Friday, December 7

Niqab or Bikini?


I'd like to salute Miss Egyptiana for her recent post which inspired me a lot, especially that it came after I've written about Sabaya café. In her post, Egyptiana poses many questions while attempting to find a suitable comment on a picture featuring 2 girls on the beach, one of them in bikini while the other is veiled.


Actually, it was my intention to write about the issue of stereotyping women in our society, and how this usually takes the shape of a shallow binary opposition. This basically means that women are seen as either black or white, nothing else. If a woman is not what society defines as "white" then she must be "black". The exsitence of other possibilities or mere "grey" is unthought of. A woman is either a saint or a whore.. You are either a wife or a woman looking for a husband.. You are either shy or barefaced (beg7ah).. You are either an angel or a devil.. and on goes the list of opposites.

The most common example of this female binary stereotype, which seems to be so popular nowadays, is the one which assumes that if girls are not veiled, then the only alternative would be for them to wear bikinis!.. Yes.. Don't be surprised when hear this kind of twisted and deformed "logic". In fact, nobody seems to feel ashamed when they proudly present those opposites as the only available choices for female outfits.. It's either the veil or the bikini. So if you happen to discuss a woman's choice in wearing the veil or hijab, you will most probably find someone who instantly asks with much confidence, "Then what do you want? Do you want women to wear bikinis?"
For some of you this might sound like a funny thing.. a kind of silly joke. Or you might think that the person saying this isn't really serious.. But can you imagine that many people believe this to be a serious argument! Not only so.. this kind of belief has shaped the general view of women in Egypt. In fact, the reason behind the rapid increase of veiled women in Egypt, unlike what most people think, has more to do with having a social nature than being driven by a religious conviction. Many (and I am saying many) of the young girls who wear hijab do not actually abide by Muslim daily prayers (which is the second basic requirement in Islam, while hijab is only mentioned in one weak hadith). Muslim women pray at home.. You can rarely find one of them who prays at the mosque. Thus, while prayers are a matter of a private relation between a girl and her creator.. practiced out of people's sight.. hijab is a public statement, announcing to society that the girl who wears it belongs to the "white" category.

Belonging to the "whites" has its many advantages. Needless to say, the best of which is moving away from the other side of the binary opposition system. By declaring yourself a saint, you are protecting your public image.. sending a clear message that you are not the opposite.. That's to say.. You are not the bikini whore. That in itself is a huge benefit. Other minor advantages would include: social acceptance and respect, winning the admiration of men, having a better chance in the marriage market, gaining the trust of the family, relatively having more freedom, fitting into the general female community... etc.
When females responded in such a way to pressures from our patriarchal society which seeks to impose a certain moral system.. one that depends on binary oppositions.. They actually gave this bizaar system a huge credibility.. or I'd rather say, they were the ones who established this system and turned it into a matter of fact. Then more and more females were lured in.. and more were forced to abide by this new social visa. Until we woke up one day to find, for the first time in our history, little girls wearing hijab!
Why does a child have to be veiled? Why is this greeted and welcomed by many people as something positive? Isn't this a vicious murder of innocence? Isn't this a kind of assumption that even a child can be seductive? Why do these people then become so surprised that children (of both sexes) are being sexually molested? It is their own doing.. They have included children into this whole adults' system. Weren't they so pissed off when the ministry of education tried to issue a law preventing primary schoolgirls from wearing the veil at school! Do these adults suppose themselves the only sick people around?.. Of course, not.. There are other kinds of sickness that were being fed by this twisted pratice. Pedophyles loved this kind of declaration.. and it gave them a good excuse for their sickness. Here are some parents who acknowledge that their little girls are sexy! Why then don't they consider pedophyles to be victims who were not able to resist the seductive appeal of those children? Why don't they consider this as an excuse for them, just as they tend to find a justification for men who rape women?!!


Hey, that's not all.. Let me share another tragedy with you. A few days ago, I was shocked to see some of the girls who participated in the Special Olympics this year being veiled!! Of course I was so irritated.. Couldn't believe my eyes.. And all I thought of was "WTF?".. Those are girls who God Himself execluded from all forms of religious obligations. They could not decide anything for themselves, and hence could never have chosen to wear the veil. This is a clear violation of human rights! How could anyone see such a thing without being extremely troubled? What's this for God's sake? Should girls born with down syndrome be held accountable for not covering their hair? Are they supposed to be a source of seduction? Would they also be considered responsible if they were victims of sexual harassment? And would this veil protect them from someone who doesn't show any mercy for their condition? Someone answer me before I go mad! What's going on?.. Why have our people's minds become so fuc**d up?!


It is evident that the idea of binary opposition has become a general rule while dealing with females.. It is taken for granted by the majority of people. For instance, I am no longer able to shop for clothes in Egypt during the summer season.. You know why? Because all the women outfits out there are either designed for veiled women or for their stereotypical opposites.. Yeah, you bet.. they're basically for women walking down the streets in their bikinis! Seems like fashion designers have also adopted this kind of conviction while manufacturing clothes for their female customers. Here's what happened when I went summer shopping for 3 consecutive years.. The first year, 3/4 of the outfits on display were long-sleeved and heel-lengthed. The second year, around 90% of the outfits were designed for veiled women. The third year, I was not able to find a single formal outfit in short sleeves!!

Shop assistant: Any service, Ms.?
Me: Yeah.. Please, can you help me find something with short sleeves?
S.A.:Short sleeves?.. I'm afraid this season all the outfit are long-sleeved.
Me: Oh, yes.. I can see that. The fabrics also are all so thick and heavy.. Are we living in Moscow or something? Am I the only one who feels that summer in Cairo is as hot as hell?!
S.A.: Well.. It's because most of our customers are veiled.. But you can cut the sleeves if you want.
Me: Oh, yeah.. Coz I ain't one of your customers. And what about the fabric? Or wait.. I can make a guess.. You will tell me to buy my own fabric and have it tailored.
S.A.: I'm sorry, Ms. That's all what we have here for now. But there is a shop, not far from here, where you can find what you are looking for.
Me: I know it's not your fault.. I just hope you tell the shop management that they lost one of their "customers" today.

And off I went to the shop she told me about. The window display looked so weird.. But, hey.. I got nothing to loose.

