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Fadi Zaghmout

Jordanian Women and Family Trees!

Have you ever seen a Jordanian *FAMILY* tree?
– Notice the boldness of the word FAMILY –

I mean, the word family should mean the entire family members? right?
Which includes males and FEMALES?

YES, you heard it right
F – E – M – A – L – E – S
In the definition of the word ‘Family’
Females members are included.

But wait,
things are different here in Jordan

To my dismay
And while reading the names of the family tree in the picture above
I wispered in wonderment
DON’T THEY HAVE FEMALES IN THIS FAMILY?

A female friend of mine
who happened to be standing next to me answered
‘Ofcourse they do’
‘They just don’t mention their names here!’

And WHY the hell is that? I asked
Mmmm, actually it is shameful to place females names on a family tree!

Oh really?
Shameful?! Like in being 3eb? Like women masturbation for example?

Who said so?

Our culture? Society? Moral heritage?
Or maybe it is just us
BIG MEN!
Super heroes!

Who find shame in our mothers and sisters names!

While ignoring the real shame
of our cowardness
of breaking those OLD traditions

That should be no longer valid
At a time, the world realized that women are no longer objects!
and are as human as you are BIG MEN!

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Responses

  1. KJ Avatar
    KJ

    Why do I only hear stuff like this in Jordan? LoooooL. Man that’s just sad! But what to do – the only way is to change the current generation, and the older generation will eventually die off

    Like

  2. Bright Light Warrior Nika Avatar
    Bright Light Warrior Nika

    Oh really?

    Like

  3. Mohanned Avatar
    Mohanned

    Dude, Come on!! It is because the males carry the family name not the females-who get married to other or same family members and carry a new family name- And don’t worry when the apocalypse comes we will be called by our mothere names:)

    Like

  4. kinzi Avatar
    kinzi

    Thanks Observer. Is this why people don’t put the bride’s name on a wedding invitation? shame to mention a name?Makes me feel perhaps our only role in history is to bear more sons

    Like

  5. Saudi Stepford Wife-Daisy Avatar
    Saudi Stepford Wife-Daisy

    Once, years ago, I had the audacity to suggest to my Saudi hubby that a certain family trait may be of African descent. My hubby said, “that’s impossible, I know ALL the names of ALL my ancestors, and they were all Arabs”. To that I replied, “but do you know all your grandmothers names and backgrounds?”…he couldn’t reply.

    Like

  6. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    first of all this is not the case at all!!! this is nonsense!!but do u know what is the only big problem here? its u being a christian jordanian BOY!!! thats the real shame!!!ur a big shame on us… get a new brain … <>BOY<>

    Like

  7. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    ?

    Like

  8. Hamza Avatar
    Hamza

    My God. Now that’s absurd. Add it to the list of things that need to be changed.I swear that sometimes I feel like wiping the old generation of all jordanians and their stupid ideas that they can’t justify.

    Like

  9. kinzi Avatar
    kinzi

    Anonymous, so how is it a problem to be a Christian Jordanian?(Observer, check and see if anon here is the Egyptian troll bothering folk)

    Like

  10. The Observer Avatar
    The Observer

    Kj, yes, current generation is changing, but still it is slow changes where sometimes we find hard to get rid of old traditions! Marie, yes! unfortunatly!Muhannad, maybe we should be called in our mother’s family names like what Nawal Al Sadawi calls for. It is actually safe and more guaranteed to be the truth! Kinzi, unfortunatly yes, it is the same reason! Shame of mentioning a female name! Sad? isnt it?!Saudi Stepford wife-daisy, welcome to my blog. You have a very good point! How would he know if he didnt knew the orgigin of his grandmothers?!Hamza, hehehhe, actually I feel like wiping this current generation who are still sticking to old stupid traditions!Kinzi, don’t bother even to reply to him. He is just an anonymous jerk! 🙂

    Like

  11. Gradly Avatar
    Gradly

    I agree with mohanned, that’s true.

    Like

  12. Nasser Avatar
    Nasser

    Hi observer, I agree that its wrong but i think its not just happening in jordan its an international thing. I mean coz the man usually carries the family name so when u look at the ancestors for even foreigners you have this problem. So I think its not really nice but its not only in Jordan.

    Like

  13. Roba Avatar
    Roba

    Our family tree does 🙂http://www.geocities.com/imitating_eternity/A4.jpg

    Like

  14. Devil&apos;s Mind Avatar
    Devil's Mind

    Dude, you are asking for trouble… You go check a “family tree”!!The concept of “family tree” stems from tribal mentality…. So if something needs to be sexist, its those family trees!!In simple terms, family trees are written by racists under sexist standards! A perfect match I see here….

    Like

  15. Tala Avatar
    Tala

    well its not about shame or that women are less or anything, the children of the daughter will not have the same family name as the father, which will make them on another family tree. so when it comes to a daughter she gets enlisted but the branch is a dead end,, there are written trees that include women. another thing is that it depends on the region, jewish people for example refer to the mother’s name as more essential than the father’s basing it on the belief that if the mother is jewish, the child is, but if the father is then the child won’t necessarily be one. i think in latin america they write their names where the middle name would be the mother’s and her family then the father’s family. maybe here its tribal, but at the end of the day, you need some system to name people. why was it constructed this way?, common sense answers the question if you dig in the culture.

    Like

  16. The Observer Avatar
    The Observer

    Gradly, still, it is not fair!Nasser, they dont have to include women children, but at least placing her name in the family tree. If daughters would take their husbands family names, then why don’t they include their wives?!Roba, excellent! I checked it out! This is how family tree should be 🙂DV, actually it just came to my sight! and I was surprised to learn about it and how sexist it is!Tala, it is okay to enlist the daughters even if her branch is a dead end! Or maybe like in Roba’s family tree, the daughter’s children can be listed with different colors that indicated that they hold a related family names. And if daughters change their family names when they get married, why dont they get listed on their husbands family tree? Those who stays unmarried can still be list on their own family tree!

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