Actually, so important was a woman’s silence, so cherished, that it became a key criterion of her beauty and desirability – the prerequisite of the ideal woman. The expression Sangin o Samet [solemn and silent], still in abundant use to this day, defines an ideal woman who is self-effacing rather than self-promoting, enclosed rather than exposed, mute rather than vocal. As the protagonist in Shahrnush Parsipur’s Zanan Bedun-e Mardan [Women Without Men] describes his ideal mate, he echoes an age-old aesthetic model: “She is a girl, eighteen years of age, excessively beautiful, gracefully silent, bashful, timid, kind, industrious, diligent, modest, chaste, solemn, and neat. She wears her veil when in public and always casts her eyes down. She blushes all the time.”
Farzaneh Milani, Veils and Words (via touba)
The idealization of women’s silence is by no means unique to one writer or another. Major and minor, traditional and modernist writers have paid their tribute, over and over again, to this ideal of feminine virtue and charm. Evidence that her silence continues to attract men may also be found in many contemporary works. Even a modernist novel such as Buf-e Kur [The Blind Owl] by Sadeq Hedayat equates women’s beauty with silence. The ethereal girl, the only woman who excites the narrator’s aesthetic admiration and desire and is his source of comfort and delight, is a perpetually silent woman. This nonthreatening, nonaggressive, irresponsive sleeping beauty is marked above all by her silence. Never throughout the whole novel does she talk. Her silence is complete and uninterrupted. It is her most distinctive and desirable attribute. Her demonical double, on the other hand, expresses herself profusely and earns herself the epithet Lakateh, the Bitch.
A man without love, what is courtesy to him? A man without love, what is music to him?
Confucius
Britishisms and the Britishisation of American English (By Cordelia Hebblethwaite)
There is little that irks British defenders of the English language more than Americanisms, which they see creeping insidiously into newspaper columns and everyday conversation. But bit by bit British English is invading America too. (complete article)
We are a thick skinned people with emtpy souls. We spend our days playing dice, chess, or sleeping - and we say we are the best people that ever came to mankind?
Nizar Qabbani (1923-1998) was a Syrian diplomat, poet and publisher. (via middle-east-beast)(via 9940km)
These people walk by a widow deformed by leprosy…walk by children dressed in rags living in the street, and they think, ‘Business as usual.’ But if they perceive a slight against God, it is a different story. Their faces go red, their chests heave mightily, they sputter angry words. The degree of their indignation is astonishing. Their resolve is frightening.
Yann Martel, Life of Pi
Tuesday Movie Recommendation: The Edge of Heaven (2007)
A German-Turkish film by Fatih Akin, which is simply just amazing. It goes under the original German title of “Auf der anderen Seite”, and moves seamlessly between Turkish and German language - so probably majority of the viewers will like to watch it with subtitles.
It is beautiful story of an old man Ali living with his son Nejat (a Turkish professor of German at a German University) who asks a Turkish prostitute to live with him. Nejat is perhaps secretly looking for a mother he never had. It is a beautiful story about an angry Turkish girl Ayten whose mother works in Germany and she runs away to Germany to avoid arrest. Ayten is probably not an activist, rather just angry. It is a beautiful story about Lotte, a German University who falls in love with a girl and then she travels all the way to Turkey for her. Lotte is perhaps just an idealist. It is a beautiful story about Susanne who is grieving and learning to reconcile with the new reality. Susanne perhaps just wants to make mends.
This story does not believe in revolutions, that is maybe why I liked it so much.
One of the best dialogues from the film was perhaps when Susanne sees Muslim men going for prayers in Turkey and asks Nejat what is happening. After telling the story of Abraham that was willing to sacrifice his son, Ismael, to show God his obedience. Before Abraham could slay his son God sent a lamb to sacrifice instead.
Nejat: I asked my dad if he would have sacrificed me as well.
Susanne: And what did he say?
Nejat: That he would even make an enemy of God to protect me.
This film was the official German foreign language entry for Oscars, but unfortunately didn’t make it through. (trailer / imdb)
Sadly, earlier today Obaidullah Baig passed away in Karachi. I just know that growing up he was one of the very few people who actually impressed me with their knowledge and articulate mannerism. A massive loss to the sensibilities of Urdu language and Pakistani nation. (news)
p.s. I am not sure if there is anyone here on tumblr who has seen his show, Kasuti in 90s and actually remember it!
