Here's the thing about het men: Chadors and veils are hot.

Well, then I'm going start wearing them to work.

Umm ok
they do enforce culture somewhat violently in the Middle East, and i agree that that sucks and is bad
BUT
you clearly don't know a damn thing about the history of veils.
1)Veils are not religious. They were part of ancient Greek culture and ancient Assyrian culture, and, basically, Mediterranean culture in general, circa 1000 BC (See the Odyssey by 'Homer'; as well as the Assyrian code).
2) Veils in Assyria and Greece, based on the same sources, were ALWAYS and REMAIN symbols of a woman's honour. in the Assyrian code, the punishments for prostitutes caught wearing veils were shockingly cruel.
3) Taking a symbol of honour, and attempting to show that it's 'really' a sign of prostitution, is extremely offensive. In the USA, when we get offended, we whine but leave it alone. In Europe, if it's the Holocaust you'll be in trouble, otherwise they leave you alone. In the Middle East, they get (and always have gotten) vengeful.

It's not religion you don't respect (my sources predate Islam), it's culture. And Cig probably actually did offend 'the people'. just not you.

So, uh, don't be an asshole.

She's been acquitted.

Veils were imposed on Muslims as a form of punishment originally. It's amusing to see their "conservatives" wanting to keep it.

Agree with Dan:
>
But I would like to add I have a hard time mustering up respect for a religion whose founder was known to have sprinkled golddust across the desert. I mean loaves to fishes, golddust...

John,

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I’m guessing you're not a scholar. Why should we take what you have to say seriously over something that was published by a renowned historian and firsthand translator of cuneiform tablets?

Dan is an asshole, but so are you if you think that what you read, (probably on the internet,) is the “be all, end all� when it comes to our limited knowledge of ancient history.

Conflicting views of our past? No way!

It's pretty safe to say that prostitution existed before Islam, and so did the veil. To think that it is possible that at some point in our history, (especially a in a civilization that is so old that many scholars think of it as the first,) sex workers wore veils, is not out of the question.

A bunch of dogmatic people with a very narrow view of world history were pissed, whatever.

Again I’m guessing, but I bet this woman knew what might happen to her if she published her findings and was not trying to upset people simply for the sake of doing so. Perhaps she really thought the world should know what she saw transcribed on those tablets, which I believe outdate your sources.

Thanks for your regurgitation, but next time think about what you put down before you take the tone of someone that actually knows what they are talking about. Unless you’ve been digging in Mesopotamia for the past 50 years, you’re the less qualified lecturer here.

And to show that I’m not taking the high hand here, I’ll sink to your level of mud slinging and call you big bag of used vaginal vinegar, douche.

Have you guys ever read Tom Robinson? He takes the sexy point of view of the veils.He talks about Salome and the dance of the seven veils in one of his books.

He has a point of view in the story, but I do think he researched the facts.

In my Middle Eastern studies class, we learned that, during Mohammed's time, only wealthy women wore a face veil. It was a sign of status, only those who were "worthy" could look upon them. Obviously, attitudes have changed.

Using Greece as an example of cultural difference is dishonest. Greek women no longer have to wear a veil. Other cultures have abandoned most unreasonable modesty restrictions and have allowed individual people to decide for themselves how to dress. Many Middle Eastern and North African societies have not, and, apparently, many people in those societies can't tolerate being criticized for it.

Speaking of touchy Muslims, a couple of years ago, an Egyptian academic got in trouble for mentioning the historical fact that the hajj was originally a pagan tradition/ritual that was co-opted by Mohammed. Religious extremists never let the facts get in their way.

This is not very on point, but contemplate the possibility of this analogy statement -

women having to cover breasts:U.S. (for example)::women having to cover heads : Iraq (for example)

then add the clearly important cultural / social diferences.

Dear John is a dooshy name

1) I'm not saying that woman wasn't right, but since none of us (you and Dan included) have read her work, I have no idea how inflammatory her remarks actually were. In fact, if I WERE a scholar, I would probably be much more likely to question her, just as when I research Molecular Biology, I'm much less likely to believe what I read in the lit than when I'm just reading out of interest.
2) Women in Greece don't wear veils anymore... well neither do a helluva lot of women in Turkey. Sezer (the president, for those who don't research things they have opinions about) won't even let traditional headscarfs into his national day receptions: http://www.metimes.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20061030-073837-9348r
But of course as is the case anywhere, there are traditionalists who still do things the old way, believe the old religion, etc.
3) My criticism is that people on the internet have a lot of opinions about a lot of things that they don't know anything about. Which you could scarcely deny. And furthermore this is an example. Which apparently you do deny.

the end.