No more expiry dates on stickers

There’s some good news at last. It is because of this reason that we stopped going to one of the big malls in Doha. One weekend about four months ago, we went out for shopping and when we wanted to buy some bread and chapatis, we saw two stickers of expiry date on the same product. When we removed the upper sticker which said the bread had four more days to expire, the sticker below said that it was going to expire the day we were buying it :( Then, the same was found on the packets of chapatis and we didn’t buy them, realizing how a big mall like that can cheat consumers, and that too in a place like Doha!

That incident made us not only to stop visiting that mall, but also to check each and every product for its expiry date at other malls as well.

Now, I read a report in the newspaper that the authorities have asked the traders and importers of food items to print the expiry date of such products directly on the packets, and not on the stickers. The move is intended to prevent any manipulation by the traders in the expiry dates.

We have to laud the efforts of the Joint Food Monitoring Committee at the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) which has decided to issue a circular to all traders and importers in this regard.

‘I was tired of explaining my bruises...’

Got this article from Bangalore Mirror. A true and heart-touching story of a woman. Not many dare to come up openly in public with such issues. Hats off to the courageous lady. Read the story to laud the bold step of her.

I met Paras in 2010. Tall, handsome and charming; I wasn’t surprised when I found myself agreeing to go out for a coffee with him that very evening. And that is how it all started. What followed was a whirlwind romance. I will not deny it, but it was the best time of my life. He would drive  to my place in the middle of the night just to let me know that he missed me. He would send flowers over to my office, take me to the most expensive places and buy the most extravagant gifts. What made me fall in love with him was the person he appeared to be -well-spoken, intelligent, an absolute gentleman with my friends, caring and all the things I had ever wanted in a guy. Three months into our relationship, he proposed marriage and needless to say, I was thrilled!

My parents and my best friend hated the idea of me getting married. My parents thought we needed more time to know each other,  while my best friend thought 24 was too young to get married. But I was in love and adamant. And I was scared. I thought, ‘What if I never meet anyone else with whom I am this comfortable and compatible’. Now that I think of it, I guess a part of me agreed to the marriage because that meant that he will be mine and he won’t be able to walk out of my life.

Now, that very thing is making my life crumble around me. I got married in November 2010, against my parents’ wishes. My best friend stopped talking to me. I convinced myself that she was jealous. My parents  had no choice but to accept me. However, they made it very clear that they would not support me if I decided to walk out of the marriage. 

Three months into the marriage, I began to realise why my parents had asked me to take more time to get to know the guy. I always knew he drank. I enjoyed my own drink so, I never saw anything wrong with him having the usual peg with dinner every time we went out. But once married, I saw that his usual peg was generally 5 pegs everyday. The fights started when I asked him to slow down. At 26, he was convinced that he was invincible and went out of his way to prove that I was wrong. 

Gradually, the fights started getting bitter and he started using filthy language. Within a week, he was abusing me and my family. I tried to be patient, but one day I snapped. I slapped him out of anger and frustration, which infuriated him terribly. I still remember the look in his eyes when he looked at me and said, ‘I’ll make you regret that’ and he did. Verbal abuse turned into physical abuse. But whenever I threatened to walk out, he would do the loveliest of things to make me change my mind.

One night, he left me with a black eye, the next day, he took a day off work, cooked and pampered me. But the violence didn’t stop. Nine months into our marriage, I gave up hope. I was tired of explaining my bruises to my colleagues and friends and tired of living in constant fear about when I would get beaten up next. But I could not just walk out. I loved him. Even after all of that, I wanted him. 

In October, our fights reached a whole new level. I was determined to make him see that he was wrong and he was determined to win. One of these fights got exceptionally violent. I threw an ashtray at him which cut his cheek. He was livid and before I could realise, he had twisted my arm enough to break it. I knew I couldn’t stay any longer. I called up a women’s helpline. The counsellor told me that I was one of the very few educated women who sought help when faced with domestic violence. Apparently women like “us” preferred to live in silence, lest the society points a finger at us or people think that we have morals to enrage a man enough to hit us. The reasons were innumerable. But it didn’t  matter to me. A month ago, Paras agreed to go in for therapy, anger management classes and to a counsellor to deal with alcoholism. My parents now want me to move back with them. My in-laws want us to get separated. My best friend is not only talking to me, but screaming at me everyday about how stupid I am. Yes, ‘walking out’ is an easier option; easier to put an end to the domestic violence. But it is also easy to try to get help for someone I deeply care about. I am someone who stayed at home and fought to change our lives. I believe Paras can be helped. And I know he will change. 

