Cultured Fruit

Last Country Homestay

2009-11-19T05:30:00.000-08:00

This is something I wrote in mid October. I was not in the best of spirits. lol;)

I have survived yet another, and indeed the last, country homestay. This time I was at an advantage: I could understand and effectively speak Khalkha Mongol the whole week. Also the refreshing laid-back Khalkha attitude was a welcome respite from the strictly scheduled Darkhad routine of Ulaan-Uul. While the interview was supposed to be on my upcoming ISP, I quickly found that anything on ethnicity and/or nationalism was not in the herder repertoire. Luckily, I was able have more than the set hour to communicate and learn beyond my own intellectual prowess. Although herders may not have the same interests as me, I stand faithful that we can learn from each other- hopefully, I accomplished this goal.

From the interview I was able to gleam some diversity of opinion and a larger demographic in some general questions regarding ethnicity and nationalism in the Mongolia conquest. To my questions on Inner Mongolia, my host mom thought she had little to offer; however, it was her unadulterated opinion on the subject that was interesting to me. She was able to provide me with her actual opinion on the subject. She said that she figures that Inner Mongolians or not they can’t be that different from people in Mongol Uls. This suggests a strong feeling of solidarity, regardless of geography, nationality, or even sub ethnicity. It would seem that regardless of basic small tensions and stereotypes, even the loathsome expression of tsever khalkh mongol bears little meaning to actual racism as seen in the United States for example.

As far as being Khalkha Mongol goes, I can see that there is really little actual meaning to the determination in the modern Mongolian nation. When I asked my Darkhad family what they think makes a Darkhad Mongol they were able to come up with some traits, etc. When I asked the same question to my Delgerkhaan host family they could come up with nothing beyond location and language. As an academic, I consider it part of my student duties to question such constructed titles, especially considering that this particular one was not (to my knowledge) determined by Mongolians themselves, but rather came out of Manchu Imperialism.

Playing off of this, I was also surprised to learn that despite my Ulaanbaatar family’s insistence it is not universally believed that people from Uvs Aimag are dumb, or otherwise uncultured (as the word may be applied to Mongolia). My host mom in Delgerkhaan as well as Bagana were actually quite surprised that I even would ask such a question. Dulgmaa replied that Uvs people are actually considered actually very smart and that most of Mongolia’s best leaders have come from the western aimags. I wonder if perhaps there may be some inter-aimag tension between my UB host family’s Zavkhan roots and neighboring Uvs.

For reasons of length, I changed my interview topic midway into a topic that my host mother would be better able to answer. However, when my host father came back he quickly regained control of the interview in Mongolian man fashion (to be fair, my host mother seemed more than willing to relinquish her role as interviewee and return to making dinner). We talked about Mongolian traditional medicine and body ideals. While they mentioned several medicinal herbs, there seemed to be no obvious stem theory to the system. For example, I personally practice Ayurveda, a Hindu system of medicine, and while specifics are mentioned the system is guided by set principles and ideas about the body so items can be substituted and adapted to the Western user. Mongolian traditional medicine, at least as far as herders are personally concerned seems to not follow this rule. However, I am sure that traditional Buddhist medicine does indeed follow a similar principle, and it was not mentioned due to my family’s own lack of personal knowledge on the subject.

The map project was generally uneventful. I lived in the middle of nowhere and within a 100 meter radius there was generally nothing much to draw. The difference was in scale, space perception, and style. I used a circle for the ger while my host mother drew out little gers as if a person was looking north at out homestead. Also she included the river, which is far beyond the area I asked for. I think these differences are primarily an association issue, whereby I think of the area as a location with things in certain places, etc. She, however, is drawing her home, not just some week location. In this sense her visualization is more cute and intimate. Mine is withdrawn and practical.

I had a much better time at this homestay. This is probably due to a combination of my own slow adaptation to country life and my previous familiarity with Khalkha people. Even though I was the furthest from base camp and nowhere near any of the others, I felt much less abandoned than the Ulaan-Uul homestay. I question my previous statement in regards to Khalkha people, since I am actually used to Ulaanbaatarchuud. Perhaps I had fewer expectations and they were able to surpass them. Regardless, I feel that I did manage to charm them into adoring me. While Purevsuren had immediately declared me his son, it took 5 days for Aakhuu to do the same. Perhaps I actually earned it? This is the most tiring part of these homestays: I have to convince three separate families that I am a good person and that they should love me. When I am living on my own I feel much more able to naturally make friends without the pressure of matching the hosting families’ hospitality. Exhausted.

Academic Geography

2009-11-19T05:26:00.000-08:00

This paper is a bit academic and not as well developed as it otherwise could be. Still I think I present some good ideas. Let me know your thoughts.

Mongolia is in Central Asia. Mongolia is located in East Asia. Mongolia is part of North Asia. All the previous three statements can be easily supported with historical and contemporary arguments as well as classifications of major and minor international and transnational organizations such as the United Nations, World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. It may then seem most appropriate for the modern scholar to place Mongolia in a geographical category based on where the country is most visible in its affairs and what regions project the most amount of influence on the country itself. The former is complicated by Mongolia’s colonial history by both China and Russia and the religious-cultural influence of far away Tibet. In terms of Mongolia’s own influence, we encounter the problematic issue of the far-reaching Mongolian Empire, Mongolia’s own “third neighbor policy”, and its involvement in such organizations as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations among others. While Mongolia is clearly located in a physically concrete arbitrarily bordered area, the increasingly transnational reality of the international community leaves the actual designation of the country more and more questionable.

It will be useful to first discuss the intersection of geography and politics as well as the conventional usage of geographical terminology in academic and popular discourse. In academia terms such as “global south” and “East-West divide” are gaining more and more popularity; however, the true value of such geo-political language is the source of the problematique. The designation of ‘East’ is a product of orientalism, encouraging an idea that all countries outside an arbitrary and evershanging ‘West’ are the same and inherently exoticized. The same is true for the possible designations of Mongolia. Central Asia lumps all nomadic Turkish peoples together with Mongols and even incorporates Tajiks and on occasion Afghanis (which also are often groups in more than one geographic sphere- i.e. South and Central Asian). East Asia is most notably defined by a Confusian social system, which Mongolia as never adopted, while North Asia is more positional and less inclusive of any country on the basis of national borders.

Mongolia is covered in an array of regional studies classes. Regional studies as a discipline that attempts to produce experts in a set region. This ‘region’ is determined by continent, cultural unification factors, and a set application of the cardinal directions-South, East, North, West. From this we get South Asian Studies, Eastern European Studies, North American Studies, and so on; however, such regional studies scholars are also redefining their disciplines in response to modern historical events. Suddenly a scholar can study Russia, Estonia, and Kazakhstan while still falling under a regional specialty: Post-Soviet. The term itself includes not one geographical term, yet it is a specific place on the globe united by no more than historical consequence. Chinese scholars will find numerous references to Mongolians and Mongolia, as will anyone approaching Soviet history. Additionally, Central Asian Studies is shaped directly by the movements of nomadic peoples, including (and perhaps most importantly) the Mongols.

Having established that geographical spheres are inherently unable to reflect the true cultural and national reality of any country, one can discuss the various factors directly related to placing the modern Mongolian nation. In this respect, I would like to present two main factors: the history of colonial and neo-colonial experience and the contemporary third neighbor policy.