Me: Good evening.. I was hoping to find a short-sleeved outfit.. be it with a skirt or pants.
S.A.: Sure.. Please have a look on this collection and choose whatever you like.
(After turning one hanger after the other in dispair)
Me: Ehhmm.. Excuse me.. I am not looking for beachwear. I'm looking for an outfit to wear at work.. Besides, I don't think any of those would fit a mature woman.. Those are barely for teenagers.
S.A.: Oh, how untrue.. Ms., I want to tell you that we have got veiled customers who buy these clothes.
Me: Veiled customers?!.. Are they done with all the other shops in the city? And how on earth do they wear this stuff? Do they wear it at home?
S.A.: No. They wear it to work, college.. everywhere.. Let me explain.
(She picked a hanger which had a tank top with spagetti straps and a way-above-the-knee skirt.)
See? A veiled girl would wear this with a long-sleeved body and straight pants underneath.
Me: #%*@*?!!!! But why go through all of this trouble while they have got all shops selling clothes that are made specially for them?
S.A.: Some of those young girls want to define their figure, you know. The thick wide outfits don't give them that.
Me: Oh I see.. So they want to cover their hair and define their figure at the same time.. How nice!.. OK, what about those who wish to dress moderately? Where should they go?
S.A.: Why don't you try [the shop I've just been to]?
Me: Actually one of their shop assistants led me here. All the outfits they have are the exact opposite of what you sell here.
S.A.: I'm afraid that what you're looking for is very hard to find.
Me: I already know that!!!!! Ughhhhhhh.. I've been searching for a whole week so far.
S.A.: Hey.. You can ask a tailor to do whatever you want.
Me: Thank you. I really should have done that from the start. Seems that my species have already been extinct, that they don't sell ready-made clothes for us anymore.

I believe the next extremist step would push women further apart in opposite directions.. If this happens, I won't be surprized if comparisons became even sharper. Probably the future binary opposition would suppose that women have only 2 choices.. Either niqab or one-piece bikini!.. No wonder the dilemma that is yet to face our females will be: "To wear or not to wear.. That's the question."

50 comments:

egy anatomist said...

أحلى حاجة في البوست ده.. الصورة اللي فوق:) أقصد اللي بالنقاب طبعا.. حضرتك فاهمة

لا صحيح

أنا شايف ان حضرتك مش فيمنست ولا حاجة.. حضرتك ميليست
malest
على أعلى مستوى كمان

ليه بقى

لإن الشائع إن الفيمينست بتدافع عن حقوق المرأة.. وأنا شايفك بتدافعي عن حقوق الرجل

أكتر حد مستفيد في المجتمع من غياب الازدواجيات الشاذة اللي حضرتك عبرتي عنها بعبقرية مش جديدة عليكي هيكون الرجال

أكتر حد هيستفيد من إن الثنائيات المتطرفة دي تتلاشى هيكون الر جال

أكتر حد هيستفيد من إن البنت المحجبة تكون مقتنعة بده من جواها وواعية بأسباب حجابها بوضوح على رأي الدكتور ضياء النجار.. هيكون الرجل اللي مش هيتخدع في واحدة يفتكرها من جوه متدينة وملتزمة فعلا سلوكا وأفعالا وبعدين يلاقيها فقط متحجبة عشان المجتمع والمكانة وكلام الناس وكل الأسباب الحقيقية وراء الحجاب

يبقى حضرتك ميليست ولا فيمنست؟؟ أنا شايف إنك أكبر مدافع عن حقوق الرجل مش المرأة

حقيقي المتعة اللي بحسها من قراية تحليلاتك صعب أوصفها.. أنا بقرا البوست أكتر من مرة عشان استمتع بنفاذ البصيرة وعمق التحليل وشمولية النظر ة وبلاغة اللغة ودقة الكلمة وروعة الصور

أنا مستعد أقسم إن حضرتك أديبة بلا شك وممكن كمان تكوني بتنشري أعمال رفيعة المستوى ونكون بنقراها ومش عارفين ان حضرتك نفس الشخص

تمكنك من اللغة والصور والتعبيرات والتنقل بين المقال والحوار المسرحي والصور الدرامية كل ده شغل محترفين يا دكتورة يا فنانة

مواضيع حجاب البنات الأطفال والمعاقات ذهنيا.. هو شئ أقسم بالله العظيم تلاتة إنه بيهز عرش الرحمن في سابع سما

أقسم بالله العظيم إنه بيحزن الله أيما حزن .. الأطفال أحباب الله

والمعاقات ذهنيا أكيد أحباب الله بلا شك

وكلنا أحباب الله والله العظيم

يخرب بيت جسم الست اللي مجنن ومطير عقول الشواذ في كل مكان في الوطن العربي المهووس جنسيا

يخرب بيت جسم الست والبنت والطفلة والمريضة اللي مش متشاف إلا إنه صدر ورجل ولحمة

اوفففففففففففففففففففففففففففففففف

وآخرتها في القرف ده

أفتكر كويس من عشر سنين أو اكتر شوية وانا في الجامعة كان حجاب بنت بيكون حدث كبير ولازم ليه تفسيرات.. مكانش حد ضد الحجاب وأنا مش ضده ولا معاه.. أنا ضد مخلوقة متحسش في نفسها حاجة إلا إن عندها شعر محتاج يتغطى

كان لبس معظم البنات غاية في الاحترام والاحتشام بذوق وشياكة وأدب ومفيش تناقضات رهيبة

يمكن جامعتي وكليتي شوية اضربوا متأخر شوية بالفيروس الرهيب ده.. لإني لما زرت الكلية تاني بعد سنين لقيت منظر تاني خلاص.. مناظر غاية في التطرف.. بنات ماشية بالبيكيني وجنبها بنات بالاسود في اسود

بكيني في الجامعة؟ آه والله حاجة زي كده ومش بعيدة عنها كتير

بس أنا موضوع البنات بتوع داون حقيقي تاعبني.. حقيقي متعب أوي.. حرام.. دول ساقط عنهم التكليف.. حرام.. مش هيفهموا.. حرام.. هيبقى سهل غوايتهم لإن حطينا جواهم انهم إناث وممكن يكون مرغوب فيهم جنسيا.. في حين هم أطفال وهيفضلوا أطفال ومش فاهمين.. وبالتالي بقى ممكن جدا يستجيبوا لأي مريض أو شاذ ويجربوا

حرام يا فانتازيا

مصر لازم تصمد شوية قدام المد البحري الهايج ده اللي بيضرب في سواحلها الجميلة

مصر لازم تنشف شوية وتثق في نفسها اكتر

مصر محتاجة تفتكر تاريخ الستات فيها من آلاف السنين

حد قرا ول ديورانت قال ايه عن ستات مصر في قصة الحضارة

حد قرا مؤرخين الفرس والمشرق قالوا ايه لما شافوا الست الفرعونية وقوتها وذكاءها وريادتها

مصر طول عمرها متدينة ومخلصة ومحترمة

مصر مسيحية اتعذبت عشان دينها واخلصت ليه

مسلمة وسطية محترمة معتدلة قوية واثقة في نفسها

مصر جالها الإسلام وهي كان بينها وبينه مسافة بسيطة اوي.. كانت مسيحية مؤمنة متدينة موحدة بالله

الإخوة بتوع النقاب في شبه الجزيرة كانوا تحت الأرض.. جالهم الإسلام العظيم على إيد الرسول الأعظم رفعهم لحال تاني.. لكن يا دوبك الرسول توفى ودول ما صدقوا.. رجعوا لعاداتهم.. وغيروا في الدين العظيم النقي المجدد التقدمي.. وملوه بثقافاتهم وعاداتهم وأفكارهم وصحراويتهم وجفافهم

