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February 7, 2011
Women in the Cairo Street Scenes: a Troubling Photo Essay
My reading of these photos suggests that Egyptian women have already been Islamified.Whether they have done so to please their loving (or abusive) families or a favorite mullah, whether it was peer pressure from girlhood on that did it; or whether it was the teachings of the Muslim Brotherhood being preached in every mosque, on every media channel, and in school that did it, the fact is: t is done. Women are veiled. Such women—and their fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons, will vote for the Muslim Brotherhood to run their country. -- Phyllis Chesler, Israel National News
Posted by Vanderleun at February 7, 2011 8:56 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.
Your Say
Phyllis needs to actually go to Cairo for a while. If she did, she'd find a much more cosmopolitan city that includes everything from the burqa (rare) to ornate western dress for women (think Shakira and you've got a good idea). Cairo women are all vastly more modest in their dress than western women, of course, but I'd not just assume that to be a bad thing. When I was there as part of my work, I found about half were traditionally muslim while the other half aspired to something different. That, of course, included the sizable minority of Christian Copts.
The pictures are also just ridiculous. You can find whatever you want in a group of photos that you would select. Taking a picture of men praying, for instance, is going to get you a picture of men praying since men and women do not pray together in muslim society.
I'd love it if everyone steps back and helps them work out their freedoms rather than sit around wringing their hands about what they might become.
Posted by: daniel at February 8, 2011 4:31 AM
Phyllis has been to the middle east many times, and she has lived in Afghanistan. She barely escaped the hell of a marriage to a Muslim Afghan. She knows and understands better than most so-called feminists in this country the lot of women under Islam.
Her fears are not without merit. You can look at photos from the 1950s, 60s and 70s of Afghanistan and Iran and see the same dark cloud of backwardness and savagery descend. It starts with the veil.
Posted by: Jewel at February 9, 2011 8:01 AM