Some interesting and controversial social topics are being discussed in the Jordanian blogosphere this week.
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of speech is not a given commodity in the Arab world, but are there winds of change? Naseem Tarawneh reports about the plans to start a “Freedom Square” in Amman to allow citizens to speak freely [1] but he remains skeptical; “Amman is a city of circles so a square is a very irregular shape to introduce into the Socio-political climate indeed… Is this all just a ploy, another illusion of political freedom?”
Israeli/Palestinian Conflict
Haitham Sabbah, meanwhile, tackles a very controversial and sensitive topic in a new light [2]- Palestinians and Israelis, and thus beginning a long debate about the issue. Haitham's conclusion; “I decided to look forward, learn, act and teach my kids how to build bridges, not how to destroy them.”
Hala of Café Lulu, on the other hand, says, “How do you build a country when your borders are under such heavy restriction [3], when you are never secure in the integrity and sanctity of your airspace, and thereby land?”
Gender Equality and Capital Punishment
Promises describes her state of amazement at hearing a close friend refer to women as the “root of all evil” [4]. In a post, she wonders “Do you really think that women are the cause of all ills of the society? Are we as females to blame for what's happening to the world?” This question likewise results in an interesting debate, with mentions of the original sin, the absoluteness in that this is a male dominant world, and honor killings.
‘Human Rights Watch’ has called [5] on Jordan to abolish the death penalty. Natasha of Mental Mayhem expresses her feelings on the topic [6], “As someone who strongly opposes capital punishment, I'm really hopeful that Jordan will be amongst the first nations in the Arab World to abolish this practice.” Issam Smeir of Shifaa agrees, “So what did the world gain yesterday of taking another life away [7] and what is really the logical sense behind the death penalty?”