Mongolia’s two powerful neighbors have exerted heavy influence on the people and nation. Mongolia’s long history of hostilities with China is influenced heavily by Manchu colonialism. During this time, Mongolians were in a position of inferiority to Manchu in their own lands as well as forced into a strong bureaucratic system not necessarily congruent with the freedom of nomadic lifestyle. At this point in history, Mongolia would have been considered part of the Manchu Chinese Qing Dynasty; therefore, part of East Asia proper. Then with the victory of the socialist revolution in Outer Mongolia, the independent Mongolian state quickly fell out Asia almost together as a de facto satellite state of the USSR and into the same sphere as Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and the Soviet Central Asia. Also, the country fell into an isolationist policy with anyone outside the Soviet bloc. Of particular concern for Mongolians, themselves, is the fact that they did manage to remain independent from the Soviet Union. Although, this is less by Mongolian choice and more by the USSR’s need of a buffer state between it and the PRC, this should not distract from the fact that to some degree its experience with the USSR is far different from that of Kazakhstan or Latvia.

The modern democratic, capitalist nation of Mongolia works neither to be seen as a simple buffer state nor to be considered tied to it neighbors exclusively in terms of politics or economics. To this end Mongolia seeks to balance its two physical neighbors by being actively involved in cultivating close relations with its non-physical third neighbors. In this sense, Mongolia receives the bulk of its aid from Japan and the USA, is involved in the ASEAN functions such as the Asian Regional Forum (ARF), votes on issues of Japanese whaling, and can claim spiritual neighbor status with India (conveniently avoiding Tibet). Mongolia’s involvement with regions it as never seen as part of (i.e. Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the general ocean bordering states) leaves it up to question whether the state (or any state for that matter) can be correctly designated as belonging to only one geographical sphere.

Its close ties to Tibet further complicate Mongolia’s cultural-geography. Mongolia is the only country outside of Tibet’s immediate neighbors (i.e. Bhutan and India) to hold a strong Tibetan Buddhist Monastic tradition to date. Religion is an regional uniting factor for many countries: Catholic Western Europe, Orthodox Eastern Europe, Muslim Middle East, etc. Mongolia however is not tied to either China or Russia in terms of religion. Ancient Mongolian Shamanism is one factor to consider, but Tibet Buddhism is by far the leading religion of Mongolians to date.

These ties to Tibet are apparent in several forms of artistic expression including monasteries, religious art, and even some of Mongolia’s writing systems. Monasteries in Mongolia serve not only as places of worship, but are essentially the traditional canvas of divine art. This art is meant to symbolize the many facets of divinity and connect the viewer more personally and physically to the teachings of Buddhism and Buddhist mysticism. In modern times these monasteries are also a source of tourism both domestic and international. Even the ruins of monasteries destroyed during the Choilbolson purges attract the attention of travelers otherwise not willing to travel to such desolate regions as Dundgovi or Dornogovi. These monasteries also attract foreign investment in infrastructure to better facilitate responsible tourism and as part of movements at preserving cultural heritage. The Mongolian Fine Art Museum, the Mongolian National Museum, as well as monasteries and other small collections are full of religious art. The placement of this art in museums is comparable to The Russian State Museum’s huge collection of Orthodox art in a Soviet attempt to put religion in the past.

This art is a glimpse at the rich cultural history of Mongolia as well as clue that this culture is far less homogeneous than some may wish to believe. Tibet Buddhist art and artistic expression follows a style of depiction that the artist can use and bend at will. This freedom tied with various certainties allows the educated viewer to know what he or she is looking at without looking at the exact same image. For example certain deities will always have a small stupa in the left hand, etc. This reflects the oneness of Buddhism’s outlook on humanity without attempting to stifle the same diversity it cherishes. The art itself varies from wall and canvas painting, statues, monuments, and stupas. In modern times this art has been revived along side the growing movement at restoring monasteries lost in the communist purges. The growing Buddhist revival is also reflected in the modernizing of art and temple facilities allowing for more comfortable tourism, but also for a fresh perspective on the development of the art and religion itself. In this way, Buddhism and spiritual art can cease to be a religion of the past and modernize.

The writing history of the Mongols is also considered art, especially considering the strong usage of calligraphy in old traditional Mongolian script as well as Soyombo and the Horizontal Quadratic Script made by Zanabazar in 1686. It is the former of these that is important when considering placing Mongolia in any Huntington-style geographical cultural bloc. Zanabazar was a monk that had spent his life learning Tibetan and Sanskrit as part of his religious training. When he set out to make his own alphabet for the Mongolian theocratic state he took Tibetan and Sanskrit alphabets as a medium to construct what he considered an appropriate writing system for Buddhist Mongolia. Soyombo and the horizontal script were never widely used by Mongolians outside of writings on religious art. Tibetan and Sanskrit are themselves used widely in temple writings as a way of directly using the traditional languages of Buddhism. The wise use of the language even in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, is interesting compared with the Russian influenced Cyrillic one is accustomed to seeing.

While Mongolia can historically be categorized as Central Asian, contemporary developments continue to push Mongolia into the domain of the odd-man-out. Not only is Mongolia the only truly democratic state of the steppe, but it is also the region’s only Buddhist/non-Islamic majority population. Linguistically, Mongolian (while Altaic) is closer to Japanese or Korean, while the “-stans” of Central Asia all speak more languages more directly related to Turkish (modern and Turkic as a classification). Mongolia’s formal independence from the USSR left it in a less culturally degraded position. It had no need of establishing a re-integration policy like Kazakhstan, where Kazakhs remain a minority in their so-called homeland. Mongolia’s participation in transnational organizations and presence in issues not in its immediate geographical standing further calls to question its classification in one particular zone. As a final note, Mongolia’s support of other Mongolic peoples, such as Hazara in Afghanistan points to an actual influence that most developing nations cannot command.

AIDS is Mongolia

2009-11-19T05:21:00.000-08:00

The following is a short paper about Hamtdaa, and NGO that works with HIV+/AIDS patients. It just so happens that my best Mongol-friend works here and I have spent a lot of time with the boys at this org. Hopefully the paper is worth your read.

HIV/AIDS and LGBT right’s activism have become linked since the outbreak of the epidemic in the late 1970s early 1980s. While the negative implications of associating a minority group with a disease that affects everyone is something to be considered, there is a counter argument to be made. Many countries that are otherwise heterosexist/homophobic will support efforts at HIV/AIDS reduction and will grant funding for such organizations. Although countries with already deplorable human rights have employed homophobic tactics at reducing the virus (i.e. Uganda, The Gambia, etc.), countries like Mongolia have welcomed the international community’s view on the best practices for dealing with the epidemic. This has allowed organizations that focus on HIV/AIDS prevention to work freely in the LGBT and MSM (men who have sex with men) communities. To this end the organization Хамтдаа works with HIV+ and AIDS patients in Mongolia, supplies free condoms and lubricant, and organizes several seminars for LGBT support and small activism.

Хамтдаа's primary role is providing support to already infected people. They work jointly with their sister organization Youth for Health (ЗЭМ), which focuses on prevention and education to lessen spread of the virus. «Together» was founded in 2005 and has partnered with the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment since 2008. From that date the organization's primary source of funding has been the Global Fund. Its partnership is contracted through 2013 after which time the organization will need to find alternative funding, perhaps from the Mongolian Ministry of Health or the other international grant awarding organizations.

