Letters to the Editor
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I believe that MsAnthropia equated a scarf and polygamy
Perhaps you can tell us how a raven is like a writing desk in your looking glass world.
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"Choice"?
You think most Muslim women who wear the hijab actually choose to wear it? Really?
I suppose those Afghan women are really pleased with their chadors, too.
Just what world do you think you live in?
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campaign promises
My son goes to a school in Spain in which 1/3 of the student body is muslim. How many girls wear the headscarf? Zero.
It would help the readers if you were give it a bit of political context... You may be aware that Spain is going to have an election soon and this proposal is the PP pandering to its (dwindling number of) hard-core catholic constituents. This was part of a much larger (and troubling) proposal on "getting tough on immigration." The Spanish literate can read about it here:
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/PP/seleccionara/inmigrantes/funcion/nivel/adaptacion/elpepuesp/20080209elpepinac_7/Tes
I doubt this will see the light of day.
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your parochialism
What I want to see revoked is the patriarchal requirement that women cover their breasts in public in the West. Even if they choose it themselves. Even if they accept the media campaign that convinces them their breasts are too small, too big, too lopsided to be nice. And don't give me this shit that women actually want to cover themselves in the summer. I've spent too much time in the African bush to accept that as anything but a manifestation of patriarchal ideological hegemonism. Arguments about exposed breasts "sexualizing" women are as specious as those of my Muslim friends who claim they wear hijab as a way to neutralize the male gaze. Poor suckers and poor suckers. Go Ovahimba women and your true freedom! You are leading the way...may we all learn from you as we shrug off the patriarchal yoke.
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the real world, Euroreader
You think most Western women who wear the blouse actually choose to wear it? Really? I suppose those American women are really pleased with their vests and sweaters in the summer heat, too. You've got to get out of your parochial little Euroweltanschauung and realize you don't have the right to make the rest of the world look like you, no matter how much wealth you have stolen and continue to steal from women who wear hijab.
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my hijab
If I allowed ansewr for other muslimaat, yes i choose age 23 to change against mum and other aunts and sisters and wear jilbab even times they laughing and jeer me. And 27 in Deutschland not wearing again. Both i am choosing according to my mind not mans' mind. Why always negatif to muslima woman. Isn't she blead like shakespeer jew? So i think. And maybe wearing again futurely. Don't guess now.
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bullying is wrong...
regardless of the religion of the bully and the bullied.
If you don't think innocent Muslim kids (who had absolutely nothing to do with terrorism) were bullied because of their religion after September 11th, you were not in middle-American schools. I doubt you were living on Planet Earth.
Since you mentioned Judaism, should we ban Jewish boys from wearing the yarmulke? It's a religious headcovering worn only by one sex of a minority (and very patriarchal) religion, and some Israeli soldiers have been real assholes to innocent Palestineans...
If a non-Muslim girl (like moi) should be allowed to wear a headscarf because it's windy or rainy or she wants to dress like Grace Kelly, a Muslim girl should be allowed to wear one if she believes it is required of her by God. Even if the rest of us think that is complete bullshit.
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Personal Choice
It's like Satan and the free will question, people.
What's the use of free will if you can't use it to do evil also?
What's the use of personal choice if fundie whackjobs can't use it to fuck with the heads of their children, effectively abusing them by raising them in a fear and shame based environment?
How dare anyone take a position on this, asking that kids see/experience a different environment for even a few hours a day?
Defend personal choice! Let dads force their daughters to wear a hood over their heads and keep their eyes down. You go, people. You've got your priorities straight.
If we were talking about grown women, now, it would be somewhat different, as the girl below wrote, she decided to wear it for a few years when she was 23...I think it was better not to interfere with that, although she did seem to have a family who was not in the habit, so to speak (no pun intended).
But we are talking about kids.
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what's more oppressive...
Encouraging women to cover their hair or discouraging women from going to school? Depriving Muslim women of educational opportunities based on their religiosity is counterproductive to the extreme.
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kshen
I believe the truant officer would have something to say if the girls were kept out of school. Also, no homeschooling in Europe (Britain excepted), and the law requires that you be in school.
From what I gather, parochial schools would be exempt from this ban as it only applies to the public schools. So if you really wanted to put your teenage daughter through this, you better be prepared to pony up for a private education.
Sounds fair to me.
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It's blatant discrimination based on religion.
I'm what is often referred to as a militant atheist, but I'm also militant in my belief that people the world over should be free to believe in and express their religious beliefs, so long as those beliefs are voluntary and do not directly harm another person (e.g., human or animal sacrifice, convincing people to vote Republican, and other insanities).
Thus, what the Spanish government is doing is an unconscionable limitation on freedom. Figures it's the conservatives doing it...
To the Anonymous below who used all the proper feminist cliches in her diatribe againt the Western prohibition on woman showing their breasts in public: I agree. If men can go topless, then women ought to be able to, too. Hopefully, however, personal modesty will prevail.
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Durian Joe
Do kids count as people?
Just curious, its apparently an actual legal question.
Some fundie fuckheads out in Idaho, I believe, who were of some strain of "Christianity" that allows no medical intervention, allowed their daughter to die an almost spectacularly slow, painful death due to an impacted bowel. The girl that died was the cousin of a college friend of mine, and the description of the death was awful. And basically all she needed was a very minor trip to the hospital.
Two other "parents" in a completely separate case allowed two of their diabetic children to die, again slowly and painfully over time.
The parents of the diabetic children were arrested, the parents of the 14 year old never. However, because of the "religious freedom" issue and the same-as-the-family-pet legal standing of children, none of these people were convicted of a crime. If you're not beating them to death, you basically do what you want with your kids.
I'm sorry, where kids are involved I am not militant about protecting religious freedom. I think the rights of the child trump the right of the parents to inflict pain and abuse on that child in the name of whatever sky guy they follow.
There is a U.N. charter for the International Rights of the Child and it should be ratified by every country and followed and enforced as much as possible.
Kids shouldn't have to pay for their parents' beliefs.
That said, of course the whole head scarf ban is xenophobic and originates with conservatives, yada, yada, yada. I just don't care about supporting a father's right to force his daughter to dress a certain way based on his religion. I think that is child abuse.