Soraya and Neda must be remembered

Tuesday, 06. 30. 2009  –  By Janice  –  6 Comments

Over the past few weeks I have watched with the curiosity of an outsider the enormous demonstrations in Iran. As a long-time women’s rights advocate I was horrified and saddened to see Neda gunned down on her way to raise her voice with her fellow countrymen, a right we in the West take for granted.

The murder of Neda’s made me think of Soraya, the innocent stoning victim from The Stoning of Soraya M. Soraya was another woman who was murdered for trying to exercise freedoms those in the West would take for granted. Soraya’s “crime” was that she merely wanted to have the means to care for her young children and refused to divorce her abusive husband because she knew he would leave her and her young daughters destitute. Like Neda, Soraya came to find that there are places and times when those who crave power will kill anyone who poses a threat to their conquest. As the release of the film quickly approached after Neda’s murder, I discovered other ways in which Neda and Soraya’s lives relate.

Like Soraya Neda had hopes for her future. A passionate traveler, she had received training in tourism and hoped for a career leading Iranians in oversea tours. Neda longed to be free to pursue her career aspirations with the same passion that Soraya had to work to support her young children once her husband abandoned them.

Like Soraya there are those trying hard to conceal Neda’s memory. According to the L.A. Times, authorities even asked her family to take down the black mourning banners from the front of the house. The Iranian press was similarly persuaded not to use her full name in print. In The Stoning of Soraya M. the fearless Zahra relates to her audience the heartless decision of the mayor to not allow Soraya to have a proper burial. The book by Freidoune Sahebjam, on which the film is based, describes in detail the men’s opposition to allowing Soraya to be buried. After the decision was made, Mayor Ebrahim tells Zahra:

“Sheik Hassan is of the opinion that she shouldn’t be buried at all…According to God’s law, no woman who has been stoned to death has the right to interment. That’s what Sheik Hassan says…He says that those who have strayed from God’s path have no right to be buried with those who have lived with dignity” (p. 135).

Like the men in Soraya’s village, the authorities are fearful of the power a female martyr can have on a community. Unfortunately for them there are people all across the planet who insists on honoring the memory of these brave women.

There are two women in particular who have helped to preserve Soraya’s memory. We can follow their example in ensuring that Neda is remembered.

Follow the example of Zahra, Soraya’s ally and the sole voice of moral courage in the village. If those around you will not listen, search for someone who will. Search until you find someone else with the moral courage to listen and believe.

Follow the example of Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh, the co-writer of The Stoning of Soraya M. and husband to director Cyrus Nowrasteh. I recently had the wonderful opportunity to speak to Cyrus about the film. He told me that Betsy is largely responsible for the film's existence. Not only did it take over two years to secure the rights to the story, the negotiations were so laborious that on many occasions Cyrus felt the film would not be made. Cyrus told me that if it was not for Betsy’s determination to tell Soraya's story that the couple may not have ever made the film.

Soraya and Neda deserve to be remembered. Follow the examples of Zahra and Betsy. Don’t just be fearless, be resilient. Don’t make excuses for why your voice cannot be heard. If you think it is not being heard, yell louder!

The Stoning of Soraya M. and Pride week share message

Monday, 06. 29. 2009  –  By Dana Gallagher  –  13 Comments

Barbarians United

Dana Gallagher

The theatrical release of The Stoning of Soraya M. coincided with the culmination of Pride week. These events happened separately, mostly attended by separate circles. Many people who attended one had little or no knowledge of the other. Yet those who were drawn to the film and those who were drawn to the Pride festivities have an extraordinary amount in common. Each are driven by the same desire for dignity, the same need to be seen and be heard, the same wish to take their place as equal human beings in this world. Very often they even struggle against the same oppressors. Yet all too often each struggles separately, in isolation. How much stronger might we all be if we fought together?

