Sexual Harassment is a big issue in the world today. Muslim women are not exempt from this. Some would say that there is a patriarchy of men over women in Muslim communities. This could be a reason why sexual harassment would not be rare in these communities. If women who have been sexually harassed speak out on their experiences, Muslim men tend to believe they are lying and speaking down on Islam. In the Quran it is said that a Woman cannot testify on her own rape case and they need four men to testify on her behalf. This could be why there is a trend against believing women in these situations. This is why the #MosqueMeToo movement is so important.

Alsheikh, Essam A. “Distinction between the Concepts Mediation, Conciliation, Ṣulḥ and Arbitration in Sharī’ah Law.” Arab Law Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 4, 2011, pp. 367–400. JSTOR, JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23025237. 

Yuill, R. (2014, Jan). Saudi arabia: Shari’a law meets reality. The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide, 21, 41. Retrieved from http://login.proxy.seattleu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.proxy.seattleu.edu/docview/1477440403?accountid=28598 

Sisson, Erin. “The Future of Sharia Law in American Arbitration .” Seattle University Proxy Authentication, heinonline-org.proxy.seattleu.edu/HOL/Page?lname=&public=false&handle=hein.journals%2Fvantl48&page=891&collection=journals. 

Sweeney, John A. “Burqas in Back Alleys: Street Art, Hijab, and the Reterritorialization of Public Space.” Continent., 2011, http://www.continentcontinent.cc/index.php/continent/article/viewArticle/66. 

Wu, E. Y. (2005). GLOBAL BURQAS. Texas Journal of Women and the Law, 14(2), 179-199. Retrieved from http://login.proxy.seattleu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.proxy.seattleu.edu/docview/214050157?accountid=28598 

The topic that these sources engage are about restrictions in the Middle East, and more specifically restrictions on women. These sources all speak on what is acceptable in the Middle East but also how other countries view the laws of Middle East. This topic is something I would like to get more familiar with and to be able to get a strong viewpoint on. I also want to be able to talk about this topic with others and be informed on the subject while doing so.

Los Angles rapper Ghostemane released his most recent album N/O/I/S/E on October 10th 2018. The 29 minute long album haunts the listener through the mixture of many music genres. Some of the genres included would be industrial, noise, metal, punk and rap. Ghostemane first got a name for himself with his 2016 album Blackmage where his song “Venom” was his first hit. Ghostmane put no limitations on the intensity of his new album, he pushes his music to the absolute limits. Part of this would be the fact that he is an independent artist with no record label to hold back his potential. The variation in N/O/I/S/E is quite impressive in such a short album, however all of the songs flow together and create unity. Overall, Ghostemane’s album N/O/I/S/E is his best and versatile although rapping a significant amount less in this album.

N/O/I/S/E starts off with an eerie intro consisting of someone running in a field at night. Eventually Ghostemane begins singing as an industrial tune overlaps the sounds of a field. The intro fades nicely into the song “Nihil”, which is a more classic Ghostemane song where he utilizes the many different variations of his voice, both rapping and singing. That is also extremely evident in the song “Gatteka”. Songs like “Flesh” have a more hardcore vibe to them which Ghostemane said he grew up with. Hardcore themes have also been very present in his past works, but not to the degree in N/O/I/S/E. Ghostemane also will switch the entire tune and beat mid song. This is evident in the songs “Black Blood” and “Ballgag”. In both “The Singularity” and “Inside” their are strong leanings towards the industrial genre. Both songs have little to no rapping and have a Nine Inch Nails vibe. The album ends with a ballad called “My Heart of Glass” which is unlike Ghostmane to do. At the end of the song, the album returns full circle and ends with the sounds of someone running in a field at night.

Although unlike his previous album, Ghostemane’s album N/O/I/S/E shows his growth as an artist and sets his place in the music scene. N/O/I/S/E exemplified Ghostemane’s ability as a producer, rapper and singer. Although his new album is significantly more experimental and different than the previous, it only shows his advancement in the music scene.

