CNN in Afghanistan: the female citizens dress like freaking BEEKEEPERS!

[elehhhhna]

Damn! A floor-to-ceiling sheet type ensemble with a crocheted, rectangular, maybe 6x4 inch peeky hole at eye level.

I've seen these uber-burkhas before, mostly in photos--but seeing women in these contraptions ( cross cousin It with a Klansman)being interviewed (!) makes it look all the more ludicrous. These ridiculous getups MUST be hot, uncomfortable, impossible to keep clean, and damned dangerous--it allows for NO peripheral vision.


There is just NO WAY women wear these by choice. NO WAY.


Q for Historians: was this style of dress (let's call it Sartorial Imprisonment) a custom, say, 100 years (or more) ago? Anywhere? Thanks...

[BlueEyedSon]

1. Hey, FREEDOM IS ON THE MARCH! Why do you hate AmeriKKKa???

[Extend a Hand]

2. The bookseller of Kabul

is a book written by a female Norwegian journalist that lived with an Afghan family and tells their story from her perspective.

(You'll probably need a box of tissues for the end; I did.)

[American in Asia]

3. loved that book...

someone told me recently (an Afghani coworker, I think) that the author's being sued now by the family because they claim she didn't have their permission to publish this story. Not sure if they're embarrassed, or just wanting to cash in, but I thought that was a bummer in a way, because the book was very moving. No idea if it's true- just what I heard.

Another good one was Samira and Samir - but set in a very different cultural context in Afghanistan.

[elehhhhna]

4. n'kay. oneclick ordering from a-zon, now. THANK YOU!

[Village Idiot]

5. No offense meant, but you have no idea.

It is the only way these women can be assured of safety - even among their own families, in their own villages and neighbourhoods.

Most Afghani women are thankful for the burkha. Most wouldn't change for the world, as they know what would happen if they didn't wear it:

Beatings, mutiliation, rape and murder - more often than not, at the hands of their own families.

[elehhhhna]

8. oh i feel lmuch better now

It sounds like the MEN need some goddarn restrictive clothing to me. just daying.

[rocktivity]

13. Beatings, rape and murder are rooted in anger and violence, not sexuality.

If that what a someone WANTS to do, that's what they're GOING to do, no matter how much or little the victim is wearing. Some "safety."

:headbang:
rocknation

[Village Idiot]

22. I am not in favour of the practice...

It is just a sad reality for women in the ME and Afghanistan in particular...

[rocktivity]

6. Googled "Afghanistan burkha." Well, it's a NICE shade of blue...

:(
rocknation

[elehhhhna]

9. that's a dressy one, dude. on the news they were heavy and dusty.

like this:



hey check the flag! i think that's michelle malkin!

[whatever4]

7. But for all that, women don't need political asylum, sure *sigh* nm

[elehhhhna]

10. yep.

on top of everything else hat is offensive abut his compulsory textilebased imprisonment, doesn't this mode of dres make it easy for, i dunno, say, SUICIDERS to infiltrate crowds, etc.?

You could wear Dick Cheney's Funeral Parka under that getup and who'd know?

[Mizmoon]

11. Why they started the burka thing

In the distant past people in the middle east lived like nomads and woman were scarce and valuable. It was common for riders on horseback to sweep through a camp and grab the women and ride off with them. To combat this the men and women took to wearing similar flowing coverings outdoors to hide their gender. As life became safer the men dressed more casually but got to like the idea of "hiding their women" from other men. That's how it really started.

I got that from an Islamic studies professor.

[rniel]

12. Keeps out flies and mosquitos very well

n/m

[txaslftist]

14. Yeah. Whatta buncha crazy furriners!

Didja see them goofy monks in Tailand? They SHAVE their heads! That has to itch like hayle.

An' them LOONATICK Africans with the tattoos on their faces! On their FACES, fer cryin' out lowd! That's gotta hert.

An them naked savages down in South Amurka! They put pieces of wood in there lips and puff 'em all out-like. What the hayl is that about, anyway?

The world is sure full of a lot of ignorant peeple.

:sarcasm:

[BloodyWilliam]

20. Weird customs are fine.

They STOP being fine when they are clear institutions of extreme and horrible oppression. The women have no choice in the matter. To not wear a burkha is to get beaten, raped, or killed by their kinsmen.

That is NOT a misunderstood custom.

[sam sarrha]

15. women used to be kept in coffin like boxes at night.. in the days of

Mohamed he tried to end the bagging and boxing of women, that is a Tribal custom and not a rule in the Koran.

[BloodyWilliam]

21. That's a good point, and highlights the problem in the Middle East.

Much like our own psycho fundies, Islamic fundamentalist extremism comes NOT from the Koran, but rather from anachronistic tribal customs combined with political unease.

[gulfcoastliberal]

16. The future wardrobe for Iraqi women.

Now they'll be so "free".

:sarcasm:

[mtnester]

17. If this admin had its way it would also be the future mode of dress

for us United States citizens who are female.

[gulfcoastliberal]

19. Touche!

Lets not forget public stonings of "lecherous" females and gays. I'm sure the fundies would go for it. And Judge Roberts and whatever other theocratic extremist they confirm to SCOTUS would concur it is lawful.

[NNN0LHI]

18. That wasn't a female. That was Karl Rove in disguise n/t