Those seeking torture porn will be very disappointed.

Friday, 09. 4. 2009  –  By Janice  –  13 Comments

Torture Porn?

One of the most aggravating things I have heard while promoting the film The Stoning of Soraya M. this summer is that it is “torture porn.” Given that there is nothing pornographic about the film, the fact that this term has been used so much in reference to it really, really annoys me.

At a recent dinner with many human rights activists concerned with the Middle East I got into a conversation with a married couple.  When my involvement with the film came up, the woman made an expression as though she had just eaten a rotten lemon. “I don’t like that film” she said. The next thing out of my mouth was to ask her if she had seen it. I was not at all surprised when she said she had not. I was surprised, however, when she proceeded to cite all the reasons she disliked a film she had not seen. Her husband pointed out that many have referred to the film as “torture porn.” When I pressed him to explain exactly what is meant by that term, he not only compared The Stoning of Soraya M. to The Passion of the Christ (a horrible comparison), he stated that a woman is tortured in the film and that some people are aroused by such violence.

"Torture porn" scene in The Stoning of Soraya M.

So not only are men responsible for perpetrating such gross crimes against women, the perverted tendencies of what I assume to be a small minority of men with torture fetishes is used as an excuse not to allow Soraya’s story to be told.  It is ironic to me that the victim being a woman rather than a man should discourage so many from watching this wonderful film. Once again, Soraya faces injustice because of her gender.

I have to say, I also find it ironic and disturbing that so many feel the need to compare this film to The Passion of the Christ. The film that Robert Ebert famously referred to as the most violent movie he had ever seen, it remains the highest grossing non-English film in the U.S. I remember the zealous response from Christians when the film was released.

As a woman I have a similar zeal for Soraya’s story.

The flogging of Jesus alone in The Passion took ten minutes. This is as long as the entire stoning scene in Soraya, not very satisfying for those who are watching it for sexual arousal.

Consider another Mel Gibson film, Braveheart, perhaps the most violent movie I have ever seen (I have not seen The Passion). Although Mel Gibson is tortured and abused while wearing short kilts and exposing his muscular chest, I don’t recall every hearing the film referred to as torture porn. I also don’t recall hearing about people refusing to watch certain scenes due to violence the way I have seen people refusing the watch the stoning scene in The Stoning of Soraya M.

During one screening of the film I watched with disappointment as two viewers promptly got up and walked out of the room as soon as Soraya was lowered into the ground for the stoning. Watching the rest of us from outside the room, they commented on being too sensitive and affected by such “explicit violence,” as though the rest of us were just watching for the pornographic appeal. I have rarely, if ever, seen people walk out other violent movies.

Those who refuse to watch the movie or scenes from the movie should really ask themselves why they are so uncomfortable viewing this type of violence, particularly with an actual crime is being depicted. Those so concerned about "torture porn" should go after the violent and often illegal pornography found readily online and allow those of us concerned with telling the true story of injustice do our job a bit easier.

Tell your representatives to help prevent child marriage

Tuesday, 09. 1. 2009  –  By Janice  –  2 Comments

An 11-year-old being married off to a grown man.

In The Stoning of Soraya M., Soraya's evil husband Ali plots to have her killed to free him to marry a 14-year-old girl. Ali has not ever even spoken to the young girl that he desires, but instead assumes he will be able to strike an arrangement with the girl's father to marry her.

While the story takes place in the 1980s, young girls continue to be forced into marriages with men often twice their age all over the world. The above picture, recepient of the UNICEF 2007 Photo of the Year award, is of an eleven-year-old girl at her wedding, the man on her left is her new husband.

According to CARE.org 60 million girls around the world are married before the age of 17 — many to men twice their age or older.

These young brides are:

• More likely to die during childbirth. Girls under the age of 15 are five times more likely to die during childbirth than a woman in her 20s.
• More likely to live in poverty. Child brides usually drop out of school, thus limiting their economic opportunities for the rest of their lives.
• Are twice as likely to experience domestic violence.
• Are more vulnerable to illnesses such as HIV.

Ask your representatives to co-sponsor the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2009.

This legislation will:

• Scale up proven approaches and programs to end child marriage
• Require the development of a comprehensive strategy to prevent child marriage and empower young girls
• Urge countries to uphold and enforce existing anti-child marriage laws
• Recognize child marriage as a human rights violation
• Require the Department of State to address child marriage in its annual Human Rights Reports.