To accomplish its charter, Hamtdaa distributes antiviral medication free of charge to HIV+ Mongolians and provides living stipends to the least forunate of its clients. In terms of its LGBT activism and support activities the NGO provides free safe sex materials, as well as organizing several support groups aimed at empowering sexual minorites. The organizations main publication Сонголтгvй амьдрал acts as a basic primer on LGBT peoples and attempts to deconstruct ideas of heterosexism and masculinity in Mongolian society. The organization arranges its own seminars and retreats as well as participating fully in national and international seminars taking place in Ulaanbaatar. Outside the capital, Hamtdaa is limited to being listed as a member of the Global Fund, which operates in all aimag centers, while only conducting its own work in Erdenet and Darkhan. These missions to the other large cities of Mongolia are mostly aimed at delivering condoms, lubricant, and brochures to the main hotels and contacts within the city for larger distribution.

My experience with Hamtdaa has been mostly positive, but like any NGO some inefficiencies are expected. My travel with them to Erdenet was interesting, because it essentially seemed that no travel should actually be necessary, the sole purpose of the going there was to deliver condoms and lubricant to several set people and organizations.

The same thing could have been accomplished via conference call and mail; however, some signatures were necessary to confirm delivery reflecting the ridiculousness of bureacracy. To further critique the organization, it is very focused on gay men, with no lesbian staff and a general lack of materials aimed towards lesbian health concerns. This is yet another issue resulting from ties LGBT rights with HIV/AIDS work, only gay men get any attention from such an approach (with the occasional transgender individual). Another issue is the organization's publication on LGBT people. A major issue in non-Western countires is the preception of LGBT identity as a solely Western construction (often paired with a critique on Western materialism and indulgence). The publication not only fails to fit the issue in a Mongolian context, but almost serves to further westernize the argument, by not including any pictures of Mongolians, only pictures fom America's own gay rights movement-most of which are from the 1960s. This perhaps is meant to make a comparison of contemporary Mongolia to pre-gay rights movement America. These pictures hold no significance to Mongolians making the publication lose much of its importance. Despite these issues, the organization pulls on a great community of volunteers and has a definate role to play in Mongolian civil society.

At the end of the day, it can be said that given its limitations Hamtdaa has been accomplishing its mission well. They are able to provide services to 90% of HIV+ patients (the other 10% are from the striaght demographic and/or willing choose not to associate with Hamtdaa, which primarily works with LGBT people). The issue of lack of government support is an ongoing theme in Mongolia, where citizens often say the government is only good at talking, but can’t accomplish most of its expressed efforts.

Hamtdaa is only able to work with the Ministry of Health, whereas their work clearly falls under human rights and could be reasonably extended to other ministries within the government. Combined with the greater part of Mongolian society's homophobia, Hamtdaa is part of a movement to change mistaken perceptions and work towards equality.

OMG! Gay Mongolian Song!

2009-08-06T04:23:00.000-07:00

The title of the song means something like Not Giving a Damn. I am disturbed by the boy beating up the girl coming on to him, but continue watching to the end to see the best part. This is really interesting because it is actually a rather positive representation of gays in Mongolia; actually any media presence is a huge step. Obviously, it is has its share of problems, but I approve. Enjoy!

Kisses!

Egshiglen: Best Mongolian pop artist!!!

2009-07-25T21:14:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love this song. The girl's voice is amazing!

Надаам: Морийн Урилдаан: Nadaam: The Horse Races

2009-07-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the horse races. The horses, obviously, do not take place in the city, as they are long distance. The horses are raced young and the winner is prime breeding stock. Young children ride the horses to lighten the load.

The area is about an hour and a half outside the city, so we left at 7 am (what a terrible time!). My Mongol boy arranged the whole thing and got a friend of his to drive us. I drank a whole big bowl of airag (koimus=fermented mare's milk)-click on the link to learn more- on my own. Sooo proud, since last year I had trouble with the taste of the slightly carbonated alcoholic milk product.

The top picture is a separate event at the venue made to fill the time between the start and end of the race. The masks are tsam masks of Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

Enjoy! I would write more but I am off to lunch with my Mongol fruitfly.

Kisses!

Надаам: Nadaam 2009

2009-07-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

I know that the several people reading this blog have expressed direct and indirect concern over the fact that I have not written anything in about a month. I had been waiting to be motivated enough to provide intelligent commentary and scholarly insight into the events of the past month; however, I have just decided that time might not be soon in coming, so I will provide more pictures than text and you, the readers, can fill in the holes using wikipedia, etc.

The biggest thing was Nadaam, or games. Originally called the three manly games, it is the formalized festival of Mongolia's summer sports: Archery, Wrestling, and Horse raceing (with shagai, or ankle bone shooting recently thrown in for good measure). It is the main tourist event of the year, as well as the main event for all Mongolians. My Ulaanbaatar Nadaam consisted of waiting till the last minute to buy tickets, finally finding a seller on the side of the street outside the opening ceremony, 15 minutes into the ceremony, itself. It took so long, because I refused to spend the tourist price of $25, and since I am obviously not Mongolian this was difficult. I did manage and found myself packed into west side of the stadium, just

barely able to squeeze myself into the top rung, where I was quite certain I would fall to certain death. The pictures of the ceremony follow:

The man in the jeep is last year's wrestling champion.

Wrestling is very central to

Mongolian identity and Mongolian wrestling is distinctive from other forms. This is also

part of the reason Mongolia's winning of a gold metal last year at the Beijing Olympics in Judo (not Mongolian but still a martial art) was so exciting- besides the fact that it was the first gold metal the country had ever won. The dancers are just that.

And in rides the circus, complete with Mongolian flags and horse-trick riders, and the whole bit. Gotta love it.

And the army solute to the President and members of Parliament (Ikh Hural).

Finally, the ceremony ends and Brandon gets herself some good vegetarian huushuur, or a sort of fried dumpling thing. Getting it without mutton is a new chic thing, so I was lucky to find really really yummy ones. I ate 4!

OK, next post Horse Races with Mongolian boyfriend!

Kisses!

Afghan Gandhi!

2009-06-25T00:03:00.000-07:00

So, you all should follow this link (i.e. click on the picture) and check out this amazing candidate for the August 20th Afghanistani election. He's really quite inspirational, perhaps a little utopian, etc. However, as I am prone to love such things, I find him quite admirable.

That said, he is currently placed only fourth among the candidates with Karzi (the incumbent, taking a vast lead), and members of his current administration taking the second and third places in recent polls/estimates.

Intense Sunset

2009-06-17T23:22:00.000-07:00

These are all pictures of the sunset last night. Pretty intense. I think the cloud cover, elevation, etc. all influenced the effect. Agree?

HOTT Mongolian Music video

2009-06-17T23:15:00.000-07:00

So, I really think that gay man must have directed this, the boys are just too hott. With the exception on the "lip girl", the girls are pretty fierce as well. Anywho, just as reference, CityNights is a magazine, and DJ Shaman is apparently some uber famous hard trance DJ...if you're into that.....Ok, have a look and enjoy!

Миний монгол байр: My Mongolian Apartment

2009-06-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

OK dear readers, friends, and family. I've been in Mongolia a week now, just got internet in my apartment yesternight, and am ready to do a little posting. Since I think that some of you may be interested in seeing where I live here are some pictures of my apartment. To the left is living room. You can see in the corner that I have a great buddhist shrine, which I think is really cute.

I have included a close up picture below. The couch and chairs have little rugs on them as seat covers: Mongol innovation.

From my living room and kitchen I have access to my little balcony (porch? is there a difference?). This was the scene of some conundrum today. So, first I spend all day trying to get my little semi-automatic washing machine to work, when I finally get it working it stops after the wash and refuses to dump the dirty water out so I can refill it with water and it can rinse and spin. So, I try pressing various patterns of buttons, but it just beeps at me rudely. I turn the little whore off and go to bed. When I get up, I decided that the clothes should not be soaking so long, therefore I began the laborious process of rinsing and squeezing out each article of clothing. Ok, all in a Mongol day. Then I go to put the clothes on the line outside only to find that all the pigeons of Ulaanbaatar have made it there personal pooping space. I now hate birds. They crapped over like three of my shirts! Meanwhile, my brilliance did kick in eventually, so I moved the poll holding one end of the line, and now the clothes are safe, except for the occasional dust storm, of course. ( Sorry that the pic is a little off-kilter, I have every faith that you can reorient yourselves).

