Good morning, Keith, I will ask you, Keith, the same question I asked Brad (and which I am still hoping he will answer):
Have you EVER talked with a veiled/covered/burka'ed (sp?) Muslim woman about this? And another question: Have either of you ever tried one on? Have you ever asked a nun or a catholic woman whether they feel oppressed when they wear 'habit' or cover themselves? Somehow, I wouldn't much trust the casual personal opinion of white Western males on this (including my own, if I were unable to answer the above questions affirmatively). Barbara Walters did a special on women in Saudi Arabia, and focused, as she would, on the veil. Among the five women she interviewed, several were pro-veil. But this is just another anecdote... Cheers, Lawry > -----Original Message----- > From: Keith Hudson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Wednesday, August 14, 2002 12:03 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Brad McCormick, Ed.D. > Subject: Women love the burka! > > > 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 > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > ---------- > ------------ > > Keith Hudson, General Editor, Handlo Music, http://www.handlo.com > 6 Upper Camden Place, Bath BA1 5HX, England > Tel: +44 1225 312622; Fax: +44 1225 447727; mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > ________________________________________________________________________ >
