Wednesday, September 19

A Woman with a Dream

When Martin Luther King stood there, giving his public speech in 1963, saying his famous "I have a dream...", he certainly had no idea that his dream will come true. He had no idea that his speech will be a historic one, or that it will later be ranked the top American speech of the 20th century. He was only being sincere and dedicated to his cause. He spoke his mind and heart, giving the American people a peek on his dream: that one day both blacks and whites will exist harmoniously as equals.

That was a black man, whose dream exceeded himself to include all people of his race. He did not hide his dream in shame. He did not say that everything is OK as long as he himself is not negatively affected by the racial discimination practiced in his country. No, he made it his mission to fight for the rights of the vulnerable and to stand up in the face of the powerful. He knew that nothing will change as long as he and others are silent. He believed in the power of reason and justice. He understood the value of words and how taboos can be broken by talking about them. He stood there, solid and firm, expressing a beautiful dream, where black and white kids can play together, without feelings of hatred or superior/inferior relationships to destroy their innocence.

Just like it took a black man to fight for the rights of the blacks, it takes a woman to fight for the rights of women. It takes a woman with a dream; a dream of a better future, where men and women would coexist harmoniously as equals in society. It takes a woman with a mission and determination to bring down all the false taboos and misconceptions about her sex. It takes a woman whose dream extends beyond herself and her present wishes. It takes a woman who believes that she's not an inferior and that she deserves to be treated with respect. It takes a woman who believes that she was created equal, and that she holds the same brain that men hold. It takes a woman who's not afraid of imaginary ghosts haunting her life. It takes a woman who believes in herself and her abilities. It takes a woman who is strong enough to face the winds of opposition and ridicule. It takes a woman who won't give up the fight for justice and humanity. It takes a woman who will stand up and face the world with her dream.

Don't say that most girls are happy with the way things are. You know better. Your level of awareness is a gift, a precious gift that only a few get to possess. And with this gift comes a responsibility. Your awareness enabled you to understand why those vulnerable girls are silent, why they act satisfied, and why they even sometimes stand against their own rights. They are victims of a massive brainwash, just like black men were once made to believe that they were born black to be marked as salves, and that it was their inescapable destiny.

Patriarchs used the same mechanism used by Great Britain when they invaded African countries and made its inhabitants become their salves. The British colonialism was clever enough to convince those slaves that they were born slaves. They made them believe that it is a bless that they now found masters who can take care of them, because slaves can’t think for themselves. They even turned their colonialism into a crusade of some kind, where the mission was to bring civilization to these savage lands. The idea of “The White Man’s Burden” was so popular and found its believers among the colonists themselves. The “burden” was that of educating and civilizing the black barbarians. It turned intro a sacred mission, just like that of the Arab men, who want to protect women from themselves. So now we have ”the Arab Man’s Burden.”
Women are the only ones who can fight their battle. Just like blacks were liberated by the blacks, women will be liberated by women. Therefore I'll continue to say, "I have a dream."

12 comments:

The Alien said...

i agree that women will be liberated by women but first they must believe in it, that what we need now.

blacks were liberated by the blacks but there were some support from white people. when blackes believed in what they want, then there were white people who shared them their dream.
it is the same when it comes to women, they must know what they want, they must have the dream, and i am sure that there will be men to share and support.

Dr. Eyad Harfoush said...

Dear Fantasia,
Great article, as great as usual, only if you can list the number of women rights you are fighting for, maybe is a separate post, this will make us share your mind more and more.

Thank you for voting to me at WUB, wish you do not get anger with my lastest subject about marital multiplicity. Thank you

Anonymous said...

dear fantasia

every dream that becomes a reality always starts with small things building that dream and moving it towards fullfilliment
like for example all the famous painters ,they all started very poor and maybe died on this state and only became famous after their death but they never stopped dreaming or working towards fullfilling their goals even though all around them were trying to get them down

unfortunately we live in a society that doesnt allow people to be creative ,since we r still in kg1 we r taught to recite things without understanding just to pass exams,after finishing the exam everything is forgotten

when the american diploma started ,i sighed and said something good starting to happen but unfortunately later on it became a back door for everyone who wants to get something very easily to join college
i think it all starts with wanting to change our minds and the way we think ,then everything else will be possible dont u think so fantasia?

as long as there r still people who judge others according to their religion,sexual orientation,gender
there is no hope
what surprises me is that i find people who r most judged by others fall in the same trap of judging others as if they havent been burned by the same flame

great article fantasia
i hope it reaches people and it can make a big change
thank u for raising very important issues dear and sorry for being talkative
what can i do i like reading what u write always:-)
best regards to you fantasia

Fantasia said...

alien,
i am not surprised to read this comment comming from you. just please take a moment to rethink the parliment sessions which were set to discuss laws concerning women rights, like el7'ol3 for example, or women travelling without a spouse permit. Did you see what the male MPs did?
Yes, there can be a few, in fact very few, men who can sympathize with the cause, but it is totally a female battle in my point of view.
What I'm trying to say here, is that as long as women are waiting in silence for a change, it will never come. Women should get up on their feet and start taking the hard journey towards retrieving their rights. It will never work otherwise.