جفافهم ده ليه ينشف نيلنا؟؟ ليه صحراويتهم تصحر وادينا الأخضر

أنا مش بكرههم ولا بقول احنا احسن.. بس كلٍ له ظروفه

واحنا مننفعش في كده.. مصر متعطلة أوي بالقرف ده

أقول فين محمد علي؟ فين ابراهيم؟ فين اللي دكوا الوهابية ورجعوها مكانها.. الفكر مش نافع.. يبقى المدفع ينفع

بنت حسن البنا.. حسن البنا.. حسن البنا.. مكانتش محجبة

خالص

بنت حسن البنا

مش محجبة

حسن البنا مش عارف دينه

مش عارف إن الحجاب قبل الحساب

مش عارف ان حجابي حياتي

مش عارف ان احجاب هو النقاب

مش عارف حنان ترك

حسن البنا طلع ميعرفش حنان ترك

..

على صوتك يا فانتازيا هانم.. عليه بالغنا.. فالمصريات يعرفن كيف يغنين ولا يعرفن كيف يوءدنَّ أنفسهن أحياء

..

سامحيني على انفعالي.. من حقي

وألف تصفيقة حارة لصوتك الجرئ وضميرك المصري الأصيل وذكاءك الإنساني وحسك العادل وموهبتك المحركة

..

تحياتي واحترامي

على باب الله said...

a very nice post like always ..

you were actually saying what i had in mind ..

i was also asking myself .. why does it have to be either nequab or bikini ?

in the times that we don't see much of the bikins walking around ?

maybe it's just a scarecrow

something to frighten girls with

so that they will hide behind a nequab

---

why do little girls wear veils and sometimes a whole nequab ?

what are their parents trying to say ?

that we are animals ?

yes sure we are then ..

for looking to these girls with a lusty eye !!

but yet again .. would an animal be stopped by a veil ?

i mean would a veil stop someone who's sick enough to abuse a child ?

i seriously doubt it ..

seriously doubt it

--

then came the veiled special olympics players ..

same as above ? we gotta be extremely sick fantasia

really sick to abuse those girls

---

these guys ?????

how do their brain cells work ??

i guess i will never know

---

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post, Fantasia. What I find most troubling in this constant concern with female wardrobe choices is that women are reduced to purely sexual creatures, to the exclusion of all else--no mind, no intelligence, no emotions, no dreams, no expectations, no talents. Also, the discussion about how the woman is covering her body is without end--oh, you can see the lines of her underclothes--or oh, she is wearing makeup with higab, so what does that mean?--or look at the shoes she is wearing with her niqab, what does she want us to think?--and so on.

There are so many things that require URGENT attention in the society and yet people spend so much energy on the hyper-sexualized representation of woman.

Anonymous said...

fantasia, you brought up a very important point!!!! I have always felt the same way shopping in cairo.... The last time I shopped there was a few years ago, and I was looking for a dress to wear for a friends wedding... and all I could find were dresses with spaggeti straps and waaaay too much cleavage showing, or no back what so ever, or "holes" big circular ones on the abdomen, maybe 1 or 2 large holes.... about 10 cm. in diameter!!! and slits down the gown all the way up to the waist!!! on the other hand, there were the long sleeved closed up to the neck and dresses wide and long down to your heals... made of very thick material... and of course a matching head cover and I was not a higabi, but i am not slutty either, and there was no way i would be caught dead in public in either one of these rediculous outfits!! but i was always able to find great casual clothes..... now you mention that these have disappeared.. and all i can say is this makes me sad!! very very sad.we are slowly losing our identity. i feel like egypt is rolling downhill and gaining momentum as it goes. and all egyptians do is watch and cheer... oblivious to the dramatic changes... I am afraid one day I will wake up, and egypt will be another afghanistan, where women will be locked up at home, and forbidden from work, education, or even from getting health care!!! all in the name of religion :(

i saw an interesting video of nawal elsa3dawy talking to someone on aljazeera, and he asked her why she was against the hegab, and what does she expect women to wear?? ( same mentality you talk about... if not hegab, then it must be the bikini!!!) she answered him vey nicely.. she said.. i want them to dress like you, you arent wearing a hegab, but you arent showing us your belly either.... i thought it as actualy funny, cause i immediatly imagined his fat bulging hairy belly roflmao!!! protruding below a short t-shirt lmao! anyway, back to being serious.. she had a point... here's the link to the video


http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1396.htm

AmiroZ said...

رابط تحقيق روز اليوسف عن مقهى صبايا حنان ترك
http://www.egypty.com/people-talk-details.aspx?people_talk=1068

رابط آخر من مدونة حجاب نقاب وزبالات أخرى عن نفس الموضوع
http://hegab-nekab.blogspot.com/2007/12/blog-post_8036.html

G.Gar said...

Youhave braught up a good point on this post

To my humble opinion, an Arab woman must be free to wear whatever she wants, so long as it is not revealing. And I think that is core line of your piece? As for Bickinis , I have nothing against them in principal. However, given the current environment in Egypt,I think that less objectification of women will only come about with the development of the society as a whole. unfortunately, women are the most vulnerable part of our society, hence all our economic, social, political and cultural failures are taken out on women.

The Alien said...

it has nothing to do with religion
that is how it works in evrything here
it is always Hejab or Bikiny
moamen or kafer
rich or poor
beard or drugged
it is always black or white

Why does a child have to be veiled?
why does a 4 years child who did not learn to talk yet have to be vieled?
this drives me crazy and talking about or seeing it makes me mad

"To wear or not to wear.. That's the question" ... good one fantasia

Fantasia said...

