The reason it has such significance is because it gives the illusion, or hope, of meaningful control or influence. In other words, desperation. Since there is no way that normal women in the normal course of events will be willing to risk getting killed for a chance to have sex, as is the norm for men in traditional societies, and men want some sort of compensating influence/significane or the illusion of it.

a nose job with a rehymenification.

When women in the west get plastic surgery, they do it forthemselves.

when second-class Muslim women get their hymen revirginized, they do it for their men...

don't see the difference?

or don't want to?

It's religion, people. Witness the cognitive dissonance: They go to the big bad non-Muslim (even non-religious!) West in order to get their educations. While there, they have sex. Then, instead of doing what's necessary to stay in these lands where having sex without shackles is a non-issue, they go back to their backward, religious homelands to be shackled to some man. In order to do this, they decide to get their hymens restored even though the hymen does not necessarily have anything to do with chastity.

And then, of course, there's the cognitive dissonance rampant among their family members, who may do horrible things to these women, all because they (the women) have had sex.

OK, I made it all plain. There it is, in front of me. I just can't understand the mindset of these people. It's not just Muslims, of course. Does anybody have any insight into the psychology on display here?

I think its sort of cool in a "good for the goose, good for the gander" way. It levels the playing field a bit. Now these women have the same opportunity that the men have had to explore their sexuality a bit before they commit to one partner.

It's by no means an ideal solution, but its certainly an improvement.

Muslim women a) having premarital sex and b) having their hymens "repaired" in order to disguise that fact strikes me as going well outside the bounds of practicing traditional Islam. Doing a) is transgression enough, but b) is deliberate deception, and not something a true believer in the faith can countenance in herself or others

See, this is exactly the problem. What does it mean to be a Muslim? Here's a hint: it doesn't have to do with one's sexual mores. Here, for your reading pleasure, are the Five Pillars of Islam.

1) Testify that there is only one God, and that Mohammed is his prophet.

2) Perform ritual prayer

3) Give alms to the poor

4) Fast during Ramadan

5) Attempt to visit Mecca during one's lifetime.

Surprisingly enough, no mention is made of what one does with one's genitals. And despite the five aforementioned statements being the "Pillars" of Islam, you're likely to meet a great many people who self-identify as Muslim and yet do not do all (or even more than one) of these things.

Claiming that people who engage in pre-marital sex, or "deceive" other by reconstructing their hymens can't be practicing Muslims is absurd, and has no foundation in the Koran. You might make a claim that they're not leading an ideal Islamic life, but claiming that they're not Muslim?

Just to drive that one point home. Forever.

You have answered your own question. The reason that women are fucked up is because they insist on lowering themselves to the absolute gutter of thought. STOP TALKING ABOUT YOUR BODIES!!!! It only pollutes the minds of your sisters who are children for now. Set an example! Rise above the garbage and show the young girls how to think in abstract terms!

They are free to do this, I just think it's insane.

I would really like to understand why they can't just not marry a man who thinks this way, why they welcome a religion into their life that they don't respect enough to follow it's rules or why they won't be forgiven for making a mistake if they believe that premarital sex is a mistake or wrong. Why can't people understand there really is no way to prove a woman is a virgin anymore than a man can prove he's one. I broke my hymen at 13 using a tampon! I was a virgin, why is there such a denial of medical fact?

If they don't live with their family, why return to people who you believe might beat, murder you or call you versions of whore for something that doesn't even really concern them?

I guess I'm just an american to used to personal destiny to understand how pretending somethign that isn't true, would be so important to me that I'd go under the knife or even accept that my sexual history makes me worthy or not of marriage and respect after seeing and living with people with alternate views and submit myself to a medical exam to prove my worth or purity.

Such as I grew up in a very religious home, but I live in a pretty secular liberal city, I chose agnostisim and liberalism over religion. I guess I just don't get following a cultural attitude to please my family as I figure my family should love me no matter what, well if I was a rapist or child molestor or murderer I could understand disownment, but sex! I would tell my family to go to hell before I would ever let them comment on my sex life, nor would I marry a man who thinks it's perfectly okay to make me prove my sexual history to him or that I'm a whore if I didn't wait till marriage.

that's all i can think of in regard to this article.

second time around has got to hurt, big time.

It is bizarre that there is even a discussion about this ridiculous load of bullshit.

In my first letter to this blog, I stated that I am the proud father of a beautiful and brilliant nine-year-old girl. AGAIN! Why is it that it is somehow IMPOSSIBLE for the women of this generation to write about something other than their pathetically "tightly undone" flabby old cottage-cheesy tits and asses? It's OVER!!!! Dammit. Please write articles about something that will assure humanity that you deserve the right to vote.