Fantasia said...

eyad,
long time, no see. I can see you're so busy with your new projects. Good luck. Where is your other blog pal?
I'm glad you liked this post. I'm just afraid that if I provided a list of the rights I'm calling for, that this will be the final post I write here. I prefer to tackle them one at a time. The readers can then figure out the LOOOOOOOOOONG list of rights I'm calling for.
I've left you a pretty lengthy comment on your blog. Great work.

Fantasia said...

agenda,
thank you dear for this wonderful comment. you raised some vital issues here.
linking our society's lack of tolerance to the educational system is an excellent observation. Our homes do play a role in shaping our minds, but so do our schools and what we learn there.
the reason why people tend to judge others according to personal and biological factors as you noted, is because they weren't exposed to an evironment which teaches them to welcome differences. On the contrary, we learn that a question has only one answer, any other answer must be wrong. That's why each person thinks that he is the only one who is right, which means that all others who differ from him/her are wrong (or let me say bad).
Using the same rationale, if other people are good, then I must be bad. Therefore, people exert a lot of effort trying to prove that others who differ are the evil ones, thinking that this would make them the good guys.
The more i dispise women, the more manly I become. Or the more I attack Christians and Jews, the better Muslim I become. Or the more I hurt homosexuals, the more ethical I become. And so on.
Women tend to do the same, but following not their own impulses, but those of society to gain a bit of respect and applause. A woman who talks ill about her unmarried neighbour, is conveying a message to society that she agrees with the code they set. Marriage is the only social frame where women can be safe and respected. Therefore if a woman shows her objection to the lifestyle of her neighbour she becomes a social hero in a sense.
We learn those twisted values since our early childhood and they grow with us. Then, breaking free from them becomes too hard, and for less educated people becomes impossible.
That's why I say that with a higher degree of awareness, comes responsibility. We should take it as our mission to change those distorted values. If we simply give in, things will just keep deteriorating. If we are searching for hope, we are the hope. We are the ones with insight and willingness for change. It is our dream and we are the ones who can make it true.

أسوور said...

i am agree with the alien in every word he said and i am with you too

we have to fight for our rights but we need the others too to support us and believe in our cases

what do you suggest for that??

Anonymous said...

Hi Fantasia,

I came here after seeing your comment on the girls' club. You are quite right, it takes a woman, it takes every woman wanting more than just social and cultural cliches imposed on her. And yes, one woman can't do much. But the little difference she can make (in her life, her friends' life, her children's education) finally amount to much more.

Fantasia said...

yasmine,

I've said it all in my new post. Thanks for steering up ideas for discussion. Welcoming any suggestions from your side.

Fantasia said...

alina,

welcome to Fantasia's World. I liked your blog so much. It addresses a lot of female issues in a beautifully balanced way.
I see that we agree on the role of women in changing today's sexist world. Hope each girl out there will do enough for the better future we wish for.

G.Gar said...

That is a greatarticle Fantasia.

You have pointed out the core of not just women rights but most of our problems- that is awareness. we need to raise the level of awreness and shock the people , they need to know that things can and must be better. We have to make them feel better than others, so they would feel jealous and that would be an incentive for change and progress.

I have a question for you, however. How do you define women rights in an arabic context?


Feminism has got its roots in the liberal traditions of the Germanic tribes, which has always been , one way or another, matriarchal.

We the-Arabs are doing injustice to our women, there is no doubt about that. But that is only one of th many aspects of the decline of the great Arab civilsation, which had been cluminated by the dominance of barabric Turco-Mongol elemnts on the Arabic est.

To my very humble view, For the emancipaton of women conception to be functional and appropriate in the Arabic east- it must be grounded and made meaningful within the contexts defined by the phrase" Al7orah Al 3arabiya".


by the way, I left lengthy reply to your comment on my blog. looking forward to continue the debate on the Iran issue

Fantasia said...

amre,
thanks for your comment. i liked the slogan you suggested for the feminist movement in the arab world.

I myself see that whatever name we choose, the basics for women liberation are the same everywhere. I am not one of those who likes to dress ideas in a specially tailored gown. Human rights is a global language that we should all speak. Women rights are no different.

So, to answer your question: How do you define women rights in an arabic context?
The same international definition. I won't say that Arab women are different. Their situation is worse, but as women they have the same dreams as any woman on earth. To reach out for those dreams they need the same liberal access that women everywhere are fighting for.

I'm glad you gave me the chance to discuss this point. Looking forward to exchanging more views on your wonderful blog. Will reply to your comment so soon.

"When I dare to be powerful - to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid" - Audre Lorde