Feminist critique of Nasrallah's speech

"He had me at university files. But he lost me (or perhaps, he amputated me) when he discursively constructed me, a female Lebanese citizen, as a repository for the `Ard of my brother, my father and my future husband. Had he stressed the sanctity of medical files, or had he just added the fact that the privacy of all citizens was being violated by the STL, he could have kept me, or at least a part of me. Now, let me be clear again. I am confident that the STL is at this point just amassing whatever data it can. I am also confident that this amassed data is being (actively or passively) leaked to other interested parties. They are building a database and turning the most detailed information on citizens’ lives into an evidentiary terrain for the “security assessment” of Israel, the United States, and the War on Terror. What do gynecological files have to do with this?

As the Sayyed said, the “women of” the leadership of Hezbollah use this specific gynecology clinic. While the STL initially asked for over 7,000 patient files from Dr. Sharara, she argued with them (and she should be commended for this) until they whittled their request down to 17 files. These files presumably list the addresses, phone numbers, and other detailed information related to the families of Hezbollah leaders. I say presumably because honestly, we really don’t know. Just like up until last week we didn’t know that the entire database of Lebanese university students was in the STL’s hands. Why didn’t we know this? While I am angry because my right to medical privacy has no currency in Lebanese political discourse beyond being an index of male relatives’ `Ard, I am infuriated that politicians are deciding when, how and what information to “leak” to us regarding what data on our lives is being transferred to the STL. If university files are not a red line to the Sayyed or to Prime Minister Hariri (and we could add, to the presidents and provosts of these Universities), they sure as hell are to me, and to many other citizens and residents of Lebanon." (thanks Hicham)