[lbo-talk] Harassment of Nawaal El Saadawi

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

On 3/19/07, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
>
> On Mar 19, 2007, at 2:47 PM, Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
>
> > How about some strategic thinking?  If you frame it as "Nawal El
> > Saadawi vs religion," you'll be pitting her against all religious
> > people, but if you frame it as "Nawal El Saadawi vs. 'the authorities
> > of Al-Azhar',"
>
> As Dennis Brutus put it, it's a political and religious campaign, and
> it's being conducted *in the name of religion*. Kind of a crucial
> point, no?

The campaign against Nawal El Saadawi is not waged in the name of
religion as such (what does this campaign have to do with Shinto,
Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, and other religions?) --
it's waged in the name of the school of Islam that Al-Azhar (which is
a state institution) preaches, supporting and supported by the state,
the Mubarak regime.  In any campaign, it seems to me it's a good idea
to cast your enemy narrowly and precisely, so as to isolate it, and
line up as broad a coalition as possible on your side, especially in a
country like Egypt.
-- 
Yoshie