M. (Early Sexual Exploitation as an Influence in Prostitution.) Social Work; Jul83, Vol. 28 Issue 4, p285-289, 5p Abstract: The article examines whether street prostitutes were sexually exploited during their childhood. Godziak, Elbieta M. (On Challenges, Dilemmas, and Opportunities in Studying Trafficked Children.) Anthropological Quarterly; Fall2008, Vol. 81 Issue 4, p903923, 21p Abstract: The authors comment on the experiences of children, mostly girls, trafficked to the United States for sexual and labor exploitation and their prospects for reintegration into the wider society. Wacker, Julia; Parish, Susan; Macy, Rebecca (Sexual Assault and Women With Cognitive Disabilities.) Journal of Disability Policy Studies; Sep2008, Vol. 19 Issue 2, p86-94, 9p, 1 chart Abstract: Criminal sexual assault statutes vary across the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. However, most statutes mandate increased restrictions and penalties for crimes committed against victims with cognitive impairments. Cohen, Alex (Sexual Harassment On Rise In Egypt) Day to Day (NPR); 02/02/2009 News: Africa (Reports the protest against rape of infant by the African National Congress Women's and Youth Leagues in South Africa.) Off Our Backs; Dec2001, Vol. 31 Issue 11, p5, 1/4p Economist (Two Countries) Economist; 9/13/2003, Vol. 368 Issue 8341, special section p7-8, 2p, 1 color Abstract: The article focuses on Egypt and Morocco, both countries with parliaments and elections, but neither being remotely democratic. In Morocco ultimate power rests with a king, Muhammad VI, with the power to appoint the prime minister and cabinet. Shaham, Ron (MASTERS, THEIR FREED SLAVES, AND THE WAQF IN EGYPT (EIGHTEENTH-TWENTIETH CENTURIES)) Journal of the Economic & Social History of the Orient; May2000, Vol. 43 Issue 2, p162-188, 27p Abstract: The study seeks to clarify - on the basis of shari'a court decisions - the exact forms in which freed slaves benefited from waqfs founded by their former masters.

Blanca 11 Womens International Network News (The Egyptian society for the prevention of harmful practices to woman and child.) Women's International Network News; Winter98, Vol. 24 Issue 1, p37, 1/3p Abstract: Presents a translation of an article from the newspaper `El Akhbar,' concerning the controversy regarding female genital mutilation (FGM) in Egypt between some Muslim authorities and the Health Ministry. Commission of state counselors' support of the decree by the ministry of health against FGM; Female rights according to the Sharia or the law. Economist (Egypt's gentle voice, iron hand.) Economist; 4/13/96, Vol. 339 Issue 7961, p33, 1p, 1 bw Abstract: Presents the ongoing struggle in Egypt between political reformers and conservatives over the role Islam plays in legislative decisions. The Islamic `sharia' embedded in the Egyptian constitution; Grand Imam Sayed Tantawi, a liberal reformer, and honorary head of Egypt's `ulema'; Changes occuring at the 1,000-year-old Al Azhar University which produces Muslim preachers, lawyers, and theologians.

Roberts, Albert (Classification Typology and Assessment of Five Levels of Woman Battering.) Journal of Family Violence; Nov2006, Vol. 21 Issue 8, p521-527, 7p Abstract: Family violence is a prevalent, dangerous, and often life-threatening social and public health problem. It is an indiscriminating crime that knows few boundaries, as recent annual estimates indicate that over 8.7 million women are battered by husbands, boyfriends, and other intimate partners [Roberts, ; Roberts & Roberts, ]. Schindehette, Susan; Haederle, Michael (Women Without A Face) People; 12/13/2004, Vol. 62 Issue 24, p123-126, 3p, 7 color Abstract: The article focuses on Carolyn Thomas of Waco, Texas, who tells how a brutal relationship and a single bullet nearly cost her her life. Bandages have masked her face since the night last December when, police say, Terrence DeWayne Kelly, shot and killed Thomas's mother, Janice Reeves, then put his .44 magnum revolver to Thomas' temple and pulled the trigger. Zook, Kristal Brent (WHY IS SHARON RICHARDSON IN PRISON?) Essence; Dec2004, Vol. 35 Issue 8, p166-221, 6p, 1 color, 1 bw Abstract: Features Sharon Richardson, an African American woman convicted of the murder of her boyfriend Jeffrey Bridges. Performance of Richardson in prison; Efforts of Richardson's lawyers to have her released; Details of her relationship with Bridges. Adams, Jill E. (Unlocking Liberty.) Berkeley Women's Law Journal; 2004, Vol. 19 Issue 1, p217-245, 29p Abstract: Discusses the enactment of section 1473.5 of the California Penal Code or the habeas law, which will allow battered women convicted of killing their batterers to file a writ of habeas corpus to have their cases re-examined.