I came across this letter to the editor from Karen Asfour today while browsing through the JT website. I thought I’d share.
Where is the traffic police? Where are the people within the municipality who decided that the best place to have the “Cultural Street”, resulting in single lane traffic, is Shmeisani? Have any of them seen the horrific traffic jams that have become a daily occurrence?You’d have to see it to believe it: cars backed up and honking, angry and frustrated drivers on every street in the Shemisani network. God help anyone who might have an emergency (or appointment); the possibility of surviving the up to 30-min wait to get out of there is absolutely nil.
I have found my own solution to deal with the problem and I would advise the “powers to be” to advocate the same for other frustrated drivers in the area. The answer is knitting! I take mine along with me and sometimes I am able to knit a whole scarf while waiting for the jam to unsnarl. If drivers are supplied with yarn and knitting needles they will knit instead of honk and those responsible for the mess can forget about correcting the problem. Simple isn’t it?
Source: [Jordan Times]
Indeed. This extension that I usually call “Share3 elSakhafeh,” or the street of idiocy, instead of “Share3 el Thaqafeh,” or street of culture, is simply a waste of space. It really is a challenge to find any cultural item on this stretch of cement and pavement loosely dubbed a cultural venue.
Who in his right mind would think that Shmeisani is a suitable place for such a street? Are not those working at Greater Amman Municipality aware that there are better, more authentic neighborhoods in the capital more suited for such a designation than the overcrowded, extremely noisy Shmeisani? Why couldn’t they do this in a nice area such as Jabal Amman or Jabal al Weibdeh par example? Ah, I could go on forever about this, but who listens?!?!
On a lighter note, I thought the author’s knitting idea is brilliant. I usually substitute that with reading the daily paper.
Rivda, very interesting comments some of which are really spot on. But I didn’t think the comments here were directed towards the women of East Amman, if we unfortunately have to break it down that way. From what I read here, the concern was with the broader idea of women and men intermingling. I think you are also dead on right that regarding women as equals or knowing how to interact with them is not something that can easily be divided along economic lines Jareer. And I’m certain some of the most sexist, misogynist men can be found in West Amman. I also have no doubt (and some experience that suggests) at least a good sampling of those in the East are the salt of the earth, far more friendly than some of the culturally self-involved in the West.
But I think you misrepresent Natasha and Roba, Rivda, if you think they fit that mold. Just as you should not generalize about the minds of those in the East, you should not do the same for those in the West. I can tell you the wife is miles from your suggestion and from my interaction with Roba and my general knowledge of her interests I’d say she’s just not that interested in the car she drives or how she dresses in a “cultural way” (perhaps in an artistic way, but I’d leave that for Roba to address). I digress.
The idea is that those unexposed to something are more likely not to know how best to deal with it when they are exposed or perhaps better said, the propensity is not to know how to deal with it.
Well, I’ll open this up just a notch: I’d say that if I were “forced” to interact with bikini clad women on a regular basis, say in a work environment, it might take me a little while to “adjust.” There I am in my long pants and long shirt and next to me is something that I’ve not been that exposed to (at least in a regular, day-to-day working situation). It would take me *ahem* back for a bit before I adjusted. This example, largely given for comedic purposes to lighten things up is not meant to examine whether or not I’m a misogynist pig filled with the most vile ideas about women. I could well be (though I’m really not).
But that’s not what is at issue here. At issue is how I’m adjusting to something not as common in my experience. In a few weeks, although my mind may still be exactly the same, my adjustment in terms of generally interaction will be more complete and I’ll be less preoccupied with what my co-workers are wearing … well maybe it’ll take more than a few weeks 😉
Anyway, it’s a simple psychological process. In the US, the way it is often presented is in terms of violence. If you see a great deal of violence on a regular bases you get “de-sensitized” to it. And of course, that is bad thing. Here, I think Roba and Natasha are talking about the sensitivity of the men making comments and such and they are addressing a need for exposure to desensitize them. I didn’t see anything in their comments to suggest that the men of East or West were “better” in a general sense only that due to exposure to things more “Western” the Western guys were less reactive to seeing women eating Chili House in the street 😉
Well Rivada, I think you are being harsh on the women who actually get harassed on a daily basis by labeling them as “Western wanna be women”. And I think you are actually generalizing by portraying women who live in the western side of the capital as only being concerned with fashion and luxurious cars (by the way the car that I drive in Jordan is a 1997 Kia Pride which is anything but luxurious). Harassment is very deep rooted in the Jordanian society and it is a shame that we always keep dancing around it and never try to solve it. It is a known fact that some parts of Amman are more hostile to women than others, due to many factors. Nobody can deny this fact.
I don’t think you are being fair, Rivada, with your accusations about me and Roba not being bothered about the status of women while being concerned about our “class,” as you label it. You are throwing accusations without really knowing the social, or educational background of either of us, nor what we have done or not done for the empowerment of women in Jordan. I think you are being very judgmental here, jumping to conclusions based on a post that was designed to discuss the daily harassments Jordanian women receive on a daily basis.
