Saturday 27 August 2011

Social Networking and The Egyptian Revolution

This dissertation focuses on the role of social networking websites in the 2011 Egyptian revolution. The role of social media in the Egyptian revolution or what has been called the “Facebook revolution” is investigated by analyzing some Facebook pages and groups.

Please click on the link to view the full text of my dissertation.

Iraqi Identity among Young Iraqis in the British Society

This dissertation explores Iraqi identity among young Iraqis in the UK. The main focus is how young Iraqis deal with their Iraqi identity and adaptation strategies to life in the UK. A qualitative approach was chosen; nine semi structured interviews were conducted with young Iraqis in the UK from different backgrounds. The study revealed that some participants do not stick to their Iraqi identity unlike others who are strongly attached to their identity. In addition, young Iraqis in this study experience different levels of adaptation to life in the UK. 

Please Click here http://www.box.net/shared/3bsargpbjn8ftprqq0vv  to view the full text of my dissertation. 

Thursday 3 February 2011

Negotiating dating online within Arab contexts

May 2010

Negotiating dating online within Arab contexts

“I and my fiancée met online but we tend to tell people that we have met in a friend’s party”; this is what my friend answered me when I asked her how she met her fiancée. My friend told me this information because I am a close friend and would understand the situation. This story is common in the Arab world nowadays as Arab people still have a difficulty accepting the idea of people meeting or dating online. Arabs also have a negative image on people meeting online so people might hide how they have met like my friend (Young Arabs use the internet searching for their partner). In this paper, I am going to look at some of the reasons why people have this negative image of online dating. In addition, I am going to provide some examples of Arab online dating website to illustrate more.
Some facts about online dating would be mentioned to give a brief background on online dating in general. Nowadays, marriage has become easily arranged online and even sexual desires can be simply fulfilled (Merkle& Richardson 2000, p.187). People worldwide lately have used the internet for dating, getting married and even having sex (Merkle& Richardson 2000, p.187). The number of online romantic relationships has increased dramatically as more people nowadays have access to the internet (Cornwell& Lundgren 2001, p.127). The question here would be how could online romantic relationships affect face to face relationships? People who experience online dating report those face to face relationships are not affected and consider online relationships important as face to face relationships (Cornwell& Lundgren 2001, p.127). Merkle (2000) described the internet as the new space for people to shape social relationships. This is obvious as more people are using internet for online dating (Cornwell& Lundgren 2001, p.127). I also agree with Merkle’s definition of the internet as nowadays almost everything has become digital even social communications such as sending a birthday card instead of calling...etc. In addition, Mckenna (1999) has found in a study conducted on 600 randomly respondents in the United States that 51% of respondents create close friends online and 35% created romantic relationships. This study proves the idea that internet is being used increasingly nowadays for dating and romantic relationships.
After giving a brief introduction on online dating worldwide, a background on Arabs and online dating would be introduced. The notion of online dating is new to the Arab society but at the same time it is commonly used especially with the high rate of unmarried young people (Abeed 2006). In the Arab world, it is common for the family to choose for young people the suitable groom or bride (Abeed 2006). However, the internet has given young Arabs the chance to choose the partner by themselves (Abeed 2006).The Arab society, especially the Gulf society, is conservative and the notion of online dating is new but commonly used among young people because of repression caused by family control and culture (Young Arabs use the internet searching for their partner).
The background on online dating mentioned above would lead to the research questions of this essay. First, what are the reasons for Arabs to use the internet to meet people then get married? Second, how would Arab society deal with online dating? Finally, what is the role of culture, religion and family dealing with online relationships?
The reasons for Arabs to use the internet for dating and then marriage are various. First, some Arabs are away from their hometown. As a result, the tradition is to get married to someone from the same country but this is a bit difficult when people are not in their home country. For example, Suheer is an Iraqi lady who lives in Jordan and wants to get married but from an Iraqi man (Al-khatateya 2010); she is in her thirties and needs to get married as she is getting old and the society has started to criticize her for being late in getting married (Al-khatateya 2010). As a result, she used the internet to find the man of her dreams. She eventually found the man and they got married but the guy turned to be abusive and not like what he claimed to be online and she even described him as a “monster” (Al-khatateya 2010). The story of Suheer indicates two points; the first point is about the Arab culture and how the society views the girl who is unmarried in her thirties as spinster and look down to her. The second point is about having fake image through the internet because it is all about computer screen and cheating can be common. However, internet sometimes might be the only way for meeting people to get married especially for people from a country like Iraq with circumstances caused by the war (Al-khatateya 2010).
Another reason for Arabs using internet for dating is in some Arab countries especially the Gulf area, girls and boys do not usually communicate and mix. Consequently, girls and boys tend to use the internet to choose their partner instead of family choosing on their behalf (Young Arabs use the internet searching for their partner). Repressed youth not only using internet for online dating but they might do so many wrong things online as well (Young Arabs use the internet searching for their partner). Ali Alwardy, An Iraqi sociologist, criticized such conservative communities which repress its people and then behave wrongly (Young Arabs use the internet searching for their partner). I think Arab society is contradictory as Gulf society does not allow girls and boys to mix and at the same time let them do whatever they want online (Young Arabs use the internet searching for their partner).
In addition, there are other reasons for Arabs to use internet for dating and the first is shyness (Abeed 2006). Some Arabs just feel shy to talk about themselves online and this is why internet solves this problem as they can chat and write without facing the person. Some people ,especially women, feel embarrassed to talk about themselves face to face so they prefer online dating (Abeed 2006). I think conservative societies cause young people to be shy and then use internet to escape facing people.
Also, some Arabs believe in the notion of meeting and getting married online for some reasons. Some believe that internet gives people the chance to know their partners well before getting married (Reyah 2009). For some, traditional way of getting married does not allow them to know the partner well so online dating is the best for such people in such conservative communities (Reyah 2009). This is the advantage of internet as people have the chance to talk freely and tend to know the other better. Moreover, anonymity is one of the advantages which people like about online dating (Merkle& Richardson 2000, p.189). According to a qualitative research conducted by Wysocki in 1996-1998, people prefer online dating to face to face relationships because they can enjoy the anonymity in the beginning of meeting new people (Merkle& Richardson 2000, p.189). People via online dating feel free to reveal many personal matters because it is anonymous. However, some might criticize this notion and say it is also a bad thing as some people hide behind this anonymity and cheat people.
Some Arabs believe that online relationships allow people to be in control of such relationships. For example, people can disconnect or block any unpleasant people they meet online but in real life, it is hard to delete somebody (Merkle& Richardson 2000, p.190). This advantage might be good for some but at the same time it might be a disadvantage as people might only be having fun and not serious in the relationship. This is the main problem with online dating which Arabs are concerned about and I would talk more about in the next paragraph.
The last sentence of the previous paragraph leads to why online dating is problematic for Arabs. According to the marital and family therapist David Schnarch (1997), some and most men might prefer to have a romantic relationship online because such relationships have no commitment (Merkle& Richardson 2000, p.190). This means that online relationships are not serious and only for fun as my hypothesis suggested. However, I cannot generalize that all online relationships are not deep or serious as there are some successful relationships which have started online. Arabs also believe that online relationships are not authentic because users can log off from their computer anytime and do not reply to any message online (Merkle& Richardson 2000, p.189). This might be true but it depends on individuals and how serious they are in their relationship. It is hard to know but when a couple decides to develop their relationship to meet in real life, the case is going to be different. At the same time, some people might see the ability to log off anytime people want as an advantage and keep people in control.
In addition, one of the problems of online dating is cheating among married couples online (Reyah 2009). Some Arabs believe that online dating and marriage would bring social problems to the family such as unsettlement (Reyah 2009). However, cheating and unsettlement among the family can be common among couples who get married traditionally so why would those problems be only related to online marriage? The reason for that might be because people tend to know shallow stuff about each other via the internet. However, this contradicts what some claim about online dating that people have the chance to be more honest talking about themselves because it is anonymous (Reyah 2009).