Don't wait! Girls around the world need your support. Contacts your reps today.

Senator Kennedy's legacy should remind activists about reality.

Thursday, 08. 27. 2009  –  By Janice  –  5 Comments

Champion of moral courage: Ted Kennedy

The death of Senator Ted Kennedy and the touching memorials I have seen on television remind me of the moral courage that America has seen from of the Kennedy family. Following in the footsteps of his older brothers, Sen. Kennedy was always willing to express unique and unpopular opinions, including healthcare reform. In the past 24 hours we have been reminded over and over that healthcare reform was something that Sen. Kennedy believed in and promoted for a large portion of his career yet did not live to see realized.

Sen. Kennedy fought tirelessly for decades to reform healthcare and refused to give up his vision. However, Obama is a mere month and a half into campaigning for his healthcare plan, and many progressives have pre-maturely thrown their hands in the air and stopped supporting him.

On Monday, British journalist Michael Tomasky published a poignant article titled “Change is tough. So liberals can’t just leave it to Obama.” Tomasky, seemingly exasperated by the disillusionment of so-called American liberals, reminds those who supported Obama’s election that it is far too early to be throwing in the towel on someone who has been in office only a few months.

Although I am sure many people subconsciously realize it, Tomasky points out that, assuming Obama spends eight years in office (and I assume he will), we are only eight percent into his tenure.

Tomasky reminds young American liberals about the reality of the social movements that we love to idealize. The Civil Rights Movement did not begin with Rosa Parks and end with the first civil rights bill. In fact it was a struggle that took over a decade and began long before Rosa Parks and lasted long after LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

I shudder to think what would have happened if civil rights activists had had the same level of endurance I am seeing out of young American liberals today.

I think that Obama’s election should have instilled in this generation greater self-confidence. If we can get this unconventional candidate elected, why can’t we do many other things, including reform healthcare, end the war, bring about drug reform, and many others?

After all, those of us who campaigned for him shouted the phrase “yes We can!” not, “yes HE can.”

Moral Courage Project defines moral courage as the ability to speak truth to power, especially to your own community and always for the sake of a greater good. Senator Kennedy fought for the greater good, so did his brothers. Sen. Kennedy envisioned an America without a working poor. He saw an America where healthcare is seen as a right. Obama shares many of the same goals, with civil liberties as his guiding principal.

I think our President is on to something, even an entire eight months after the Inauguration. I think it is a vision worth signing on to for the long fun.

Many of Obama’s supporters are so young that they don’t really understand the political process. I hope that instead of giving up and being indifferent for the next seven and a half years that young people will get involved, for it is an exciting, but highly participatory process.

Tomasky's final message to American progressives: “This is what movements do – they do the hard, slow work of winning political battles and changing public opinion over time. It isn't fun. It isn't something Will.i.am is going to make a clever and moving video about, and it offers precious few moments for YouTube. It takes years, which is a bummer, in a political culture that measures success and failure by the hour. The end of euphoria should lead not to disillusionment, but to seriousness of purpose.”

A closer look at The Stoning of Soraya M.

Tuesday, 08. 18. 2009  –  By Janice  –  Comments Off

"If you see this movie in a vacuum you think, boy, that is pretty extreme behavior. But the fact that this movie has come out within days of people around the world seeing a woman get shot on the streets of Iran, seeing women battered and beaten by security forces, people realize this movie is hardly a stretch. This is going on, this is current, this is important." –Cyrus Nowrasteh, Director

Femiphobia plagues country, some men have the cure.

Tuesday, 08. 11. 2009  –  By Janice  –  5 Comments

Michael Eric Dyson

While enjoying my gourmet coffee this morning and reading my RSS feeds from my dim Brooklyn apartment I came accidentally across an article by one of my most favorite academics and free thinkers: Michael Eric Dyson. Although I had not even meant to click on the link to his article, I read anything I find of his and immediately stopped “surfing” to take notice. When I saw the headline read, “Why men need to get over their Femiphobia” of course I inhaled the piece.

I have been a fan of Michael Eric Dyson since the 2004 Presidential election. Dyson took a controversial stand in favor of gay marriage and went as far as to insist that all African Americans should take up the cause of gay rights due to the civil liberty issues similar to both groups. His statements caused a delightfully controversial stir and I, impressed and inspired, have followed him ever since. He is a champion of moral courage.