And I must admit, Jareer, that I have met the most misogynist of men in Western Amman. Many of my classmates in school also belong to the “elite” society in Jordan, and they do not treat women any better simply because they come from “Western Amman” or because they study in the West. To understand problems like mistreatment of women or “honor killings,” which many of the women here even deny they exist, one must understand that the social system in Jordan is an honor-based system that has functions in society and play a precise role in it…more on this in a different note.
Back to the topic of Eastern and Western Amman: Natasha has mentioned that the East has to mingle with the West for change to take place. But what really constitutes the West, and how much of the percentage of the Jordanians do the “Western Ammanites” constitute? Who do really resemble the Jordanians: is it the 2% of Westernized Arabs (who unfortunately know very little about their own culture), or is it the majority of the Jordanians who dwell in other cities and villages spread out all over the country?
Western Ammanites are but a minority that can have little or no influence on the rest of society. Besides, people of the West are the ones who do not want the change. They are satisfied with the social order and, in fact, any change in it threatens their place in society and their prestige. Clearly, Natasha claims that women in Western Amman are more modernized than those in the East, simply because they do not wear the head cover and because they drive luxurious cars. Unfortunately, the majority of Western women who seek Westernization tend to be adopting the negative aspects of it (i.e. preoccupation with fashion and obsession with physical appearance and luxury), which further objectify women and keep them in their place. I notice that the obsession of the women in Western Amman with fashion and luxury controls their minds and time and money. It keeps them, “in their place,” and they no longer seek change in other aspects of life. As women in Western Amman become satisfied with the way they dress and the cars they drive, they blindly accept the life –cycle of the Arab world (authority of men, child-rearing, etc). This obsession with luxury and fashion also creates competition among women, which leads to more divisions and less solidarity among them.. Lack of solidarity among women gives men more confidence to practice their control and reduces any chances of creating social institutions (i.e. women organizations) that would empower women and encourage them to improve their status in society. Being class conscious like Ruba and Natasha (who do not want to be lost in the streets of Wihdat or have Wihdatis destroy their thaqafa street) are obviously not as concerned about improving the status of Jordanian women as they are concerned with/ paranoid about losing their status. Hearing some women speak here proves to us that women also perpetuate the oppression of other women. In fact, many of the upper class women study outside the country (and boast about it, of course) and are not aware of what is going in rural areas and among lower classes. Besides, what makes a Westerner a “Westerner?” Isn’t Westernization marked by sensitivity toward others and strife for equality, liberty, and freedom? Obviously, not wanting people from Eastern Amman to be in touch with you has no call for equality and seeks no freedom pf mobility, whether it be social or geographical, to those in Eastern Amman.
Maybe it is true that there is not a division of social space in Western Amman as there is in East Amman, and here I’m speaking about having domains distinct for men and those for women, but it will take much more than drinking coffee in a café in Western Amman to challenge an honor-based system. It requires more comprehensive historical change, which will take hundreds of pages to discuss, and not a simple “mental mayhem” discussion board. Many women from Eastern Amman, even those who are “head covered,” are very concerned with their independence and struggle daily to carve their own destiny. They did not have it easy as some women in Western Amman did, but they because they have suffered; because they belong to “traditional” Arab families and thus those who resemble the majority of Jordanians, they are the ones who struggle to make change and they will be the ones who make change, while, unfortunately, Western “wanna- be -women” will remain in their place. They will be neither Arabs nor Westerners; what a loss to society such women are!
So, you did what you were suggesting the Amaneh should do, “mingled” with Wihdatians !
So, why didnt you say it from the begining; Wihdat. Wihdat does not represent eastern Amman. I was once threatened by an employee at work who brought a steel pipe with him to my office to beat me. I called the police right away. When we both went to the police office and they started investigation; as soon as he mentioned he lived in Wihdat, the ploice slapped him on his cheeck !
On the other hand, and in the same company; my boss (owner of company) used to harrass ladies and secretaries who used to work there; they would come and tell me why he did that; what does he mean by this and that. You know what I did? During the training process for new employees, I would warn those ladies (implicitly) with some comments like; do not get deceived if a person is an old one, or rich from a respected family; always always always , be carefull. This boss was about 60 years old, his company in Shemesani, and lives on the airport road.. no more clues ! This is my last comment on this subject, but I thought I should voice my opinion since I loved the neighbourhood I once was raised in, and where most of my friends and memories are attracted to, even from ten thousands miles away.
Well Jareer, I agree with you that we shouldn’t generalize. There is always the good and the bad in each society. But it is a known fact that west ammanites – due to social and economic reasons- are more exposed to the outside world than east ammanites, thus will act less crazy when they see unacompanied women.
