I must return to your original posting (Re: SA and Work in oil-rich
countries) on a point I overlooked in my previous replies.
I could hardly believe my eyes when I read your comment on burkas!
At 11:35 13/08/02 -0700, you wrote:
<<<<
Nothing wrong with burkas, Keith -- except that the Western feminist
movement has labelled them oppressive. I haven't heard any feminist say
'Ooooops, maybe we were wrong. Maybe our Afghani sisters really DO like to
wear burkas, in the same way that we Western women have our own clothing
habits, rules and taboos. Hmmmmm," our enlightened feminist would go on to
say, "I wonder what our Afghani sisters say about our high-heels, our
display of skin, our make-up, our tight-clothing.....is it possible that
they don't see, whith all these things, how advanced and sophisticated we
western women are???"
>>>>
The burka is a total denial of one of the basic characteristics of
humankind -- the need to communicate and socialise.
Do the Afghan (Saudi Arabian) women like to wear burkas? Of course they
don't! Brad is quite right. He expressed the situation superbly when he
wrote: "Burqas are the outward and visible sign of portable imprisonment."
I have seen at least three TV documentaries where western journalists have
interviewed Afghan women in their homes. The latter expressed themselves
bitterly. However, it is an unfortunate fact that since the "deliverance"
of Afghanis from the yoke of the Taliban (doubtful -- it's highly likely to
resurge) very few women are to be seen outdoors without their burkas
because fundamentalism still reigns. Only the most intelligent,
well-educated minority of women have the courage to do so at present.
Changing the subject slightly and reverting to Saudi Arabia, here's a story
that was recently printed in the NYT:
"An acquaintance here in Saudi Arabia told me his story: He was touring the
countryside by car and got slightly lost. He saw a car down the road and
approached it to ask directions, but each time he drew near, the car sped
away. Eventually he caught up to it, the car pulled over, and a terrified
driver jumped out to flee: it was a Saudi woman dressed like a man. In a
country where it is illegal for women to drive, that's the only way for a
lady to get behind the wheel."
The benign way that we in the west tolerate the servitude of hundreds of
millions of women in Islamic countries is shameful. Hindu practices in
India are just as bad. The practice of Suttee (wives throwing themselves,
or being thrown) onto the funeral pyre of their husbands is still practised.
Keith
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Keith Hudson, General Editor, Handlo Music, http://www.handlo.com
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