Month / June 2022

by Fadi Zaghmout

What is your IQ?


The other day while applying for a job opening on Linkedin, a form popped-up with few questions. It had more questions than the forms I usually come across when applying for a job on Linkedin. One of the questions was “What is your IQ?”. I posed for a moment when I got to it. I did few IQ tests in the past and I remember that I usually get high score but it differs from a test to another. So I didn’t have the answer ready and I didn’t feel the question is appropriate as this stage. I ended up dismissing the form and not applying for the job.

I tend to think of myself of being smart. Probably because as a kid I was good in Math and Physics. In my early school years I had my math scores of 100/100 and in my last school year I was one of 3 classmates who scored a full mark in the physics mid-term national exam. At one point I wanted to study physics at college but I ended up doing computer science. I have so much interest in science and wish to be able to switch course at one point and contribute to science in a way or another. Having said that, I found myself verge into writing and found a new full-filling passion when I started blogging back in 2006. I used to hate languages at school, scoring lowest in Arabic and English, but then, today, I find joy in the power of words and love in imagining and telling stories.

The question about my IQ made me remember two incidents that till today makes me smile. One was at school in my 10th grade. It was a physics class and we had an exam about Newton’s physics. I used to love Newton’s physics and was very good at it. There was a question in the exam that I was sure I got it right. I remember checking with other students in class who all answered it differently. I knew that I was the only one who solved it correctly so when the teacher corrected our papers and was handing over our scores I was surprised to hear that others who answered the question differently got a full mark. I thought maybe I was wrong. But then when the teacher reached to my name, he paused. He said that he was correcting the papers and giving full marks but then when he reached to mine, he realized that what he thought was a correct answer for that question was actually wrong. He was correcting the papers wrongly. He didn’t want to go back and take out some marks he already gave, instead he rewarded me with an extra 2 marks on top of my full mark.

The class cheered and clapped for me and I felt so proud!

In a similar incident at college, I had a course about Computer Algorithms. I didn’t really enjoy that course. I think it has to do with the teacher. But then again in one of the classes, we were learning tree data structures. The teacher had a small test for us and he posted it on the black board. He asked who can solve this? I felt it was an easy job as I knew the solution instantly but I was shy to raise my hand to participate. I gave chance to others. Few raised their hands and tried but neither got it right. So the teacher raised the stakes. He said that whoever solves it, will get an extra 10 marks in final exam of the course. And that was a good motivation for me to overcome my shyness and step up. I raised my hand, he picked me, I walked to the board and solved it and got back to my seat. The teacher posed for a few seconds looking at my solution, then he said that during the past 15 years of him teaching this course, he has been posting the same problem every time and no one of his students have ever solved it. I was the first one to do so.

The class cheered for me and I felt proud again. I will never forget that moment.

Of course, I haven’t always felt smart and there has been some incidents where I felt and acted stupid. But I will leave that for another post!

by Fadi Zaghmout

الاحتفاء بالتنوع الجنسي نشرٌ للمعرفة لا اعتداء على هوية دينية أو قومية


بمناسبة شهر الفخر تحتفل الشركات العالمية بالتنوع الجنسي وتقوم عدد كبير منها باستبدال اللوغو الخاص بالشركة بواحد يحمل الوان الطيف كدلالة على دعمها للتنوع البشري ودعوة منها لتقبّل الآخر، أو تقوم بتطوير محتوى دعائي توعوي يحمل الرسالة ذاتها. وعلى نفس المنوال، نرى شركات تطوير المحتوى العالمية مثل نتفليكس وديزني وصناعة الأفلام في هوليوود بشكل عام تحاول رفع الوعي واظهار التنوع الطبيعي بين البشر في الشخصيّات التي تعرضها، وذلك ادراكاً منها أن ذلك يعكس صورة أقرب إلى الواقع والحقيقة من الصورة المزيّفة التي اعتدنا رؤيتها في الانتاج الثقافي في السابق.

الأمر ليس مؤامرة عالمية ولا أجندة تسيّرها جهات معيّنة للنيل من منظومة القيم العربية والإسلامية، بل هو في الحقيقة أبسط من ذلك بكثير، وفي الواقع يندرج تحت بند نشر المعرفة. وطلب المعرفة في حد ذاته قيمة إنسانية عالمية ليست حكراً على ثقافة معيّنة أو بيئة معيّنة. ولا تتعارض بأي شكل من الأشكال مع هويّة الأفراد في أمّة “إقرأ”. فالمعرفة البشرية في تطوّر مستمر، والوعي في الصفات المختلفة المكوّنة للجنسانية البشريّة والتنوّع الكبير في تلك الصفات ازداد بشكل كبير في العالم خلال السنوات الماضية.

لا يعيب الفرد أن يحكم أخلاقيّاً على أمر ما بناء على معرفة معيّنة غير مكتملة الأبعاد ولا يعيبه أن يغير حكمه الأخلاقي حين تتضح الصورة له ويتطور وعيه المعرفي، وذلك لن ينتقص من هويّته الدينية أو القومية ولا من منظومة الأخلاق التي تشكل هذه الهويّات. والأولى بنا أن نحارب اختزال الغنى الأخلاقي في هوياتنا العربية والإسلامية برفض ما نراه نتاج ثقافة أخرى.