The article is an excerpt from the forward of Dyson’s newest book, Can You Hear Me Now? Dyson not only pleads with men, particularly black men, to rethink the way they view and interact with women, he chastises the black church for their failure to empower women:

But at the same time, we permit some destructive ideas to flourish in the church. These ideas are harmful because they influence how we act, not only in church, but also in our homes and schools. We’ve got to find a new way to behave so that our children inherit a more positive future.

I made a quick mental link between Dyson’s bold statement about his church and Jimmy Carter’s recent condemnation of his own church, and decided I had to inform our readers about the piece.

Holly blogged on Monday about male family members and their role in protecting females in their family. Monday afternoon I met with a new friend over lunch and we discussed the post, along with the question of how as boys men are taught to respect or degrade women. The obvious answer is that male family members teach boys; partially by the example they set by how they treat female family members.

The first time a boy sees a degrading image of a woman and sees their father or older brother either ignore or condone such treatment, a boy is taught that degrading women is okay, normal, and even fun. These lessons are reinforced when boys see teachers or men from their church treating women in the same manner, regardless of what their words may suggest.

But adult men also need examples of men who are willing to treat women as equals in their thoughts, words and actions; men such as Michael Eric Dyson, Jimmy Carter, and Pedro Elias from Planned Parenthood Mar Monte who I blogged about last month. Is a new trend emerging where men are going to finally take a hard and high profile stand against the mistreatment of women in this country and world wide?

Men with resources and power are taking on the cause of violence against women. Cyrus Nowrasteh was determined to tell Soraya’s story. Michael Eric Dyson is determined to make change in the way men from his community treat women. They are priming the pump for a real, tangible movement of men to stop gender violence. As a woman I see this, and I know that my female friends see it, and rejoice.

When will more men see it and join the effort?

The Stoning of Soraya M. challenges people's comfort zones

Thursday, 08. 6. 2009  –  By Janice  –  8 Comments

But what makes people like Cyrus Nowrasteh and Freidoune Sahebjam courageous figures? What actions have they taken that demonstrate courage?

When you look at the actions of these great men, one sees a remarkable sense of confidence and comfort zones that appear non-existent.

Studies show that many social movements fail to take off due to the reluctance of most people to step outside of their comfort zones and take actions that bring impact. Such devotion to the feeling of safety unfortunately prevents people from affecting true change.

The effectiveness of pushing personal boundaries and stepping outside of a comfort zone is evident in the life of Freidoune Sahebjam, and an example for all who claim to fight for human rights.

Feridoune Sahebjam was born in France in 1933 to Iranian parents. After moving to Iran as a young man for military service, and a stint as a diplomat, he broke into journalism, writing pieces for French and Iranian newspapers. Concerned about human rights, he wrote many pieces that were critical of the current Iranian leadership, the Shah in particular.

The approval of family members is often something that prevents people from expanding their comfort zones, but not Freidoune. As the son of a member of the Iranian delegation to the League of Nations, Freidoune was risking the approval of this family and community, not to mention their safety, by publishing such articles.

In the summer of 1979 Freidoune was kidnapped and knocked unconscious while on a walk in France. When he woke up he found himself in a strange basement, bound and surrounded by dozens of men. Freidoune was the first to undergo violent “Islamic trials” that plagued Europe in the 1970s, accused of attacking Islam in his articles about Iran. Many future “suspects” were executed following their trials. Luckily the police caught wind of the incident and Freidoune was saved, although he had many stitches and missing teeth from the continuous beatings he endured.

After the incident Freidoune was banned from traveling to Iran (those involved with the making of the film have met the same fate). He was condemned to death by the Shah, yet continued to write. Personal ego was no match for Freidoune's comfort zone. As an undercover reporter often using fake identification to travel safely he was forced to use false names for his articles.

Freidoune was so determined to continue reporting about Iran that he returned under false identity in 1984. It was on this trip that he met Soraya’s aunt, Zahra.

After their initial 1984 meeting in the village Freidoune returned and stayed with Zahra, pretending to be her nephew from abroad. During the visit he learned everything about the heinous crime that the villagers had committed just months before.

One of the reasons the film is so beautiful is because it is based so closely on the true story. Freidoune not only established an intimate relationship with Zahra, he was able to meet most of the characters from the story including the Mayor and Soraya’s father.