Online infidelity among couples is one of the problems of online dating. According to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, the rate of divorce has risen due to online infidelity (Cornwell& Lundgren 2001, p.127). 53% of respondents to the study conducted by Mckenna, people not only commit infidelity to their face to face relationships but to their online relationships as well (McKenna 1999). This again shows that people are just having fun through online relationships as they do not stick to one online relationship (Cornwell& Lundgren 2001, p.132). This is mainly why most Arabs have a negative image about online dating and marriage.
Furthermore, divorce rate is high among people from conservative societies; this does not mean divorce is not common among people from other communities or only among online relationships but its more common among online relationships (Young Arabs use the internet searching for their partner). Maysa Al-karaan, a social care specialist explains how online dating might cause shock for some young people as they imagine what the partner looks like online and when they get married, they are shocked because the image in their mind is not as in reality (Young Arabs use the internet searching for their partner). This shock might be applied to online sex where some men use pornography websites and compare what they are exposed to online with real life and their wives (Issa 2010). This results in weak relationship among husbands and wives (Issa 2010). I think this is a real problem for young married couples and this is why the rate of divorce among young couples is very high (Young Arabs use the internet searching for their partner). Dr.Basant Mahmoud, A sociologist with PhD in early divorce, states that internet has become one of the important causes of divorce in the Arab world as people depend on sex websites and get shocked in reality (Issa 2010). Lack of sexual awareness has led young people to be curious about sex and then use the internet especially sex websites to fulfill their sexual desires, dr. Mahmoud added (Issa 2010).
In addition, Dr.Heba Qutb, sex health expert, stated that online sex might cause many problems for young people and one of these problems is late marriage (Issa 2010). Young single men tend to use the internet for online sex and this might replace real sex, Dr. Qutb added (Issa 2010). This is true in my opinion as in a conservative society where sex is a taboo, people tend to find alternatives and internet is one of the best alternatives (Issa 2010).
Economic and financial factors which prevent young people from getting married contribute to the notion of people using internet to fulfill their desires (Issa 2010). Dr Qutb stated that online sex or dating is cheaper than real marriage as nowadays in Egypt for example, it is expensive for middle class people to get married. As a result, people tend to use online dating for fewer expenses (Issa 2010). It is worth to add that sometimes married men seek sex online as it is cheap and does not require specific place and time, dr. Qutb added (Issa 2010).
Arab society in general is religious so religion’s opinion on online dating is very important to discuss. The whole debate on online marriage according to Islam is about the legality of such marriage (Reyah 2009). There are almost 200 Arab websites which offer online marriage and almost 8 million Arabs visit such websites (Reyah 2009). This might prove that people are seeking such marriages because of financial factors and other factors. According to Dr.Hayel Abdelhafez, Islamic religion professor in Cairo University, online marriage has become a phenomenon nowadays in the Arab world (Reyah 2009). Some religious figures are against online marriage because they think that having a marriage certificate online is not valid as in Islam, there should be two witnesses for the marriage process (Saeed ) As a result, online marriage would miss this important step in marriage and this is why some consider it invalid (Reyah 2009).
In fact, some people are mixing between meeting online and then getting married according to the traditional way and with online marriage. In my opinion, the two concepts are different and online marriage is getting married online and people have the relationship only online while meeting online is all about the way which people have met (Saeed ) I think online marriage is not logical as marriage should depend on face to face relationship and not only facing the computer screen and consider it marriage. A question for those who choose to get married online should be asked and it is why would they choose to get married online instead of the traditional way in the court or mosque and at the same time the certificate would be registered in the court? I can not understand the reason from having the marriage online and at the same time register the marriage certificate in the court as any traditional marriage. The reason for that might be as I mentioned before about being away from home so any couple needs to get married online then register this marriage to be legal. The question here would be are marriages through the internet illegal? Some religious figures might answer this question as Dr.Abdelhafez thinks that to have a marriage certificate online is ok but it must be registered in the court to be legal (Saeed ). In addition, Dr.Abdelhafez suggested that marriage certificates can be written online but with religious supervision (Saeed ). For example, online marriage websites should be sponsored by religious institutions so it would be legal and authentic (Saeed ). I think this might be fair enough for those who cannot get married in one country. To conclude, religious figures call online marriage as “Take away marriage” because of lack of credibility (Saeed ). “I am not against using the internet and new technology but for marriage certificate, it is unacceptable according to Islam and need to have restrictions, Dr.Abo Al-basal said (Saeed ). This quote sums up the opinion of Islam on online marriage.
In addition, 60% of Arab dating websites has turned to be about sex and pornography (Issa 2010). Almost 7 million Arab users visit such websites (Issa 2010). This might show that Arabs use such websites to fulfill their sexual desires (Issa 2010). This also indicates that Arabs who use those websites sexually repressed; this is confirmed by Dr.Najwa Abdelhamid, a sociologist in Ain Sham University, as she stated that Arab culture is conservative and it is a taboo to talk about sex (Issa 2010). As a result, young people who are curious to talk about this topic tend to use the internet as it is free to seek information about sex (Issa 2010). Moreover, young Arabs in the past tend to fulfill their sexual desires by reading novels and watching films, Dr.Abdelhamid added (Issa 2010); this has changed with the invention of the internet in early 1990s. Also, because of cultural reasons, Arab women do not talk about sexual desires with their partners so they fulfill those desires online (Issa 2010). This is in my opinion might be true as sex is a very sensitive issue in the Arab world and people cannot talk about which I really believe it is something wrong and leads people to do more wrong things.
To illustrate more about online dating in Arab society, some examples of Arab dating websites would be mentioned. The most famous Arab online dating is called “Bent Alhalal” which means “the good woman for marriage” (Bent Alhalal website: the biggest and most famous Arab and Muslim dating website). To avoid members who are not serious in their membership, the website puts strict restrictions on members and might deactivate any membership if the member is not serious (Young Arabs use the internet searching for their partner). This shows that people who want to only have fun in such websites are very common. Sameer, 34 year old a member of Bent Alhalal, expresses how he does not believe in the idea of online dating but participated in it hoping to find the perfect partner (Young Arabs use the internet searching for their partner). I think this is very contradicting as this guy doesn’t believe in the whole idea but takes part in online dating website which is really strange. This is a huge problem within Arabs as they use technology in almost everything but at the same time criticize it and do not accept it. This is again caused by culture and conservative societies which people should follow. Another member in Bent Alhalal, Nasir, 27 year old, from Jordan expresses how the way of getting married online is new to the Arab society and stated that “ We as Muslims believe that traditional marriage is the suitable way for us” (Young Arabs use the internet searching for their partner). Nasir’s quote concludes how Arabs use technology but at the same time do not believe in online marriage and stick to their culture. In addition, Nasir believes that Arabs refuse this way of marriage because it comes from” the West” (Young Arabs use the internet searching for their partner). I think this is a valid argument but any society needs to adapt any new idea and not only adopt it as it is. This may be what some Arab online dating websites are trying to do.
Some successful stories from Bent Alhalal website might show that people are different in using such websites as some online marriage stories are successful (Young Arabs use the internet searching for their partner). The successful marriage stories of people who met through Bent Alhalal website encourage others to use such websites and build a happy life.
Other Arab online dating website is Muslima.com which is for all Muslims to gather and get married (Muslima.com: to gather all Muslims). This website has led me to think more about the notion of it is for all Muslims and at the same time the debate around the legality of online marriage in Islam is very common. This might show that people use such websites even if religion is against such idea. In my opinion, if people meet via the internet and then decide to meet in real life, it is ok because after that, it is going to be like any traditional marriage and in this case, Islam allows such thing. The debate on such websites is again about how people might be sure about the seriousness of members as some include all good things about themselves (Abeed 2006). However, the good characteristics are fake because people make a good use of anonymity. (Abeed 2006)

In conclusion, the internet is just a new and another way people meet each other by. This does not mean that online dating has replaced traditional way of meeting people to marry but it is just another way. Dr.Maysaa, the Arab sociologist, stated that Arab society needs time to adapt such new way of dating (Young Arabs use the internet searching for their partner). In my opinion, online dating is a fact in Arab society and should be taken in consideration. Concerning online dating and cheating, it might be common even in face to face relationships. As a result, it depends on personalities and how people deal with such relationships. I cannot generalize that all online relationships are not genuine because this would be unfair. I think people might meet online but they should meet in real life to build a genuine relationship.

Bibliography
Abeed, M. (2006), "Love and Marriage through the internet" . Available from: http://zed70.maktoobblog.com [Accessed: April 26, 2010].
Al-khatateya, K. (2010), Electronic marriage: the solution for the high number of spinsterhood or another cause for divorce " الزواج الالكتروني :حل لمشكلة العنوسة ام تعقيد اكبر ومسبب للطلاق" . Available from: http://www.manbaralrai.com/?q=node/68997 [Accessed: March 28, 2010].
Bent Alhalal website: the biggest and most famous Arab and Muslim dating website "بنت الحلال : اكبر واشهر موقع عربي اسلامي للزواج على الانترنت " . Available from: http://bentelhalal.maktoob.com/ [Accessed: May 3, 2010].
Cornwell, B., Lundgren, D. & C. (2001), "Love on the Internet: involvement and misrepresentation in romantic relationships in cyberspace vs. real space", Computers in Human Behavior, vol., no. pp. 197-211.
Issa, S. (2010), "80% of Arab youth in illicit relationships, Internet is the portal for Youth to sex " 80% من الشباب العربي في علاقات غير مشروعة الإنترنت بوابة الشباب إلى الجنس الإلكتروني" ", Aljareeda, Jan 19.
McKenna, K. Y. A. (1999). The computers that bind: relationship formation on the Internet (Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 1998). Dissertation Abstracts International, 59, 2236.
Merkle, E.R. & Richardson, R.A. (2000), "Digital Dating and Virtual Relating: Conceptualizing Computer Mediated Romantic Relationships", National Council on Family Relations, vol. 49, no. 2, pp. 187-192.
Muslima.com: to gather all Muslims . Available from: http://www.muslima.com/Arabic/success.cfm [Accessed: April 6, 2010].
Reyah, N. (2009), Marriage through the internet " الزواج عبر الانترنت" . Available from: http://swmsa.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-12070.html [Accessed: April 8, 2010].
Saeed, A., Electronic Marriage " الزواج الالكتروني" . Available from: http://www.barasy.com/pages-859.html [Accessed: April 26, 2010].
Young Arabs use the internet searching for their partner “شباب العرب يتجهون الى الانترنت بحثا عن نصفهم الاخر" (2008),. Available from: http://www.compuhot.com/news.asp?c=2&id=10665 [Accessed: May 1, 2010].

Veil, repression and women’s representation in ‘the Day I became a woman’

Autumn 2010

Women and repression have a long history. Cinema especially, Iranian cinema, has dealt with this topic recently. Women’s repression has always been related to Islam and veil (Naficy 1995, p.548). It is worth to mention that there is no clear verse in the Holy Quran which forces women to wear hijab or to punish those who do not wear it (Sadeghi 2008, p.257). As I mentioned above, Iranian cinema has dealt with this sensitive issue recently (Naficy 1995, p.548). In general, the first Iranian film was produced in 1901 (Naficy 1995, p.548). This shows that Iranian cinema is not new. The Islamic revolution in 1979 has been a boundary for Iranian filmmakers as cinema is considered a harmful source for the Iranian society according to Muslim extremists (Naficy 1995, p.548). Moreover, cinema was viewed as a type of westernization in Iran (Naficy 1995, p.548). As a result, cinema has started to be unwelcome in the Iranian society (Naficy 1995, p.548). Moreover, the Iranian government has tried to Islamize the Iranian cinema and bring cinema under the government’s control (Mir-hosseini 2007, p.675). Films after the Islamic revolution in Iran have attracted many critics to talk about (Moruzzi 1999, p.52). On the other hand, some Iranian leaders such as, Khomaieni, support cinema in Iran but those films which show the right Islam (Naficy 1995, p.548). Concerning women, Filmmakers after the Islamic revolution tend to ignore women in their films to avoid controversy as it is believed that women are the source of troubles (Naficy 1995, p.550). This has been the image of women in most societies. However, in the 1980s, women have returned to be the main issue in films (Naficy 1995, p.550). Women’s veil and enforcement of hejab on women are two of the most important topics that Iranian cinema has dealt with recently (Moruzzi 1999, p.52).

