July 7, 2009
How is this anything other than depersonalizing?
These are human beings – women – who are being treated like beasts by societies rooted in the stone age. Note that the Koran calls for modesty but no where does it mandate shroud wearing. Nor does it mandate genital mutilation or treating women as beasts and reproductive chattel.
Nicolas Sargozy:
The burqa is not a religious sign, it’s a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement — I want to say it solemnly.
It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic.
The eyes say everything and this is only highlights them. What do they say to you?
Chador namaz cover the women from head to ankle, but leaves her face exposed. Mantau chalvar is a long coat worn over trousers and is always worn with a scarf covering the head tied firmly under the chin.
When I wear a burqa it gives me a really bad feeling. I don’t like to wear it. My family are not really happy with me wearing a chador namaz, they tell me to always wear a burqa. But I don’t like it, it upsets me, I can’t breathe properly.
At least these are not black shrouds but their faces are completely covered. This is not to maintain their purity – it is to keep their dissent hidden.
My family says I have to wear it, they say the chador namaz is bad. You understand that if you don’t wear a burqa and your face is open, people will just gossip about you.
But it does give me bad headaches, it puts a lot of pressure on my head, especially if it’s sewn too tightly.
From Reuters’ GOLNAR MOTEVALLI who talked with a shroud seller. He said his burqa sales have dropped 50% since “the Taliban were toppled” in 2001. He says women wear them so men won’t look but he has never required his wife or daughters to wear them. [emphasis added]
Back at his shop, Yusefy considered the idea that wandering male eyes might be the reason why women feel compelled to wear the burqa.
“Yes, men shouldn’t look, maybe it is their fault for looking,” he said. “If a woman comes to the market without covering up about one hundred pairs of eyes will be watching her … because that’s the climate here.”
But don’t men need something to cover their eyes to stop them from looking at women?“Well, no, you can’t stop them. Men are always going to stare. It’s culture, the culture is different, every country is different.”
He removes a burqa from a metal hook on his shop wall and turns it inside-out to show the crotchet panel covered with a translucent blue fabric through which many Afghan women see the world.
“Look at this, there is a very good view from inside there.”
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Unfortunately this post is from the drafts and I can’t find the AOL links for the photos. These are the credits but I don’t know which one goes with which.
(SHAH KARAI, AFP/Getty), (MAJID/Getty Images), (CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/Getty), (AMIL NABIL, AFP/Getty)
Check out burqinis (pix) – the hot swimwear (video).
