Middle East Media and Book Reviews Online Volume 1, Issue 1 | Page 9

2/2/2016 Middle East Media and Book Reviews Online Superman is an Arab: On God, Marriage, Macho Men and Other Disastrous Inventions By: Joumana Haddad Superman is an Arab: On God, Marriage, Macho Men and Other Disastrous Inventions. London, UK: the Westbourne Press, 2012. 173pp. £8.99. ISBN: 978-1908906090. Volume: 1 Issue: 1 April 2013 Review by Mehran Mazinani, University of Utah, Middle East Center Salt Lake City, Utah Being brave is a high honor that a person can earn, and Haddad has earned it. Yet, not like a superhero, rather as an ordinary woman with an ordinary body, mind, desire, and reason. Being ordinary is a key concept for Haddad. It means real, as against a supernatural creature like superman: a macho man who fears to reveal his “clumsiness, timidity, flaws, slips and weak spots” (p. 12). Supermanism—the belief in superiority and invincibility—results in awful phenomena like despotism and terrorism. Casually put, it is a type of attitude: I am stronger, thus more suitable to solve any given problem; you are weaker, so step back and remain passive—I lead, you follow. Behind such mentality, Haddad says, “you’ll find nothing but lies, falseness, cowardice, and hypocrisy. He may claim to be saving the world, but the world actually needs to be saved from him” (p. 15). Nevertheless, the blame cannot be put entirely on the supermen because women are also responsible for empowering them. For example, literature contains examples of women who enable supermen: Lilith, quick to betray her sex Quick to betray, Whose thousand cuts Are more tender than a thousand kisses (p. 24) Metaphorically speaking, God created women for men to play with, but the project failed because women turned out to be independent and strong, and “took no bullshit from Man (nor from God, for that matter)” (p. 30). Haddad admits that there might be a woman, who may be “quick to betray her sex,” but then she quickly points out that this woman is posited within a patriarchal society; therefore, it is critical firstly to understand the mannish environment capsulating her. In fulfilling her key objective, Haddad unmasks an aspect of identity, particularly of male Arabs, which is exaggerated and unwholesome by setting forth arguments on two levels—personal and institutional—although as a gifted writer she never separates these two so stridently. Haddad openly acknowledges her intimate experiences with men. This is brave for a woman who lives in the Middle East where outspokenness is not a virtue, particularly for women. First of all I’ll peel that tender spot on the left side of your neck where my tears and your sweat run to hide Then I’ll take your lips— that sugary fence between my hunger and you— and I’ll lick then off slowly with mine Then I’ll suck your tongue— that mouthwatering archer’s bow crying out my name like a zesty dart […] Then I’ll drink three drops of your poisonous milk to sink my thirst under yours (p. 111-12). Haddad then proceeds to give 20 pieces of advice under the heading of “Penis: directions for use” (p. 113-18). Knowing that her language may strike many readers, she asks why is it that what makes a man a “stud,” makes a woman a “slut” (p. 122-3)? And why should women be judged by men’s standards, anyway? “What do ethics have to do with how frequently (or not) I use my vagina”(p. 123)? At the same time, Haddad does not dehumanize men, and brings to the equation the role of institutions in making supermen out of men. The main institutions that Haddad targets are monotheist religions that sanctify patriarchal standards, that is, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. “These three religions have the same attitude towards women: oppressive and misogynic” (p. 54). She further argues that they are in fact “racist, sexist, homophobic, merciless, bloody, and biased against humanity, freedom and human rights” (p. 55). More specifically, she defends Islamic feminism as an oxymoron because men and women are not equal in Islam. There are also some suggestions made by Haddad that secularism is necessary (although it is not sufficient); women should participate in political affairs; their freedom is inseparable from their financial independence; men and women must avoid forging a patriarchal versus matriarchal world, and should rather collaborate to form a world for men with women in which they are equal. Although these suggestions are by no means new, their representation in the book does no harm. All in all, it can be easily said that Haddad is brave. But, it cannot be so easily said what Superman is an Arab… is. That is, the author is frank and gifted and the book is engaging, but what is this book attempting to accomplish? If Superman is an Arab… is read as an academic text, the authenticity of its scholarship becomes questionable. She does speak about social http://localhost/membr/review.php?id=5 1/2