In this essay, a detailed discussion of the film ‘The day I became a woman’ would be the main point which raises critical issues about women in Iran.
As an introduction to the issue of veil and Islam nowadays, this is a brief background about this issue. Veil among Muslim women has become the news for a while. This might be because of “ Islamphobia” (Gottschalk& Greenberg 2008, p.1). People have started to view Islam differently especially after 9/11 incident and Danish cartoons about prophet Muhammed and how Muslims react violently to those events (Gottschalk& Greenberg 2008, p.1). European world has changed their image about Islam and started to relate violence to Islam (Gottschalk& Greenberg 2008, p.2). This image has been promoted by media such as TV and cinema (Gottschalk& Greenberg 2008, p.1). As a result, women’s veil has been related to Islam and violence. This has raised the question of why is veil only related to Muslim women when other women from different religions such as Christianity and Judaism wear the veil. (Macdonald 2006,p.7). The answer would be media and especially American media and cinema which promote the negative image of Islam (Gottschalk& Greenberg 2008, p.3). In addition, there are no enough films which show the Muslim’s point of view (Gottschalk& Greenberg 2008, p.1). For example, few Muslim directors make films about women, veil and Islam until recently when the Iranian cinema has started to produce films such as “The day I became a woman” and “Beneath the veil”. The previous point might lead to the most important point which is to which audience the film is made for? It is very important to know to whom the film is made as every audience would read the film differently.

After giving a brief introduction about the issue of veil and Islam, ‘The day I became a woman’, would be discussed in detail. The day I became a woman is an Iranian film which discusses how Iranian women are controlled by norms, religion and customs of the Iranian society (Russell 2001). The film is about 3 women from different generations, Hava, Ahoo and Hoora (Russell 2001). The three women share one thing which is how they are suffering from repression and control from the patriarchal society (Russell 2001). In this essay, the focus would be n the stories of Hava and Ahoo.

The first protagonist in the film is Hava, a little girl who just turned 9-year old. In this story , issues such as childhood vs. womanhood, the significance of time, segregation between boys and girls, Iranian society, norms and customs and finally its relationship with Hava’s veil. The focal point or main scene in this story of ‘The day I became a woman’ is when Hava is forced to wear the veil by her family and banning her from playing as she is a woman now. According to the Iranian society and as they claim according to Islam, Hava is ‘a woman’ at the moment her 9th birthday has come (Russell 2001). Accordingly, Hava is not allowed to play with her male friend, Hasan, as she is ‘a woman’ now. The most interesting thing in that moment is how Hava does not understand why she can’t play with Hasan or why she should be covered! The only thing her mother and grandmother tell her that she should not play outside or stand in the roof of the house as she is ‘a woman’ now. The phrase, she is a woman now, has been repeated so many times in the film and neither Hava’s parents nor Hava know what being a woman means! This is a fact as in the film no one has talked about the meaning of being a woman or how a girl could turn to be a woman in an hour! This raises the issue of how conservative societies just follow the norms and customs of the society without explaining (Mir-hosseini 2007, p.673). Also, grandmother and mother just don’t explain to Hava why she should be covered. This is the same idea as in the film, At five in the afternoon, when the father communicates with the horse more than communicating with his daughters as he feels that females can not be communicated with. As a result, the old guy considers the horse, his male friend or son, and talk with smoothly. In my opinion, this really expresses how women are not respected and repressed in conservative communities. In addition, this shows how such societies are male dominated as they repress only women. Although the previous point might be true that the Iranian society is patriarchal, in the day I became a woman, especially in Hava’s story, there are no male characters to show that men are the ones who force women to wear hjab or repress them! In my opinion, this is interesting as this proves that even if men are not visible, they have the power to affect the society and lead old women to believe repressive action like enforcing Hava to be covered is the right thing to do.
After tackling the notion of womanhood vs. childhood in the case of Hava, another related issue is raised from her story which is the significance of time. Hava in the film has only one hour left to play and act as a child .After convincing her grandmother that her birthday has not come yet, her grandmother allowed her to go and play with her friend but she should be home when its noon as at that time, she would be a woman. I think this is unrealistic as time decides whether Hava is a woman or not by playing at 11 am but not 1 pm as she is a woman at that time. This again shows how grandmother and mother don’t understand what it means to be a woman and care only for covering Hava and most importantly how the society view them. For example, “People’s judgment matters”, one of the Iranian girls said when asking about wearing veil in a research conducted on Iranian women in 2005-2006 (Sadeghi 2008, p.250). This shows how norms and tradition in the Iranian society is very important (Sadeghi 2008, p.250). Also, it affirms what women should do and should not in the Iranian society. Furthermore, Hava has to check when she has turned to be a woman when carrying two sticks and checking the shadow of the sun. This action shows how parents of Hava are concerned with shallow stuff about womanhood and time. Hava in the film is really concerned about when the sun is going to disappear to return home; this is because she should follow what her family told her to do not to be punished.

In addition, Hava only cares for playing with her male friend whom she is not allowed to play with as girls and boys should not mix. This really shows how some societies think and want to separate girls and boys even if they are only children. This is another sign how conservative societies encourage segregation among boys and girls. For example, in Saudi Arabia, there has been a law which separates boys and girls even in schools for non-Arabs (Al Hakeem 2006). This expresses how the Saudi community also shares what the Iranian community believes in. Additionally, this shows how such communities encourage segregation among boys and girls even in that early age.

Another significant scene in the film is when two boys are trying to set their ship and need a piece of clothes for their sailing so they ask Hava for her scarf and give her a fish as a price. Using Hava’s scarf in sailing shows it is not that important for her and she only cares for playing as any child.

The final issue the film raised through Hava’s story is how veil is a barrier for girls. The scene when Hava’s mother always tries to cover her and Hava is concentrating on playing demonstrates how veil is considered a barrier for girls. In the case of Hava, she wears the veil only to satisfy her family but again she is not convinced with what she is wearing. In a website called About.com , a girl called Huda asks about what age girls should wear veil in Islam, the answer is that every girl should be convinced with the idea of veiling not forcing her (At what age are Muslim girls expected to start wearing the hijab?). This is not what most families in conservative societies such as the Iranian society do with their daughters.
In addition, another image of veil and how it is a barrier for women is the chadori vs misveiling. The misveiling concept is common in Iran where some women only cover their hair and not covering their whole bodies like the case of Chadori where the whole body is covered except the hands ( Sadeghi 2008, p.251). Some misveiled women claim that wearing what it is called “misveiling” is a representation of refusal of covering the whole body and be free with relationships with boys (Sadeghi 2008, p.251). “Being misveiled generally means to feel more relaxed in relationships with boys.” One of the misveiled women said (Sadeghi 2008, p.251). This obviously means that women feel they are sexually repressed when they are covered. On the other hand, chadori women who cover themselves choose to wear the chador to be sexually protected from any attacks from boys (Sadeghi 2008, p.251). According to a research conducted by an Iranian researcher in 1997 on 60 Iranian men and women, 55% of men believe that when they need to have a sexual relationship, women are automatically exposed to these needs (Sadeghi 2008, p.255). This obviously shows that women are viewed to be ready to what men want to do with. That’s why in my opinion, women should be covered as to protect themselves from any male desires as Chadori girls expressed before.

Additionally, to prove that women wear veil to satisfy the society, I conducted a research on young Egyptian women to examine their veiling and whether they wear it for religious reasons or social and cultural reasons (Alsheikh 2008, p.3). The result has shown that most young women from private and public universities in Cairo wear veil for social and cultural reasons as they do not want to be different in the society and as a protection (Alsheikh 2008, p.3). This shows that wearing veil is for social and cultural reasons more than religious as many assume and as Chadori and misvelied women claim.

To conclude, in the case of Hava, the grandmother and mother are convinced that Hava should cover her hair and separate herself from boys so the society would not criticize her.

The second protagonist in ‘The day I became a woman’ is Ahoo. Ahoo is the story of a young lady who challenges her family, society and customs and participates in a bicycle race in Iran. The film is showing how young women are getting ready to the race but Ahoo’s family starts to follow her and try to stop her. The story of Ahoo raises various issues such as the notion of women and sports, good vs. bad women and other issues.

The first issue which this story discusses is the notion of women’s participation in sports. First of all, physical differences between men and women have led people to believe that women are disabled in terms of sports (Prakash 1990, p.WS19). This shows that women are not able to play sports and it is not their place to do so. For example, in the day I became a woman, this is the case as Ahoo should not ride a bicycle as she is a woman! Moreover, women are not allowed to watch or play sports in some societies as it is a kind of leadership and women can not occupy such a position (Prakash 1990, p.WS19). This shows that women can not play sports in order not to be in a powerful position (Prakash 1990, p.WS19); another example which might proves this point is the film ‘A question of silence’ where women are not allowed to occupy a powerful position simply because they are women. In my opinion, this is the case in most patriarchal societies. For example, this is obvious in the film, the day I became a woman, when Ahoo was riding the bicycle but her husband divorced her for refusing to get off. In addition, It is believed that sports is harmful for women’s health and their reproductive activity (Prakash 1990, p.WS22). This shows how patriarchal societies discourage women from playing sports in order to protect the reproduction’s process (Prakash 1990, p.WS20). Again, women are not important and if sport is not good for reproductive activity, it would be harmful and bad for women to play. In 2006, Iranian women were not allowed to enter football stadium to support their national team although there is no law about that thing (Iranian women are not allowed to enter the football stadium). The same thing happened in Saudi Arabia where women were not allowed to enter the stadium to support the Saudi team (Iranian women are not allowed to enter the football stadium). These two examples express how women not only are not allowed to participate in sports but not to watch as well.

It is worth to mention it is proved that sports has no bad effects on women’s reproductive process and there are no any biological facts which might stop women from playing sport (Prakash 1990, p.WS22). Banning women from playing sport is all about socially constructed reasons (Prakash 1990, p.WS22). This again proves that it is not about biological reasons but how the patriarchal society reads it and to dominate and control women. Moreover, Participation of women in sports arena would be competitive to men and would encourage women to enter the fields of health and science which might change some facts in favor of women (Prakash 1990, p.WS23). This is another sign of how men do not want women to play sports in order not to be powerful and gain their rights.

The second significant issue the story of Ahoo raises is the notion of good vs. bad women. Categorizing women as good or bad is something critical and can not be measured. However, the older generation in some societies, such as the Iranian society, believes that by wearing “hejab”, good women would be recognized from the bad ones (Sadeghi 2008, p.257). New generation believes that being good or bad has nothing to do with veiling unlike parents’ generation (Sadeghi 2008, p.257). For example, in the film, At Five in the afternoon, the old guy is surprised from seeing some girls unveiled in Afghanistan. The old guy believes that good women wear hejab while only bad women do not wear it. This shows that women are judged from their appearance and what they wear. “Female goodies dressed modestly — at the time, this meant they wore a chador — and the baddies wore miniskirts” (Mir-hosseini 2007, p.675). This quote again shows how women are represented in films not only the Iranian ones but also in Hollywood films when women should be whether good or bad such as in the film ‘Fatal Attraction’.

The previous point leads to the idea of women and working. Good women do not work and stay at home under the male supervision while working women are the bad women (Mir-hosseini 2007, p.675). For example, in the film, At five in the afternoon, when Noqreh is taking a photo for herself, the photographer tells her that the right place for women is the house. This scene proves two points; first, most conservative societies such as the Iranian and Afghani share the same point of view of how women should stay at home for their own good and to be ‘good women’; the second point is such societies are dominated by male members and women have little voice in such societies (Mir-hosseini 2007, p.675). Also, it is always shown that women who stay at home are the good ones while those who work are the bad ones. The wife in Fatal attraction is an example of that while the woman who works, the lover, is the bad one.

As it is shown above, the bad woman is the one who works, goes out and rides a bike like Ahoo. Also, bad woman is considered a bad woman when she disobeys her family and husband as Ahoo. The Husband of Ahoo follows her and demands her to get off but she disobeys so he directly divorce her. Some might read the scene when the husband divorced Ahoo a liberating point as she liberated herself from dominating men. However, at the same time it shows how men have the power to divorce women anytime they want.

Ahoo’s story also raises the issue of misveiling and the right code of clothing for women. The Iranian government as Taliban government set what women should wear (Sadeghi 2008, p.250). For example, in the film, At five in the afternoon, women should wear hejab and are not allowed to be educated only because they are women (Sadeghi 2008, p.250). This expresses how women are restricted to wear specific clothes and if they violet that, they would be punished. For example, in Sudan, Lubna Hussein, a Sudanese journalist is at risk of getting 40 lashes because she wore a trouser in public which is considered indecent according to Sudanese’s law (Copnall 2009). This shows how laws are unfair to women as indecent clothes are not specific and officials might consider what they want indecent. “It is not about religion, it is about men treating women badly.", Lubna said (Copnall 2009). This quote really expresses how some people misuse the religion for their own benefit and to control women as it is true that there is no verse in the Quran saying that women should be flogged for what to wear and not to wear!
Also, the film has raised the issue of veil and male gaze. For example, for both groups of girls, chadori and misveiled, they wear the veil according to the male gaze or how men view them (Sadeghi 2008, p.252). Hava’s example of veiling proves that she needs to be covered according to how society views her and most importantly how men see her.