As I mentioned above, from the balcony I can go into the kitchen (obviously, I need not go around the living room from the balcony to the kitchen, but for the reason of oddness, lets say I did. Here is what you would see:

I find it quite charming. On the opposite wall is my little dining space:

From the kitchen through the hallway and into the bathroom. So, in good apartment style the toilet and shower and separate. But, since I don't have any good pictures of these rooms and am too lazy to take more, lets just move to the bedroom.

And its PINK! Loves it. Ok, I need to go buy an iron, going to the opera tonight. Soo glamorous. Kisses!

Iran: "And I ran, I ran so far Away..."

2009-04-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, shameless plug fro SNL! But this skit deserves repetition. When Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that there were no gays in Iran, SNL was quick to make of the bastard. Indeed there are gays in Iran, but were they ever to come out they would face death by hanging. Wow, Uncle Ahmad, so by “are” you mean “will be” , should the religious and cultural perversion you call Islamic perfection were fully implemented in the Iranian state?

Beyond this old news, I thought I should bring to the forefront a recent occurrence with this controversial and inflammatory President/nation. As Ahmadinejad began to deliver a speech at the UN anti-racisim conference, EU delegates staged a mass walk-out as soon as it became clear the real reason for Iran’s participation in the conference: the accusations of Israel as a racist state. Now, I recognize that there are certainly issues, some racist in nature (although more religiously based, considering that Arabs and Israelites are both Semitic peoples), that lie at the heart of the Israel-Palestine mess, but hardly does that make Israel a racists state (at least no more so than any other nation on earth).

Considering that past conferences of this sort have turned into little more than a bash-Israel party, I fully support the actions of the EU to walk-out of the conference at that point. However, I do not support the decision by several nations (US and Germany, included) to not attend the conference at all. Actually I think more of a statement is being made by a public walk-out. Oh, how I would love to walk-out on many a speech and have it make international news.

Kisses!

Op-Ed: Iraqi Gays Anything but Free

2009-04-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

Operation Iraqi Freedom… Not so free after all. After the American public learned that there were no weapons of mass-destruction in Iraq, we found little to comfort ourselves with beyond the imagined notion that we, the Americans, would set up a more free society where Iraqis would be happier. Considering news of mass executions to begin later this week, this Blogger has nothing left to justify the actions of his country other than fate, and we all know how far that will take any argument.

Many of the 128 prisoners on death row in the “liberated Iraq” have been arrested for having same-sex relations, according to Iraqi-LGBT, a UK-based NGO. The organization has to rely on reports from volunteers in Iraq, as it cannot legally have any real presence. Additionally, raids by Iraqi police have led to the detention or death of 17 members working for the organization.

“Death penalty has been increasing at an alarming rate in Iraq since the new Iraqi regime reintroduced it in August 2004.

In 2008 at least 285 people were sentenced to death, and at least 34 executed. In 2007 at least 199 people were sentenced to death and 33 were executed, while in 2006 at least 65 people were put to death. The actual figures could be much higher as there are no official statistics for the number of prisoners facing execution,” he said.

These mass executions become more disturbing following past reports of Islamic clerics publicly calling for the sexual cleansing of Iraq. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for the killing of gays in lesbians in the “worst, most severe way possible”. There are regular reports of militias killing people even slightly suspected of homosexual activity.

Indeed, US liberation efforts seem to stop short of protecting the LGBT population. After the Taliban were ousted from Afghanistan, the US government stopped short of setting up a secular government. The new Islamic Republic of Afghanistan continues to criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity, looking much like the Islamic Republic of Iran. After decades of the Taliban ordering the execution of gays and lesbians by any three gruesome methods, Afghani gays have little more space to turn in. A final note of US liberations, when American soldiers freed people from Nazi Germany’s concentration camps in WWII, the forces left those with the defining pink triangle in the camps, apparently deciding that was a valid condemnation.

While the US officially decriminalized homosexuality on the Federal level in 2003 in the Lawrence vs. Texas case, few actual arrests were made, and killings have always concentrated on civilian acts of hate crimes. Yet, we seem to continually be content to let the LGBT population suffer in nations that we claim to have democratized.

It may seem witty to take a uber-culturalist approach to the issue of LGBT rights, assuming that some cultures simply are justified in their mistreatment of LGBT. Those same individuals will than say that they think its terrible, but everyone has a right to an opinion. While your elementary school teacher might have taught that mutual respect is the solution to all problems, when someone is blatantly wrong, that opinion becomes a thing to be judged accordingly.

Freedom has continually been a restricted term, as the Duchess once said, the very notion of freedom assumes entirety. Some of us are still waiting for said freedom as those in a place of privelege are waking up to the idea that a democracy based on a majority will continually repress the minority. In Iraq, in Afghanistan, in the United States of America, the LGBT population remains underrepresented and under protected.

Kisses!

US-UN: Gays all over the World

2009-03-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

Obama is making good on his promise to by an ally to the LGBT community in Washington. In its first significant action, the Obama administration has said that it will sign a declaration presented to the UN General Assembly regarding the universal decriminalization of homosexuality. The US now joins some 66 countries in signing the resolution. Obama’s support of the measure is in sharp contrast to the Bush administrations refusal to do so.

The full story highlights the declaration and the actions taken by the French government to lobby support.

Uganda: Ex-Gay

2009-03-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

Well readers, CulturedFruit has been on a gay parade lately, so live it up! In my last post on Anti-Gay Americans working with Uganda, I mentioned the conference headed by Stephen Langa and his organization, the Family Life Network. The conference was to focus on the “homosexual agenda” and ways to contact the demonizing influence of the vice (gotta hate that vice; personally, I say vice it up!). Lets look at what came out of this super amazing conference shall we!

As the conservative wrong does in the United States, as the conservative wrong does in Uganda. Family Life Network was able to get a self-described born-again Christian/ex-gay to talk on “recruitment” techniques that LGBT NGO’s have implemented in Uganda. The term “recruitment” remains largely undefined, but if the term holds clear through cultural rendering, it usually means little more than encouraging tolerance and counteracting hate; radical, I know. Here’s what our “ex-gay”, George Oundo is reported to have said:

George Oundo said funders gave them “much money” and training abroad and that he would target mostly the needy children who had problems of tuition and pocket money and “others who like outings.”  

Oundo warned parents to know their children’s friends. Homosexuals, he added, were targeting mostly children “because they are easy to initiate and they like easy things”.   

Oundo said he got seriously involved in promoting homosexuality in 2003. “I was taken to Nairobi for training,” he said. “I used to supply pornographic materials in form of books and compact discs showing homosexuality to young boys in many schools,” he explained.   

The training, he said, was facilitated by Gay and Lesbian Coalition. “I also got the pupils’ telephone contacts. We used to meet with both girls and boys in schools during ceremonial parties,” he asserted.   

He said he only stopped his activities after becoming a Born-again Christian. He told all this to about 50 parents attending a seminar at Hotel Triangle, Kampala on Sunday. It was organised by Family Life Network, a local charity which promotes family values.   