Despite the progress that has been made, the LGBT community is facing enormous challenges. According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, homophobic killings in the United States are at their highest since the turn of the century. For the past two years the National Day of Silence, an event designed “to bring attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools,” was met with a boycott organized by the NotOurKids coalition, comprised of over 20 conservative religious groups. Linda Harvey, a spokeswoman for the coalition, told World Net Daily that “We need to be very, very concerned about the harm, for our own children and all of these children. We are creating barbarians. Parents want something other than barbarians living down the street.”

Barbarian. Whore. Queer. Adultress. Fag. Bitch. Slurs and insults often plant the seeds that later sow violence, even death. Two boys already this year, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover and Jaheem Herrera, both 11 years old, killed themselves after suffering harassment at the hand of their classmates. Neither found any support or protection from the adults and authority figures that surrounded them.

Soraya was a grown woman whose life was taken from her. Yet the tragedies that befell those boys here in America and that woman in Iran are not so different. Like them, Soraya became a target for punishment not for anything that she had done, but because of what she was. Like them, her demise began with whispers, and then shouts, of slander and accusation. You are a whore. You are a fag. You are an abomination before God. Like them, she was powerless to defend herself. Like them, she was failed by those around her who did have power and authority. Like them, her life met a horrible and senseless end.

Again, Soraya’s life was taken from her-I do not mean to set aside that fact. My point here is that Soraya M. was unable to defend herself because the culture in which she lived did not afford her full rights as a human being. There isn’t a single member of the LBGT community who doesn’t know what that feels like. When the discrimination of any particular group is tolerated in a culture, the underlying message is that they have been found guilty. Guilty of being a woman, guilty of being gay-guilty, in short, of existing.

But we are not guilty. We are born, all of us, innocent, and we have a right to be here and to live to the fullest of our human potential. Everyone who went to see The Stoning of Soraya M. understands that. Everyone who went to march in Pride celebrations understands that. My hope is that the understanding of each group might grow and extend until we form a stronger, more cohesive whole.

I believe that moving forward, much of the success of the civil rights movements will depend on our ability to recognize and honor our common fight. We did not choose to live among people who do not always see us, do not always welcome us. But we can see each other, welcome each other, and when necessary, defend each other. Barbarians united-what will the neighbors say?

MLK Would Not Be Proud of Amnesty Int'l

Thursday, 06. 25. 2009  –  By Irshad  –  25 Comments

As a Muslim reformer, I routinely receive heart-wrenching emails from fellow Muslims whose basic human rights are being violated — not by “outsiders” but by members of their own communities. Just go to my blog and you’ll read emails, with names attached, attesting to this sad reality.

Equally saddening is that self-professed human rights activists in the West often play the purity game, suggesting that you can’t comment if don’t represent. Their point: Anyone living in the West can’t legitimately expose oppressive practices in cultures elsewhere.

Would they say the same to Muslims in the traditional Islamic world who expose human rights abuses at Gitmo or Abu Ghraib? Of course not.

Nor should they. Human rights, being human, are above the politics of identity. Or should be. As Martin Luther King pointed out in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, “Never again can we afford to live with narrow, parochial ‘outside agitator’ idea.”

But it seems that Elise Aurbach, Iran specialist for Amnesty International USA, can more than live with the narrow and parochial. She practices it in her baffling post about The Stoning of Soraya M, a gorgeously produced indie flick that’s coming out in America today (and being distributed in the Middle East soon). The film depicts a young Iranian mother who’s framed by her husband and stoned to death by her village.

Tellingly, Amnesty itself released a report last year that described stonings as “grotesque and unacceptable”. In its press release about the report, Amnesty called on “the Iranian authorities to abolish death by stoning and impose an immediate moratorium on this horrific practice, specifically designed to increase the suffering of victims.”

In her remarkably contradictory review of The Stoning of Soraya M — a review in which she acknowledges the report — Auberbach emphasizes that “Iranians don’t need people from outside Iran telling them what is good for them…”

Really? Then why did her own organization dare to tell Iranian authorities what to do?

And why did Amnesty feature The Stoning of Soraya M at its film festival only two days ago?