Presently reading, “a princess’s pilgrimage: Nawab Sikandar Begum’s A Pilgrimage to Mecca” edited by Siobhan Lambert-Hurley.
My views are quite scattered on the whole book and I’m only half way through. Probably I should get to the end before I form a definitive opinion. (mobile)
emystomology replied to your photo: DISCOVERY NEWS: THINNER WIFE MAKES HAPPIER…
oh darn - I need to start loosing weight :X lol
Haha, fret not - the “sensationalist headline” was to just make everyone read it, they do somewhere mention that not so slim ones are safe too! :D
*hope that helps!
goodbyeblighty replied to your photo: How it happened: Massacre in Kandahar (BBC) In the…
My heart aches for them. Horrible. Horrible. Horrible. The soldiers shouldn’t even be there!
Interesting thing is that he might just walk away untouched just as it has happened so many times before. Now this guy is playing “no recollection” of the events card, while his lawyer is playing “Afghanistan has no CSI so no scientific evidence available” tactic - I don’t see anything happening.
abwhored-changeling replied to your post: Asalaamualaykum, InshAllah you are doing well. Do…
midnight’s children :)
Haven’t read it, but given how biased and poisoned Salman Rushdie (having seen a lot of his conversations on the issue) is on Pakistan-India matters, I wouldn’t even waste my time reading any of his stuff on this issue.
whispermelies replied to your post: Asalaamualaykum, InshAllah you are doing well. Do…
I was just looking into the general history of the split…as I’m quite ignorant on the whole matter…unfortunately, I don’t know much!
That would be a good start then, do let me know what you think about it or if you want to dig deeper in to any particular issue.
thomas-haverford replied to your post: 2:40 pm // Listening to Coldplay while cleaning up my house and intend to make Alu-Veg Keema after this…
play safe and preserve your sanity
Unfortunately I ended up watching the game, even tweeting it (which were like a curve from happiness to hysteria) :/
red-vertex replied to your photo: There is crazy amount of dust in Lahore today….
I miss Lahore and sound of rickshaw :D
I understand the Lahore part - the city is simply magical, but seriously RICHSHAW? They are pure evil!
goodbyeblighty replied to your photo: Enabled first successful conversion to CANON from…
Woohoo for Canon! :D CANOM FTW!!! NIKON IS FOR LOSERS! (I want a 7D so damn bad!)
haha! I like your spirit. Go for the 7D - I use it myself as my primary camera.
Tuesday movie recommendation: Anonymous
What if Shakespeare was a fraud? A front for a noble Earl who couldn’t publish otherwise, an Earl who was not only Queen Elizabeth’s lover but also her bastard son? Robert who never rebelled and Cecil controlled the Queen… Not that I believe much in all of this “theory” but I did find the film very entertaining and visually appealing. If you have any interest in history and literature, you are bound to enjoy this. (trailer / imdb listing)
*If nothing else watch the trailer for Radiohead :)
pacem-sine-bello-est-impossibile asked:
Asalaamualaykum, InshAllah you are doing well. Do you know any good books (preferably in the English language) on the Pakistan/India partition?
walaikum salaam, alhamdulilah and hope same for you.
I recently read “Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire” by Alex Von Tunzelmann (amazon), so can definitely recommend that for a general study of the topic - but if you have any specific event in mind do let me know, will be probably able to direct better then.
Hanif Kureishi on “The most fascinating place in the world”
Award-winning author Hanif Kureishi gives his insight on modern Pakistani literature and on turning ideas into best sellers.
Sitting out in Sun reading “Marxism and other Western Fallacies” by the great Persian philosopher Ali Shari’ati. Am only few pages in but am really enjoying myself. This is also by the way a prime example of highly intelligent literature published posthumous with a completely retarded preface. I have never read a more horrendous apology for Iran’s Islamic revolution and the excesses they committed shortly being in power. (mobile)
Hamed Nikpay - Beyond Reproach (Pand Az Koja)
Based on poetry of Rumi, and dance by Persian dancer Shahrokh Moshkin-Ghalam.
I am so amazed by those who are being oppressed, and at the same time mourn for Hossein (A.S) who lived as a freeman and died as one.
Dr. Ali Shariati (1933-1975 Iranian revolutionary and sociologist, who focused on the sociology of religion).
Actual Persian text: خود زیر شلاق ظلم و ستم زندگی میکنند،و بر حسینی میگریند که آزادانه زیست و آزادانه مرد
