Letters to the Editor
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Serai1
Sorry - I often use voice recognition software.
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It seems to me.......
That the job of ALL western organizations, feminists ot otherwise- is to end the massive war crimes the west is commiting in Iraq, first and foremost. We have laws to handle what this man did to his daughter- for whatever the reason. So when will we address the human rights of all the women in Iraq who have lost limbs, rights, family and life by our war crimes?
The argument that we must somehow address muslim issues as separate within the west is also absurd. The laws that stop a father from beating and abusing his daughter apply everywhere and to everyone in our society. This man will be punished. To say that the acts of a violent few are somehow representative of the whole? well then lets apply that to American soldiers and our Blackwater thugs, lets apply that same judgement of all christians and religionists.
The defining core of the west is that each person is accountable for his own actions. Since when do we advocate laws specifically to curtail the customs and issues of a segment of society. Let them practice their religion as is their right. And - on an individual basis punish anyone who breaks a law.
Thats how the system works, isn't it?
Did i miss something, or have rapes, murders, spousal abuse etc stopped occuring in the west? We western men -especially in America-love to think of ourselves as so enlightened, as we drop bombs and wage constant war on innocents, as our kids machine gun their classmates, as our rape and violent crime statistics continue climbing and surpass almost every other developed nation, and as we stand back and watch minority black men get processed through a seperate justice system that treats them as subhuman.....Are we really in any position to tell anyone we're advanced to the point of being "teachers" to anyone?
As for the attacks on feminists as hypocrites- well, lets be honest, its political opportunism and bullshit on its face. Just as the previous poster has pointed out.
before we engage in that, let me see proof and evidence of the claim that feminists dont care. Til i see it, its nothing but bull from the real hypocrites. The ones, most likely, that supported Bushs "crusade" slaughter of innocents, and who probably look the other way as GIs rape and murder their way through every country they are stationed and fighting in. Of course they're just a "few bad apples". But one muslim man kills his daughter and all muslims are now guilty.
Yeah, tell me how feminists are the hypocrites again?
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Glossary Time!
Abaya: big black tent worn by Saudi women. Sometimes other colors in other places. Restricts vision and movement and all sorts of things. http://www.essenceofblack.com/images/overhead_abaya_ha31.jpg
Burqua: big blue tent worn by Afgani women. Restricts vision and movement and all sorts of things. http://www.september11news.com/Nov3WomanBurqaNorthAll.jpg
Both are pretty fucking scary mandatory local phenomena.
The following have more variety location and use wise. You might actually see them in North America:
Chador: full-length semi-circle of fabric open down the front. It is thrown over the head and held shut in front. A chador has no hand openings or closures but is held shut by the hands or by wrapping the ends around the waist. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Women_in_shiraz_2.jpg
Niqab: scarf covering hair neck and all of face but eyes. could certainly get in the way of eating. http://www.kersplebedeb.com/blog/niqab.jpg
Hijab: scarf covering hair and neck. Much like the bubushkas worn by many a Grandma. http://www.pbase.com/sheila/image/41386782 http://mywebpages.comcast.net/zstore/hijab/6.jpg
(Hijab CAN refer to the whole concept of modesty. But generally when someone is wearing An Hijab its the scarf thingy)
There are other options. There are various rules in various places. Wikipedia has a nice article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijab
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Avoiding the obvious...
Muslims families spend years brainwashing their children with a fear of damnation and punishment as prescribed by the Qur'an and then is it any wonder then that most women fall dutifully into line? Ms. Clark-Flory exhibits the typical multicultural myopia which desperately seeks a 'nuanced explanation' in order to cover up the glaringly problematic issue of children being indoctrinated into religious beliefs by their parents. All the people invoking religious freedom vis-à-vis wearing the hijab should consider how that right has been continuously eroded by the machinations of the religion itself.
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Rosenkavalier
You relativist asshats need to stop putting hijab and "Western oppressive beauty standards" together. These are two different issues, although not entirely unrelated.
As many women who have lived in the Middle East or in Muslim countries have observed, nobody spends more money on makeup, hair work, clothes, manicures, and yes, even face lifts and plastic surgery than Muslim women. They are expected to be ultra-feminine creatures, hijab or no hijab. Go to the Gulf and browse the stores of woemn's clothing sometime. Take a look at the underwear women buy (makes Victoria's Secret look modest) and tell me that's "liberated". In Pakistan housewives spend whole days creating and superintending the production of fancy outfits, and then there's hair, nails, bangles, jewelry, chappals, etc. etc. etc. Not to mention there's a big market for all kinds of slimming scams like "salons" that offer vibrating machines (they seem to promise to shake the fat off or something). The slimming scams are necessary because there's no Islamically correct way to just get out and jog or go swimming or something. Muslim women diet a lot. There's also a huge demand for all kinds of fertility treatments.
Muslim women live in constant fear of being dumped for a younger and prettier women, or even of being replaced while still married by a younger wife. Believe me, they are VERY obsessed with their appearance. Then there's the fact that they don't work, and pass a lot of time attending social events. Then there's the whole ideal of femininity they are trying to live up to. It's wonderful package, isn't it?
On top of all this, they get the hijab issue. They are not liberated by the hijab, because underneath it they are just as "oppressed" by a "sexist beauty standard" as any other women anywhere. All they've got is the absolute worst of both worlds.
Western women should please educate themselves before they shoot their mouths off. You've got it all wrong. The hijab doesn't replace the clothes, hair, nail, face lift, etc. etc. etc. It just goes on over the top of it. And Muslim women read Vogue and Cosmo as avidly as any other women, and they have their own versions of these magazines.
You people. Sheesh.