That’s a fact we can’t ignore. I will never go to east Amman on my own, because it will be a very uncomfortable experience, been there done that. Once I was driving and got lost and found my self somewhere in Wihdadt. It was not fun as some guys gathered around my car and started banging on the windows and the doors while making sleazy comments and gestures. I freaked out.I had to dodge the crowd and was able to leave this place in one piece. I know it is difficult for you to understand cause you are guy. Life for women is much more complicated.That’ why I’m siding with Roba:) We relate:)
With all due respect Natasha, I do not buy this kind of analysis which I see shallow, unfair, and lack the root cause analysis of the harrassment issue. Not that I do not agree with some of what you have mentioned, but because you are drawing a geographical line to define who is good and who is bad. A man is a man no matter where you put him. Also, few kilometers between Eastern and Western Amman do not define a different culture. What if the person who harrasses you is a boss from 3abdoon, how much does he differ from a harrasser from Wihdat? Why do you consider people from West Amman are brought up better than other areas? Where do all people come from anyway? So, people in Eastern areas treat women as objects, but the 3abdonian treat them as human beings ! This does not make any sense to me. Look back to the comment made, and you will see the term ” poor” was used. I did not make it up. Speaking of poverty, its almost always the wealth that corrupts. Are the richer people nicer? They are more mean, lusty, greedy, self centered, less social etc. Poorer people are less spoiled-if ever, while a lot of ” may3een” come from western areas. Sorry, I have to leave it here, hope to continue later.
I have to side with Roba here. Ahmed, your idea of taking Chili House food and eating it on the street of culture will simply not work for women. They simply won’t be left alone. They will be harassed with comments like “Yil3an 3oumri ana” or “amout ana bi el burgar!” and others that I can’t post here.
And Jareer this is not a matter of poor and rich it is a matter of good upbringing and learning how to treat women as human beings and not as sexual objects, a mentality that is very deep-rooted mostly among east Ammanites. You can’t see this cause you are a guy and you have never been harassed in Jordan, obviously. If there were open spaces for all and East Amman got to mix alongside with West Amman then we might see change in this segregated society.
If this happens then East Amman guys will get used to the site of seeing unveiled women or even an unescorted woman for that matter. If the East mingles with the West then probably, the sight of a bunch of women enjoying a chili house meal in public won’t draw much attention anymore.
i dont get what you guys are talking about. its too confusing.
hehe
but speaking of knitting, i try to getmy teta to teach me recently but she siad i kept messing up the scarff she was making. so i dont know how to knit
No, Jareer. It has nothing to do with looking down at people, I speak more from a point of view regarding loss of privacy in an old housing district in Amman.
I agree with you, it was a sad day when Jordanian society started facing problems of social segregation depending on status and pride, and we have a huge problem as entertainment options are limited to those who can afford them.
So like I said, the efforts of the Amaneh when it comes to trying to provide a space for the people is deeply appreciated, but they misanalyzed everything. When Share3 Il Thaqafeh first opened, they kept the people who visited Share3 il Thaqafeh busy with exhibitions, shows, and various other means of free entertainment. Then they started getting complaints from all the people who live around Share3 il Thaqafeh about the music being loud and old people and students trying to sleep- so that put an end to the free entertainment. Now many people resort to Share3 Il Thaqafeh looking for entertainment and find none, so they resort to vandalism and lack of respect for privacy, something very annoying if you happen to live there.
Casting my mind back to when I was teaching the GAM boys English, we had many a discussion about this street. I, like Ahmad, always kind of liked the design and the sort of European concept behind it. The street was motivated by Amman’s place as the Arab Capital of Culture for 2002. GAM was working overtime to try and make sure the city fit that mold. Sometimes it didn’t work. In 2002, that area had quite a number of gallery showings and even outdoor concerts. I think the Superstar show was broadcast on a big screen that year when Curazon won it for Jordan.
It was nice but it was obvious pretty quickly that it was getting mighty crowded. The vehicle traffic did not decrease. I think the message in reducing the number of lanes was to cut down on traffic but driver’s preferred instead to troll the concrete island for reasons best described by Ahmad. That inevtiably led to some of the cat-calling and staring complaints that have eventually taken over the area.
I think one of the bigger problems with the whole issue was that the residents of the area really weren’t consulted. I’m betting that doesn’t happen very often with GAM projects generally. But this one was so “neighborhood oriented” that it’s ramifications were felt really quickly. You guys can tell me if I’m wrong, but Shmeisani is one of the sort of ‘classic’ neighborhoods of Amman. It has just grown and grown out of control. That sort of ‘growth’ passed right on up into the Street of Culture.
Now the street is near empty of culture (when is the last time the gallery was used?) and it has brought in an element best described by Roba as somewhat undesirable. I can tell you that GAM had no ill will in mind when they put this project together. They thought it was a masterstroke, something unique and beautiful. But since such projects are somewhat novel in the capital they had no way of anticipating its draw. Well, maybe they did but they didn’t really utilize that knowledge if it existed. And they apparently don’t have any real way to control or book the area because it seems to have lost its cultural component.
It’s too bad. I think the concept was really nice but GAM didn’t have a long range vision of things and they didn’t consult those who would bear the brunt of this development. I know they didn’t think the latter would be an issue, but that proves the old adage: Assume makes an “ass” out of “u” and “me.”