Above all, why did Amnesty invite Cyrus Nowrasteh, the Iranian-American director of Soraya, to introduce this film at their festival? Is it because he’s Iranian? If so, then what makes him an “outsider” to Auerbach?

Of course, he’s American too. In which case, isn’t Auerbach’s employer — the London-based Amnesty — complicit in promoting interference by outsiders?

Within its own ranks, Amnesty International needs an intellectually honest debate about how to realize its motto, “Defending Human Rights Worldwide.” Personally, I can attest that more than a few Amnesty activists worry about the scourge of moral and cultural relativism in their midst. That’s the single biggest concern confided to me when I presented at Amnesty’s 2006 biennial conference in Mexico City. Delegates disclosed that the organization has no clear message about honor-based crimes, including stoning, because nobody wants to be deemed a bigot. As if defending human rights worldwide has ever been a matter of politeness.

It’s 2009 and apparently, Amnesty has not resolved its dilemma. Auerbach condemns a movie that spotlights an Iranian heroine who tries to stop the stoning; a Muslim who realizes her faith by speaking truth to power about the need for human dignity.

And yet, according to Auerbach, hapless audience dupes will respond with “disgust and revulsion at Iranians themselves, who are portrayed as primitive and bloodthirsty savages.” Thus, “we” — idiot Westerners who can’t be trusted to reach independent conclusions — “still have to wait” for a “thoughtful” film that about executions in Iran.

I hope we don’t have to wait for thoughtful members of Amnesty International to speak truth to power in their organization. I know that dissidents exist. Whether they’ll exercise their basic human right to freedom of conscience — that I don’t know. Moral courage is always more difficult than self-censorship.

Student's Review: The Stoning of Soraya M.

Thursday, 06. 25. 2009  –  By Janice  –  5 Comments

The Stoning of Soraya M.
Directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh
MPower Pictures

The Stoning of Soraya M. is a shocking and heartbreaking story of female oppression. The film, adapted from the 1994 book by the late Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam, is based on a true story. Sahebjam learned the story of Soraya M., and started writing just six months after her death.

The film sets a dismal tone from the very beginning as viewers learn about the violent and humiliating marriage in which Soraya is trapped. Soraya stays with her abusive husband because she lacks the financial resources to raise her daughters without him. When Soraya’s husband fails to force her into a divorce that would free him to marry a fourteen-year-old girl, he begins plotting with other men in the village to falsely accuse her of adultery and then have her stoned.

Viewers will remember the stoning scene for a long time. The stoning begins slowly but accelerates with violent language directed at Soraya. Many viewers may have a hard time watching the stoning in its entirety, due to the knowledge of Soraya’s complete innocence combined with the brutal manner in which she is treated, even by her own father. However, viewers need to be cognitive of their own privilege in being able to cover their faces and turn away from the violence. Soraya, her hands bound behind her back, had no such luxury, nor do the countless other victims of this type of violence.

Theatergoers may be disturbed to know that the filmmakers drastically modified the stoning scene from the original version in the book to make it viewable by the general public. The stoning is in fact portrayed technically “incorrect;” in reality, the custom is to bury a man to his waist for stoning, a woman to her shoulders. The film portrays Soraya as being buried to her waist.

Anger was my strongest emotion after watching the film. I was angry at the male characters in the film and angry because Soraya was a real woman. I was angry on behalf of other women who are also forced to witness and suffer the same brutality.

While the film is heartbreaking, it does not end without a message of hope. Soraya’s aunt Zahra exclaims that “the world will know” what has been done to her niece, and her hope and desire to tell Soraya’s story is touching. The emotional climax has been building so much by this point that what may otherwise seem clichéd can instead prompts the audience to celebrate the victory along with her—for Zahra has successfully told her story to a journalist from outside the community. The book and the film would not otherwise exist.

Although the film is tragic and ends with only a sliver of hope, people who have viewed the film have already begun to take efforts to ensure that Soraya’s death is not in vain. Stay tuned this summer as activists all over the country use this film to speak out against other similar abuses taking place daily all over the world. To learn more visit www.moralcourage.com.