egy anatomist,
i'm flattered to be called a masculist by a man.. an egyptian man! actually your kind comment proves my point.. women rights are the rights of humanity as a whole. i am only seeking to bring back balance into the human society. thanks for your intelligent conclusion and hope that more men would consider me more of a friend than an enemy :)
your comment raises many issues.. i don't know where to start. mmm.. let me start from where you ended, cause that was really brilliant and touching. egypt.. its unique culture.. its special character and identity.. its place in history.. its religious people. egypt is under attack.. our beloved egypt is being terrorized by desertification, as you kindly noted. what is to be done? how can we protect egypt? how can we prevent the desert sands from covering up our beautiful identity?
i believe the blogosphere is full of good wills and sincere attempts to fight against this retarded transformation. egy anatomist, you have such an excellent intellectual project which is much needed in this respect. i also have my own battle field, as well as many other wonderful bloggers. but how can we make best use of all this potential and talent?
the hijab of kids and girls with special needs is just a single episode in the tragic present we witness nowadays. hanan turk's cafe is another episode.. sexual obsession no wonder is on the rise and has become a serious threat to our security. i bet there is not a single egyptian girl who has never been sexually harrassed in one way or another. and instead of facing this crisis we are scaring those girls and forcing them to shut up. we are putting the victim in the place of the criminal, while shaking hands with the actual criminals and encouraging them to go on with their crimes. what does religion have to do with this? how is God supposed to be pleased? how on earth to believers in paradise have got any hope in reaching it??
they used to say "Islam is the answer", now it has become "hijab abd niqab are the answer".
yet, the hijab on our heads has caused all our society to strip into its bikini.. we are exposed to be shamefully far away from morals, ethics or any kind of religion. and soon our society would be completely naked, and exposed to the harrassments of the beduins who are raping our beautiful country.
"hijabi is my life" is a very dangerous disease if those people have got any brains under this hijab! it basically means that life is reduced to its appearance.. it means that covering one's hair is the most important thing in life.. it means that life is hijab, both are the same thing! is that the egyptian modern definition of life??
compare this to what the ancient egyptians said about life:
"Knowledge is the Way to Life; The Way to Life leads to the Way to God. The Way to God leads to Inner Knowledge. Inner Knowledge leads to Wisdom. Wisdom becomes Life."
thanks for you encouragement.. i only know that what i write makes sense, or that it has any good qualities, from my readers' feedback. keep interacting.

Fantasia said...

ala bab allah,
your comment is a cry to all those who want us to believe that men are wolves. i wish they would hear you say, "we gotta be extremely sick fantasia". i wish that those men who very proudly talk about the male's powerful sexual urge, would acknowledge that their understand of human male sexuality is EXTREMELY SICK.
and we reward the sick by covering up their victims, and giving them excuses to rape, harrass, abuse, and invade female privacy! i just feel i wanna throw up when one of those who call themselves "men of religion" use this sick logic in justifying hijab! one like the hateful khaled elgindy would appear on national TV and say something as inhuman as "if a man sees a girl who is not covered up and does not become sexually aroused, then he is not a man"!!
imagine how this dirty and insensitive kind of thinking can feed the sickness of rapists and sexual harrassers! what those people are saying is that men are savage animals.. and they are not the least ashamed of themselves. not only that, but they are accusing the normal men, who are not lead by their sexual organ, of not being masculine!! is this the definition of manhood? don't they know that what they are referring to are very well-known psychological disorders called Trichophilia (hair fetish) and Voyeurism (sexually gazing at the body of a total stranger).
moreover, it was discovered that killer psychopaths all start as sexual male gazers.. then they start developing obsessions and may end up using violence against the object of their sexual obsession.
so as a matter of fact, yes, men have given themselves the reputation of being sick.. not only that, but dangerously sick that they are harmful to women. but because men put the social rules, they forced women to view themselves as sexual objects. and those people who make their kids wear the veil are rewarding those sick men by applying their rules!
what can i say? what is more to be said? i don't know. i guess it is time for men to prove that they are not sick.. what do you think?

Fantasia said...

dear raaasa,
such a pleasure that you liked this post. and i can't agree more that women were objectified and reduced into their physical bodies: either by over-exposure and pornography or by covering-up every inch of their bodies. the sexual obsession in the middle east stems from the combination of both: men are used to seeing all covered-up women in the street, are in fact porn addicts in their private lives. and on the other hand, women who don't feel attractive or feminine pick on those who got strong feminine assets. for example, everybody in the arab world curses haifaa wahbi, while in fact they can't get their eyes off her when she is on TV or in magazines. the social illnesses have caused everybody to have double lives.
a woman's outfit became the central focus of this sick society which emphasizes appearances more than anything else. the outfit is what appears of a woman, as opposed to all the other things you mentioned (mind, intelligence, emotions, talent...etc). therefore when women move towards an extreme in one side, others move towards the opposite extreme. we studied this rule in physics: "every action has a reaction that is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction". and i find this to be very true while dealing with the issue of women clothing.
thanks a lot for your insights.

Fantasia said...

dearest EFC,
oh, God, i couldn't stop laughing while reading about your shopping experience in egypt :)) especially when you describes the big circular holes in the gown which are 10 cm in diameter.. hell, that's too much for a belly-dancer even! can you imagine what the shop assistant would think about the woman who would actually buy this dress? that's so sad, really.
i'd like to tell you that short sleeves have totally vanished from shops. i can confidently place a high bet and challenge anyone to find a single short-sleeved item of women's wear in egypt! they suppose that you are either hijabi/niqabi or someone going to a beach party in the bahamas.. nothing in between. but the funniest thing is that hijabis and niqabis do in fact buy the bahamas outfits!! just a look at the streets of cairo would make you think that women are dressed for a carnival of some bizaar nature.. i am not kidding. everything goes.. pants under skirts, tight jeans with hijab, transparent blouses over tiny tank tops, glittery hijabs with rhinestones worn in the morning, women wearing indian turbans as hijab, veiled girls wearing boots over tight pants in summer, two tight bodies worn over one another, huge belts over long shirts.. you can find them all.
thanks for the link.. nawal elsaadawy has had her share of stoning in egypt. she is a great female mind, not only a feminist. reading what she said on aljazeera, i remembered once when i watched her being interviewed by emad eldeen adeeb.. he asked her what the difference between men and women was in her opinion.. and her brilliant answer was "nothing". of course he was shocked and laughed so stupidly in disbelief.. but she explained it beautifully to him. her words still ring in ears: "you are human, and i am human. you are praised for qualities like honesty, bravery, intelligence, doing good deeds, and so am i. you want to succeed, be happy, have a meaningful life, and so do i. so what is the difference? is it our sexual organs?" of course he was silent for a few seconds and to hide his embarrassment he asked for a commercial break. but she was amazing all through this interview.. had a perfect answer for every question.. handled criticism in a very civilized way.. she never blinked while he kept trying to provoke her. this woman is a legend. i shall dedicate a post to her on Fantasia's Shrine in the near future.
thanks feminist chic for enriching discussions as usual. enjoy shopping where you are, but don't forget that you have got sisters who suffer here :) all the best, dear.

Fantasia said...

amir,
thanks for the useful links. hope you'll keep frequenting fantasia's world.

Fantasia said...

amre el-abyad,
long time, dear friend. glad you liked this post. and thanks for your comment, especially your final thought: "women are the most vulnerable part of our society, hence all our economic, social, political and cultural failures are taken out on women".
i believe women should seek to get out of this vulnerable position as a first step towards retreiving their human state. stepping out of the victimization area would an achievement in itself right out i have to admit.
and yes, you guessed it right. i am with everything moderate and against all extremes. i don't reject extremes as long as they are not harmful.. yet i am not willing to tolerate anything that violates the rights of others or harm them in any way. that's why i am against political factors which seek to corrupt our society and in turn our country as a whole. what's taking place now hinders any kind of development and threatens the future of generations to come.. women and men. that's why i can't just watch or simplify matters into a fashion issue. this is so dangerous. and in order for society to develop, there should be economic growth as well as cultural awareness. yet both are hopeless as long as there are people who want us to go back 14 hundred years. external forces made use of women's poor conditions.. this was the weakest and easiest door which they used to invade our society, destroy our identity, erase our memory, rob our culture, and alter our values. how is development possible in the current situation?

