Hanging with Lawrence Weill Author of Incarnate

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Gillian Felix

Author Lawrence Weill returns to Plain Talk for a more casual chat. Lawrence opens up about the spiritual beliefs of the main character in his novel Incarnate.

“The lead character in Incarnate, Lara Joyner, is motivated by a wide range of beliefs, from reincarnation to the power of crystals to numerology to the Kabbalah to the Tarot. While it is true that for Lara the application of these belief systems is somewhat idiopathic, I still wanted to be accurate in the implications of all these different convictions, so I conducted a great deal of research into these various philosophies. That was time consuming, although also very intriguing.”

Intriguing indeed! While some of us may be put off by these systems of belief, some people tend to be drawn to it, horror is a prime example.

“I think the key to understanding why we might be attracted to horror is to understand what horror is all about. Horror causes us to have intense aversion and fear by using what is primal within us against ourselves. For example, we may fear death at a primal level, especially senseless, unprovoked, violent death, so horror movies involving “slashers” and the like put that scenario before us. The irony is that we are attracted to the horror at the same time we are averse to it. Perhaps it is the opportunity to confront our inner archetypes.

Lawrence is a family man who loves being home with his wife and has a number of interests when he is not writing or promoting his book.

“I love to travel and have been to many countries. I am an avid gardener and outdoors-man. Honestly, that only scratches the surface of the many faces of me.”

Fast Five – Lawrence answers five quick questions, in under five seconds each.

How would you use and empty stapler?

Toy monster. Notecard backstop. Paper weight. Finger pincher. Shoulder blade scratcher.

Tea or Coffee?

I drink both, but in the morning, I drink very strong coffee.

Chocolate or Vanilla?

Raspberry.

Michael Jackson or Elvis?

Elvis. I really like his “Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane.” You did mean Elvis Costello, right?

If you could eliminate one thing from your daily schedule, what would it be and why?

I am very fortunate to be living a life that makes me very happy. Other than the usual tediums of household chores, which I actually don’t mind that much because I enjoy the results, there is nothing I find especially onerous in my daily schedule.

Thank you Lawrence for stopping by, we wish you the best of luck with Incarnate.

Click to purchase a copy of Incarnate.

Autographed copies of Incarnate are available at Bookworks. 4022 Rio Grande Blvd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107. Call to order yours (505) 344-8139.

10Q’s with Author Lawrence Weill.

Egyptian TV Series Spotlights Child Marriage

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Gillian Felix

Republished from Al-Shorfa.com

The new Egyptian television series “Al-Qasirat” (Minors) is taking a hard look at the problems of child marriage, which is still prevalent in parts of Egypt and a number of Arab countries.

Photo courtesy Al-Qasirat media office

The MBC series, which began at the start of Ramadan, includes some realistic and shocking scenes, said Cairo University psychology professor and family relations consultant Waliyuddine Mukhtar.

It condemns the “reactionary ideas prevalent in many societies that treat females as mere commodities to be bought and sold”, he told Al-Shorfa.

The practice of underage marriage is widespread in Upper Egypt and in other parts of the country, he said.

In some cases, young girls are temporarily married to wealthy older men or foreigners for a designated period of time, particularly during the summer vacation.

PROLIFERATION OF CHILD MARRIAGES

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) defines child marriage as a formal marriage or informal union that takes place before the age of 18. According to a 2010 UNICEF report, 18% of the female population in the Middle East and Africa are married before this age.

Underage marriage has spread “under the guise of religion” in Yemen, SaudiArabia, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, where it is misrepresented as an application of sharia, Mukhtar said.

Poverty and illiteracy also contribute significantly to its spread, he said.

Egypt’s Ministry of Family and Population put the number of underage marriage cases in 2011 at 150,000, or 11% of all marriages in Egypt that year, Mukhtar said.

“Al-Qasirat” star Salah al-Saadani told the Middle East News Agency that the series’ boldness in confronting the issue compelled him to accept the role, though he knew some might find its scenes and events shocking.

What most interested him was the realistic portrayal of the issue, he said, explaining that the series is set in an Egyptian village where a wealthy man exploits poor families in order to marry their daughters.

AGAINST EGYPTIAN AND ISLAMIC LAW

“Underage marriage is illegal and a crime against humanity that is being committed in the name of sharia,” said Al-Azhar University sharia and law professor Sheikh Nayef Abd Rabbu, who serves as an advisor at the Ministry of Social Solidarity.

“Egyptian law, which stems from sharia, prohibits the marriage of girls under the age of 18,” he said.

