At the risk of stating the obvious -- that's just dumb.

But, to revert to my ever-accepting persona, in which I treat every inquiry, however doubtful its provenance, with equal credulousness, yes, absolutely, it is OK to feel afraid. It's OK to feel afraid of anything. And it's wise, when you find yourself feeling afraid, to ask just what is going on, why you are afraid, whether your fears are founded on a real threat, and if not, where did they come from? I think it's quite wise, honest and courageous to ask these questions.

If you cover your hair, and wear a garment which covers the skin on your legs and arms, you will likely be much safer. As a non-Muslim woman (I assume), it is within a Muslim man's right to "take" you, but this is far less likely to happen if you dress modestly.

Aiyemei,

I understood what you were saying. By tolerating a small but visible minority of harassers and *ssh*oles among immigrant Muslims, the Scandinavians are doing a disservice to the entire immigrant Muslim community. Unfortunately, it only takes a few nasty incidents for people to become afraid, and it is a rare individual who will be able to rise above the racial component of the attacks.

Those of us who like to deny racism should look deep inside ourselves. How many of us, after experiencing even just a few negative experiences from people who are visibly different from us, are able to keep an open mind about that group? If your PERSONAL experiences have been generally negative, you are less likely to be kind to "that type" of person, to trust them, and in the end, to hire them. Why would anyone deliberately expose themself or their coworkers to negative experiences? That would stupid.

Then, the perfectly nice young men share nothing more than a physical resemblence with the *ssh*les enjoy limited employment and social opportunities, and are forced onto the margins of society. Some get angry. Even fewer harass you as you are walking down the street. And the vicious cycle repeats.

How to stop the cycle? Some of it has to come from those of us who have internalized racism, but a lot has to come from the group itself. In the end, if Muslims want to assimilate, to keep the immigration channels open, there must be significant peer pressure against this type of behaviour, coupled with strong and unambiguous enforcement of anti-harassment laws.

http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2005/08/07/femdefence_modern_day_chastity_belt.html

http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=2546

Why put yourself through all this stress when you can choose to study at a university outside a major urban area? I think you'll enjoy your educational experience much more if you feel safe.

i did not expect such a tough response. womens fears are just not dealt with propertly by the left anymore. p c language invades our lives to the extent that one becomes adept at reading between the lines on so much going on in democratic cultures today. too many reader-reponders to this just dont get it. europe is not what it used to be. its own principles are used to demonize it while the recent arrivals can just enjoy all the fruits of this freedom without having contributed anything. very sad lately to read about it all. my advice is if there is no transparency to what is going on then dont go there. respect your intuition. and dont let the ideology mongers make you feel guilty about some past historical situations. to immediately refer to oneself as paranoid and silly is just so counterproductive and too selfeffacing. read up on paglia and toughen self up about the real world.

"By tolerating a small but visible minority of harassers and *ssh*oles among immigrant Muslims, the Scandinavians are doing a disservice to" women.

If the primary and intentional act of treating women poorly is not allowed, all will benefit. It is a simple solution.

It is not necessary to drag men's feelings into the discussion in order for there to be a compelling reason to require that citizens do not mistreat other citizens. It is ridiculous to consider the first priority to be the tragedy of the damaged male public image when the problem is mistreatment of women and the solution is to require women to be well treated.

if women only objected to being yelled at and called whores then there wouldn't be a problem, so obviusly that isn't the problem.

Dress to minimize rape

If you cover your hair, and wear a garment which covers the skin on your legs and arms, you will likely be much safer. As a non-Muslim woman (I assume), it is within a Muslim man's right to "take" you, but this is far less likely to happen if you dress modestly.

-- No Name Given

First of all there is no evidence that if a woman covers up, rapists don't rape. Rapists rape because they want to. It is an urge that is within - be an adult and take responsibility for your feelings and behavior!

Second, it frankly arouses my ire at Islam is that it is a religion which puts the responsibility for rape on the victim. That is offensive. In that respect I feel offended by Islam, and in my opinion if Muslims don't get over that wrong headed religious attitude, they should get out of western countries. They don't belong here. I don't think Muslims have any right to pollute societies in which that kind of vile thinking is rare with religiously inspired (or incited) sexual violence. Westerners, especially western women, have fought very hard for dignity and respect as women, and sexual safety is a big part of that. The fact is that immigrants have NO RIGHT TO TAKE THIS AWAY, for religious or any other reasons.

Third, Mr. No Name Given, you have no right to define how I should dress, or what modesty should mean to me or for me. You are offending my standards of decency with your assertion that you "know better".

Finally, Mr. NNG, if you think any Muslim man has a right to "take" unveiled women, I hope you try it and end up in the slammer, where lots of nasty mean dudes will takes turns "taking" you. I'm sure being raped would be quite educational for a rape advocate such as yourself.