Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Muslimah Media Watch

Home
Muslim
Religion News
A War of Women: Al Jazeera’s Lebanon’s Women Warriors

A War of Women: Al Jazeera’s Lebanon’s Women Warriors

Last updated on: May 12, 2010 at 12:00 am by diana

A War of Women: Al Jazeera’s Lebanon’s Women Warriors 2010-05-12T00:00:01-04:00 diana

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Al Jazeera recently aired a piece titled Lebanon’s Women Warriors, which features the testimonies and stories of eight women who fought against occupying forces from 1975-1990 in Lebanon.

The film offers a unique perspective: it shows the role women played in the war, the unconventional weapons they used, and ways they fought. Perhaps the most striking thing about the piece is that it shows the relationship between women and violence in a way that is not typically expressed.

Wafa'a Nasrallah and her daughters. Image from Al Jazeera.

This period was marked by civil war within Lebanon with the Southern region being polarized by the influx of Palestinian refugees and the presence of the PLO, followed by the presence of Israeli forces. In addition to the presence foreign forces, there was fighting among Christian, Shi’a Muslim, and Sunni Muslim militias, and even between these militias and social, nationalist and communist movements. Needless to say, alliances shifted erratically.

The women in the documentary were mobilized by various causes. They differed in their religious backgrounds: some are Christian, others are Muslim, and a few seem to be irreligious, choosing to align themselves with communist and nationalist socio-political movements instead. The one thing they had in common, however, was that they fought at the front lines alongside other women and men.

The two Muslim women offer some very strong insights on the way women fought and on the culture of violence that was created during this time and is still being maintained through some of their children.

Raja Hassan, the first of these two Muslim women, talks about the unconventional ways in which women fought. She recounts how the women would boil cooking oil and as the soldiers (occupying forces) would come through the alleys the women would throw the hot oil on them from the rooftops of their houses.

The second Muslim woman, Wafa’a Nasrallah (pictured above right), says that women played a bigger role than young men because they were less likely to be caught and arrested by Israeli soldiers. They were able to hide explosives under their clothes and carry them to the sites where they would be detonated by fellow men soldiers. Most of the killings of collaborators were carried out by women, she claims.

She tells us the military names she has given her 20- year-old and 11-year-old daughters while she casually loads and shoots guns with them. Viewers get a sense that what remains from the war is a culture of violence that will continue through these children, whether or not a physical war still exists.

In one scene, Wafa’a is pictured chopping vegetables on a small table. The scene changes and she is putting together a gun whose pieces are laid out on the very same table, perhaps making the statement that for these women the art of dismantling and utilizing weapons has become as ordinary and as much a daily responsibility as cooking a meal.

The other women, who remain religiously anonymous, give the same kind of insights into the war and into the roles they played. Most of these women were young (between ages of 13-16) when they first stared fighting and learned to handle weapons from their fathers or brothers, who were part of the resistance.

Another commonality among these women is the way they perceive themselves and their use of violence. Almost all of them say they do not regret fighting and killing, although a few explicitly say they would never carry a gun again because the climate now does not necessitate it. They also agree that violence was/is necessary to defend their country and the honor of their people, showing that women are not just seen as bearers of honor, but also as the defenders of honor—a duty typically assigned to men.

When the women are asked if they think fighting in the war took away their femininity, Maysloon Farhat says that it is quite the opposite-it gave her strength, self-esteem and confidence. On the other hand, Fadia Bazi said that when the war was over she felt she wanted to be like other women: to wear makeup, skirts and fix her hair.

They also speak on the advantages they had as women in these situations. Jocelyn Khoueiri makes a bold statement, saying that “women can be better fighters than men. Because a woman has inside of her all the energy of mothering, and all the energy of life, and all the energy of love. This energy is used to defend the people she loves.”

Another woman, Soha Bechara, explains how she was able to get past guards, in an attempt to assassinate the general of the South Lebanon Army, because they did not suspect her.

Interestingly enough, the documentary opens with a bright pink background as Barbie dolls are pictured with guns, lipsticks with bullets, and hand grenades and

bombs with neutral or feminine items. The pictures and words weave in concepts and ideas that are typically feminine with those that are not typically associated with females. For most of these women, however, these “masculine” actions and items did not take from their femininity. The war, the fighting, and the guns—these things symbolize dignity, honor, and empowerment for these women.

It is refreshing to see perspectives of Muslim women and other women who were empowered by their own choices and by their ability to defend (instead of symbolize) honor.

However, I am left with the unsettling reality that for many growing up in war-torn countries of the Muslim world, the culture of war is so pressing that violence may be perceived as the sole path to empowerment, a sense of self-esteem, or honor. If this is true, then I have to wonder if empowerment which necessitates or breeds a cyclic culture of violence is the kind of empowerment we want women to experience.

You can watch the entire documentary here at Al Jazeera or below:

Previous Post

May 11, 2010

Aquila: A New Kind of Muslim Woman?

Next Post

May 13, 2010 Action Alert: Quebec's Bill 94

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Advertisements Art/Theater Books/Magazines Cinema Comics/Cartoons Culture/Society Events Fashion Film Friday Links Merchandise/Commodities MMW Announcements MMW Highlights Music/Radio News Photography Politics Profile Ramadan 2012 Ramadan 2013 Ramadan 2014 Ramadan 2015 Roundtable Satire Social Media Sports Technology/Science Television Uncategorized Video Web

Select a Month November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Christian tradition celebrates "Holy Week," including Maundy Thursday and Good Friday?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Only Pentecostals Only Quakers Many (Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican) Only Baptists