Oundo said he got saved at Pastor Martin Sempa’s church, the Inter-Faith Rainbow Coalition against Homosexuality, based at Makerere University Kampala.   Oundo asserted that he had been a renown gay and lesbian activist for five years and had operated under the umbrella group, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG). He said he had taken on the female role and his name was Georgina.   

“Praise God. Recently I realised that I have been victimising young people into devilish ways,” Oundo said. “I confess before the parents of the victimised children and they should forgive me.”  

He hoped to go back to his former school, Muyenga High (Jinja), where he recruited many students and repent.  

He said he was initiated into the vice at 12 by friends like Victor Mukasa, a gay activist, after his parents separated and he was being raised by a single mother.   

“I was brought up in a poor family. Lack of parental care, love and the loneliness may have led me to join gay activities,” he added.  

Oundo said he experienced a transgender transition because he “wanted to be a woman”. “Just go to the Internet and Google the name Georgina and you will see how I have been defending gay activism,” he explained.

I’m convinced! Obviously there has been some foul play. I mean if this guy says so, I mean he must know. FCUK THAT! No, indeed he does not. Oundo is, amongst other things, not all specific in what he actually did. This seems to be little more than a play by Ugandan bigotry to play on peoples emotions (the children card) and then not to specify any actual wrongdoing. In this method, the network is able to draw in even the more middle-leaning individuals at the conference and rally unwarranted support for their political and social agenda.

It is likely, that Oundo and others work with children was little more than what in the US we call a “Gay-Straight Alliance” (an organization usually affiliated with a high school that provides a safe space for LGBT students and allies to discuss their issues confidentially). Pornographic material: perhaps a pamphlet on safe-sex or other related materials.

Let us simply suppose that Oundo was involved in some sort of behavior that CulturedFruit would not condone, it would still hardly give license to use Oundo as a source and justification for a campaign against Uganda’s LGBT citizens, because that is what we are ultimately talking about here. LGBT peoples are not some theoretical minority that we can all hope will one day have basic human freedoms, including the right to exist, which is exactly what is being taken away by laws prohibiting homosexuality. It is all well and good to say things like “some day” and “history will show”; however, while you say those things real people are hiding, suffering, and being effectively squeezed out of societies worldwide. Accepting homophobia as a fact, however real that assertion may be, provides a sort of allowance of the behavior itself. What will you say?

Kisses!

Anti-Gays Go International: Uganda

2009-03-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

It would seem that the bigots, homophobes, and general assholes of American conservative society have decided that their reach should extend beyond the US, into developing nations. After all, best to deal to with this gay problem from a “diverse” perspective.

In a recent post from an Australian-based LGBT blog, I have learned that Uganda has sought the help of anti-LGBT activist extraordinaire Stephen Langa, Executive Director of the US-based Family Life Network. Obviously this guy is one of the “cool ones”. He is reported as saying the following in regards to his work: “Provide insight on the causes and treatment of homosexuality; provide practical tips on how to prevent homosexuality behavior in youth; expose the homosexual agenda, their tactics, strategy and methods of recruitment; and provide information and guidelines on how to respond to the homosexual agenda in an organization, community or nation.”

Langa is, unfortunately, just one part of Uganda’s new campaign against same-sex loving peoples and those infected with HIV/AIDS. Far easier for the Ugandan government to blame HIV/AIDS on gay men, then to deal with the fact that in Africa the overwhelming majority of patients contracted the disease from heterosexual activity. Hmmm….Uganda…yeah…

The actions of the Ugandan state to stamp out homosexuality, as a response to the epidemic, are completely idiotic. Far be for them to provide contraceptives to the people (not least of which to those engaging in heterosexual activity). But in a country where over 41% of the population are Catholic, I suppose that a logical response would be “religious insensitive”. Yep.

Kisses!

Mugabe Shows the World: Wealth and Cake

2009-03-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

In a country forced to abandon its own currency due to ridiculous inflation, foreign currency can still by the privileged few anything and everything.

In a country without a function economy, Mugabe’s party raises quarter million dollars for decadent cake.

In a show of radical elitism, Mugabe has instead decided to have a birthday party, costing $250,000. He does so just after Zimbabwe requested two billion dollars in aid from other African nations (South Africa, to name a major player). Immediately some may recall the French Queen, Marie Antoinette’s famous line in regards to her starving people: “Let them eat cake”. It is safe to say that Mugabe was not sharing his with the people of Zimbabwe, however. Opposition leader, Tsvangirai, summed up this move by coloring it “a gathering of a satisfied few”, further pulling on the gross inequality expressed by the only elite of Zimbabwe, President Mugabe.

In a country where the World Health Organization has reported 3.894 deaths from cholera since August 2008, the only nourishment and console the government was able to offer is the Zimbabwe’s president will at least be able to suffer alongside them from over nourishment.

Beyond the moral argument, which is certainly not to be over stressed, there remains an issue of government legitimacy in a state no classified as failed. Western donors are resistant to offering aid before they see if the unitary government will actually be able to effectively function and provide some actual governance to the people of Zimbabwe. One really cannot know the intentions of Mugabe in this new political climate; perhaps he showing that the Zimbabwe is restoring its economy and able to provide party favors to at least a few. Admittedly, I was more than a little surprised that a quarter million dollars was even to be found in desolate Zimbabwean economic landscape. Some may, perhaps foolishly, suggest that Mugabe’s actions are with the best intentions. “He is trying to restore faith in the government’s ability to deliver”, they say, considering themselves rather witty. I, for one, am quite sure that the population of Zimbabwe is not as backwards as to actually think that Mugabe belly represents their own and when he is fat and full, so are they.

In a country where 90% are without any form of regular employment, the party is still on.

In a country where at least 50% are dependent on foreign aid, enough flour and sugar is available for a lavish, table-sized, confectionary dessert. At least we may rest assured that it was not as good as the cakes enjoyed by AIG CEO’s.

Zimbabwe’s economic collapse is not in response to the current global recession, but this international economic infection is certainly not going to help Zimbabwe in its quest to obtain foreign aid. Unfortunately that may be the only the short-term option the nation has. With no public infrastructure or services, business simply cannot operate on anything more than a local level. With poverty rampant, that amount of people with any real spending power is close to 10% of the population-in other words, those employed. It is estimates that as much as $5 billion could be necessary just to get the country to a point where it can start to provide for itself in a meaningful manner. Many analysts don’t believe that Zimbabwe can shoulder that amount of foreign debt. With developed nations focusing more on ensuring that they do not collapse in Zimbabwean fashion, such a lack on confidence in lending, gives Zimbabwe a credit score close to zero.

In a country where it is all falling apart with slim chances of a quick renewal, at least Mugabe’s birthday can be count as a national holiday.

Kisses!

Christian Fraternity Discriminates against USC LGBT Students

2009-02-21T22:15:00.000-08:00

In a letter to the editor, the Daily Trojan published a letter written by USC student Isaac Ahn. Isaac Ahn is a respected member of the USC LGBT community, working as Office Manager of the LGBT Resource Center. He wrote the following:

IFC demonstrates discrimination

I would like to share my experiences participating in Spring Rush 2009. On my fifth and final day rushing Alpha Gamma Omega, two AGO brothers confronted me about my sexuality. That is, two AGO brothers confronted, questioned and attacked my sexuality. Although I was honest with them about my being gay, I was made to feel extremely uncomfortable. From these conversations, it became inescapably clear that AGO would not extend a bid to me because I am gay, an instance of blatant homophobia. As a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community at USC, I am appalled by the actions of these two AGO members, especially considering USC’s national recognition as an LGBT-friendly university.

