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 created on: Saturday, September 20th, 2014

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global, Jordan

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English, Arabic

My name is Enass Musallam, I am a Jordanian activist, social and political activism would be the main aspects of my activity and core subject in my writings which I use to express my thoughts and what I think in addition to public protests, I use my blog as a window to the global concepts of human rights, as in my country these are considered to be a privilege that we may die seeking it, while it’s just a basic right for any human being, the whole world would see my country as one of the best progressive countries in the Middle east, the world might think that our regime is showering us with democracy and freedom, and this is what our regime is showing itself to the world, while the truth is that it won’t hesitate to burn us all alive or put us in prison for the rest of our lives, if we so much dare to mention the word corruption, which is the foundation that our regime is built on.
 
Equality
 
When we want to talk about gender equality, I think that I am not the best to talk about it, because I am sure that there are many who suffered much more than I did.
 
Meanwhile, I believe that we, as women, don’t need to demand gender equality as much as we need to get our rights in exchange of our unlimited giving. A giving, that is countless compared to what men offer to our society. But since we are the best to get adapted, we simply seek being equal, though equality is not fair enough.
 
I started as a political activist in an Arab country and in a society, doesn’t  matter how open we can consider it, is still dominated by the reactionary and the tribes. My political activity started at university where I was dealing with the education’s legislations, to grow later and reach the constitution and its controlling system. That was in a country governed by a royal regime and a tribal system, this country is actually called: Jordan.
 
My story didn’t start, when I criticized one of the Jordan princes and the physical harassment as well as the threat of slaughter I got in exchange, but when the police itself, with the help of the offender, added to the physical harassment a moral one and hided in front of the court many truths that were able to reveal the identity of the aggressor. In addition, they misled the public opinion by publications full of lies where they described me as a looser that has delinquents and drug abusers as a company. Those lies were, for sure, denied later by the Persecutor because there was no proof and because it has no direct link with the issue I am fighting for.
But what is the use of the legal denial after spreading the news in all the official newspapers and TV channels?
Only those who live in an Arab country can figure out the damage of a moral harassment against an Arab woman.
 
In fact such accusations are enough to kill your social life… I don’t mean chances to marry, which are no longer a priority compared to the right of education and work… I was first rejected by my friends at the university, then I lost my job as well as all the chance to get a new one, without mentioning the moral damage for my family.
 
As I was a woman in a weak position who knows that she has right, I refused to hold back or to give up and decided to go further, though I had few options. Thanks to my mother’s support, I challenged my reality, assumed the consequences and demanded rehabilitation from the ministry of the interior. Although there has been no investigation related to my request, but such process will hopefully protect in the future  other Arab girls.
Our society and many others are overflowed by cases of injustice and violation of women’s rights. Unfortunately this injustice is not only supported by the society  but first by the government that is even creating laws to make it worst ..such as a  law that allows the aggressor to marry the girl he raped .Thus, they close the case and he won’t  get the required punishment, yet a reward! Other laws allow kids’ marriage. I consider an eleven-year-old girl marriage a violation of children’s rights… Not to mention the domestic violence a very primitive form of physical abuse.
 
But what about woman and the government, woman and the parliament? What about this law of quota in the parliament’s election, that not only violates the woman’s constitutional right but insult her by considering her unable to win election without the support of the government.
Imagine that you receive a Dagger’s stab in your chest, imagine that you are injured and disfigured your whole life, imagine that you are accused till the judgment day while you are innocent… Imagine that they violate your rights, your dignity and your pride and cancel any chance for you to lead a ‘normal’ life just because you raised your voice to demand your rights and all you are allowed to do is to resign and admit this bitter reality, a reality that we have to change…
 
When you have a right, never ever give up on it till you get it…