Responses to various...

Submitted by Freelancer (United States), Sep 6, 2005 at 17:30

"You cannot be a humanist by forcing women to weir a burqa. You have no right to mentally dominate women such that they feel obliged to weir clothes according to the Islamic doctrine. This has nothing to do with culture but with power and oppression."

There are many muslim women who decide to wear burkha or hijab without being forced to.

"This has nothing to do with culture but with power and oppression."

Hmm… nice of you to tell me what my culture is about. I supposed you too have lived it since you were born?

"Growing up in America need not make you American."

I think this is more of an opinion than fact, or at least the way I've experienced it through meeting many Caucasian Americans. And wat do u call a muslim who was born in this country and his parents were born in this country, and their parents were born in this country and so on?

The most celebrated aspect of America has been its diversity and acceptance of other cultures. And please don't try to tell me that Islam is a violent culture, because its not. It's time people woke up and looked at the Quran for themselves, rather than the twisted interpretations of others. A good example of a twisted interpretation is the comment by A.A. in which he has posted a bunch of ayahs that say and curse nonmuslims. It is very easy for anything to be taken at face value, it is harder to understand it's deeper meaning.

"Any attempt to impose Islamic totalitarianism should be fought and condemned. I'd like to see you in the front line fighting the Radical Islamic doctrine. Something tells me you won't sign up."

I'll be quite frank here. I assume that this "radical" Islamic doctrine is the Quran. And if I am correct in assuming that, then I state quite plainly, that the Quran is the basis of my life, and I would do anything rather than fight it. Again, you can't keep taking the twisted interpretations of others. Also, I assure you, that neither I, nor any Muslim living within the US is trying to "impose Islamic totalitarianism."

"You do not have the right to educate yourself at taxpayer expense, to use roads and medical services and social services all paid for by your fellow citizens, if you do not wish to assimilate and abide by the customs and culture set by our common polity. If a child refuses to mix with the opposite gender in public school - something our society and culture deems appropriate and salutary for our cultural health - let him remove himself from the society of which he mistakenly claims to be a part."

So let me understand. Although I too am a citizen of America, I don't have the right to use any of the aforementioned services simply because I am a Muslim? I pay the same taxes as well. Which culture would you have me abide by? In case you haven't noticed, America is a nation of many different cultures, whether anyone likes it or not. Should I become a Jew? A Christian? Or should I follow the culture of the African American society? Or of the Native Americans? There are many cultures within the US, Islam being one of them.

Like I said, America is diverse. The very foundation of this nation was to be allowed the freedom of religion, and now you want to change that? Maybe I'm wrong, maybe you shouldn't be studying Quran, but rather the constitution of this country.

"No one in the United States is telling Muslim girls not to wear a burqa"

I was under the impression that the article by Daniel Pipes celebrates the fact that Muslim women are forced to remove their Burkhas. I may be wrong.

"but if you, as a Muslim, persist in your belief that a girl who wears a burqa is contributing to American values, you are sadly mistaken."

I have already addressed this I believe. What are American values? America is diverse. The most common thing that almost all US Citizens have is eating burgers. Is that the American values? If it is, I assure you, I just had a fish burger today at Burger King. And it was quite delicious.

"That's dishonest. No one will force you to drink alcohol (unless you pledge the wrong fraternity!) but the issue addressed in Mr. Pipes's article concerns Muslims who wish to forbid non-Muslims from drinking themselves. Why do you wish to divert the issue in this fashion?"

I'm sorry, I should have made myself more clear. I was in no way referring to the issue where the Iranians demanded the absence of alcohol. I was making a comparison. A lot of women consider taking off the Burkha forbidden. Similarly, all muslims consider it drinking alcohol forbidden. The women in Italy are forced to take their Burkhas off, now should I be forced to drink alcohol simply because I don't drink it on a religious basis? Should I be forced to do something I consider forbidden as the women in Italy consider forbidden? Who does it harm when a women covers herself head to toe?

"Burqa's are inherently impractical and an oppressive piece of clothing. I have yet to find a women who truly wants to be covered from top to toe and transpirate profusely 24/7. Would you? No? So do women. The burqa is against humanity."

This is a perfect example of misunderstanding something. A result that comes from the twisted interpretations of others. My God! Whoever said that women have to be covered 24/7?! The point of a Burqa is so that men don't judge a woman by her looks or become attracted to her. Of course, a woman does not need to wear the Burkha within the household where there are no strangers or non-related persons. She is allowed to take it off in front of her husband, father, brother and close relations. I hope that I've cleared it up for you. And about finding a woman who wants to be covered from head to toe, id like to know who forces American Muslim women to wear Burkha or hijab. My mother does it by choice, my mother's friends do it by choice, and certainly, almost all my female friends do it by choice, those who don't want to wear hijab/burkha, they simply don't. Just open your eyes, you can find many muslim women with Burkhas within the US.

"If you think that being an American means refusing to assimilate and rejecting the mores and standards of the society that fed you and educated you, you didn't learn a thing ...."

This is the third time you've said the same thing in a different way. America is a nation of diversity. And I don't know if it is possible to live in America for 13 years and not learn anything. I certainly dress in the American fasion, if indeed there is a singular fasion.

As a reply to John, and most everyone else in general:
...You push your own agenda of labeling all muslims as terrorists or criminals. Then what is the difference between your beliefs and ideals, than those of Osama Bin Laden or the Taliban? They too sink low enough to think that all Americans are bad people or are terrorists. They too think that the western culture needs to be abolished and got rid of. There is no difference. Both thoughts practice racism and misunderstanding. It is in the nature of most human beings to fear and attack what they do not understand. You compare "Islamism/Islamists" to Nazism and Hitler. But you forget that it was also Hitler who thought that his nation's problems were the Jews. An idea that brought forth the destruction and near-genocide of an innocent group of people. And of course, that's the whole point of making generalizations and labeling entire groups of people. Hitler was a man who also liked to paint an entire group of people with the same brush as does John: "I would like to paint the whole Moslem community with the same brush."

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