Review by Janice Formichella

Campaign Manager, Moral Courage Project

Issues Fact Sheet

Thursday, 06. 25. 2009  –  By Janice  –  Comments Off

Issues Fact Sheet
Stoning and Killing of Women: A Global Crisis

Stoning

1. Stoning is used for punishment for adultery and other crimes in Afghanistan, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Iraq.
2. Stoning is often written into law. Article 102 of Iran’s Penal Code states that stones used should “not be large enough to kill the person by one of two strikes; nor should they be so small that they could not be defined as stones.”
3. Women are far more likely to be victims of stoning. The Global Campaign to Stop Killing and Stoning Women states that out of ten people awaiting execution by stoning in Iran, nine are women. One reason is that women are more vulnerable to stoning is their vulnerability under the law. They are susceptible to unfair trials because they are more likely than men to be illiterate, and therefore may sign confessions that they did not understand.
4. Stoning breeches the International Convention of Civil and Political Rights (1966), to which Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, and the Sudan are party signatories.

Honor Killings

1. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights acknowledges that honor killings have occurred in Great Britain, Brazil, India, Ecuador, Israel, Italy, Sweden, and Uganda as well as in Muslim nations such as Turkey, Jordan, Pakistan, and Morocco.
2. The International Campaign Against Honour Killings estimates that over 5000 women are killed each year by family members in so-called “honor killings.”
3. The Global Campaign to Stop Killing and Stoning of Women, who rely on informers to tell them about honor killings, has identified 16 victims of honor killings in May, 2009 alone.

Exclusive Film Clips

Tuesday, 06. 23. 2009  –  By the Moral Courage Project  –  21 Comments

Soraya’s aunt, Zahra, knows the dangers that Soraya faces if she goes against her husband’s wishes. 

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Soraya is trapped in an abusive marriage where she has no rights and no voice.  

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Zahra thinks that a job will free Soraya to escape her terrifying and oppressive situation.  

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Ali and the Mullah prove that their world is a man’s world.  

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After a speedy trial Soraya is sentenced to death by stoning. With no one in the village to turn to the women are forced to accept their fate.  

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As Soraya is betrayed by her own father, Zahra is carried away—outranked but far from defeated.

The Stoning of Soraya M.

Tuesday, 06. 9. 2009  –  By the Moral Courage Project  –  Comments Off

theatersupdated | exclusive film clips

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Watch “The Stoning of Soraya M.” at these U.S. theaters. Or watch exclusive clips of the film. Then join the Moral Courage Project to discuss the human rights issues raised by this movie, and strategize with others for social impact. Engage now.

Soraya's Song (In the Name of God)

Monday, 06. 1. 2009  –  By Genesis Be  –  9 Comments

ARTIST'S STATEMENT, by Genesis Be

I first watched "The Stoning of Soraya M." during a private screening hosted by The Moral Courage Project. As a Muslim, I had to act on what I saw because, as I say in Soraya's Song, "I was taught freedom of expression and love, sent from above."

My father, a Baptist preacher and my mother, a former Catholic, both converted to Islam before I was born.

Growing up, I read the Quran, The New Testament and the Old Testament. My father taught me that The People of The Book (Jews, Christians and Muslims) are brothers and sisters, and that co-existence is a must. For me, a loving and compassionate God isn't an oxymoron; it's the essence of faith.

So the atrocities shown in "The Stoning of Soraya M." raise painful but necessary questions about cultural customs in certain Islamic communities. I'm a Muslim who believes in facing up to these questions. At the same time, I'm an artist who understands that interpretation frames reality. Whether it's art or religion, the way we interpret is how we derive meaning.

I choose to interpret both Islam and this movie as a call to challenge corruption and educate ourselves about the urgency of justice for all human beings. Justice starts with each of us. Before you cast the first stone, as the old saying goes, look within. That's my message in Soraya's Song.

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