Qatar National Day 2011

This Sunday that is on December 18, Qatar celebrates National Day in commemoration of the historic day in 1878 when Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani - the founder of the State of Qatar - succeeded his father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Thani, as the ruler and led the country towards unity. The day emphasises the identity and history of the country, embodies the ideals and visionary aspirations that the country was founded on and pays tribute to the great men and women who participated in building the nation.

I’m eagerly waiting to watch the programmes on the day and here’s the list of events:

There’s a military-civilian parade from 8.30 am to 11.30 am, which reflects national cohesion and strengthens customs and traditions in preserving the heritage and instilling a sense of belonging and citizenship.

Classic cars will be exhibited in the vintage car show from 4 pm to 10 pm. It is also an exhibition representing different historical phases, including military vehicles and such cars which were used in Emiri processions during the sixties, as well as classic vehicles and other machinery.

In boats parade that is between 5 pm and 10 pm, 40 traditional sailing boats will be participating in the National Procession, where Doha ports will be marvelously lighting up all-night.

Paintings of fireworks will display in the skies of Doha Corniche from 8 pm to 10 pm.

Other events related to Qatar National Day 2011:

The list in in this order: Title, Location, Event, Date, Details

Dream 2030, Darb El-Saai, Starts on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011 and Ends on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 (All day event), Every day.

Al-Freej “neighborhood”, Darb AlSaai, Starts on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011 and Ends on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 (All day event).

Alhivaiz, Darb ElSaai, Starts on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011 and Ends on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 (All day event).

Al-Nasa (Shooting), Darb AlSaai, Starts on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011 and Ends on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 (All day event).

Baraha, Darb ElSaai, Starts on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011 and Ends on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 (All day event).

Marbat Al Shaqab, Darb AlSaai, Starts on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011 and Ends on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 (All day event).

Al-Maqtar, Darb AlSaai, Starts on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011 and Ends on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 (All day event).

Women Poetry Activities, Starts on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011 and Ends on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011 (All day event).

Slouki Square, Darb ElSaai, Starts on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011 and Ends on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 (All day event).

Almshabayh, Darb ElSaai, Starts on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011 and Ends on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 (All day event).

Souq Waqif, Darb ElSaai, Starts on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011 and Ends on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 (All day event).

Lemradah - second round, Zainab Preperatory School, Occurs on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011 from 9 am to 11.30 am.

Dream 2030, Aspire, Starts on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011 and Ends on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011, from 2 pm to 9 pm, every day.

Men Poetry Activities, Darb AlSaai (Al Fareeg), Starts on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011 and Ends on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011, from 6 pm to 11 pm.

Men Folklore Dancing, Darb AlSaai (Al Fareeg), Starts on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011 and Ends on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011, from 6 pm to 11.55 pm.

Al-Izbba, Darb AlSaai, Starts on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011 and Ends on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011 (All day event), every day.

Lemradah - third round, Zainab Preperatory School, Occurs on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011, from 9 am to 11 am.

National Day Forum (Youth and Identity), Qatar national Convention Centre, Qatar Foundation for Education, Sciences, and Community Development, Starts on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011 and Ends on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011 (All day event).

Light Show, Corniche, Starts on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011 and Ends on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 (All day event).

Sebak almasila, Occurs on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011 (All day event).

Corniche Dhows Show with traditional lighting, Starts on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 and Ends on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 (All day event).

Lemradah Finals, Darb AlSaai, Occurs on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, from 7 am to 6 pm.

Students painting event, Occurs on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, from 4 pm to 11 pm.

National Parade, Corniche, Occurs on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 (All day event).

Musical Fireworks, Corniche, Occurs on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 (All day event).

Classic cars exhibition at Corniche, Corniche, Starts on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 and ends on Friday, Dec. 30, 2011 (All day event).

