What Muslims Around the World Think About Women's Rights, in Charts

[LadyHawkAZ]

39. It would be an incorrect assumption

There are other people here, in this country, like Sarah Palin; she has a grass-roots (I suspect the invasive and irritating Bermuda variety) support movement. People are people everywhere. Some of those people are Sarahs. Sometimes what rises to the top isn't cream, it's just scum.

Not that all the women writing in favor of veiling are going to be Sarahs- sometimes immersion in a particular ideology is a difficult thing to shake. We have feminists in the West who are still (pardon the term) wedded to the idea of marriage and monogamy as the only acceptable social norm, and modesty as the only alternative to patriarchy. (Sound familiar? It's not that different from the Muslim view, is it?) That's a cultural holdover from patriarchal Christianity, and while it's fortunately doing a slow (VERY slow) burnout, it's proved too difficult for a lot of women, particularly my generation and older, to move away from. Sexuality and sexual expression is the root cause of a lot of the schisms within Western feminism, with some clinging to the old ideal and others tilting toward freedom and tolerance. I don't see that Muslim feminist culture is any different in that regard. They are now, in many ways, where we were 50 or 100 or 150 years ago, depending on where they are; the religious specifics may be different, but the situation is pretty much the same. Some of them are on to fighting for voting and divorce (or sexual expression, even) and against rape and abuse, others are still stuck debating their version of Bloomers. You just have to look past the bells and whistles to see the similarities.

Amina had lots of support here, but they were the same people you've been arguing with. She had some opposition here, too. So did Sila Sahin- click that link, you'll recognize some names. Where's that support from the people who are so supportive of veiling? Why is only nudity or exposed skin considered patriarchal enough to fight against? Why should our support be directed only to the women who dress or act "properly"? Why are people so determined that the only women "worthy" of concern or support are the ones who follow the proper code of women's dress and behavior- a situation we would never tolerate in our own culture?

That's not women's rights, that's social conservatism. They are oil and water, and do not mix well, not even if you add an egg. Especially if you add an egg.

(going out. if you answer I will respond later)