Ahoo’s story also discusses the struggle between tradition which is her family’s opposition and modernity which is riding a bike. To start with, the Iranian old generation is more traditional than the new generation. According to a study conducted on young Iranian generation in 2005 and 2006, the new generation would be less religious and traditional than the old generation (Sadeghi 2008, p.251). As a result, being religious is related to being traditional and being modern means to be unreligious. This point is very important as veil is linked to being not modern and backward and this is in my opinion as a result of media’s image especially in films. The main problem of women and representation in films is the struggle between modernity and traditionalism (Mir-hosseini 2007, p.673). Both groups want to be dominating in the society so people especially women are the victims of this war (Mir-hosseini 2007, p.673). Also, Women especially the misveiled are blamed for the bad situation in the Iranian society (Sadeghi 2008, p.258). This shows that in any case, women are the ones to blame for anything even if the society is the problem. For example, in ‘Beneath the veil’, when Afghan women are dying because there are no female doctors as Taliban has banned girls from education, women are blamed for that not Taliban or any male groups.

The final issue that Ahoo’s story has raised is women and public vs. private space. According to Ahoo’s case, she violates the norm by riding the bike in public. It is believed that the right place for women is to stay home as good women stay at home as mentioned before (Sadeghi 2008, p.252). Staying home is a private space and that’s women’s place (Sadeghi 2008, p.252). Furthermore, as the Iranian government has put restrictions on young people’s sexual relationships, young people have turned their relationships to private places so they could be free to do what they want (Sadeghi 2008, p.254). For example, in the documentary ‘Beneath the veil’, although it is about Afghan people, it is applied to Iranian women as they tend to do everything privately especially under Taliban’s regime. For example, women tend to go to schools but privately as they were not allowed to be educated under Taliban’s regime. Accordingly, people tend to move their activities to be private such as relationships, education and even sports. The previous point leads to a very important point which is how conservative societies affect people’s behaviors and lead them to do everything privately instead of publicly as they are afraid of the officials and sometimes do stuff as a resistance to the society and government.
As I mentioned above, people tend to do everything private when they are banned to do some stuff publicly especially those who are not that religious who tend to have affairs, drink alcohol and listen to music privately instead of publicly. (Sadeghi 2008, p.255). For example, in the film, the day I became a woman, Ahoo did ride and participate in a cycling race which is something public and that’s why her family was against her. This has led many Iranians to live a double standard life as they shift from public to private and public to private which can create double personalities (Sadeghi 2008, p.255).

In addition the notion of public vs. private space leads to the point of passivity and women. Women are always viewed as passive persons (Mir-hosseini 2007, p.673). In films, this notion is very common in Hollywood and other films. For example, in the old Iranian films such as The lor girl, made in 1933, women were viewed active while women in most other films were shown as silent and passive (Mir-hosseini 2007, p.673). This illustrates how Iranian women were active in the period of 1930s as films show that unlike today when women are viewed in films as passive. On the other hand, Iranian films nowadays concentrate on how women are repressed and need to be liberated as shown in the film, the day I became a woman where most women are passive and have no opinion and only follow what the society wants. At five in the afternoon and beneath the veil deal with Afghani women but the director is Iranian and show how Afghani women are repressed as well and suffer from the same problems that the Iranian women face. Back to the film The lor girl where main female character has become very famous after this film because she broke the rules of passive women in love and was active (Mir-hosseini 2007, p.674). Nowadays films such as at five in the afternoon and the day I became a woman encourage women to ask for their rights and be active members in society as they can take Ahoo for example as a model even if in the end of the films, her family stops her from riding the bicycle.
To conclude Ahoo’s story, the focal point of this story in my opinion is the end when Ahoo’s family forces her to stop her bike. I think this scene is very critical as first; it puts an end to Ahoo, as a heroine, and a resistant to norms and culture of her society. The end takes the audience to reality and what really happens in such conservative societies like the Iranian one. Second, it leads the audiences to wonder what is going to happen to Ahoo after her family forced her to get off. Is Ahoo going to be punished or what? The end is very interesting as it is open and different audience might read it differently. Moreover, the girl who kept watching Ahoo from far away is interesting as first she couldn’t do anything to stop Ahoo’s family and secondly she is also curious to know what it is going to happen to Ahoo. In my opinion, the director puts the girl at the end to represent the audience. The conclusion for Ahoo’s story is that norms, customs and tradition would win at the end.

In conclusion, the topic of veil, repression and women is critical and needs to take attention from filmmakers and critics. Women are still suffering from repression especially in some Islamic countries. In my opinion, such societies are dominated by customs and beliefs which encourage repression against women. Unfortunately, such repressing actions are justified by saying it is Islam and its rules. A good example which proves the previous point is how people interpret the Holly Quran according to their benefits. Although Iranian films are not that popular among large number of people like Hollywood or Bollywood films, films like at five in the afternoon and the day I became a woman can be the beginning to talk about sensitive topics and Islam.


Bibliography
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Alsheikh, R. (2008), Veiling concept in various universities in Egypt. Available from: http://rosamesopotamica.blogspot.com/2011/01/veiling-concept-in-various-universities.html, p.1-5 [Accessed: December 14, 2010].
At what age are Muslim girls expected to start wearing the hijab?. Available from: http://islam.about.com/od/dress/f/hijab_girls.htm [Accessed: January 3, 2011].
Copnall, J. (2009), "Lubna Hussein: 'I'm not afraid of being flogged. It doesn't hurt. But it is insulting'", The Guardian, the observer, Aug 2
Gottschalk, P. & Greenberg, G.(2008), Islamophobia: making Muslims the enemy
Iranian women are not allowed to enter the football stadium (2006) الايرانيات ممنوعات من دخول ملاعب كرة القدم. Available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/arabic/sport/newsid_4777000/4777164.stm [Accessed: November 18, 2010].
Macdonald, M. (2006), "Muslim women and the Veil problems of image and voice in media representations ", Feminist Media Studies , vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 7-23
Mir-hosseini, Z. (2007), "Negotiating the Forbidden: On Women and Sexual Love in Iranian Cinema", Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East,, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 673-679.
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Monday 3 January 2011

Veiling concept in various universities in Egypt

My main topic is about wearing the veil among young women in Ain Shams University and the American University in Cairo. Veiled women wear different styles of veiling such as modern, extreme and moderate style. As a result, the students I interviewed are chosen according to their veil style. I even interviewed students who are not veiled to know their point of view of the veil itself. I interviewed two students from Ain Shams University and two students from the AUC.
The two students that I chose to interview from Ain Shams University are called F Al M and H A M who are seniors’ students in AlAlsun College for language. I hide interviewees’ names for privacy reasons. F is veiled with moderate veil while H is unveiled. I had a visit to Ain Shams University and observed about the veil topic and then conducted interviews with students in an informal setting. We were sitting in the crowd in Ain Shams University and had an open discussion about the veil topic. The interviews were informal because the students are in the same age of mine so felt relaxed to chat with eachother. Also, one of the interviewees was a friend of my friend so the discussion was more open than the stranger.

