[kj] Jaz Straw

[culturevirus]

coming out of lurkdom again... being a US based person, the politics of Britain are mostly unknown to me, but we have roughly the same set of circumstances in the US. I have yet to hear/read of any of our politicians speaking on the subject in such a level-headed manner as Mr. Straw. Our politicians tend to speak in small words and short sentences so as to discourage deep thought on issues and therefore maintain knee-jerk voting based on political hatred for "the other party".

Ade's comment (echoed by a few others) reflects the way a lot of us Westerners view the hijab: as a way to keep women down or force women to shoulder the burden of policing the male sexual drive. I know part of me feels that way as well. But as Straw pointed out early in his column, many women do choose to wear head coverings of some type. If you ask these women many of them will respond that like school uniforms it keeps them equal with their peers and reduces the distraction of clothing differences and focuses peoples attentions on the wearer and not the clothes. Such clothing can make women feel empowered as they no longer face distracted men who are (even subconciously) checking out their physical features and are forced to deal with the woman as a social equal.

I recently read a book on the history of The Habit (Catholic nun garb) and many nuns feel the same way. Within the communities of these women there is disagreement over whether such attire has an overall positive or negative affect on their place in society. Nearly all agree however, that it sets them apart from other women and puts them in a frame of reference that is unique among their sex.

In a perfect world women will choose to wear such attire for what they feel it does for them as a person and not what their sub-culture expects of them.

I am culturevirus

ade <ade at the-lab.zetnet.co.uk> wrote:       I  dunno. I just think it's odd to defend a way of keeping women down.  Nevertheless, I'll defend the right
 to  wear the things!
    -----Original Message-----
From: Jim Harper    [mailto:jimharper666 at yahoo.co.uk]
Sent: 10 October 2006    21:32
To: ade at the-lab.zetnet.co.uk; A list about all things Killing    Joke (the band!)
Subject: RE: [kj] Jaz Straw


So    I take I'm missing the real issue then?

ade    <ade at the-lab.zetnet.co.uk> wrote:              Look, I'll make my point again - imagine the subject has no colour,      so we're not talking about race
     now. That seems to be the subtext on BOTH sides in many cases. Now      imagine a subject female
     being told she has to cover up *her* 'adornments'. Sort've puts the      blame at her door doesn't it.
      
     It's like as if the 'institutionalised treatment of women as      cattle' is shorted out by the 'race' aspect.
      
     A      lefty nightmare.
      
      
     ade.


 		
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