Carrson Davis

daviscarrson@seattleu.edu

October 7, 2018

UCOR 1100-11

I found an excerpt from Toby Craig Jones’ book “The Journal of American History”. In this excerpt, titled ” America, Oil, and War in the Middle East”, Jones explains how America gets involved with the Middle East. Jones speaks on how in the 1930’s the Standard Oil company discovered that there was large quantities of oil in Saudi Arabia. The British landed in the Middle East in 1914 to expand their resources. Jones also speaks on the issues that came during the 1970’s and the upcoming of militarism in the Middle East. One instance would be the October War when Egypt attacked an American ally, Israel. This made American oil prices skyrocket. Jones states how the American Militarization of the Middle East has brought some security to the region. However, he also states how constant war is not security, especially with the deaths and poverty in the Middle East. Ultimately, Jones believes that America needs to take account of the financial costs of keeping militarization in the Middle East. I believe that this article is interesting because it debates whether keeping a large military presence in the Middle East is really keeping peace and how that relates to the oil situation.

Carrson Davis

daviscarrson@seattleu.edu

October 7, 2018

UCOR 1100-11

The passage I chose to analyze, from “Lawrence in Arabia” by Scott Anderson, is talking about Lawrence’s brothers deaths in World War One. Many people died gruesome deaths in World War One. The deaths of brothers and sons took a toll on many people in the 1910’s. Lawrence of Arabia was not exempt from this. Lawrence did not say goodbye to his brother Frank before he left for war, he never saw him alive again. When the time came for Lawrence’s other brother Will to go to war, Lawrence’s mother convinces him to say goodbye to Will. Unfortunately, Lawrence did not get the chance to say goodbye face to face with Will due to complications at the canal. Instead they said goodbye through the telephone. After Will passed away, with only being on the front line for less than a week, Lawerence became more sorrowful, loosing two people he cared about deeply. This passage reminds me of one of my favorite books “All Quite on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque. Remarque had a viewpoint of the war like no other and was able to tell what war truly is. This passage tells a different viewpoint of the same situation, which is important to know.

Carrson Davis

daviscarrson@seattleu.edu

September 28, 2018

UCOR 1100-11

One of my favorite hobbies is photography. Photography can be a powerful tool and can tell someone something that words cannot. My favorite type of photography is street photography, specifically when taken with black and white film. Film photography has a different tone and vibe then pictures taken with a digital camera. As for photos being black and white, the lack of color shows the shade of the picture better than with color. It can also set the mood of the photo better as well as its ability to tell a story. Some would say that with the lack of color it can be more difficult to get a good picture.

I personally like street photography because I like to be able to capture beautiful architecture as well as people in their natural habitat. There is a certain rawness to street photography, the photo tells it how it is, good or bad. This makes the photo have honesty which helps its ability to tell its story and give the viewer a clear sense of feeling. Of course this is only my opinion on photography however, there are many other kinds of equally beautiful photography.

Carrson Davis

daviscarrson@seattleu.edu

September 26, 2018

UCOR 1100-11

My name is Carrson Davis. I have lived in the greater Seattle are my entire life. I come from a family of six. I have two sisters named Jessica and Melissa and a Brother named Brandon. My parents names are Bob and Pia. All of my siblings, including myself, have seven letters in our name, this is why I have two r’s in mine. Both of my parents graduated from Seattle University, my mother in nursing and my father in business.

One of my favorite TV shows is That 70’s Show. It is one of my favorites because it has the classic sitcom vibe and I love the time period it is set in. The show has a way to always make me feel better.

I believe that this class will help me become a better writer as well as gain knowledge about the islamic world and the west. I hope to become a more confident writer and expand my revising and editing knowledge as well. I also hope to use more literary devices naturally in my writing.

I am pretty confident in my writing abilities. However, I can always become a better writer. It also will be good for me to write about topics that I have not had much experience in as well. I believe I am a better writer than reader but I am still a good reader. My reading ability is something I hope to become better at through this class. I believe through this course I will become a more focused and thorough reader. English is my first and only language I can speak and write confidently in.

Some things about me is that I am a good listener and want to learn. Sometimes in discussion I can be somewhat quiet but I am always listening and observing. I hope to have more of a voice in discussion throughout college.

 

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton