Desert Flower (secondary title: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad) is a book published in 1998, about the life of Waris Dirie, a crusader for social reform in Somalia, particularly as it applies to ritual female genital mutilation. This is one of the biggest problems for the female population in Somalia today.
This book embraces nomadic culture, and brings to life an amazing story about a young desert girl who raises up to be a highly esteemed fashion model.
The book has been translated into Dutch, German, French, Italian, Greek, Swedish, Slovene and Croatian and was followed by Desert Dawn and Desert Children.
The book has been adapted into a movie, produced by Peter Herrmann and Benjamin Herrmann. Liya Kebede played the role of Waris Dirie. The movie was released in the fall of 2009.
Summary of the Movie:
From the Somali desert to the world’s catwalks. When Waris Dirie’s DESERT FLOWER appeared in 1998, the world was shocked. The former supermodel tells her breathtaking life story, describing her incredible journey from a nomadic life in the deserts of Somalia to the world’s most famous catwalks.
This was a dream and a nightmare at the same time. In New York, at the peak of her career, she tells in an interview of the practice of female genital mutilation that she had to suffer when she was three. Waris Dirie decides to end her life as a model and dedicate her life to fighting this archaic ritual. (copied and edited from waris-dirie-foundation website)
Never know that for female muslims, they have to go through all these suffering (Different countries have different types of FGM, so far I know Indonesia and Malaysia are not that extreme).
However, is FGM really from the religion or culture? Can anyone stop this? I feel that this is too cruel to the women as they have to suffer so much and many little girls even died after the genital mutilation. (especially those who are not done in the proper hospital/clinic).
FGM is still going on all around the world with average 6000 cases per day.
She said this ritual is not commanded in the Koran. All women of every faith greed and religions need to be respected and stop being treated like second class citizens and cattle!
ReplyDeleteJesus the Lord of Christianity would not allow the religious hypocrites of his era to stone the women caught in Adultery unless they were sinless! I disdain religious hypocrites that expect women to be pure while men can be as wretched and degenerate as they want to be!
This woman is beautiful inside and out! Hooray for her helping young girls among her people. She may very well have been put here on earth for such a time as this! I'm sorry but I would reject any religion where all people are not equally treated with respect!
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