Monday, August 13, 2007
Swimwear for Muslim Ladies:Here. Found this from clicking on a Google at at alicublog, of all places. I knew about the head scarves, but is covering the legs and arms part of the rules?
posted by Quiddity at 8/13/2007 04:07:00 PM
4 comments
I'd say there's no "the rules" about this stuff.
In Saudi Arabia, women cover nearly every inch of flesh, can't drive, and basically live lives totally seperate from non-familial men. Afghani burqas aren't Islamic so much as cultural -- in some areas in Afghanistan women don't even have names.
Other places are much different. Pre-civil war Beirut wasn't known as "Paris of the East" because the women were wrapped like mummies.
I think Saudi money and influence has helped spread the "hide women" meme, but there is no "the rules"..it varies from place to place.
Religion (organized superstiton) is bad enough; but the ones that make you dress a certain way, eat or not eat certain foods, or cut off body parts are particularly egregious.
(I might get flamed for this, but...) At least someone's come up with something that lets them swim without drowning from some Ophelia-dress-sinking 40lb. garment. It's at least a step, as it cracks the door open on 'hey, women can be allowed to swim'. Yes, tiny tiny stupidly tiny step, but definitely a step forward.
Funny story, there was this very nice married woman in my class and she wore the headscarf. One time it slipped open, and we could see that her neck was covered in hickys.
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