This experience has been an extremely painful one for me, leaving me with real feelings of inadequacy. I have still have not fully recovered from the shock of what I experienced.

Below is a brief description of the incident:

AGO Brother #1 and I were talking about how the bid process works. He asked me about my

relationship with God. I told him I learn things every day, among other things. He further

questioned me by asking what I learned. He said something about my involvement in the Gay,

Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Assembly and how that wouldn’t work well with being in AGO. I told him I never was in GLBTA. He asked me if I was gay. I said yes. He asked me how that factored into my relationship with God. I explained how it used to be a struggle and how it isn’t anymore. He said that people base their relationship with God on their relationship with other people. AGO Brother #2 came into the conversation and took me to his room. He closed the door and proceeded to tell me how he struggled with his sexuality since he was a child. He asked me about my relationship with God. I told him what I told AGO Brother #1. He told me that he entered the fraternity a “broken man” and how the fraternity has helped him to improve. He also said that the fraternity is not affirming of homosexuality, because they are Christians and follow the scripture. He also said that since tomorrow is bid night, they want to know how my relationship with God is.He asked me what my thoughts were. I said that I wanted to leave. He wanted to show me out the back door so no one could see me leave but I said no. I grabbed my umbrella from under the couch in the common room where people were “worshipping” and left.

From this incident, I hope the blatant homophobia is acknowledged. In trying to resolve my issue privately with the Interfraternity Council, I wrote to the IFC Judicial Board and met with them twice. I asked them for assistance with the following three things:

- An IFC investigation of this incident coordinated by the IFC Judicial branch.

- AGO leadership must admit their two brothers acted wrongly in this situation, and the

organization as a whole should take full responsibility for what happened. In addition, the two men involved must issue a written apology to me noting their discrimination.

- AGO should work with the IFC Judicial branch and Diversity Encouragement Council to institute an intervention strategy to prevent a situation like this from happening again.

After hearing both sides of the story, the executive vice president of Judicial Affairs notified me that they would not help me with my requests. No apology or admission of any wrongdoing was given to me from either the IFC or AGO. He told me that the IFC Judicial Board did not think any discriminatory actions occurred, although they thought the remarks were insensitive. He said I wasunsure of how the rush process worked. The only ruling that IFC made was to require the two brothers who approached me to attend Diversity Encouragement Council meetings. He did not give me a formal decision on paper, instead choosing to tell me in person. To add insult to injury, I was told that my case would not be recorded, completely diminishing the gravity of my case.

The day after I received the decision from IFC, an AGO alumnus who is back at USC taking premed classes approached me. He waited for me at my workplace to tell me that I would not get the results that I want by going through the administration. He also felt the need to share a Bible verse about mercy and forgiveness with me. While I can’t say who sent him, I think it is safe to assume that he came to my workplace to stop me from pursuing my issue further.

With everything that has transpired, I still feel that I deserve the three items I originally requested from the IFC. As a council that regards itself as “one of the most diverse, exciting and wellrespected systems in the country,” IFC needs to reconsider how homophobia fits into that definition. I am both frustrated and frightened by the ignorance and disrespect that was expressed in dealing with my situation. With all the diversity that exists at USC, why is integration so hard?

Bureaucratic systems such as the IFC certainly do not help, and are part of the problem. The IFC and AGO will both say that they are not homophobic and are accepting of the LGBT population on campus, but that could not be further from the truth. In fact, during the IFC hearing, an AGO leader told me they have several members who are “dealing” with their homosexuality. What does that even mean? My experience is only one of many homophobic incidents I’ve heard of in fraternities on campus. Despite what anyone might say, or any exceptions to the rule, there is a palpable antigay attitude within the IFC, evident especially in the fact that they condoned what happened to me.

My fellow Trojans, I shared my experience and anger to hopefully revitalize you to speak up

whenever you see something discriminatory happen. I am currently working with USG Diversity Affairs to settle my issue, and I will not give up until I get what I deserve.

We, as the LGBT and ally population on campus, need to work together to ensure that no one is constrained in what they can achieve at USC.

Isaac Ahn

Junior, creative writing

I am diusgusted by Isaac’s story of blatant discrimination at the hand of not only AGO, but also IFC. If the Greek system thinks that it has the right to discriminate against LGBT members of the USC community, it is sadly mistaken. Isaac Ahn’s extreme courage in submitting this letter and the maturity he has expressed is highly commendable and I certainly hope that USG will continue its investigation into the matter. Additionally, I hope that the bad publicity will pressure IFC and AGO into reevaluating their ridiculous decisions on the matter. Currently I know two major gay blogs that have picked up on this story: QUEERTY and TOWLEROAD.

I am at a lack of words to fully discuss this issue, given the stupidity of IFC and AGO, but I am also none too pleased with the comments from USC students and even on the queer blogsites listed above. Particularly those comments that suggest that there are spaces where LGBT people do not belong. Readers, if you believe that being gay and being Christian are mutally exclusive you are full of crap, further if you believe that their should be spaces where LGBT identified individuals cannot be, please disappear permanently. The LGBT community should not be pushed around into spaces that the straight population has decided are okay for us to be!

Kisses!

Cultural Hegemony in China: The Uighur Autonomous Region

2009-02-21T21:03:00.000-08:00

The idea of a concrete “Chinese culture” as being defined by the modern borders of the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan is an illusion. China is a multiethnic state with over fifty recognized minority groups. Many of these ethnicities are completely unknown/ignored by modern experts on China, who continue to focus on the dominating Han Chinese peoples that represent the majority- 91% of the China’s population. That said, over one hundred, twenty-three million people face oppression and cultural subversion under a government clearly working in the interests of the majority. While Tibet is the typical example of a disadvantaged group fighting for political and cultural autonomy, the province known as the Uighur Autonomous Region, or Xinjiang in Mandarin, are also at the forefront of this movement against Chinese claims the lands with no ethnic Chinese history. The movement for Uighur liberation has been hurt by several factors, not least of which is China’s rendering of all separatists groups as terrorists. In efforts to secure China’s support for the US-led War on Terror, the United States has also declared several Uighur organizations as terrorists groups. While American and Chinese populations might color Uighur resistance to Han-rule as terrorism, it is important for the modern scholar to look above political definitions and recognize the theme of cultural hegemony and domination as exemplified by the Uighur plight.

There is a pervasive notion amongst Han Chinese peoples that Xinjiang is inherently a part of their nation. This argument of historic affiliation is repeated by the Russian Federation in its conflict with Chechnya; another example of ethnically and religiously fueled separatism. The actuality of the situation is that Xinjiang did not come under Han rule till the fall of the Qing Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) established the borders of modern China (minus Mongolia), but was administered by Manchu rule, not Han. The fall of the Manchu Empire in 1912 and the subsequent rule of the KMT (Chinese nationalist party that retreated to Taiwan against the Chinese Communist Party’s control of mainland China, or CCP) inherited the annexed territories of Inner Mongolia, Tibet, and East Turkestan (Xinjiang). This calls into question that Xinjiang is an integral part of the Chinese nation.

As for the history of Uighur people themselves, we see them repeating the experiences of the larger Central Eurasian experience at it relates to other nomadic peoples. Nomadic steppe peoples identifying as Uighur have existed since before the eighth century. After 744CE, we begin to see the formation of a “Uighur Empire”. This empire really was more of a coalition of nine other nomadic tribes from the region. The Qing originally used the empire as a buffer against invasions from other Turkic peoples, and the Uighur operated as many Chinese satellite nations, offering tribute to the regional hegemon, but maintaining de facto autonomy. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, East Turkestan did have two failed attempts at independence. In 1933 and 1944, the East Turkestan Republic held sovereignty for several years, before being re-administered by the KMT and CPP, respectively. Using this historical argument, we can begin to realize the Uighur have a long history of autonomy and are not as deeply tied to China or Han people as the state may insist.

