Newsgroups: soc.culture.lebanon
From: saghir@eecg.toronto.edu (Mazen Saghir)
Subject: On Pleasure Marriages...
Organization: University of Toronto
Date: 10 Apr 92 16:08:45 GMT


In article <1992Apr9.201417.16117@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> at392@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Michel M. Karam) writes:
>
>Oh really? Beaten to death? There were two articles about the pleasure 
>marriages one trying to limit the damage caused by the article, the other
>blaming the moderators of lebnet for posting it.
>

As one of those "two" who replied to the original 'Pleasure Marriages' posting
that appeared on LebNet some time back, I can see that you failed to understand
the whole point of my reply, which was not meant to "blame the moderators of
lebnet for posting it".

My reply was an expression of my outrage as a Lebanese Moslem at an article
that:

1. falsely portrays Moslems as people who use their religion as a cover for
   prostitution, and implicitly suggests that Islam is a "barbaric" or
   "animalistic" religion.

2. falsely portrays Moslem women as "sex objects" whose sole role is to
   "please" men, a misconception widely held in the West.

3. tries very hard to emphasize the major split in Islam between its Shi'ite
   and Sunni sects which, to the uninnitiated Western reader, might even 
   appear to be directly related to the issue of pleasure marriages!! :)

4. had no significance whatsoever to any ongoing discussion on LebNet, and
   served no purpose other than to insult. 

   Had the article been posted as part of an ongoing discussion about religious
   practicies in Lebanon or any other discussion, replying to the article would
   have taken a different form that would have been aimed at clarifying the 
   misconceptions raised by the article.

   Had the article been aimed at starting an intelligent discussion it would
   have been started by a statement such as "I came across this article in
   such-and-such magazine, and was wondering what the rest of you though 
   about it, etc..." 

   The article appeared "out of the blue". Its purpose was clear then, and
   its purpose is clear now.

>
>I found the article to be very informative and it confirmed various stories
>I had heard about the pleasure marriages.
>

If you really found the article "very informative" then I'm afraid it only
highlights your ignorance of Islam and your fellow Moslem compatriots.
If you are truly interested in learning about different issues, libraries
abound with scholarly works. Better yet, try talking to a practicing Moslem.

I am also interested in hearing about those "various stories" you heard about.
Perhaps you would like to share them with the rest of us!!! :)

>
>I find the article far more relevant to culture (note the name of this 
>newsgroup) than the various political articles posted in here.
>

Please don't try to "sell" us the article as "cultural", because there is
nothing "cultural" about an article that aims at insulting and degrading 
a Lebanese religious sect. Cultural exchanges can only persist within a 
framework of mutual respect.

>
>Could you mention the cheap shots? Are the claims made by the article 
>inaccurate? Could you correct them for us? I would really like to learn 
>more on the subject.
>

The article is full of them. Once again, if you are genuinely interested 
in learning about the topic then  please refer to more scholarly works or
talk to knowledgable people.

>> No wonder Lebanon is so messed up after all.
>
>Because of newspaper articles describing the customs of some Middle Eastern
>religious groups?
>

No Mr. Karam, it is because of people like you who have been so blinded by
ignorance and hatred and who waste no opportunity to insult other Lebanese
from other sects and religions. 

>Michel

-- Mazen Saghir