I wonder if meeting the people who had collectively committed such an act was a challenge to Freidoune's comfort zone, I know it would have been a challenge for mine.

The courage of Freidoune Sahebjam, the determination of its director Cyrus Nowrasteh, and the selfless work of Irshad Manji and grass roots activists who promote the film show us that one must not only step outside a comfort zone to make a difference, but rather run as far away from it as possible.

Where does your comfort zone end? Is your comfort zone keeping you from making an impact?

Take Action!

Thursday, 08. 6. 2009  –  By Janice  –  2 Comments

Take Action!

Take Action: A resource for activists

Tell friends about The Stoning of Soraya M:

1. Download letter/email template here.
2. Send an e-card from the Moral Courage Project

Use your name. Sign these online petitions:

1. One Million Signatures campaign: Started by women in Iran to stop stoning, the campaign seeks signatures from people around the world and will be presented to the United Nations.
2. Stop child executions in Iran: There are currently at least 134 minors on death row in Iran. Sign this petition, to be sent to Secretary General of the UN Ban Ki-moon, Ayatollah Khamenei and Head of the Judiciary of Iran, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi. Movement started by a friend of the MCP, Nazanin Afshin-Jam.
3. United Against a Nuclear Iran: A bi-partisan, broad based effort to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, founded by Obama advisors. Sign the petition to show your support in addressing this pressing issue.
   

Contact your representatives:

1. Stop Child Marriage: ask your representatives to co-sponsor the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2009.
2. The Afghan Women Empowerment Act: If passed, this Act will provide critical resources for Afghan women for literacy education, technical and vocational training and health care services that would reduce maternal and infant mortality. The bill will also fund programs to protect women and girls against sexual and physical abuse. Ask your representatives to co-sponsor this bill today!

Use your pen. Tell local papers about the film:

1. Write your local paper to tell them about the film: Download template here
2. Use a published article to introduce the film: Download sample letter here, written in response to "Violence against women a world wide crisis" by Emily Ngo

Donate

1. Women for Afghan Women
2. Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan

Educate.

1. See our "Issue Fact Sheet" for statistics and facts to help you educate yourself to talk about violence against women.
2. Visit the new United Nations Violence Against Women Database to learn about "the extent, nature and consequences of all forms of violence against women, and on the impact and effectiveness of policies and programmes for, including best practices in, combating such violence."
3. Visit the honor killings database at the Global Campaign to Stop Killing and Stoning Women to read up to date information about honor killings that happen around the globe.

They are called honor killings

Friday, 07. 31. 2009  –  By Janice  –  1 Comment

Help! I am new to blogging, where do I start?

Friday, 07. 31. 2009  –  By Janice  –  Comments Off

Expressing yourself publicly on blogs can be a daunting experience, especially if you are new to the world of blogging and online activism.

Part of the mission of the Moral Courage Project is to encourage and promote the free exchange of ideas. Because this is so important to us we have created the following list of "tips" for new bloggers with the hope that more readers will take the plunge and start using blogs such as ours as a platform for critical thought and self-expression.

Practicing expressing yourself online is the perfect way to obtain more self confidence and be morally courageous in all aspects of life! We hope this will be a helpful resource and welcome any feedback on what the MCP can do to help new bloggers.

Tips for new bloggers

1) Where do I leave my comments?

Click here for easy to follow instructions on responding to posts on www.moralcourage.com.

2) Start small.

The best way to get used to blogging is to join, or start a conversation by leaving a comment on one of our posts. MCP offers a safe, supportive place to express yourself. The more you practice by sharing conversations the easier and more fun it will become.

"I leave comments on blogs to correct any mis-information I feel needs to be challenged, to educate people on topics that I feel I have a good amount of knowledge about, to bring up other related but neglected issues, and to test my theories and stances on things by making them public and allowing other people who care about the issue to criticize me and bring new ideas to light that I may have never thought about. It’s all about having an open mind and the pursuit of the truth whether convenient or not. The pursuit of truth is, or should be, the holy grail of the blogosphere!"–AnthonyNYC

3) Don’t post and run

Readers don’t like bloggers who don’t respond to comments.  You don’t have to respond to each comment individually, but you should be engaging your readers.

4) Be brave, support each other. Blogging can be tough, because people often act more aggressively online than they would in person. If you are feeling nervous about sharing your opinions, take the plunge!

An open mind is a terrible thing to waste. All you have to lose are your misconceptions.