Fantasia said...

the alien,
flattered that you liked this closing sentence.. it just popped into my head while finishing up with this post.
your comment draws attention to other sets of opposition which exist nowadays. the average person now takes it for granted that there are no colors.. our life is losing its colors and is transforming into a pale black and white image! i am most worried about the multiple shades of grey, i have to tell you. those too are disappearing.
the 4 year old child who gets veiled is a victim of child abuse. we hear all the time about children's rights and the work of mama suzanne in this field.. yet nobody dares to take action when it comes to veiling children! what are they scared of? isn't it better to stop this awful practice now, while the majority of people are still against it, than to wait till we see most of our KG girls covering their hair? what is preventing lawmakers from taking action?!! is it coz nobody speaks for those children?
i believe that egyptian children need a voice.. there should be a "children's rights movement" to fight for those helpless kids who face all kinds of abuse. look at our streets and all the homeless children around. what kind of "religious" society could tolerate this scene? what kind of "religious" people would bury their little daughters under bundles of clothes.. depriving them from childhood innocence and freedom.. torturing them while playing in our hot weather? are those human at all? do they know the abc of humanity or mercy?
why do those kids have to suffer just because they were born in the 3rd world and thus do not enjoy of the rights which kids of the developed world enjoy? for how long will we allow this continue in front of our eyes?

Anonymous said...

oh fanta.... i am just homesick now... i am dying to come to cairo for a vacation... not possible though with work, husband, and daughter!!! maybe towards the end of 2008 i will go, ... i hope we would still have a semi normal society at that time!! but knowing that i havent been there for a few years... i am sure things have changed dramaticly!!! still.... i feel like it is my home, no mater how crazy people get... sigh!

Anonymous said...

I was browsing the net, and found an article talking about hoda sha3rawy, and tht today it is the 60th anniversary of her...uhhhmmm... death... ( okay, i know it is odd to celebrate someone's death, but you know how people think!!) anyway, so they celebrated?? the anniversary in elmenya where she was born, and "masrawy" had a little article about her life... which to me she an amazing pioneer, who liberated a country... now please take a moment to read the comments of the egyptian readers on the website!!! now i am a good girl, and i dont usually use bad language but all i can say is %$$%@@##!! (feel free to fill in the blanks) i am officialy pissed at these people!!! holy moly where did those people grow up?? was it not in the same country where we were raised?? as far as i know, hoda sha3rawy was always hailed as the woman who liberated egyptian women,( togther with mostafa ameen... correct me if i am wrong)so she was always seen as a hero! when did they all turn into ( i have no way of saying this in english) nas me3a2ada we malyana kalakee3??

here' the link:

http://www.masrawy.com/News/2007/Egypt/Politics/december/11/hudasharawy.aspx

thanks for hearing me vent!

Fantasia said...

Dearest feminist chic,
don't be pissed off.. those people live on another planet and this site "masrawy" is run by people who are pro-the muslim brotherhood. especially those in charge of the comment section. they always put poison in honey in such an indirect way to avoid the exposure of their rotten ethics and mentality. notice how they ended their article:
كانت هدى الشعراوي أول امرأه تنزع الحجاب عن راسها وقد نزعته بعد مشاركتها في ندوه للنساء في اروبا بعد ان نزلت السلالم ونزعته وسط تصفيق حار من النساء.

that's the only thing which remained in the minds of those ignorant people who insulted her.
anyway i added my comment over there, but of course i doubt that masrawy will publish it. here's the comment to soothe your heart:

"ناصرت هدى شعراوي القضية الفلسطينية فنظمت أول مؤتمر نسائي للدفاع عن فلسطين في سنة 1938، وبعد وقوع التقسيم سنة 1947 دعت النساء إلى تنظيم جهودهن لجمع المال وإعداد الكساء وقيد أسماء المتطوعات للعمل في التمريض والإسعاف."

كل اللي بيشتموا دول فاكرين نفسهم رجالة.. وللأسف محسوبين علينا رجالة. البركة فيكم يا أخويا أنت وهو، م أنتوا بكره هتلبسوا طرح.. يعني هتتحجبوا قريب أوي. أبقوا بقى وقتها يا ريت تلبسوا برقع كمان, ده لو عندكم دم, علشان الناس تترحم من وشوشكم العكرة. يا أصحاب الدم الفاسد والعقل المليء بالقذورات. أبدا لا يرضي الله هذا النيل من سمعة وشرف أمرأة متوفية, لا تملك الدفاع عن نفسها. هي الأن في رحاب الرحممن الرحيم, الذي يهز عرشه ما تفعلون.. فأنتم عار على البشرية جمعاء وأبعد ما يكون عن أي دين أو أخلاق. هنيئا لكم بالجهل وبذاءة الفكر فبل اللسان. فالله الحق بريء من تمسح أشكالكم بالدين والفضيلة. وهدى شعراوي ستضحك على جهلكم وتبكي من الشفقة عليكم حين تبعثون.

That Guy said...

Great post.

Two things need to be addressed here:

1. People should STOP judging each other. We probably all won't agree on one thing so the least we can do is keep these things to ourselves.

2. The words 'good' and 'bad', plus any of their derivatives to mean that there are only two ways to see things, should be dropped.

Still, easier said than done, yeah...

Anonymous said...

Today's International Herald Tribune ran a story about Egypt's competition to display outward signs of piety through hijab, niqab, and zebiba.

What struck me was that it's all about appearances fuelled by peer pressure, which the article mentions is a most powerful in "group-think societies."

http://www.iht.com:80/articles/2007/12/12/news/letter.php

egy anatomist said...

فانتازيا هانم
............

