sickening

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26223335/

Cruelty meets beauty for Pakistan burn victims
After acid attacks, women find refuge, independence as beauticians
By NAHAL TOOSI
The Associated Press

LAHORE, Pakistan - Saira Liaqat squints through her one good eye as she brushes a woman's hair. Her face, most of which the acid melted years ago, occasionally lights up with a smile. Her hands, largely undamaged, deftly handle the dark brown locks.

A few steps away in this popular beauty salon, Urooj Akbar diligently trims, cleans and paints clients' fingernails. Her face, severely scarred from the blaze that burned some 70 percent of her body, is somber. It's hard to tell if she's sad or if it's just the way she now looks.

Liaqat and Akbar are among Pakistan's many female victims of arson and acid attacks. Such tales tend to involve a spurned or crazy lover and end in a life of despair and seclusion for the woman.

The two instead became beauticians.

The women can't escape the mirrors or pictures of glamorous models that surround them, but they consider the salon a second home and a good way to make a living. The two also serve as reminders of that age-old lesson on beauty — a lesson that, needed or not, they learned the hard way.

"Every person wishes that he or she is beautiful," says Liaqat, 21. "But in my view, your face is not everything. Real beauty lies inside a person, not outside."

"They do it because the world demands it," Akbar, 28, says of clients. "For them, it's a necessity. For me, it isn't."

Liaqat and Akbar got into the beauty business in the eastern city of Lahore thanks to the Depilex Smileagain Foundation, an organization devoted to aiding women who have been burned in acid or other attacks.

About five years ago, Masarrat Misbah, head of Pakistan's well-known Depilex salon chain, was leaving work when a veiled woman approached and asked for her help. She was insistent, and soon, a flustered Misbah saw why.

'A girl who had no face'When she removed her veil, Misbah felt faint. "I saw a girl who had no face."

The woman said her husband had thrown acid on her.

Misbah decided to place a small newspaper ad to see if others needed similar assistance.
Forty-two women and girls responded.

Misbah got in touch with Smileagain, an Italian nonprofit that has provided medical services to burn victims in other countries. She sought the help of Pakistani doctors. Perhaps the biggest challenge has been raising money for the cause, in particular to build a special hospital and refuge for burn victims in Pakistan.

Her organization has some 240 registered victims on its help list, 83 of whom are at various stages of treatment.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan found that in 2007, at least 33 women were burned in acid attacks, and 45 were set on fire. But the statistics are likely an undercount, since many cases go unreported for various reasons including out of fear of their attackers, or because the victims can't afford the legal bills.

The victims Misbah has helped need, on average, 25 to 30 surgical procedures over several years, but she soon realized that wasn't enough. Some, especially those who were outcasts in their families, had to be able to support themselves.

To her surprise, several told her they wanted to be beauticians.

"And I felt so sad," Misbah says. "Because beauty is all about faces and beautiful girls and skin."
She helped arrange for 10 women to train in a beauty course in Italy last year. Some have difficulty because their vision is weak or their hands too burned for intricate work. But several, including Liaqat and Akbar, are making their way in the field.

Images of beauty and brutalityThe salon in Lahore is not the usual beauty parlor. There are pictures of beautiful women on the walls — all made up, with perfect, gleaming hair. But then there's a giant poster of a girl with half her face destroyed.

"HELP US bring back a smile to the face of these survivors," it says.

Working for the salon is a dream come true for Liaqat, whose mischievous smile is still intact and frequently on display. As a child she was obsessed with beauty. Once she burned some of her sister's hair off with a makeshift curling iron. She still wears lipstick.

Akbar, the more reserved one, also carries out many administrative and other tasks for the foundation. One of her duties is collecting newspaper clippings about acid and burn attacks on women.

Both say they are treated well by clients and colleagues, but Misbah says some clients have complained.

"They say that when we come to a beauty salon, we come with the expectation that we're going to be relaxed, in a different frame of mind," Misbah says. "If we come here and we see someone who has gone through so much pain and misery, so automatically that gives us that low feeling also. They have a point.