Watch for the photos from the National Day in my next few posts :)

When the ‘dirty little secret’ comes out

I sometimes wonder if education and employment really empower women in India. But still I see women gaining monetary independence and still trapped in the vicious circle of domestic violence. On the one hand, women are encouraged to pursue their education and get good jobs, but on the other hand, they are still expected to shoulder the responsibility of the household. Even if they work full time at office, they still return home to do all the unpaid domestic work single-handedly. When they she show reluctance, they face confrontation from their in-laws!

Is it because of the anger of men that it’s happening? I don’t know. Maybe they think women have won some sort of autonomy, an autonomy which breaks the men’s traditional stranglehold over the household and economy. In retaliation, many women face domestic violence.

As women gain good education, they become aware of their rights and question their male family members. When they refuse to tolerate the abuses, it may trigger conflict in the family. I have come across a few women who are very humble and meek and believe it is a husband’s right to beat his wife. Plus, there are occasions when newly-liberated women come in contact with their traditional mothers-in-law, and their husbands supporting their mothers and tension erupting in the family. And there have been cases where women have been killed by in-laws and husbands. I’m surprised how some in-laws face condemnation from their in-laws for their work and some feel that their in-laws are jealous of their work, which is often one of the leading causes of psychological torture.

What’s very strange is, which is one of the major aspects in accelerating domestic violence is that most women choose to suffer silently. They refuse to take any action against the perpetrators of violence.

The United Nations declared November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. And October is National Violence Awareness month in the United States and one-third of women in the US still experience physical or sexual abuse by a male partner at some point in their lives, surveys show. As a matter of fact, so many other countries come with reports and articles on domestic violence regularly, quite often more during this month. China’s Xinhua news agency came up with a poll – a government survey on the social status of women in China -- report telling the world that about a quarter of its women suffer domestic abuse. The survey classified domestic abuse as verbal humiliation, physical assault, deprivation of personal freedom, illegal control of income and rape, and was based on the responses of 105,573 women aged 18 and above across the country. Reports of physical assault stood at 5.5 per cent, with a rate of 7.9 per cent among rural women and 3.1 per cent among their urban counterparts.

Domestic abuse became a big story in September when Chinese celebrity Li Yang -- yes, the same English teacher whose “Crazy English” teaching method made him very popular in the mid-1990s -- was exposed in a scandal of domestic violence, beating his American wife, Kim Lee, in front of his children. The world was shocked to see the photographs of Kim -- on her micro-blog at Weibo, one of China's most popular social media sites -- with bruises on her head and legs. The devil is in the details. The world was taken aback when she posted: "You knocked me to the floor. You sat on my back. You choked my neck with both hands and slammed my head into the floor. When I pried your hands from my neck you grabbed my hair and slammed my head into the floor 10 more times!" and his apology on his micro-blog after a week that, "I wholeheartedly apologise to my wife Kim and my girls for committing domestic violence. This has caused them serious physical and mental damage."

Though China set up an aid centre in Shanghai – the first in China -- against domestic violence in November 2009, and later several such centres were set up in other regions of the country, to offer temporary accommodation for victims, the country, interestingly, is yet to draft an independent law on domestic abuse.

Earlier, women silently suffered domestic abuse, as they considered it a family affair, too personal to talk about, let alone report it to police. And maybe that is the reason everybody saw a “they lived happily ever after” families. When scene was such, there was no question of a survey on it or any organisation to help the victims. But today, most of the countries have included it in their several laws, besides several organisations pitching in to increase awareness and helping the victims to turn to the police or NGOs or even the media for help.

On the other hand, in Ireland, almost 900 women and children were accommodated in, or needed some kind of support from, domestic violence services in just one 24-hour period in 2010. Safe Ireland -- the only national organisation representing frontline domestic violence services in Ireland -- released the results of a one-day census it carried out last November, and astonishingly, the census, carried out on November 4, 2010, showed that on that day, 555 women and 324 children were accommodated or received support from these services. This means, almost 36 people seeking support every single hour of that day. And noting the nationalities, most were Irish, however, other nationalities, including British, Nigerian, Polish, Russian and Chinese women too approached the Safe Ireland, on that day.

Maybe we have to go beyond mere numbers to acknowledge that each statistic represents a crime against a woman, a mother, an expectant mother, a toddler or a teenager, each living with fear, brutality and uncertainty at their own homes. There is a need to act quickly with responsibility and unwaivering commitment – to begin with those in higher positions -- our leaders and politicians.