لما قرأت ماذكرته السيدة فيمينست تشيك بخصوص الخبر المنشور عن هدى شعراوي لم أنزعج كثيرا، حيث أعرف وأعي تماما مستوى الوعي الشعبي المصري بهذه الأمور وكيف ينظر إليها وخاصة ما يتعلق منها بالمرأة وجسدها وحجابها وشعرها الخ.. ودخلت لأقرأ الخبر فلم أصدق أن الأمر وصل لهذا الحد وأن البذاءة والسفالة والانحطاط قد تجاوزا جميع الحدود وتفوقوا على أنفسهم. وكنت بصدد الرد والتعقيب على هذه السفالات رغم إحجامي الدائم عن هذه الأنواع من المجادلات العقيمة مع أناس هم كالدواب أو أشد شرا

وقبل أن أكتب.. قرأت تعليقاأثلج صدري لفتاة اسمها بنت مصرية.. فلم أصدق عيني من قوة منطقها وروعة بيانها وتماسك كلماتها وعمق تأثيرها.. وفوجئت أكثر بأن من رد عليها لم يستطع إلا أن يعبر عن إعجابه بما كتبته رغم اختلافه الجذري معه.. وعندها قررت أن أقرأ أولا باقي التعليقات عندك هنا

ويا لمفاجأتي.. إنها أنتِ.. البنت المصرية.. أنت فناتازيا هانم.. يا الله.. هل حباكِ الله أنتِ وحدك بكل عطاياه الإلهية في مجالات اللغة ولسان البشر.. هل يُمكن أن يملك أحد نواصي لغتين فيكتب بهما بتمكن يصل لدرجة الإجادة الكاملة وبلاغة تصل لدرجة الأدب الرفيع؟ أقسم بالله العظيم إني أتحفظ دائما في التعبير عن إعجابي بأي شخص أو شئ وأرغم نفسي على الصبر والتأني.. ولكن بعد قراءتي لكِ على مدى شهور.. لم يصبح الأمر إعجابا.. بات انبهارا وإيمانا.. يا سيدتي لنا كل الشرف وكل الفخر وكل الحظوة والحظ الحسن بأننا نقرأ لكِ وننهل من فيض موهبتك الأدبية أولا والفكرية أولا واللغوية أولا.. لا تنسي أول قراءك ومعجبيكِ حينما تشتهرين وتصبحين علما في سماء هذا الوطن الذي لا يعقم أبدا ويستمر يلد نساء مثلك ورجالا مثل من أنجبوكِ

اسمحيلي بوضع بعض الكلمات والتعبيرات التي عقدت لساني وأذهلت بياني عندما قرأتها.. لن أعلق هناك.. فلا يُكتَب بعدما كتبتيه حرف.. ولا يُذكر بعدما ذكرتيه ذِكر

"
يا أصحاب الدم الفاسد والعقل المليء بالقذورات. أبدا لا يرضي الله هذا النيل من سمعة وشرف أمرأة متوفية, لا تملك الدفاع عن نفسها. هي الأن في رحاب الرحممن الرحيم, الذي يهز عرشه ما تفعلون.. فأنتم عار على البشرية جمعاء وأبعد ما يكون عن أي دين أو أخلاق. هنيئا لكم بالجهل وبذاءة الفكر فبل اللسان. فالله الحق بريء من تمسح أشكالكم بالدين والفضيلة. وهدى شعراوي ستضحك على جهلكم وتبكي من الشفقة عليكم حين تبعثون
"

وأيضا


"
دمت لمصر يا سارة ودام سرور الله والوطن بك
"

....

اكتبي بالعربية يا فانتازيا

ملايين المصريين لو علموا لصرخوا فيكِ مطالبين أن تكتبين لهم بالعربية

..

ليحفظك الله سيدتي مثالا مكتملا على العقل عندما يتحرر والقلب عندما يتبصر والروح عندما في علياءها المجيد تشدو بنقاءها وتتفخر

ــ

تحياتي واحترامي دائما

Fantasia said...

that guy,
welcome, and thanks for your comment. your two points actually sum up this whole post. it is easier said than done, that's for sure, and that's our biggest problem. those who say and believe those principles should live up to them, as the only hope lies in them. wish to receive more of your feedbacks.

Fantasia said...

dear raaasa,
thanks a lot for the link.. i couldn't believe my eyes while reading what egyptians said about the value of this forehead mark called zebeeba. what's up people? has anyone said that the prophet had a zebeeba or something of this kind? and what the hell makes people scratch their own foreheads to deform their faces with this ugly brown marks? this is intentional harm of oneself that is against religion! the frenzy of maintaining a religious apprearance is driving people crazy, i'm afraid. not only that, we are moving further away from moral values and real ethics. walk down the street for 10 minutes and see how people treat one another, for God's sake! and that girl who studies art and thinks the zebeeba will light on the person's forehead.. what kind of art does she study? and why they hell doesn't she seek to have a zebeeba to shine on her forehead?
i'm so damn pissed off.. what will the readers of herald tribune think about egyptians? huh? that we are all zebeeba freaks! damn!

Fantasia said...

egy anatomist,
thanks for all what you said.. and let me use this opportunity to thank EFC again for sharing that link with us and giving me the chance to get recognition for writing in arabic.
actually i am so thankful for your encouragement, and pretty surprised that my limited abilities in arabic writing were met with this admiration from you. i didn't prepare anything in my mind, but i am very slow with arabic typing.. maybe that gave me the chance to gather my ideas in spite of my fury at the time i wrote those lines.
what makes me so happy, is that comments on this page were expected to increase rapidly in the same ugly way.. but after my comment was published and for a whole day, only a couple of negative comments were added.. and even those are in one comparable to what was written before my comment. seems that some people actually got too ashamed to add their insults, especially with the unexpected support i received there :)
this one was a success.. but knowing my limits with the arabic language prevents me from considering to actually write in it.. at least for the time being. my arabic blog is doing fine, with the assistance i am getting, without which i could have never been able to expand in such a way.
still it was nice to receive your suggestion and your kind applause. thanks.

Anonymous said...

my dearest fantasia

it is nice seeing an issue written by u and miss egyptiana talking about similar thing and giving us the previlege of reading your thoughtful ideas about it i would love to salute u and my dearest friend miss egyptiana too on the effort writing about such important issue

u r right fantasia

today being veiled became something not mainly based upon religion
sometimes i hear some girls saying that they take it off as soon as they leave home because they r not convinced by it

i read an article i think in rozalyousef about small kids like 11 or 12 years old maybe much younger wearing nekab i was astonished

they were interviewing their parents
their parents said that it is good to do this for their daughters while they r still young
كحمايه ليهم

i was also astonished when one of those girls her brother was in the same school and he said that
انه مابيتكلمش مع اخواته البنات في المدرسه عشان يدي مثال لبقيه الولاد ان غلط يكلموا بنات شوفتي التطرف وصل لحد فين؟

بتسغرب فانتازيا اما بشوف اعلانات وظايف خاليه في الجرايد و بتكتب من ضمن الشروط انها تكون محجبه او تكون مثلا مسيحيه
ماعرفش علي اي اساس بيحددوا ده و هل الدين له علاقه بالكفاءه في العمل

صدقيني انا ماعنديش مانع لما يكون غطاء الرأس عن اقتناع و نابع من البنت نفسها مش اجبار من اهلها لكن اللي ساعات كتيره بنشوفه دلوقتي حاجه تانيه خالص بعيده كل البعد عن الأقتناع الداخلي

تحياتي لكي فانتازيا علي تميز موضوعاتك و طريقه عرضك الشيقه لها

دمتي بكل الود

Anonymous said...

fantasia, i just saw what you posted.... they actually left it there!!! you go girl!!! very well said! i agree with everything egy anatomist said. i love you responded :)


just a little note on the side... i realy appretiate that you take the time to answer each person commenting on your blog... you give it a very "personal" feel. i hink this is the reason many people come back and comment again(besides of course th excellent ideas and amazing articles). it just shows that you care about what others say, and that you make time for others. so thanks again:)

Anonymous said...

correction....