"At the same time, there are clients who take pride in asking these girls to give them a blow-dry, or getting a manicure or pedicure taken from them."

Sometimes they ask what happened.

According to Liaqat and a lawyer for her case, she was married in her teens, on paper, to a relative, but the families had agreed she wouldn't live with him until she finished school. Within months, though, the man started demanding she join him.

One day at the end of July 2003, he showed up at their house with a package. He asked her to get him some water. He followed her to the kitchen, and as she turned around with the water, she says, he doused her with the acid. It seared much of her face, blinded her right eye, and seriously weakened her left one.

Liaqat shakes her head when recalling how a few days before the incident she found a small pimple on her face and threw a fit. After she was burned, her parents at first wouldn't let their daughter look at a mirror. But eventually she saw herself, and she's proud to say she didn't cry.
"Once we had a wedding in the family. I went there and all the girls were getting dressed and putting on makeup. So that time, I felt a pain in my heart," she says. "But I don't want to weaken myself with these thoughts."

Her husband is in prison as the attempted murder case against him proceeds. The two are still legally married.

Akbar says she found herself in an arranged marriage by age 22. Her husband grew increasingly possessive and abusive, she says. The two had a child.

About three years ago, Akbar says, he sprinkled kerosene oil on her as she slept and lit it. A picture taken shortly afterward shows how her face melted onto her shoulders, leaving her with no visible neck.

Akbar has not filed a case against her now ex-husband. She says she'll one day turn to the law, at least to get her daughter back.

Both women were reluctant for The Associated Press to contact their alleged attackers.
Liaqat and Akbar have undergone several surgeries and expect to face more. They say Misbah's foundation was critical to their present well-being.

"Mentally, I am at peace with myself," Akbar says. "The peace of mind I have now, I never had before. I suffered much more mental anguish in my married life."

'Strong girls'Bushra Tareen, a regular client of Liaqat's, praises her work.

"I feel that her hands call me again and again," Tareen says. She adds that Liaqat and Akbar remind her of the injustices women face, and their ability to rise above them.

"When I see them, I want to be like them — strong girls," she says.

Liaqat is grateful for having achieved her goal of being a beautician. She worries about her eyesight but is determined to succeed.

"I want to make a name for myself in this profession," she says.

Akbar plans to use her income one day to support her little girl, whom she has barely seen since the attack.

"I'm independent now, I stand on my own two feet," she says. "I have a job, I work, I earn. In fact, I'm living on my own ... which isn't an easy thing to do for a woman in Pakistan, for a lone woman to survive."

12.12 reading

I have walked through many lives,
some of them my own,
and I am not who I was,
though some principle of being
abides, from which I struggle
not to stray.
When I look behind,
as I am compelled to look
before I can gather strength
to proceed on my journey,
I see the milestones dwindling
toward the horizon
and the slow fires trailing
from the abandoned camp-sites,
over which scavenger angels
wheel on heavy wings.
Oh, I have made myself a tribe
out of my true affections,
and my tribe is scattered!
How shall the heart be reconciled
to its feast of losses?
In a rising wind
the manic dust of my friends,
those who fell along the way,
bitterly stings my face.
Yet I turn, I turn,
exulting somewhat,
with my will intact to go
wherever I need to go,
and every stone on the road
precious to me.
In my darkest night,
when the moon was covered
and I roamed through wreckage,
a nimbus-clouded voice
directed me:
"Live in the layers,
not on the litter."
Though I lack the art
to decipher it,
no doubt the next chapter
in my book of transformations
is already written.
I am not done with my changes.

