| Monday, May 6, 2002 |
20:43 - Ooh, baby.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1969000/1969535.stm
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Saudi Arabian authorities have confiscated thousands of full-length black cloaks for women for violating strict Islamic law (Sharia), a Saudi newspaper has reported.
Al-Jazirah said religious police and officials from the commerce ministry had searched more than 350 shops and factories producing the abayas in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam.
The newspaper said 82,000 of the garments were removed.
The confiscated abayas, which are worn from head to toe, were considered to be too revealing or carried decorations and drawings prohibited under Sharia.
Yeah. Go, Ministry of Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue. Burn those filthy whores in their on filth. It's their own fault for showing too much nose.
I swear.
You know, we Westerners are taking a lot of flak for "not seeing the world through Muslim eyes" and "not having the proper perspective" and "not having enough respect for other cultures". Well, you know, some cultures are worthy of respect because they have pure and pristine ties with the land and sing primal tribal songs and stuff. Some cultures deserve honor because they've been hunted to extinction and lost their homelands and yet manage to preserve their ancient traditions into the modern day. Whatever hip new-age reason one might have for striding about in a white suit and bolo tie and wide-brimmed hat singing about the virtues of whatever backward culture you have romantic notions about, you're going to have a platform with some merit. Humans are humans, and all humans are equally worthy.
But some cultures have actively waived their right to respect. They're doing it every day, they're doing it loudly and proudly, and they're not stopping. The same mentality that blows up ancient Buddha statues in cliffsides (to the consternation of fatherly colonial imperialists everywhere) is today punishing women for daring to wear abayas that are too revealing.
And yet these guys are our "allies".
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