Comments on: Somalia Update http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2006/08/11/somalia-update-2/ EthanZ's musings on Africa, media and international development Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:45:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: AfroVoltaire http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2006/08/11/somalia-update-2/comment-page-1/#comment-53134 AfroVoltaire Sat, 12 Aug 2006 14:20:11 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=938#comment-53134 Quite interesting. Thank you for the clarifications, Sir Ethan! Quite interesting. Thank you for the clarifications, Sir Ethan!

]]> By: isn’t africa a country?… at connecting*the*dots http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2006/08/11/somalia-update-2/comment-page-1/#comment-53080 isn’t africa a country?… at connecting*the*dots Sat, 12 Aug 2006 09:12:22 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=938#comment-53080 [...] No sooner did I start my homework assignment from Ethan (I began researching the context of the recent struggles in the Democratic Republic of Congo and how refugees from the Rwandan Genocide sparked the strife a few years back), he goes and drops an incredibly easy to digest post (maps really help) on the current troubles in Somalia. Tags: Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethan Zuckerman, Rwanda, Somalia. [...] [...] No sooner did I start my homework assignment from Ethan (I began researching the context of the recent struggles in the Democratic Republic of Congo and how refugees from the Rwandan Genocide sparked the strife a few years back), he goes and drops an incredibly easy to digest post (maps really help) on the current troubles in Somalia. Tags: Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethan Zuckerman, Rwanda, Somalia. [...]

]]> By: quixote http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2006/08/11/somalia-update-2/comment-page-1/#comment-52886 quixote Fri, 11 Aug 2006 19:45:12 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=938#comment-52886 The Economist article is heartbreaking. The situation is complex, but as the article points out, there is an elephant in the room. Population growth. What seems to be even more unmentionable is that the lack of human rights for women is the mother of the elephant in the room. That is the part of the world with widespread genital mutilation. The appalling crimes of sexual torture committed in places like Darfur are, if I've understood some of the reports from the area correctly, not even directed at women. They're committed to get at men by hurting their families. Women count for, literally, nothing at all. The result is everywhere. Baby machines with no rights are, well, baby machines. Women (under current social conditions) tend to be a voice for moderation. But they have no voice, and moderation is nowhere to be found. Addressing the issue involves divorcing Islam from cultural barbarism that has nothing to do with the religion, and that, perhaps, is the Great Big Momma of all the ignored elephants in the room. Nobody wants to touch that one for fear of being accused of bigotry, colonialism, orientalism, or some damn thing. I think we're making a big mistake. We should call bullshit in our own houses first, for sure. But that doesn't let us off calling it elsewhere, especially when it's killing millions of people and devastating a whole regions of the world. The Economist article is heartbreaking. The situation is complex, but as the article points out, there is an elephant in the room. Population growth. What seems to be even more unmentionable is that the lack of human rights for women is the mother of the elephant in the room. That is the part of the world with widespread genital mutilation. The appalling crimes of sexual torture committed in places like Darfur are, if I’ve understood some of the reports from the area correctly, not even directed at women. They’re committed to get at men by hurting their families. Women count for, literally, nothing at all.

The result is everywhere. Baby machines with no rights are, well, baby machines. Women (under current social conditions) tend to be a voice for moderation. But they have no voice, and moderation is nowhere to be found.

Addressing the issue involves divorcing Islam from cultural barbarism that has nothing to do with the religion, and that, perhaps, is the Great Big Momma of all the ignored elephants in the room. Nobody wants to touch that one for fear of being accused of bigotry, colonialism, orientalism, or some damn thing.

I think we’re making a big mistake. We should call bullshit in our own houses first, for sure. But that doesn’t let us off calling it elsewhere, especially when it’s killing millions of people and devastating a whole regions of the world.

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