Blogger Central

Hi there,
Its been a rather unbloggish few weeks, with a lot of stuff going on. But I'm finally offended enough to blog again, so here goes.

Go here to see whats got me going.

Its kind of sick.
That veiled women should be fired if unwilling to unveil at the demands particularly of men in educational institutions. Because that's all this is; they dont want to unveil in front of men, and wouldnt mind if the classes are all women, but then some white men see this as denying men education. "She is denying the right of children to a full education by insisting that she wears the veil. If she is saying that she won't work with men, she is taking away the right of men to work in school," Woolas said." WHAT A FRIGGING LARK. Since when did a womans face have anything to do with education? Can a woman not conduct a lesson because nobody can see her face? I mean for something that intentionally takes the focus away from female sexuality, wouldnt that be a great thing for teachers in schools? Maybe those boys in class might actually listen.

Jack Straw, an ex-foreign minister, insists that veiled women take off their veils when they come to his office. WHAT THE FRIG is that? Do men have to take off their hats? Do women have to take off their shawls, or is it particularly the veil he so vehemently disagrees with.

Salman Rushdie sees the veil as taking power away from women, and is quoted within the article as if he is some kind of guru on these topics. Why else would he have been brought up? Even though he did write the satanic verses and managed to offend many muslims and insult islam itself by oversimplification, he MUST know about the veil more than any veiled woman. Why wouldnt the journalist writing the article talk to a veiled woman instead? Heck, he could even ask, so why do you allow yourself to be subordinated by the veil, because then he would get an interesting answer.

IT MAKES ME SICK that this society percieves the veil as an instrument of oppression, and push up bras and low cut shirts as liberating. UTTERLY SICK.

I happen to think that the veil is understandable from my vantage point as a tool for empowerment. Because everyone knows how sick and tired I am of leering looks from pervy older men. Instead of ever expecting them to change any time soon, I could just cover up, take back the power I lose in over exposure and being treated as an object for looking at, and maybe know what its really like to be treated as an equal.

I couldnt tell you how many times ive been in a debate with a guy who i actually catch looking me up and down...

sigh.
breathe.

we'll get through this.