Sadly, this has not become my main blog due to travels and study - if you are interested in my adventures - maddyistanbul.tumblr.com
No, its not because a collar and leash are not degrading enough, its because your ignorance - in of itself - is degrading; an insult to my intellect.
I usually stay away from such photos and leave out my stance and commentary, but this just completely irritated me. I am a Muslim women who constantly struggles in accordance to the jurisprudence matters that dictate how the veil should be warn and whether I find myself at times wear it for a greater sake or for someone else’s, but never in my life have I questioned the integrity, honor, and courage of a Muslim woman in niqab. And side note, that is niqab the women are wearing, not burka. Please get that right the next time you slap on a pathetic comment like the one under that photo.
And let me also have you know as a woman who CHOOSES (among millions of other Muslim women who choose) to wear the head scarf, I find in NO way the hijab to be degrading my state of mind or self. And to be quite honest, I find that Muslim women who choose to wear niqab are rightfully more liberated wearing it than most hijabi’s. That said, let me provide some reasons why Muslims CHOOSE to wear hijab, so we don’t run into this little ordeal again, shall we?
- the hijab (and most definitely niqab) allows Muslim women to detach themselves from the politics of gender. We dress in a way that signals unavailability so that we may feel distinguished from girls who think differently.
- The hijab (and again, niqab as well) allows Muslim women to make a radical political statement about themselves which states what they reject and what they accept. They reject this role in the sexualized society and they affirm that sex has nothing to do with their public life. And what they accept is being treated by others for their level of intellect, piety, and intelligence.
- The hijab and the niqab allows Muslim women to take out of discussion their physical identity. And by concealing their physical body are they moving themselves away from the fashion industry which merchandises their being in terms of sexuality.
- Both the hijab and niqab leaves people to only deal with Muslim women as a person, not their bodily form.
- The hijab and niqab are far from constraints on the physical movement of Muslim women; rather, it gives them freedom to do so without being judged by their physical value.
The veil, niqab, burqa, jelbab, abaya, and anything else that you find the Muslim woman choose to wear, does NOT degrade them, but it allows us to access our rights as having total legal, economic, and political status without bringing our sexual being into play. And to be quite honesty, I feel that the hijab I wear is a protective shield against attacks to my dignity.
If you think that this is a leash wrapped around my collar, I suggest you take a look a look in the mirror and see whether you aren’t just fooled by the leash on your own.
That is all.
The worst crisis in Africa now, right now, this minute, and for the last several years is the Eastern Congo. Comparably worse than Darfur. Millions of people have been killed there. If you look into it, the west is doing essentially nothing. And it’s not that they don’t care, they do care. Western multinational corporations are robbing eastern Congo’s resources. Everyone who uses a cell phone knows that. That’s where the coltan comes from. Well, okay, as long as you can pay off militias to control your access to minerals, why care about the four, five million people being killed.
—Noam Chomsky (via delucazade)
(Source: letsjustimitatethereal)
Happy Human Rights Day 2011
Be thankful for the rights that you have :)
One step closer to equality!
News from my home state - Queensland, Australia… the next step towards legalising gay marriage!
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-01/queensland-parliament-passes-same-sex-bill/3705444?section=qld
30 Nov 2011
A thing to change:
Via GetUp!: The beautiful and unique Tarkine rainforest in Australia is the second largest intact stretch of rainforest in the world, yet mining companies want to destroy it. The relevant Minister is just days away from making a decision on the Tarkine’s heritage status, ask him to do the right thing:
http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/save-our-forests/tarkine/save-the-tarkine?t=dXNlcmlkPTU0MzgxNCxlbWFpbGlkPTQ4Nw==
Don’t ruin my beautiful country :(
(Source: threethingsfortoday)
Palestinian children stand to form Pablo Picasso’s Dove of Peace as part of a project by British aerial artist John Quigley and the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA), at the foot of the Mount of Temptation in the West Bank city of Jericho November 25, 2011. It took some 1000 children from United Nations schools to create the project produced as part of the “Peace on Earth” project, a global musical prayer for peace which will be broadcast globally from Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas day, a U.N. press release said. (Reuters/Getty Images)
Erdogan apologises to Kurds for mass killing |
Turkish PM issues first official apology over military campaign in Tunceli that killed nearly 14,000 Kurds in the 1930s.This is a good start. But what about that Armenian genocide?
Aden didn’t choose these labels - he has been forced to pay the price of wearing labels that somebody else put upon him.
[Credit: ridzdesign]
The epitome of ignorance
I remember a girl from high school, actually I made reference to her in the publication I presented to my university community which was titled ‘The First Step’, aimed at advocating awareness among the Australian community about Indigenous affairs. I had a few classes with this girl in my senior year, including Modern History and Health Education. Various discussion would constantly come up which had EXTREMELY opposing views to my own.
I found her to be rude, hypocritical and down right disgraceful. She would have comments about people based on their social status, appearance, race or religion. To me, she had no heart. I looked at her with anger and disgust, but instead I realised it was these very people I set out in life to prove wrong and to change their mentality. I honestly think girl is beyond saving, but I can use her as a messed up form of inspiration.
What starts my rant today is her facebook status. Why I’m her friend on facebook, I have no idea. Her status’ are often about tanning, self image as well as whiny comments that I often find offensive. Today, I press the delete button, something I have not done. But I really never had any desire to know her now or in the future. Her status this morning was this “CANNOT deal with staying near an islamic church..”
First off, Muslims do not pray in a church, they pray in a mosque. They are very different in fact. Secondly, if you don’t like it… don’t go near it. Simple. This statement may not seem all that rude, but it offends me because I know the kind of comments she would make. Ironically, I remember from high school, she wanted to study International Relations. Ha. It amuses me to think I am out in the world (currently in Turkey, and yes I hear the call to prayer every day and absolutely love it), chasing my dreams and in my final year of my bachelor degree in International Relations. It baffles my mind to think that someone SO ignorant about the world and its people would want to enter a field like IR.
So to the girl who I despise, to whom I look at with such disgust and horror and sadness… in a way, thank you for belonging to the group of people that I want to one day see a change in. I hope one day you look back on your comments and feel ashamed.