-- Stanley Kunitz, "The Layers"

on [writing]

A couple of headlines that caught my eye today (from the Daily Star):

"Thousands of Pakistanis demand public hanging of Musharraf"

"Israelis call for attacker's home to be razed"

Since when has being so bloodthirsty and vengeful become so normal? Can't really imagine what satisfaction someone would gain, or what a country would accomplish, by destroying another home or publicly hanging a President who doesn't have much power left anyways. I find a huge contradiction in Lebanon. While there is a general anti-Israel and anti-Syrian (it's worse to be Syrian than it is to be Israeli) attitude in the country because of all the oppression Lebanon has endured at the hands of the two powers, the state and the people here are quick to oppress others. Although the massacres of Palestinians in Lebanon happened during the civil war, now Palestinian refugees are completely ignored. They cannot get jobs, they have no rights, they are not talked about, essentially they do not exist. Meanwhile, Africans and Philippine men and women take up jobs here as janitors, maids, nannies, and other menial jobs. They get low pay, and are not well respected, and in some cases they have their passports taken away, are beaten, and worse... I also hear that during the 2006 war, while many Lebanese families fled into the mountains, they locked their maids inside the apartments. This is not new, but hearing about a people who oppress others complain about being victims of force is almost laughable.

I'm not quite sure what "peace" gains either with headlines like these:
"Israeli Military starts to exhume bodies of Lebanese fighters"


When I was young, I was told there were some things I could not talk about. When I lived in Coalinga, I knew there were taboo subjects that should not be discussed at school. This is what had excited me about journalism, and probably what I like about writing: the prospect of finally saying anything you want. I know there are restrictions in many countries when it comes to journalism, like there are in the U.S. as well. But this summer I have been disappointed in: Al J's refusal to talk about homosexuality, something that can't and should not be ignored for long; Iran's new attempt to try to pass a law that would give death penalty to bloggers if they are seen as a threat; Lebanon's refusal to talk to any Israeli citizen because they are in a state of war. These are not surprising, obviously, but they do mean that alot of problems that these countries and the region wants to overcome will not go away anytime soon. Being here has confirmed that there is a big gap between politics and people, and what makes the news doesn't necessarily reflect what's happening on the ground. Which is why I find the fact that Lebanese newspapers will not talk to any Israeli citizen to get better perceptions of their sides of the story a bit absurd. At this rate, the two countries will always be in a state of war. This makes me a bit disheartened about the idealism I have put in journalism. But it has also encouraged me to start writing more (blogs, poetry, fiction, articles, etc.)

In the meantime, however, if you want to see what not talking gains, read the headlines.

city strollin'

Everyone should walk around a city by themselves at least once. It doesn't seem exhausting when you're strolling without having to reach a certain destination by a certain time. And nothing can beat walking to the memorials in DC on a late Sunday afternoon. It's one of the few parts of the east coast that reminds me of the calmness of California.


From a different day: a gorgeous sunset on one side and a looming thunderstorm on the other. Next time it's going to be a sunrise.

Inspired

A few women who inspired me this week, and thanks to whom I may be narrowing down my focus:

Forough Farrokhzad: an Iranian poet living in the early part of the 20th century; feminist; thinker; independent.

Fariba: a friend of a friend; Iranian human rights activist; protester; mother; incredibly sweet.

Lara Logan: CBS Chief Foreign Correspondent; extremely passionate; feisty; actually cares about ethics in journalism.

Power in numbers

02/16/96 - 05:11 PM ET - Click reload often for latest version

Washington's great gatherings

The number of people at the largest gatherings in the nation's capital, according to the National Park Service:

Event                             Date              Crowd
Vietnam War moratorium rally      Nov. 15, 1969     600,000
Iran hostage welcome              Jan. 27, 1981     500,000
Vietnam War 'Out Now' rally       April 24, 1971    500,000
Million Man March                 Oct. 16, 1995     400,000
March on Washington for Gay       April 25, 1993    300,000
and Lesbian Rights                              
20th anniversary of Civil         Aug. 28, 1983     300,000
Rights March on Washington                      
Solidarity Day                    Sept. 10, 1981    250,000
Civil Rights March on Washington  Aug. 28, 1963     250,000

Source: National Park Service; USA TODAY research by Cindy Hall

Flying high

It is the time of year of commencement speeches – and despite their attempts to be original, they end with the same point: the power of youth is unimaginable. Speechmakers seem to give advice freely and enthusiastically. Excel in math and science to become superb engineers in order to surpass competitive countries. Keep troops out of battle, and do not enter another world war. Save the world from poverty. In short, do not make the same mistakes your predecessors have made.

