In this episode, journalist Alexandra Sandels reflects on the experiences of three women in the Arab region about their activism in favour of freedom and the pushback they receive from within their societies. Their stories are among those documented in the oral history collection ‘Taboos & Society’ produced by Sharq.Org
Episode 3 Transcript
(duration: 6:03 mins)
Original script & narration in English by Alexandra Sandels
Soundbites (not transcribed) included in the original Arabic
// soundbite from interview with Hana //
“Growing up in my community, girls were not really allowed to continue their education past sixth grade”, Hana, a 32- year old woman living in the Yemeni capital Sanaa recalls. “It was a challenge for me to be able to attend high school and enrol at university”, she continues. Access to education remains a huge challenge in Yemen, a poor country battling conflict, malnutrition and poverty. According to the UN agency UNICEF, over 2.7 million girls and boys are currently out of school in Yemen. And access to girls’ education in particular remains a challenging issue. When Hana was growing up she realised that she may be forced to drop out of school as a teenager, she issued an ultimatum to her family.
// soundbite from interview with Hana //
“I stood up, faced my family and told them if they will not let me carry on with my education, I will run away from the house”, Hana says. First there was a bit of shock in the family home but her family members soon realized that Hana, who is known to be stubborn as she says, may well put her words into action. So they allowed her to continue her education and today, Hana holds a law degree and runs a consultancy. “That was my way to fight for my right to education, and I succeeded in doing so”, says Han.
// soundbite from interview with Hana //
In the first episode of our podcast, we met Rodaina, an English teacher also living in Sanaa who spoke about the issues concerning restrictions to women´s mobility. Today, women in Yemen are required to travel with a mahram, a male guardian which could be a husband, brother or father, Rodaina explains. She traces the worsening situation for women in her home country back to 2014 when an armed conflict broke out between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed government in Yemen. It was around that time that calls started being put out to restrict women’s movement and their participation in public and political life, according to Rodaina. And today, Yemeni women can’ really engage in peacemaking efforts, participate in conferences or take on political roles, Rodaina says.
// soundbite from interview with Rodaina //
Rodaina knew she had to come up with something to be able to travel freely and in a safe manner. So she resorted to borrowing the ID of a colleague that she shows up at the many checkpoints she sometimes has to pass through to go from one place to the other. This was the way to defy the ban on women´s mobility, I did what I had to do to overcome it,” says Rodaina.
// soundbite from interview with Rodaina //
In Lebanon, Badiah, a civil society worker in her thirties, has faced many battles in her activism and work in gender equality. But what she receives most criticism for is her decision to support LGBT people, says Badiah who is veiled and lives in the conservative town of Saida. Once people around her find out that she has friends in the LGBT community Badiah says they criticise her. “This is a religious taboo and not allowed, how are you wearing the hijab and at the same time supporting LGBT people,” they ask her.
// soundbite from interview with Badiah //
Badiah says that she hits back at her critics and tells them that different sexual orientations are not forbidden in her religion. But it’s not an easy battle. Sometimes, says Badiah, she hesitates and her critics push her into what she calls an internal struggle between her views and opinions on society and her religion. “But, Badiah says,” I think my relationship with God is a spiritual one and my relationship with a person is a human one. Everyone is free to do whatever they want as long as they are not hurting me or anyone else. They have the right to express themselves in that way,” Badiah concludes.
// soundbite from interview with Badiah //