Contemporary Xinjiang is facing a demographic shift perpetuated by Beijing policies and in-migration support. The overarching policy of the centralized Chinese government in Beijing remains to support territorial claims by developing those regions in question and moving Han Chinese to those areas to substantiate and cement their control. The capital of the Uighur Autonomous Region is the city of Urumqi. Urumqi, in the north-east of the province is developing rapidly, with 12 new skyscrapers being built in the past decade and international investment at a historic high. The city offers five-star accommodations and is a popular destination of China’s more adventurous domestic travelers. The city also happens to be in the region that is most densely populated by Han immigrants. In 1949, Han Chinese represented only seven percent of the total population of Xinjiang; by 1978 the Han population came to represent forty-one percent. The population seems to have reduced following ethnic strife to a current thirty-seven percent. Uighur peoples represent over forty-seven percent of the population. This Han influx is not a simple case of migration or natural population movements, but is the clear result of Beijing’s desire to “develop” the region by supporting the move highly educated professionals from China’s coast (Han native lands).

The fact that educated professionals in Xinjiang suggests Han ethnicity, points to the position of inferiority that Uighur people face in their homelands. Xinjiang continues to be China’s poorest region, with little development outside of the capital. Uighur people speak a Turkic language, and are thus faced with competition from speakers of Mandarin Chinese. (Note that fluency in Mandarin Chinese is a requirement for any mid-to-high level employment position in the public or private sectors of the Chinese economy). Further complicating the Uighur disadvantage in terms of economic prosperity is the fact that quotas for Uighur in institutions of higher education are low when compared to the fact that they represent the population majority in the region. This low access to education further perpetuates the circle of Han domination.

The term Autonomous Region has been used several times already in this report, but it is important to review what this means in China. China’s special autonomous regions (SAR), Hong Kong and Macau, enjoy a certain level of economic and social freedom usually associated with autonomy, however in the case of Tibet and Xinjiang this “autonomy” means little more than a title in the face of the central government’s control. Xinjiang is allowed to pass its own legislation, but only with the permission and approval of the CCP in Beijing. The use of the term “autonomous” seems to be little more than a play with words to suggest some sort of special rights within China, but in actuality stand for little. This is in direct contrast to the autonomous nations of the Russian Federation, which have their own constitutions and can independently pass legislation, even if it is at odds with the Federation’s guiding constitution. (Note that former President Vladimir Putin sought to regulate and lessen this autonomy; however, the republics still enjoy much more freedom than Xinjiang or Tibet).

Uighur hostility towards Chinese Imperialism is less in response to politics than it is to the steady degradation of Uighur culture. A defining characteristic of Uighur is their practice of Sunni Islam. Islam in the officially atheist Chinese nation is under constant attack from the authorities. While Muslims represent just two percent of the population of China, considering China’s huge population one remembers that accounts for some twenty million people. In context, there are more Muslims in China than in Malaysia (a Muslim majority country), and in every Middle Eastern country (minus Iran, Egypt, and Turkey). Some scholars have suggested that the very nature of Islam and the Chinese state lead to separatist movements; however, this does not necessarily seem to be the unavoidable case, considering that Muslims have been in China for over a millennium, with separatist movements being a solely modern phenomenon. Under Mao Zedong, Islam was officially illegal and was often labeled superstitious and anti-communist/anti-revolutionary. Under Deng Xiaoping, minorities were given the theoretical right to practice their own customs and religion. In places where Muslims have remained a discrete sector of the population, the religion can be practiced with relatively little state regulation, but in Xinjiang, Muslims are shaded by acts supposed acts of terrorism and civil unrest and restrictions are strong. For example, more than three people reading the Quran together can be considered an act against the state and is punishable. Recent reports of three men in Urumqi reading the Quran together in an apartment, and shot dead by Chinese military personnel under unsubstantiated claims of separatism plotting highlights this issues well.

The actions of militant groups in Xinjiang are in actuality relatively small in number, but enjoy support from a population tired of Han hegemony. While sporadic incidents have occurred throughout the 1980s, the problem did not draw national attention and large-scale response until the late 1990s. This is possibly tied to the fact that 5 major ethnic groups from the Central Eurasian steppe were granted nationhood with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan. Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan). Also, as seen earlier, this would have been around the time that Han in-migration cemented a non-Uighur presence to the region. These cultural tensions boiled over and the result was seen by Beijing in 1997. Two busses exploded in Beijing, killing two and one bus was bombed in Urumqi killing nine. In a period of a year, over thirty other bus bombings, six in Tibet, pushed the People’s Republic of China into a fearful state. (Communist nations tend to fear revolutionary activities, as that is the means that they establish their own regimes). Most of these bombings were equated to Muslim and Tibetan demands for de facto autonomy. Hundreds were arrested on suspicion of taking part in ethnic riots, and eight Uighur separatists were arrested in connection to the bombings. Amnesty International reports that these mass roundups have resulted in hurried trails and quick guilty convictions (helped by the state sponsoring of torture as an interrogation technique). Amnesty further estimates that in a country known for frequent executions, Xinjiang has the highest number of executions in the nation, 1.8 per week, most of them Uighur (Gladneyg: 459). Numerous executions do little to calm Uighur resentment.

Xinjiang is also resident to several other Turkic peoples, who seem to be little concern with the Chinese state or the rights of the Uighur Autonomous Region. These other groups have not received attention as separatists and seem to be a more integrated minority into the greater Chinese nation. While this may be a result of simple numbers (far less Kazakhs and Kyrgyz than Uighur in the province), it cannot be separated from two major issues: the need of a homeland and nomadic attachments to the land. Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Tajiks already have a recognized nation-state that not only looks out for their interests, but also represents them to the greater international community (at the UN, for example). Whether or not they actually live in that country/homeland is irrelevant, because as nomadic peoples they have little attachment to a specific peace of land and are more concerned with the greater Central Asian steppe, which Xinjiang lies on. Uighur peoples have no representative country and little representative authority domestically within China. Additionally, with the establishment of a Uighur Empire and other historical developments (such as the shortly-lived East Turkestan Republic), this ethnic group would seem to hold more attachment to their possession of Xinjiang as a specific territorial interest. Both these issues cannot be divided from other issues surrounding Uighur identity, but they present an interesting corollary in explaining the actions of various Uighur freedom movements.

It is not the point of this essay to justify blatant murder or the acts of terrorism committed by a small number of Uighur activists. The bombings are certainly not justifiable, but nor is disproportionate response of the CCP in Beijing. Rather, I have sought to contextualize the issue of cultural hegemony and subversion through the Uighur example and explain the discontent Uighur have with Chinese rule and Han domination. The World Uyghur Congress states that their mission is to promote human rights and democracy for Uighur people through peaceful means. This mission statement is echoed in most of the Uighur movements, both within China and internationally based. Thus it is irresponsible to label Uighur separatism as inherently violent or terrorist affiliated.

Bibliography:

Becquelin, Nicolas. "Xinjiang in the Nineties." The China Journal 44 (2000): 65-90.

Bob, Clifford. "Merchants of Morality." Foreign Policy (2002): 36-45.

Bovingdon, Gardner. "The Not-So-Silent Majority: Uyghur Resistance to Han Rule in Xinjiang." Modern China 28 (2002): 39-78.