** i love how you responded**** sorry for the typos :)

Fantasia said...

dear agenda,
your uplifting words have always been of special importance to me. thank you for backing me up ever since i started writing.
i liked your comment on egyptiana's blog so much. i believe any healthy society should have a majority of moderates to maintain its balance. what we witness nowadays is that the majority have become extremists, while only very few have managed to stay moderate.
veiling little girls really squeezes my heart so painfully.. i can't imagine that there are even those who make them wear niqab! how can those poor girls play or have fun with their friends? they are killing their childhood. can you imagine what those girls will be like when they grow up? they will be so full of hatred and bitterness. how can a parent be able to do this to his own child? i know they don't have mind.. but don't they have hearts even? and that boy who doesn't talk to his sisters at school will grow up to be sexually obsessed, and most probably will end up harassing girls in public places. that is just so sick!
God could never want or like such a thing.. it must be very hard to see those little angels all covered-up in black. thanks dear agenda for your comment.

Anonymous said...

Fantasia,

I agree with EFC-- thank you, EFC, for spelling it out so beautifully-
-that I do very much appreciate the time and effort you take to thoughtfully respond to each of your visitor's postings. Fantasia, thank you for that.

As much as I do appreciate and value that, it must take you forever so I certainly understand if you only respond briefly or to those posts that really spark something--mind you, in these topics, it seems that most of these topics spark something within me.

About the zebibah, it is only a matter of time before someone in China decides that there is a market for zebibahs in Egypt and creates imitation ones that you can just glue or paint on. (Forgive me, couldn't help myself.)

Fantasia said...

dear feminist chic,
glad that your liked my comment over there.. it was quite a surprise for me that masrawy actually published both comments i posted! but the effect was even more amazing. it is good that some people can actually change their minds when they clearly see the evil behind their deeds.

Fantasia said...

dear feminist chic and raaasa,
expressing your appreciation for my individual replies made me so happy. i invest a lot of time and effort in replying on different blogs for sure.. but i derive more pleasure from this interaction than any other activity i might be doing during that time. sometimes i stay up all night and could hardly wake up in the morning.. but remembering the amazing feedback and the wonderful feelings that my readers show towards me are enough to make me as active as a racing horse. that exchange of ideas and all the positive energy generated by discussions are my source of joy and bliss. now your appreciation of doing what i really love makes me more motivated and fuels me with lots of energy.
how thoughtful of you! so grateful.

Dr. Eyad Harfoush said...

Dear Fantasia,
Sorry for the absence, and for the delayed comment. I am not in my very best these days. a mood of uselessness, that I hope to pass soon. You know I hared about that Fulla but did not see it but here, hahahaha, hya weslet lekeda? I guess I should consider moving from here before it starts getting any worse. Greetings for the unique post, as smart and touching as usual. Regards

Masria said...

للاسف يا فانتازيا عشان الامتحانات مش هاقدر اكتب تعليق براحتي .. بس احب اقولك البوست عاجبني .. مقنع جدا..استمتعت جدا بيه
تحياتي

Fantasia said...

dr. eyad,
glad that i received your feedback on this one.. and i appreciate it that you took the time to write me this comment. i could tell that something was not OK as you always updated your blog and posted new articles. i didn't know it had to do with your mood, which in spite of being a bit relieving is still bad enough. reading the words "mood of uselessness" coming from you felt so awkward! for some reason i found it very hard to believe or to imagine, bearing in mind your strongly positive spirit.
didn't know you were not familiar with Fulla.. mtshofshy we7esh ya doc! i myself find it too freaky and would die before i see a little kid playing with it? i guess that doll comes with a written warning to the children.. something like "don't undress fulla or you will go to hell!"
cheer up, doc, and never consider moving.. we gotta stay for the sake of those children before they prevent them from playing and force toddlers to fast twice a week. wish you would shake off that negative mood and get writing right away. nothing would make you feel better than kicking ass. waiting for your comeback.

Fantasia said...

dear masria,
missed your presence so much. i was so happy to know that you are still following what i post here. i know how busy you must be.. so good luck with your exams, and i shall keep my fingers crossed for you.
thanks for this short but extremely wonderful comment. you made me touch the sky when you said that you liked it, enjoyed it and found it very convincing :) what more can i ask for? that's great.
study well and let me know how your exams went. but hey.. keep reading fantasia's world, huh?

Anonymous said...

And more from news in the world.

Here is a sad news piece, two links same story, about a young girl--not Egyptian, thank God-- whose father and brothers did not seem to agree with her decision to not wear higab:

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2007/12/12/the-double-life-of-aqsa-
parvez.aspx

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2007/12/12/aqsa-s-father-remanded-into-custody.aspx

Anonymous said...

On hijab, niqab, Sawiris, indigeonous vs foreign influence, and fatwas:

http://www.afriquenligne.fr:80/news/daily-news/egypt's-richest-man-sparks-controversy-over-veil-comments-2007122113778/

Fantasia said...

dear raaasa,
thank you so much for the useful links. i particularly liked what was mentioned on this final link when they said, "Egypt continues its turn toward a more outward Islamic society". The word "outward" sums up many things.

Anonymous said...

Dear Fanta,

I detect that this "outward" piety trend is coming up more and more often in world press about Egypt, both in this and the recent zebiba article. It is almost like the outward stamp of religiosity is a fashion or status symbol, nevermind whether the person actually lives in a way to enable a better world for him/herself and others. Are people noticing the hypocrisy in this?

Anonymous said...

By coincidence, I came across a similar discussion on ersatz piety and authentic hypocrisy on Marwa Rakha's blog under the comments (December 18, 19, 20th) following Relationship Warning: Do Not Get Involved with Egyptian Men article, mostly between MR and a reader nicked Vanillabullshit.

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4315763341062590496&postID=4289313874974551498

Fantasia said...

dear raaasa,
yup, people are noticing the hypocrisy going on.. but they still think that the religious apprearance, even that which hides an opposite reality, is something good and deserves encouragement. the stupid argument that goes around nowadays makes people think that those who seek to have an islamic outlook do in fact respect their society and its traditions. it also claims that religious appearance in itself is a good step towards true religion, that would hopefully lead the person to allah and may change him/her into a true muslim. whatever that means, it is nothing more than a con job. it is clear that political islamists are throwing their nets everwhere to catch whatever they can get. the street give you an impression that almost all egyptians support them, because of the outfit, zebiba, beard, and so on.. and that's all what they care for.. namely, the appearance of popularity.. seems that they in fact believe that this kind of appearance would lead them to real popularity and gaining those people's trust.
this is the strongest card they have so far.. and they use it very well (actually exploit it) while maneouvring with the current regime. unlike what is being publicized about their victimization by the government and security forces, they actually enjoy many advantages that other legally authorized liberal opposition parties are denied. but they should could on with those campaigns in orders to gain sympathy.. so, ridiculously, this is another playing card that they had for free.
external appearances are so damn important in today's egypt. no one can deny that. anything that appears on the surface gets instant power, because there is a huge void area underneath. people get their info from what they hear. they trust appearances more than anything else.. because anything else will require some kind of effort from their side in order to understand. they like this kind of clear direct, black and white, messages.

