Iraqi hairdressers forced underground

[sabra]

Source: AP

<snip>

Hardline Muslim extremists who believe it is sinful for women to appear beautiful in public have forced many beauticians to move their trade underground.

Sunni and Shiite militants began blowing up salons roughly two years ago. They killed several stylists and bullied others into putting down their scissors and makeup brushes for good, all in an effort to stamp out what they view as the corrupting spread of Western culture.

Besides beauty salons, militants have also targeted liquor stores, barber shops and Christian churches.

In the past year, most beauty salons in the Shiite-dominated southern city of Basra went underground, as they did in the Sunni-controlled neighborhood of Dora in west Baghdad.

To those outside of Iraq, the prospect of being killed just for frequenting a hair salon might seem a convincing reason not to go. But despite being targeted by militants, stylists say women here still want to look good — and stylish. Refusing to get a haircut or having their makeup done would be giving in to the violence and despair surrounding them.

"See this salon?" said the stylist Kifah, as she deftly lopped off a woman's dark hair into smart layers in her east Baghdad establishment. "It's never been empty, not through the Iraq-Iran war, the Gulf war or this war. Women are women, they always want to look good."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071226/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_secret_salons

[Hydra]

1. "Bringin' freedom to dem poor brown people!"

:shrug:

[sabra]

2. Bush: In 50 years history will show this was all worth it...

:sarcasm: :mad:

[Hydra]

3. You forgot the last part:

Bush: "In 50 years history will show this was all worth it...for me"

In 50 years, dimwit will be dead, but he'll leave a vast fortune kids founded on the oil he stole. Quite an accomplishment for a drunk cokehead who couldn't make an honest living.

[damntexdem]

4. So happy to see that we're out there spreading freedom.

Just piling that freedom on high and deep. Just smell that freedom!

No, Iraqis won't be free; but they'll have a lot of free-dumb, supplied by our major provider of free-dumb, Dubya.

[jaysunb]

5. Longing for Sadaam ????

I'll bet there are a lot of folks that wish ol Sadaam was still around. :evilfrown:

[TwilightGardener]

6. Heartening to see that some women refuse to give up their fabulousness, even under

threat of violence.

[sasquatch]

7. But where will the Iraqi people gossip about stuff

[Marrah_G]

8. Just like the Taliban

Monsters hiding behind the guise of piety. I would not shed one tear for these bastards. It's ALWAYS the women who pay the price. Much like Afghanistan soon the Iraqi women will be enslaved and nothing more then silent ghosts. I truly am sorry for what this administration has brought on. I would not even wish on the Bush women the fate the Iraqi women are facing. No woman deserves such treatment.

[Javaman]

9. Who do I have to kill to get a beehive around here?

Oh right...sorry.

[treestar]

10. Totally gives me mixed feelings

The feminist part of me argues that women should not have to worry so much about what they look like, especially when living in a war zone. The other part of me knows this is Islamic extremism at its worst. "Women are women, they always want to look good." What a sexist statement.

[RebelOne]

12. What is so sexist about the statement?

The feminist part of me still wants to look good.

[treestar]

13. I guess it just sounds like women think of little else

And that men don' t have the equal worry.

[Doctor_J]

11. Smirk has turned Iraq into Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia

I wonder what new laws the religious loons HERE will come up with in a couple years when they're in charge.