Respect for subjugation of women?

Submitted by Rick (United States), Mar 24, 2008 at 18:53

Dressing modestly in any country is always proper. I concur 100%, but following Arab / Iranian dress is quite another matter.

There are plenty of well dressed Westerners in Europe and the US without the need for head gear or to the floor covering. Women are made to cover their hair because it is an 'incitement' for men. Same for legs, etc. What female Islamic dress codes teach us about Islamic men is pretty pathetic. Looking attractive means you're a whore. This is the attitude of the most depraved in our society but in Saudi Arabia it is commonplace. Are Islamic men such sex perverts that the sight of a women's hair or leg will cause bedlam and mass rape? To say "yes" means this is a sick culture.

We know that dress codes are political expressions in any country. The freedom to dress as you like is an expression of freedom itself. The forced wearing of certain clothes is an expression of submission and inequality. Think of the fact that Jews were required to wear certain clothes in some Arab socieites and not allowed other articles of clothing reserved only for Muslims. Finally we have the Yellow Star, which is actually a medieval Arab invention picked up by the Nazis and used to ridicule Jews.

For a Western female leader to follow Islamic dress codes is showing acceptance of that inequality for women. A smart suit- and Mrs. Clinton loves pink and yellow pants suits - would be more than acceptable in any Arab nation or at least they should. Covering the head is for mosque visits only and not proper while outside or while meeting foreign representatives of the Islamic nation.

These "fierce guardians" of womens rights in the US like Mrs. Clinton or Nancy Pelosi cast that aside as soon as they embark in Saudi Arabia or Syria. It is embarrassing for us and for them.

Be respectful but don't curry favor by agreeing that women when in public must be covered. Are they aware how undignified that is for a women from the US?

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