OT - US Presidential Candiates Arrested!

[AMF]

You're absolutely right, and I shoulnd't have said that - I know better, and I don't even really feel totally like that. I mean, I hate, *hate* vast generalizations like that. My wife and I argue a lot about it. She says, unequivocally, that women in muslim situations have it cr*ppy. I say, yeah, progbably, but, it ain't like you think...And I have known plenty of muslim women who are as strong willed and not-gonna-put-up-with-anything as anyone. This is all somewhat ironic becuase I have an abiding interest in Islam and Islamic countries. In my experience Muslims are, in general, the most polite, kind and generous people in the world - and Muslim countries are FAR different to what we in the west imagine them to be.

What I really should have said was this: in countries where the state religion is Islam, women have a varying degree of structural, insituational and cultural hurdles to overcome. In some cases, these can be extremely oppressive, in others, almost non-existent.

Oh, and, hey, you think NY or Boston drivers are agressive? Man, you haven't seen aggressive until you've seen how women in Tehran drive! Seriously.



EDIT: a whole bunch of silly spelling mistakes

Gandalf Parker said:

Careful there. Thats an awful lot of countries. Including ones in Europe, members of NATO, ones in Africa and in the Pacific nations. Im not sure that "most" would apply unless you mean the arabic desert nations. Then it would probably be a safe statement. (my overseas muslim experience was in Turkey)

[Gandalf Parker]

alarikf said:What I really should have said was this: in countries where the state religion is Islam, women have a varying degree of structural, insituational and cultural hurdles to overcome. In some cases, these can be extremely oppressive, in others, almost non-existent.

Right. Its very different in Indonesia, Algeria, Albania, Bandladesh, Malaysia, Morocco, Somalia, Turkey, Nigeria. The countries with the largest muslim populations arent even in the arabian desert.

What we see are really a few women who feel they should not have to follow the local customs. It makes big news because their action agrees with our customs and rights. Im not saying they shouldnt have that right but its not some huge revolution.

They have the same problem looking at our countries. They find it odd that they CANNOT wear their veils whereever they want, Or that american muslims would hear "go back where you came from". To them, the big news would be the american woman who's husband can actually MAKE her get a job, Or can actually kick her out with no support unless she goes to a court and demands money.

Oh, and, hey, you think NY or Boston drivers are agressive? Man, you haven't seen aggressive until you've seen how women in Tehran drive! Seriously.

Do they have "asma Allah" bumper stickers? The will of Allah which actually has legal precedent in their courts.

[AMF]

Gandalf Parker said:
Do they have "asma Allah" bumper stickers? The will of Allah which actually has legal precedent in their courts.

Heh. Didn't see any bumper stickers. Was too busy jumping out of the way usually.

What does 'asma Allah' mean? I know the standard phrases, and I used to know a bit more Farsi and arabic, but now it's just limited to 'humdillah', 'inshalla' and stuff like that...

[Gandalf Parker]

alarikf said:

Heh. Didn't see any bumper stickers. Was too busy jumping out of the way usually.

What does 'asma Allah' mean?

It means "Will of Allah". If they hit you then it was meant to happen. The deeply faithful would put it and would drive as if they fully believed it. Trucks in Turkey had it on their bumpers alot and it basically meant that anyone with that on their bumper had right of way. That was a couple of decades ago but I havent heard that it changed any.