Islam, Women and Feminism *Burqa Debate: Classic western feminism hits a dead-end when it comes to choice <http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1506>*
I have to confess that I don’t get it when some women say that being behind a veil liberates them from the prying eyes of the male gaze and makes them feel safer. It’s become just about the most clichéd explanation. ...Essentially, classic western feminism hits a dead-end when it comes to a complex word called choice. Traditions that seem patently unequal find refuge in the argument of choice. And we can debate forever whether it’s about free will or socialisation by a patriarchal regime, but there’s not much you can say to a woman who chooses to drape herself in swathes of black cloth. I still remember Kamala Das, the eccentric — but fiercely independent — poet arriving on my television show in a burqa. She had recently converted, and this she said, was her choice. How could anyone argue against that? -- *Barkha Dutt** **A reproduction of the Taliban dress code *The reality of the matter surpasses the burqa itself. This is seen clearly in the fear that swiped France in reaction to the burqa, which appears like a reproduction of the dress code imposed by the Taliban on women in Afghanistan. the reality of the matter surpasses the burqa itself. This is seen clearly in the fear that swiped France in reaction to the burqa, which appears like a reproduction of the dress code imposed by the Taliban on women in Afghanistan. The historic implications of the burqa are those of radicalism and extremism, thus the stir is not an expression of racism against Muslims, as some claimed, but simply a fear of a drift towards sectarianism. There is no doubt that immigrants, in general, are subject to injustice and restrictions in France for many reasons not related to the burqa, but to the country's economic and social situations. Surely, there are some fanatics in France, but they remain a minority, just like in all other countries. -- *Mohammad Makhlouf* More...<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1506> Islam and the West *Why Obama Frightens the Israelis <http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1504>* The Iraq war has been an unmitigated catastrophe for Iraq itself, of course, but also for the stability of the whole region. Without the counterweight of Iraq, Iran has been promoted into a regional superpower, and is now far more of a challenge than Iraq ever was. Islamic militancy and anti-Americanism have flared up across the Arab and Muslim world. As for the United States itself, it has squandered its manpower, its finances and its reputation on a war that should never have been fought. Obama knows this, and is determined that Israel will not again entrap America in a war. Seen from Israel, Obama’s call for a dialogue with Iran, and perhaps even a “grand bargain” with it, could result in a threat both to Israel’s military hegemony and to its nuclear monopoly. Rather than any sort of compromise over uranium enrichment, it wants Iran’s nuclear facilities destroyed. Israel, Netanyahu said in Washington, retains the right to defend itself. The United States-Israel divide is very wide and deep. It is unlikely to be bridged without a fight. -- *Patrick Seale* More...<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1504> Islamic Ideology *The Beauty of Islam that attracts intellectuals like Kamala Das <http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1503>* Kamala Das had converted to Islam on 12 December 1999. Kamala Suraiya - her Islamic name - was considered to be one of the finest authors. She was also a good poet. Known as a tradition-defying iconoclast, she had sought to convince her readers that inequality among humans is most inhuman. After a long creative life and having pondered over the ideology of Islam and presumably comparing it with other religions, for a long time, she decided to take refuge in Islam. After her conversion in a grand ceremony organized at Chohi in Kerala, she observed in a T.V interview: “I didn’t accept Islam under any pressure; it’s my spontaneous and personal decision. So I don’t care about any criticism, Islam is the most precious treasure for me and it is dear to me more than my life”. -- *Maulana Nadeem Al-Wajidee *Translated from Urdu by *Syed Raihan Ahmad Nezami* More...<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1503> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Asalam o Alaikum, You Are Receiving This Message, Because You Are A Member Of FOCUS ON ISLAM, A Google Group [..:: The Best Group For Nice Islamic Mails ::..] \/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<>\/ You can Post Your Comments and Suggestions to Me [Moderator of this Group] on this email address: [email protected] To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.google.com/group/focusonislam/ To post messages/mails to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] Please forward our Mails to Your friends, and convence them to join our Group. Wanna subscribe to this group, send email to [email protected] \/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<>\/ *********************************************************** The Official Website of Group is LAUNCHED, http://www.geocities.co -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