Chung, Chien-peng. "China's "War on Terror": September 11 and Uighur Separatism." Foreign Affairs 81 (2002): 8-12.

Gladney, Dru C. "Islam in China: Accommodation or Separatism?" The China Quarterly 174 (2003): 451-67.

Hannum, Emily, and Yu Xie. "Ethnic Stratification in Northwest China: Occupational Differences between Han Chinese and National Minorities in Xinjiang, 1982-1990." Demography 35 (1998): 323-33.

Kerr, David, and Laura C. Swinton. "CHINA, XINJIANG, AND THE TRANSNATIONAL SECURITY OF CENTRAL ASIA." Critical Asian Studies 40 (2008): 89-112.

Kumar, Rama S. "Impact of US-Led War on Terrorism." Economic and Political Weekly 37 (2002): 3414-419.

Kisses!

Defining Afghani Cuisine

2009-02-15T17:50:00.000-08:00

Mention Afghanistan and people’s mind go on autopilot to the issues surrounding the US invasion in 2002, or perhaps, for the more historically minded, the USSR invasion in 1978. Few however, would turn their minds to Afghani culture, or for that matter what an Afghani identity means.

Looking at the people of modern-day Afghanistan, the first issue that must be taken into consideration is that there is no Afghani ethnicity to speak about. By no ethnicity, I mean that there is no language called Afghan, nor is their a clear mono-cultural representation of what Afghani means. Afghanistan is a nation of several Central Asian peoples. The CIA World Factbook list 7 major ethnic groups in the following order: Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, along with a final 2% of other smaller groups. (Note that ‘Afghani’ is not listed).

So such a multiethnic society represents a huge level of diversity, so it becomes interesting to wonder what these so called “Afghani” restaurants are serving? Few such restaurants exist, but a nice venue in Pasadena is the nearest to the Los Angeles-based foodie. Azeen’s Afghani Cuisine offers up a great menu of dishes with a decidedly Persian-inspired theme. I have enjoyed the Kadu and Badenjan (butternut squash and eggplant, respectively). Kadu is something that I have only been able to find in Central Asian restaurants, but badenjan is a staple of the best Persian restaurants (see post on Shamshiri Grill for more traditionally Persian dishes). The desserts offered are also similar with rose water and saffron being a beautiful staple in most.

Kisses!

Persian Cuisine at Shamshiri Grill

2009-02-09T12:03:00.000-08:00

SALAAM! Time for our first restaurant review on Cultured Fruit. It has been a year since I have eaten respectable Persian cuisine in an atmosphere that made me feel…well, Persian-esque. What has happened to the Persian restaurant extraordinaire? I once frequented Shah Abbas near Beverly Center, but they have certainly taken a turn for the worse, Pistachio Grill, once on La Cienega and Wilshire, tucked away behind a Russian laundry mat, has moved and been replaced with some “Ruby’s Café” establishment that looks all to café-ish for this elitist eater. Others offered nothing in the way of vegetarian options.

IN SHA ALLAH! A group of USC’s yogis, including myself, came upon a culinary treasure chest that I had dismissed once for no real reason. Shamshiri Grill in Westwood Village. Of course, this would be a good starting place for any Persian craving individual, being at the heart of colloquially termed “Tehrangeles”, but they often lack the meat-less version that a group of yogis requires. So, we walk in and the place has that ethnic busyness that is so desirable when you are wearing anything but formal attire. We are seated promptly, although the place became packed rather quickly, and given very high-quality noon-e-barbari (Persian flat bread) with a spread of sabzi-ne (fresh herbs). Orders went out fast, and via the glass partitioned kitchen we could easily observe the chefs excellently prepare our meal. I ordered my old standby of fesenjun (walnut pomegranate stew) and shirin polo (polo rice with almonds, orange peel, and pistachios). It was exactly as it should be, but the fesenjun had a quality I had not yet encountered: it was rather smoky, almost with a bar-b-que like quality. I still have not decided how this taste would have come about, but rest assured, this well developed palate will figure it out. Dessert went the way of Persian ice cream, fadduleh(rise sorbet with rice noodles) and an innovative orange sorbet served in the orange peel it was made from (termed Givree, which is French, but the orgin of the dish itself is not exactly clear to me).

KHALAY KHUBER! It was very good indeed. It is now highly recommended and my first official restaurant of the week. As a last not, remember to have the house doogh (effervescent buttermilk with dried mint) with your meal and finish with some good, hot Persian tea. Do drink it Persian style, with the sugar cube held between the teeth. Thaat certainly made our night more memorable.

Kisses!

Public Intellectuals, Social Queers, and the Positive Voice

2009-01-31T21:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, my readers, lets talk about same-sex marriage. I know some “straight” people are probably over the topic, as are some gays. The debates of children, institution, religious priority, and tradition still ring loud in the ears of many. Besides the debates against, many are somewhat familiar with the calls for equality and human rights that have filled the LGBT community’s and our allies’ arguments. I see little reason to make an argument for my own rights to be married in this blog, given that any rational person would already want to vote in favor in marriage equality. I would however like to look at the arguments posted by gay intellectual extraordinaire, Andrew Sullivan.

Andrew Sullivan was one of the first to begin a large-scale debate on the issue, even in 1997, when Hawaii legalized marriage for its gay and lesbian residents. His book Same-Sex Marriage: Pro and Con was really the first intellectual reading available on the subject. Andrew’s prose often centers around debunking the conservative wrong’s negative stance on equality. He refers to the pro-family groups.

On that note, I have to say, the whole title of “pro-family”(and for that matter “pro-life”) is probably the most disgusting side of this whole story. Organizations give themselves an official sounding title such as American Family Association. While these may sound like some sort of legitimate source of information, they are really little more than evangelical Christians, with no legitimacy beyond a religious scripture. Blogger and intellectual Stephen Mack, writes a link worthy story on the role of religious individuals in the public discourse, entitled “Wicked Paradox: The Cleric as Public Intellectual”. His story attempts to bring the topic up, without fully declaring a definite opinion. I can tell you right now that Brandon Miliate has a clear opinion: Keep your religious discrimination away from me. Not just away from me, actually keep them away from everyone. I’m not going to say, “that’s your opinion” as if that opinion is in itself some sacred thing that is neither right nor wrong- public idiot you are clearly wrong and clearly uneducated. Clearly.

A final note on critique, one posting of Sullivan’s is a little disturbing. He writes:

And the point is: this is already the case with heterosexual marriages. Think of the diversity of lived experience that now exists within this civil institution in America. You have strict Catholic families with no divorce, no contraception and lots of kids in a very traditional fashion; you have childless yuppie couples, living in different cities; you have arranged marriages among some immigrant families; you have a newly married couple in their seventies; you have Larry King on his seventh and Dennis Prager on his third; you have Britney Spears' 55 hour special; you have teenage elopers and middle-aged divorcees; you have a middle class evangelical couple with three young kids and two working parents; you have George and Barbara Bush and Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher; you have open marriages which amount to sexual arrangements; and Mormon marriages whose sexual monogamy will continue physically after death.

What he says is correct, and probably conversation worthy, but what is he getting at? It would almost seem that an argument is being made to appease those ridiculous enough to actually oppose gay marriage that we queers couldn’t ruin marriage past its already crappy point. As if the point is why not at this point. We may call this the negative (perhaps even apologetic) voice. I’m not sure how helpful this, comparing gay marriage to open marriages and arranged unions. My readers, gay marriage (and for that matter gay sex) is just as divine as the kind currently exclusively enjoyed by heterosexual couples.

Let this be your introduction to my voice and my blog.

Kisses!