Youth has a lot of faith in itself. Perhaps it is not as visible in the United States, where graduating classes have become accustomed to finding their own niche and generally agreeing that the distance from point A to point B does not necessarily have to be the shortest, and that they will eventually save the world, but in their own way. Yet, youth as a collective force, as something with the power to change the course of a country’s history is not just an idea posed during a ceremony, but a reality outside the U.S. It is a necessity, even.

An op-ed in today’s The Daily Star, written by a student at AUB, argued for students as the solution to Lebanon’s problems. After almost two decades of political stalemate and little change in the country, it is not surprising to place hope in a young generation that will not abide by the same rules, same games. We all know this is not a new idea. Youth movements have played crucial parts in at the very least establishing dissident voices in places like Pakistan, Iran, India, and Egypt. These expressions of dissent are not limited to rallies, protests and sit-ins. They have been realized through a “revolution of ideas” – blogs, radio, television, and surprisingly music. Laal, a band from Pakistan, for example, recently released a music video written by a poet speaking sarcastically of the country. Perhaps it wouldn’t be effective without the added pictures of Bhutto’s recent death and the chaos that followed. Similarly, Dam expresses the destitute and the hurt inflicted upon people by political institutions in Israel and Palestine. Again, what makes the video powerful are the pictures – regardless of whether they represent Israel or Palestine, they are effective in saying: this has got to stop.

The message is not new either, but essentially what the op-ed rests upon is collective memory and the hope placed in time to enable youth to forget this memory. In the case of Lebanon, it is essential for younger generations to find a political agreement that breaks away from a confessional system based upon religious identities people may no longer recognize. The differences between Sunnis, Shias, Maronites, the Druzes, and the Greeks only make sense for so long. The younger generation can move beyond these differences of which they have no collective memory. In that sense, it becomes easier to find political reconciliation that is not based on emotions. Well, that is the hope.

But then there is the issue of collective memory in another part of the world – Pakistan and India. Ironically, perhaps the memory that the older generations had should be passed along to the younger generations – that of having known a time when the two were friends, were one nation even. We may be entering a time in which the present and future generations will not be able to recall the costs of partition, or the social and political complexities surrounding it. Technically the younger generation does not have a literal memory of partition, but with the continuing Kashmir conflict, they are constantly reminded of everything that came after, not what had come before. But despite this, at least there are movements within both countries to improve their nation, however it stands now.

All right, so what has changed if the youth still go and protest oppressive regimes or bullying governments? The 1970s already gave us memories of listening to the Beatles, protesting in communist rallies, being pummeled by a rowdy crowd…have we been able to offer anything different?

So here, let’s bring in another factor – expats. It is difficult to avoid the progressive movements among youth in the United States, concerned with Pakistan, India, Israel, and Palestine. Their work has been crucial in many instances; for example when students tried to mobilize against and raise awareness about the BJP in India using Hindu Student Councils in the U.S. to raise funds for specific (problematic) endeavors…And yet, it is interesting to think about what type of collective memory the young generations of different diasporas hold outside of their home countries. At times, their views seem more hostile than of the youth residing in the countries in question:

I would never bring a Pakistani home.

Indian culture is better than Pakistani culture.

India is a right-wing Hindu state. It is not a democracy.

Progressive movements in the U.S. for causes elsewhere have become increasingly popular, as they should. But it might be possible that the reality they perceive is slightly different than what those in the country see. So really, who is right: The young generation fighting for national ideals caught up in the spirit of causes, or the young generation fighting for more jobs, more food, and less chaos? Both are important in their own right.