علينا أن نعي أن الإنسان يتشكّل من مجموعة من الصفات المختلفة، آلاف من الصفات، وهذه الصفات تأتي بتنوع كبير، فلا وجود لصفة إنسانية ثنائية التجسد، لأن الشيفرة الوراثية لا تعمل بآلة رقمية لتعطينا قيمتي الصفر والواحد، بل هي أشبه بالآلة الآنالوج حيث تتم قراءة بيانات الشيفرة الوراثية وانتاج الصفات البشرية بناء على معطيات عديدة، مما يتيح تجسيدها بأنواع مختلفة لا تعد ولا تحصى. وكل صفة من هذه الصفات تحتمل ما هو مقبول في ثقافة معينة وما هو غير مرحب به، من الاختلاف في صفة لون البشرة إلى الاختلاف في طول الأفراد أو أوزانهم أو غيرها من الصفات النفسية كالانفتاح على الآخر وسرعة الغضب وطريقة التفاعل الاجتماعي وووو..

والحقيقة أن الصفات المشكلة لجنسانية الفرد تحمل نفس التنوع وهي صفات متعددة كذلك لا يمكن حصرها واختزالها في صفة واحدة. أذكر منها صفة النوع البيولوجي (الجنس) وما يحمله من تنوع نراه في حجم وأشكال الأعضاء الجنسية، وصفة النوع الاجتماعي (الجندر) وما تحمله من تنوع ثقافي وأدوار مختلفة حسب بيئة الفرد، وصفة هوية النوع الاجتماعي وما تحمله من اختلافات كبيرة بين الأفراد في شعورهم بها، صفة الميول الجنسي وطيف الميول الجنسي، وصفة التعبير عن الهوية الجنسية، وكذلك التنوع الكبير في الممارسات الجنسية والرغبات المختلفة بين الأفراد والتي تترجم بناء على تداخل معقد لكافة تلك الصفات وغيرها من الصفات غير الجنسية.

الأمر يعود إلى المعرفة، ولا خوف من المعرفة، ولا داعي للهلع من محاولة الغرب فرض انحلالهم الأخلاقي علينا. على العكس علينا بشكر هذه الشركات العالمية لمساهمتها في رفع المعرفة ودعوتها إلى الانفتاح وتقبّل الآخر واحتضان الاختلاف. وتقبّلنا لذلك لا يعني تخلينا عن هويّتنا العربية ولا هويّتنا الدينية مهما كانت هذه الهوية، بل ترسيخاً لهذه الهويّات بمبادئها الإنسانية التي ترفض النفاق وتستنكر الجهل ولا ترحب بالكراهية.

by Fadi Zaghmout

3 inspiring feminist Arab women leaders that you need to follow


I have a great respect and admiration for strong women who are vocal about their rights, who have crossed boundaries and stood up to outdated cultural values, who never shied of saying things as they are. I have been lucky to meet few of them, and here in this post, I’d like to show my appreciation, admiration and love to these inspiring three ladies, who gave support to my work and honored me with talks by their side.

Mona Eltahawi

Mona Eltahawy is a journalist and social commentator based in New York City. She has written essays and op-eds for publications worldwide on Egypt and the Islamic world, on topics including women’s issues and Muslim political and social affairs. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, and the Miami Herald among others. Headscarves and Hymens, Eltahawy’s first book, was published in May 2015. Eltahawy has been a guest analyst on U.S. radio and television news shows. She is among people who spearheaded the Mosque Me Too movement by using the hashtag #MosqueMeToo. (source)

I have been connected to Mona via Twitter for years but only had the chance to meet her last March in NYC when I did a book event. I was over the moon when she accepted the invitation to moderate the session and she impressed me with her professionalism and eloquence. My admiration to her has only grew after I met her.

A group photo with Mona El Tahawi at LAU in NY – March 2022

Joumana Haddad

Joumana Haddad is a Lebanese author, public speaker, journalist and human rights activist. She has been selected as one of the world’s 100 most powerful Arab women by Arabian Business Magazine for her cultural and social activism. In 2021, she was on Apolitical’s list of 100 most influential people in Gender Policy. (source)

I have been a fan of Joumana for so long! I don’t know exactly when I fall in love with her. Probably when I first saw her talking in a show she hosted on New TV about gender and sexual issues. I then read her “Superman” and was impressed with her boldness and courage. Joumana is a legend and I was honored to appear in her show “Al Mamnoo3” (Forbidden) on Al Horra TV in 2019. At the time, my book Laila got banned from entering Jordan and Joumana gave me her support in this special interview that I will never forget.

My interview with Joumana Haddad on Al Horra News Channel in 2019

Shereen El Feki

Shereen El Feki is journalist and author, most notable for her book Sex and the Citadel: Intimate Life in a Changing Arab World (source).

I first met Shereen at Global Salzburg Forum in 2013. I remember flying to Salzburg from the UK when I was doing my masters to attend the forum. She arrived for a short time for her session and I was impressed with the way she speaks. She was promoting her newly launched book “Sex and the Citadel”, and I was intrigued when she told me that feminists groups in Beirut recommended “Arous Amman” to her. Later on, in 2016, when the English version “The Bride of Amman” came out in English, she was generous enough to write me a book blurb. I was also hosted by Basira in London for a book event, and she accepted our invitation to join the talk, which makes me happy, till today.

With Nahla Al Ajeli and Shereen Al Feki – London 2016
Shereen El Feki book blurb for The Bride of Amman