Domestic violence and sexual assault is kind of like everybody's dirty little secret. No one wants to talk about it. No one wants to admit that they've been sexually assaulted. No one wants to admit that the person that they love the best has beaten them. There’s a need for domestic violence survivors to unite, to speak about what they went through. A very few will offer their stories in public as it always takes courage on the part of the victim. Not all can become Carolyn Thomas. She did not want to remain silent, instead, decided to speak out, travelling across the nation, educating women about the dynamics and dangers of domestic violence. She's been on TV shows, including “Oprah” in 2005, where her tale of courage drew such an overwhelming viewer response that she was invited back for the final show in April 2011.

 And now, Cuba has gone a step forward by airing the soap opera, “Bajo el mismo sol” (Under the Same Sun), for several weeks now, bringing the touchy and often silenced issue of violence against women into millions of homes. As Diéguez put it: “This soap is the first television programme in Cuba to address the ‘cycle of violence’ - a theory formulated by US anthropologist Lenore E. Walker (The Battered Woman, 1979) that explains the behaviour of some women abused by their spouses, especially about why the victim goes back to her attacker.

The victims can always caution others and help avoid violence or come out in public to raise their voice against such unhappy events, if any. The signs of domestic abuse can vary from jealousy to controlling and isolating behaviour to mental and emotional abuse. Not to forget Carolyn Thomas’ words: “I want women to understand they could wind up like me, or worse… They can wind up in the graveyard.”

Saudi woman beheaded for sorcery

Another shocking news, again from Saudi Arabia. It has beheaded a woman for practicing sorcery.

A Saudi woman, in her 60s, was beheaded Monday after being convicted of practicing sorcery, which is banned in the ultra-conservative kingdom, the interior ministry said, reported AFP. 

Amina bint Abdulhalim Nassar was executed in the northern province of Jawf for "practising witchcraft and sorcery," the ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency. The Dailymail.co.uk  reported that the London-based al-Hayat daily, however, quoted Abdullah al-Mohsen, chief of the religious police who arrested the woman, as saying she had tricked people into thinking she could treat illnesses, charging them $800 (£500) per session. The newspaper said a female investigator followed the case up, and the woman was arrested in April 2009 and later convicted in a Saudi court.

It is not clear how many women have been executed in the desert-kingdom, but another woman was beheaded in October for killing her husband by setting his house on fire.

The execution brings the total to 76 this year in Saudi Arabia. At least three have been women, and 11 were foreign nationals. In September, a Sudanese man, Abdul Hamid bin Hussain bin Moustafa al-Fakki, was also put to death in Saudi Arabia for sorcery.

Amnesty International has called for the kingdom's government to establish an immediate moratorium on executions.

The crime of 'sorcery' is not defined in Saudi Arabian law but it has been used to punish people for the legitimate exercise of their human rights, including their right to freedom of expression, the charity said.

The London-based human rights watchdog condemned Monday's execution as "truly appalling," and called on the conservative kingdom to urgently halt the practice.

"The charges of 'witchcraft and sorcery' are not defined as crimes in Saudi Arabia", said Philip Luther, Amnesty's interim director of the Middle East and North Africa.

"To use them to subject someone to the cruel and extreme penalty of execution is truly appalling," he added in a statement, which stressed the "urgent need" to stop executions.

Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.

Luther described as "deeply disturbing" the huge rise in the number of executions in Saudi Arabia.
Many of those executed have had no defence lawyer and are not informed about the legal proceedings against them, according to Amnesty.

"While we don't know the details of the acts which the authorities accused Amina of committing, the charge of sorcery has often been used in Saudi Arabia to punish people, generally after unfair trials, for exercising their right to freedom of speech or religion," Luther said.

Earlier this month, Amnesty accused the oil-rich kingdom of conducting a campaign of repression against protesters and reformists since the Arab Spring erupted 12 months ago.

The rights group said Saudi Arabia was one of a minority of states which voted against a UN General Assembly resolution last December calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions.

Amnesty says Saudi Arabia executed 27 convicts in 2010, compared to 67 executions announced the year before.