The other interviewees were from the American University in Cairo. A T, Computer Science graduating senior, is unveiled while N M, Political science student, is a moderate veiled. I had informal interviews because they were my friends. Some have common opinions and of course each interviewee has unique opinions. The setting of the interview was in a comfortable position when I had a free discussion about the veil issue.

In the interviews, various issues were raised that are related to the veil concept. The issues are the duty of wearing the veil, the environment effects, boundaries veiled women face and reasons of high rate of veiled women nowadays. Interviewees have different points of view in some topics and sometimes agree on other issues.

There was an important question that I had to ask in the beginning of every interview; this question is why do u wear the veil for veiled women and in other words for unveiled women why do you think some women wear the veil. Almost all interviewees answered this question as it is a religious duty. Then the question that should be asked is if it is a religious duty why there are some women who are not veiled yet? I asked this question to unveiled students because I am curious about why those women do not wear veil? “I don’t wear the veil because I don’t feel I am ready for that now”, A T said. This means the decision of wearing veil is up to the girl or woman. Some parents force their daughters to wear the veil. Consequently, girls would hate wearing the veil and then do things that might be against the religion because they feel they are not free. There are many women who are not convinced that veil is a duty and that every woman should wear. Some argue that it was mentioned in the Holly Quran to wear the veil. Others argue that what is mentioned in the Quran is understood by people wrongly nowadays. Many people are arguing that women are free to take the decision of whether wear the veil or not.
The other essential point that was raised in the interviews is the environment effects that can influence women about the veil. “I wore it in Ramadan in high school and then could not take it off again because all my friends are veiled”, N M said. Nada explained that she decided to wear the veil not because she is totally convinced of the idea but because her peers in school convinced her to keep wearing it. This young lady did not want to look different from other students in her school so decided to be like the others. This shows that the environment has a big effect on the person’s decisions. Also, F Al explained how she decided to be veiled because her school was Islamic system and all students and teachers are veiled. As a result, she somehow was convinced to wear the veil so she can live in this environment. Although she has the will to wear the veil because of religious reasons, her school environment was more determined that lead her to be veiled. Also, the family environment was very important because all F’s female members are veiled so this is another contributory fact that lead F to take the decision of wearing the veil. On the other hand, H A who is unveiled thinks that society probably can enforce women to wear veil. Society as H A believes respects veiled women more than the unveiled ones. Thus, wearing the veil nowadays has become more social and cultural concept than religious. Women do not understand the real veil concept or the purpose of wearing the veil so they wear it just to satisfy the society, H added. Also, young women wear the veil because some young men respect the veiled women. As a result, they would have chances of being engaged more than the unveiled women. This is another proof that wearing the veil has become more for social reasons than religious.

The very important point that many mentioned is the boundaries that some veiled women are facing these days. I asked the interviewees if they think that veiled women are facing some difficulties in their lives; the answer was yes and difficulties are just in applying for some kind of jobs. Some companies do not hire veiled women for example in Tourism and Mass Media fields. “My sister had to take the veil off because whenever she applied for a job and there is a picture of her in the CV, the company would refuse her without even reading the CV”, A T said. This shows how some veiled women face major difficulties in their careers. A explained that when her sister took her veil off, she gained the job she wanted immediately without any problems. This can also explain how the image of the veil is interrupted in a wrong way. H A also shared the same concerns about these difficulties that veiled women suffer from. She thinks that the main reason for delaying her decision of wearing the veil is the boundaries that she might face in applying for the job she dreams of after graduation. The society is policing boundaries against veiled women and even unveiled ones. On the other hand, F Al disagrees with A and H that she does not think veiled women face difficulties. This might be because she might not apply for such jobs that refuse to hire veiled women or she did not face any difficulty before. In fact, veiled women are facing difficulties in winning specific jobs even if they have the skills acquired.
I asked an important question which is why do you think there is a high rate of veiled women nowadays? The answers were various some think that it is because of the new religious people, such as Amr Khalid in Egypt, who attract the young people and raise the awareness of the veil as A T thinks. H A thinks that in the past there were no many veiled women because of the foreign colonization that everyone was affected by the Western culture. Women were wearing Western style and veil is contradicted with this Western style.

The strategy of conducting an interview is very vital way to get people’s opinion about a specific topic. Honestly, I thought in the beginning that conducting interviews would be very difficult task but eventually, it was very useful and easy. I thought in the beginning that women would consider the veil issue sensitive and would not talk with me frankly. However, women were so open to talk about this topic and talk about different topics related to the veil.

One of the difficulties I faced conducting interviews is the limit of time. I wish I could have more time to interview more women and even men to know their point of view of the veil. Also, I wished to interview some students who have special veil style to know why they chose this style and how it is different than the traditional one. Also, I hope later I can interview some of the girls who were veiled and then took the veil off to know the reasons and causes of such decisions. The other challenge was visiting Ain Shams University and how to get into the university for several times without being a student there. As a result, I had the chance to visit it once to conduct my interviews.

To conclude, many people are convinced that veil is a religious duty but some can not take the decision to wear it yet because of social and cultural reasons. Some wear it to satisfy the society and others wear it properly and really apply of the purpose of wearing the veil. I think wearing veil and not wearing it is a freedom of expression and should be respected in all cases.

Monday 9 August 2010

الاختلاف بالراي يفسد للود قضية ! The difference in opinion creates conflict

الاختلاف بالراي يفسد للود قضية ! The difference in opinion creates conflict
في اي برنامج حواري على شاشات التلفزيون اوفي اي حوار عائلي دائما مايبدأ الحوار بكل هدوء وسكينة من ثم تتعالى االاصوات وثم يتحول مايسمى بحوار ثقافي الى معركة كلامية وتتمازج فيها الاصوات ولا تستطيع سماع الاصوات المتحاورة وفي نهاية السجال يغضب طرف من
الاطراف ويطالب بمغادرة المكان!