Anonymous said...

Dear Fanta,

I do appreciate your connecting the threads for me. Thank you for that.

Egyptian society has long suffered from this black vs white laziness in thinking. Such an easy neat solution.

Yes, I agree with you that the current phenomena result from a combination of large scale societal brainwashing and individual intellectual sloth--choosing to allow others to think for you rather than informing yourself and reaching your own conclusions. People don't read and they don't think. Hmm. Very very sad.

Maaleysh, as I shake my head. It is tempting to fall into the hopelessness of this situation.

On the other hand, flipping and taking a page from those who believe that outward fashion will somehow change core values and beliefs, we can "act as if." Here, I mean that we can act as if change for the better is possible, act as if people will begin to think if we can just help ignite the spark in their brains for them.

Egyptiana Trapped Soul said...

first allow me to thank you for your lovely comment at the begining of the post :) *blush *blush

second allow me to apologize for being toooo late to comment on this important issue... but here i am ... reading and enjoying :)

This binary opposition is a part of egypt's wound, and shortcoming... something i am trying to naked always in my posts... something that is rooted in our society, kill our feeling of good peacful life, and turn us into blind followers to common ideas approved by the society

i swear to you that the opposit of hejab is always bikini!!! i dunno why always bikini ?? why the extreme, why do we have to prove our chastity by a peace of fabric? cause our society is blinded by fake religious rules... stick to the minors, and not the majors!!! just as u said dear...

i am not against hejab! but i am against coloring hejab according to our wishes, i am against forcing hejab... and beleive it or not, these days hejab is no hejab... i myself cannot find any good respectable clothes... they are either too tight, or too short... this is the new hejab moda... and of course the ugly style of wearing not less than 5 peaces: pontalon, short skirt, body, blouse, maybe another blouse, and of course the veil itself ... girlz turned to be 3arayes moled... hejab ... the good hejab has been deformed.

as for fulla
it has nothing to do with hijab... it is a doll to face the foreign culture represented in Barbie... and wear the national gulf clothes "3abaya"... so the girl can have a doll wearing like her mother, and sisters, and even herself ...

god, i have been talkative... o better go now :) wish you warm wintery days dear... n waiting for more

ps: hejab as it should be is a humanitarian act "my new post"... we shouldnt deny it, but we have to stand for the wrong application

Fantasia said...

dearest raaasa,
"acting as if" opens a door for hope, and we must always try to do so. if hope is lost, then life has come to an end. so i am basically acting as if what i write has any hope of getting through. thanks for the precise term :)

Fantasia said...

dearest egyptiana,
late but always in time to share your precious thoughts that i always anticipate.
you shouldn't blush or thank me at all, for you really do a great job over your blog to which i am addicted.
yeah, what you said is so true. we are trying and trying to make others see the superficiality of this religious facade, but they clearly insist to keep heading this direction.
the new hijab moda, as you put it, is morbidly rediculous, and only proves the amount of schizophrenia that our society is suffering from. everybody is engaged in a silly game of self-deceit, and instead of waking up, they would die defending it with all kinds of pathetic claims.
please feel free to write as much as you want.. i will sure drop by to read your new post.. it sounds so intriguing, and i bet i'll have much to say about it.

Anonymous said...

You DO realize the KHIMAR(head covering) is mentioned OVER and OVER in quran right?

You DO realize that Haya, is One of the most important aspects of the Islamic religion, right?

Your Iman(faith), your haya(modesty) and your aql(reason) are all EXTREMELY IMPORTANT in Islam.

Over and over again the quran tells men AND women to cover up.

Since men and woman are DIFFERENT they cover DIFFERENTLY.


AlNoor 31:
"And say to the believing women that they restrain their looks and guard their private parts, and that they display not their beauty or their embellishment except that which is apparent thereof, and that they draw their head-coverings over their bosoms, and that they display not their beauty or their embellishment save to their husbands, or to their fathers, or the fathers of their husbands, or their sons, or the sons of their husbands, or their brothers or the sons of their brothers, or the sons of their sisters, or women who are their companions, or those that their right hands possess, or such of male attendants as have no desire for women, or young children who have not yet attained knowledge of the hidden parts of women. And that they strike not their feet so that what they hide of their ornaments may become known. And turn ye to ALLAH all together, O believers, that you may prosper."
"Waqul lilmu/minati yaghdudna min absarihinna wayahfathna furoojahunna wala yubdeena zeenatahunna illa ma thahara minha walyadribna bikhumurihinna AAala juyoobihinna wala yubdeena zeenatahunna illa libuAAoolatihinna aw aba-ihinna aw aba-i buAAoolatihinna aw abna-ihinna aw abna-i buAAoolatihinna aw ikhwanihinna aw banee ikhwanihinna aw banee akhawatihinna aw nisa-ihinna aw ma malakat aymanuhunna awi alttabiAAeena ghayri olee al-irbati mina alrrijali awi alttifli allatheena lam yathharoo AAala AAawrati alnnisa-i wala yadribna bi-arjulihinna liyuAAlama ma yukhfeena min zeenatihinna watooboo ila Allahi jameeAAan ayyuha almu/minoona laAAallakum tuflihoona"

واحــــــد مبضـــــــون said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
jamzia said...

I think your sick Fantasia. Your bitter and just can't hide your shallowness. If you hate what's happening then your free to go to other countries where sick like you is being scourged on.

Islam told us that "Prevention is better than cure" then hijab is one way of preventing both men and women from committing sins. It is not saying that 100% all men are animals and are always thinking of committing sex when they see girls. Its a way of preventing worst things to happen.

.::Tuttie::. said...

I was raped as a child (before I was Muslim) and it had NOTHING to do with what I was wearing. The part about pedophiles and making it easy for them really upset me. It just perpetuate the misconception that people are raped based on what they wear which is not true.

Ami said...

Did you know? Being a muslim is something you want OR not. You can follow the teaching but if u dont want to follow, then it's your problem. YES, all the teachings we were thought from lilttle was for our own good. It's like, " You want to go to hell or not?" " you want to feel Allah's fire or not? " "you want to go to beaven or not"

Ami said...

Hmm.. I have a feeling that there were a lot of people posting against your findings. We are kinda uncomfartable with this post lying around the Internet.

"When I dare to be powerful - to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid" - Audre Lorde