"I'm not much of a blogger so I was hesitant to post anything on the Moral Courage website at first. Although I do consider myself a writer, I was strangely intimidated by the thought of posting my opinion on there. After posting my first reply, however, I felt very comfortable expressing myself on the site. I encourage anyone who feels they have something to say about any of the topics listed, to go ahead and post your opinion no matter how strange, random or irrelevant it may seem to you, lol. After the first post, it gets easier." GenesisBe

5) Prime the pump

Oftentimes, readers don’t comment on a site because they are waiting to see what the culture of that blog is like.  Nobody likes to get shot down.  But there is also a kind of herd mentality – people will sit back and wait for someone else to make a comment first. We can support one another’s writing by priming the pump and leaving comments on one another’s posts.

6) Shorter=better. Really!

Short posts and comments receive more views and prompt more responses because they are easier to read. If you have a lot to say about a topic, consider writing a blog post about it, or breaking one post into several. Be creative; consider writing a “series” of posts related to the same topic.

If you have a lot to say when responding to a post or comment, save some of your thoughts and spread them over the length of the conversation. Remember, the goal is to facilitate dialog, if you have a lot to say you don’t have to say it all at once.

7) Use specific headlines. If writing a blog post, use a title that is creative and specific as possible. Readers want to know what a post is about before they will start to read.

If you are responding to a post, consider using a creative title to attract people to your comment and solicit a response.

Share a conversation, start a global dialog.

Get started today!

Bring Soraya to my theater!

Tuesday, 07. 28. 2009  –  By Janice  –  2 Comments

How can I bring The Stoning of Soraya M. to my local theater?

As an independent film, The Stoning of Soraya M. is being released on a limited basis (click here for theaters). While the success of the film has allowed the its release to expand into many markets in the U.S. and was recently released in Canada, there are many who are interested in Soraya’s story but do not have access to the film, including in areas where the film is banned. Many visitors to our website have asked us what they can to share The Stoning of Soraya M. with their community and get it shown at their local theater.

One effective and easy way to share Soraya’s story with your community is to write a brief letter to the editor of your local paper. This is a quick way to make a lot of people aware of the film and create buzz.

Such letters can be altered and sent to local theaters requesting that they consider showing the film.

Such a strategy was utilized by Laura of Nashville, Tennessee after visiting our website. Not satisfied to sit back and wonder when the film would come her way, Laura wrote the following letter and sent modified versions to the Tennessean and and two local theaters:

I have been eagerly waiting to see a movie called, “The Stoning of Soraya M.” It is based on a true story about how women today (in different parts of the world) are still the victims of the cruelest acts. Soraya’s husband wanted to be rid of her to marry a 14 year-old-girl. So he conspires to frame her for immoral crimes that rally the village to stone her. You would think that such barbaric acts ended with the dark ages.

But they have not. They are happening all around us.

Unfortunately, I found out that this movie is not playing in any theaters in and around Nashville. Why is that?? This movie has sold out in many markets where it has been shown.

Everywhere people are talking about this movie. With all that is happening around the world, and here in the U.S. a movie like this can really awaken people to the injustices that still happen today. Do you remember the story about the 8 year-old-girl in Arizona who was savagely raped??? Her parents rejected her, blaming her for the rape. Child services had to come in and place the child in foster care. I believe her parents were refugees from Liberia where blaming rape on the  victim is common practice. This story, (and there are many, many, many more of them) are examples how fragile our freedoms are here in the west. We cannot be complacent and too comfortable with what we have, because we could loose it all tomorrow if we let these atrocities continue.

Woman’s rights are human rights issues that cannot, should not be ignored. As long as there is one woman somewhere in the world being treated this way, none of us are free.

You can visit www.moralcourage.com to see what all the fuss is about.

What an effective letter! Laura has:

• Told her audience about the film.
• Stated the problem of her community not having access to the movie.
• Made it relevant by discussing a recent news story, something that even happened in the U.S.
• Stressed the importance of the film.
• Gave readers an “action” to take after reading her letter: visit the Moral Courage Project website!

Thank you so much for your doing your part to make sure that Soraya’s story is told Laura!

For more template letters and ideas of how to share Soraya with your community and stop stoning, visit our Take Action page.

We invite you to tell us about your own efforts to share The Stoning of Soraya M. with your community. We look forward to hearing about your efforts!

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