There is a common belief that Islam legalises child marriage, though this is an explicit distortion of religious texts and the hadith, as it is actually old customs and traditions that drive these marriages, Abd Rabbu said.

“Islam stipulates safeguarding the rights of women in marriage,” he said. “In the case of minors, their rights in marriage are slim to non-existent. Sharia legislators agree that a marriage must be entered into with an intention of continuance, and that it not be a temporary contract, as it is in many of these cases.”

Under Egyptian law, which prohibits exploiting children in any form, forcing a girl into marriage is a punishable offense, said Fayez Shukr of the Egyptian Ministry of Justice’s department of legislative studies and research.

Additionally, he told Al-Shorfa, under a 2008 child law, “no marriage contract shall be authenticated if either party has yet to attain the full age of 18 years”.

PSYCHOLOGICAL AND HEALTH PROBLEMS

Dr. Fahim Farhan, a gynaecologist and obstetrician, said he follows the television series with interest.

It is one of the “most important works shedding light on this blight in Arab societies, and in Egypt in particular”, he said.

Underage marriage exposes girls to numerous health and psychological problems, including infertility, miscarriage, preeclampsia, anaemia and premature childbirth, he said, noting that there is a rising incidence of death among these girls and their babies.

“Al-Qasirat” is directed by Magdi Abu Emera, written by Samah el-Hariri and stars al-Saadani, Dalia al-Buhairi, Yasser Galal, Menna Arafa, Malak Ahmed Zaher and May al-Gheiti.

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Bangladesh Continue to Practice Child Marriage Despite Laws

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Gillian Felix

Bangladesh outlawed child marriage in 1929. Yet, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), sixty-six percent of girls in Bangladesh are married before they reach the age of eighteen.

The practice of child marriage is rooted in social tradition and economic need, but it has adverse effects on the health and education of girls. According to a report by the International Center for Research on Women, child brides are prone to suffer domestic violence and abandon school, and as a result of early pregnancy are susceptible to health complications.

The Law

When the Bangladesh government developed legislation that led to the Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929, it considered various socio-cultural factors—such as poverty and societal values—that drive parents to marry off their young daughters.

The law criminalizes marriages when either party is a minor, classified as girls under eighteen and boys under twenty-one, and penalizes those who permit or aid such a marriage, including parents. Punishment for the crimes can be a fine and up to one month imprisonment.

Bangladesh’s laws on the issue are encompassed by its obligations, including The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which the State ratified in 1984 and prohibits child marriage in Article 16(2).

In 1998, Bangladesh acceded to the Convention on Consent to Marriage, which calls for the “full and free consent” of both parties in all legally binding marriages in Article 1. Article 2 requires states to set a minimum age for marriage. However, Bangladesh reserved its right to apply Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention concerning the issue of child marriage “in accordance with the Personal Laws of different religious communities of the country.” Allowing personal laws of religious communities to supersede international law sustains the practice of child marriage in Bangladesh.

The Law vs Cultural Influences

Adherence to these principles can be complicated in Bangladesh, where many villagers believe that marriage protects a girl’s chastity and is a divine command from God.

As explained by Farah D. Chowdhury, a political science professor in Bangladesh, in a 2004 article in the International Journal of Social Welfare, all females are obligated to become wives and raise a family and the sooner they are married, the sooner the obligation is fulfilled.

Additionally, the marriage of young, submissive, and obedient girls maintains the status quo of a patriarchal society. The older an unmarried girl becomes, the more her family will be shamed in the community.

Economic Advantage of Child Marriage

Beyond the religious and cultural influences, there is an economic advantage to marrying off girls at an early age. Girls are often considered a burden to families because of their financial dependence. Once a girl has been married, her husband and his family must provide for her, thus liberating her parents of their financial duty. When a family is impoverished, there is consequently a greater desire to marry off daughters at a younger age. Further, the parents lessen the financial strain of their daughters’ dowry since the younger the girl’s age at marriage, the smaller the dowry can be.

Bangladesh Does Little to Protect Child Rights

Despite the many laws that child marriage in Bangladesh continues to violate, Bangladesh has done little to enforce the laws and protect children’s rights.

One positive note is that the government does plan to register all marriages and births, which would provide greater oversight. However, Bangladesh’s reservation to the Convention on Consent to Marriage indicates the country is not ready to confront the differing practices based on religious communities. Embracing the whole of the convention both by dismissing the reservations and implementing procedures to enforce all obligations would broaden protection for the Bangladeshi people. Regardless of the existence of legislation to combat the tradition of child marriage in Bangladesh, insufficient enforcement of the laws will preserve the practice of child marriage to the detriment of young girls in the country.

Article By Anusree Garg