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Today I read a most interesting article that appeared in the New York Times on-line paper.
It was regarding an AFGAN concept of raising girls as boys! Apparently this is something that has been going on for a century or more, as there are photos dating back to the very beginning of the 20th Century showing young women dressed as young men. There is even a photo of WOMEN dressed as MEN and being used as guards for a harem. Per the article I just read, a comment made to the reporter was thus "you are missing a big part of your life if you have no sons, and everyone feels sad for you." The article was following a six year old girl by photos as she lived and was treated as a boy, both in dress and how she was interacted with and interacting with others. The article also showed women who had been raised as boys and the "allowed" to return to their female status so they could get married. One woman lived as a male until the age of 20. There was even a woman who is in the government of Afganistan that was raised that way.
The question that occurred to me as I was reading this article was "Where is this mentioned in the Koran as a thing to do?" I ask that because I know the Afgans are considered a very, very religious Muslim population, even over that of neighboring Muslim countries, so how do they equate this to their faith doctrines? For that matter, what happened "way back when" to come up with this concept in the first place? The way they treat women in general, simply does not add up to the fact they will take females and "turn" them in males, yet allow them to return to female status later. How very convoluted that rationale is. Does make one wonder eh? Janice Lynn
Comments
Peoples is Stupid
EOM
What borders on stupidity?
Canada and Mexico.
.
It Doesn't Make Sense To Me Either
Their way of thinking doesn't make much sense anyway. The only thing I can think of is maybe they are trying to get a point across that men rule everything there and they are just allowing them to live that way to enforce that point. They probably get taught exactly why men are in control in Muslim society. It is probably made clear to them that they can never be that and they are supposed to be submissive to their husbands in all things. I guess it is done as something like Psychological warfare. I would guess that it is meant keep women in their place. I would say that 99% of Muslim men probably need an Iron Skillet upside their head because a lot of them think they are better than women. I was very angry to learn about something my friend Erin told me about. Our State(KY) is hosting the first World Equestrian Games ever held outside of Europe and there are over 60 countries represented. Anyway, she is a desk clerk at the Radisson and a group of Muslim men have checked in. They refuse to have her wait on them because she is a woman and they want a man to do it. They need to be put in their place! They are here in the U.S and women WILL NOT! be treated like they are in the Middle East. Sexist jerks! Their BS will not fly here like it does where they live.
Sense?
Warning: stereotypes abound, broad brush applied!
When does Sense apply to these people? Yes they need an Iron Skillet, but shoved sideways up their rear ends and show them the door out of the hotel. The sooner we stop bending over and kissing their asses trying to be polite the sooner they will climb down off their high camels. If the tables were turned I am sure they'd not show us their good manners and politeness if we were visiting and made the same sort of rediculous demands of them. Its one thing where courtesies are echanged out of mutual respect and it goes both ways, another entirely when out of arrogance NOT culture and religion it all goes one way.
Makes me laugh though; in the 60's when dollars were aplenty and travel was cheap for Americans, they were known for this very kind of arrogance worldwide. Rude, arrogant and making no attempt to merge with local culture. Also throwing money around. Sound familliar? But then we do not abuse our women to the extent they do. Pretty soon we'll be doing like the French did to us and spit in their scrambled eggs ;-)
Uhmmmm
Have you noticed -- there are plenty of sexists jerks in the US of A.
Perhaps -- you need to review the history of the US and read some of the things Jefferson said about woman. I believe Jefferson to be one of the greatest men who ever lived -- but he thought women incapable of taking part in public debate because it would destroy their morals. Judging by who we send to Washington many of us still believe this to be true.
How many of our fine, fine US Christians still believe the woman should "submit" to the man and build it into their wedding vows?
There are bad people who populate every religion. There are good Christians and bad Christians. There are good Muslims and bad Musilims.
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Perhaps...
Perhaps he was right - about destroying morals & public debate. Isn't what goes on in the senate public debate (occasionally) and some have raised questions about morals...
Perhaps he was doing us a favor, figuring the guys had already been corrupted? :-)
Anne
I saw a lovely 'funny'
in the September Readers Digest while waiting to see the dentist this morning.
The contributor was sitting in a bus as they drove past two women wearing burkas and pushing children in push chairs. The teenager in the seat in front of her said to her friend as she pointed to the two women, "Huh, I thought nuns were supposed to be virgins."
Angharad
Angharad
I think their...
Hyperpaternalism is tribal and was that way before Mohammed. Just read Deuteronomy (or somewhere in the first five books); the ancient tribal Israelites, by their law, at least, treated wimyn little better than their barnyard animals.
Also...Right On! Jan S.
Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee
Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee
Tribalisim in Afghanistan
Well, Islam has the same problem as Christianity and that is not many people think of what Jesus said and they just follow the silly doctrines of their denomination. Being Muslim, a convert mind you, I have been very disappointed to find that most Muslims do not follow Mohamadeic Islam; rather tribal rules prevail over proper Islam. If that were not so then 9/11 would never have happened, no matter who you think did it.
Nancy Cole wrote a story that dealt with that and it is right on. There are also boys who are made to be the homosexual partners of War Lords, and are called Bacha boys. So, it is not surprising to find out that girls are sometimes raised as boys. This could also be protecting them from being kidnapped, and in some areas, since the Taliban came in, females have much less freedom.
In Southern Iraq, there is a tribe that Sadaam may have wiped out, or that Al-qaeda may have, who allowed their children to choose how they would live. Apparently boys could live as girls and visa versa. There was no switching around, you had to stick with it.
In Iran, Transwomen were made "Legal" by the Ayatollah Khomenieni, who ruled when Regan was president, and yes it was he who held the embassy folks captive. However, it was also he who showed compassion to a transwoman, and his ruling changed the whole of Shia Islam, of which I am one.
I'm sorry, I have dribbled on so long
Khadijah Gwendolyn