هذا السيناريو يتكرر دائما وحفظنا فصوله جيد جدا وتوصلنا لنتيجة واضحة وهي اننا لا نعرف معنى الحوار ويكذب من يقول اننا اصحاب حوار وليعذرني بعض المتحاورون من الدرجة الاولى!
لطالما سالت نفسي لماذا نحن العرب لانعرف معنى الحوار؟ وحينها اجد اسباب عدة وواحد من هذه الاسباب هي طبيعة العرب القبلية التي تعتمد على الرأي الواحد وهو رأي شيخ القبيلة وعلى جميع الشعب ان يتقبله ويعتقد به! سبب اخر لربما يكون هو السبب الرئيسي وهو اننا لم نتعلم معنى الحوار في صغرنا وفي مناهج التعليم.. فنحن دائما مانعلم اولادنا على احترام رأي الكبير وعدم مناقشته او التحاور معه لابداء رأي مخالف للكبير في العائلة او العمل ! فنحن ايضا في مجتمعنا العربي عادة مانسمع عبارة " عندما يتكلم الكبار على الصغار ان يسكتوا" وباعتقادي هذه العبارة خطيرة جدا فهي تنمي عند الطفل منذ الصغر روح الانصات الاعمى والاصم وانا اعني مااعني بصفتي الاعمى والاصم ! فعندما تنصت دون المشاركة بالحديث عندها سينمو عندك شعور التلقي من الاخر فقط وليس لك الحق باداء رأيك وهذه جريمة للاسف لا يعاقب عليها القانون في مجتمعاتنا!

ولكن وهنا كلمة لكن تعني الكثير فهذا الطفل عندما يكبر لايحتفظ بخاصية الانصات ولو كانت عمياء وصماء فحتى هذه الخاصية تبدأ بالتلاشي عندما ينتمي لعالم الكبار فيبدأ الصراع ويبدأ هذا الانسان بايجاد وسيلة لابداء رأيه ويبدأ باعلاء صوته وهي المرحلة الثانية في السيناريو الذي ذكرته سابقا ومن ثم نظل ندور في تلك الدوامة وتتناقل من جيل لاخر !
امنيتي الوحيدة واوجهها الى الاسر والى كل من يريد ان ينهض بمجتماعتنا ومن كل الناس ان تبدأ من الاطفال ونبدأ بتعمليمهم معنى الحوار الصحيح وان نترك لاطفالنا الحرية بابداء الرأي حتى وان كان خاطيء او بريء وان نتعلم نحن ان ذلك المخلوق الصغير في الحجم ممكن ان يمتلك عقل كبير جدا ولديه اراء رائعة فليس علينا سوى الاستماع لها ..الشيء المهم والاخير الذي يجب ان نفعله نحن ان نعلم الاطفال معنى ابداء الرأي حتى يصبحوا ناضجين اسوياء وان يجهضوا مبدأ "الاختلاف بالرأي يفسد للود قضية". ..


9.8.2010

Thursday 1 April 2010

Using new technology is necessary

Spring 2007
"Using new technology is necessary"

"Technology is like a fish. The longer it stays on the shelf, the less desirable it becomes. " by Andrew Heller. If we compare our life before and after the technology enters our life, we will find a big difference and it is like a revolution. Nowadays the majority of people in the world would like to replace and change their devices for many reasons. Because we are living in a developing world, we need to catch up with what is going on in the world technologically to cope with the developed countries. These days, discarding technological devices once newer models with different features is necessary as today's society is evolving technologically at an ever increasing pace and it also facilitates our personal and professional life.

The first cause why we should replace our old devices with new ones is because our society is developing technologically. Nowadays we are living in a technological community that almost everyone has the latest devices. In order not to feel incompatible with others, we should catch up with the latest devices in the market. For example, if you have a friend that has the newest cell phone that has Bluetooth, the ability to send pictures or files to other cell phone immediately, while you have not this ability, Bluetooth, in your mobile, you will feel different and will face difficulty to communicate with others. A wise man once said "once new technology rolls over you, if you are not part of the steamroller, you are part of the road". Stewart Brand. This quote shows that you need to be up to date to what is new in the world so as not to be isolated from the society. Another point that can make us discard our old devices with the new ones is our technological environment. Companies that produce the new devices have their attractive offers that encourage people to buy. Sometimes such companies offer for their customers the lowest offers with higher qualities in order to attract more consumers, especially in feast and Christmas, so people who would like to buy gifts in feast days will benefit from these useful offers and companies as well. These offers help people buying because they will have the latest devices with lower prices, so it is beneficial for both companies and customers. Another factor that can have a role in making people buy is advertising. Advertising for the newest product is useful because it motives people to buy more. Advertising is important because it is everywhere, television, magazines, radio and even in underground station. This Availability of advertising can encourage even people who are not interested to buy and discover the new device that has all the advertising.

Because our personal life depends on technology in many situations, we discard our old devices with the new ones. In our personal life we use the latest devices because these new devices make our life easier. One of the advantages of the new devices is to reduce time. In the past, we had the traditional cameras with a film that we had to give it to the photographer and spend a week to have our pictures. This was a waste of time and efforts. Nowadays, we have the digital cameras which you can check your photos right away after you capture and delete the bad ones or even recapture the picture. Also, with digital cameras, we can immediately watch the pictures in the computer and save them in. You also can with digital cameras send your pictures to your friends by using the computer while the old ones don’t have this characteristic. Another advantage of new devices, digital cameras, is to save money and then you will balance your income. Another advantage of the new devices that make our life easier is the improvement of our communication with people. The latest computers nowadays have the ability to see people by the webcam and talk to them as you call them by telephone but in a low price. This ability makes our life easier because we can interact anytime with each other, especially with people who are away from us. According to a lady who has her daughter and son away from her, she bought the advanced so as to communicate and see her children easily as she see them face to face. New devices with its developed features, webcam, can strength the relationship between people and each other.

Discarding our old devices with the new ones is also important in our professional life. In many business, you have to use the newest devices, if not you will lose your customers. Because there is competition between companies, every company needs to produce and have the latest devices with the newest features to attract more customers. For example, once new company has the new features that can benefit the customers, other companies replace their old devices and produce the new ones to have more customers. Moreover, New technological devices are necessary in educational professional field According to the 1982 Wingspread Conference that discuss ,many educational issues and one of the issues that was discussed is the importance of technology in education. This conference recommended to improve the technology and computer courses. This shows that it encourages professors in the university to buy the newest devices to help students like their subject. It also show that even before many years many people asked to change and replace their old devices with the new ones. Another point of why we discard our old devices with the new ones is to make our work easier. Any workers want to finish their work quickly; this can be possible by replacing the old devices, with old features, with the new technological devices that can make our work easier. For example, in the past most of the workers had to hold all their documents in CD or in a personal computer while nowadays workers can hold their all documents and computer files in the USB, flash memory, that you can hold everywhere. This shows that we can do our work easily and quickly.
Although discarding the old devices with the new ones is important, we should replace them with a reason. There is a question that always comes to the mind of many people. The question is why we should replace our old devices with the new ones. Some people believe that it is necessary for the developing of the county while others think that it is essential for our personal and the others think it helps them in their work. Technology is necessary but for a purpose.


Works cited
“The Sun Sets on the VCR.” Guardian 23 Nov. 2004:17.1.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianweekly/story/0,,1370052,00.html