Violence, Fear, Censorship: Tools of Oppression in Male-Dominated Cultures
When we examine the system of government we have after thousands of years of male domination, we see that it perpetuates itself through two basic practices: one of these is the use of violence, and the other is fear. The male-dominated culture has obtained its power through these practices and continues to wield it not […]
Sweden’s Politically Motivated Persecution of Wikileaks’ Assange
For more than two years, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been a de facto political prisoner, confined to the grounds of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Back in August 2010, a Swedish press exclusive with the emotionally charged word “rape,” in connection with Julian Assange’s name, spread rapidly across the world like a viral infection. […]
Empowering Words: From Raped and Abused to ‘Without My Consent’
By Meltem Arikan Have you ever wondered about the act of speaking, about the words we say and their importance? To speak is to reassemble the words stored in our brains in a logical order. Babies lack the ability to create sentences. They must first learn individual words before they can string them together in […]
African Refugees Not Welcome: Xenophobia and Intolerance as Policy
For decades now, the tiny island of Lampedusa, Italy, a little over 100 kilometers from Tunisia and nearly twice that distance from the Italian coast, has been a primary destination for mostly African migrants attempting to reach Europe. With little baggage other than their hopes, these migrants usually brave strong winds, dangerous currents, and hazardous […]
Free Shaker Aamer from Gitmo: An Open Letter to British PM David Cameron
Dear Prime Minister: It is my understanding that you have written to the family of Mr. Shaker Aamer in London to assure these good people that you are doing everything to secure Shaker’s release from Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp. Likewise, the foreign secretary, William Hague, has written to Shaker himself in Guantanamo making similar assurances. […]
