On Muslims and Modesty

I laughed out loud for a second, then remembered I wasn't reading the Onion but a bona fide news site. "Modesty" really does compel Muslim women in British hospitals to dress as if they're ready to begin ululating and burn the Pope in effigy. Sorry, but if you wear this lovely garment in a U.K. cardiac ward, don't be surprised if you literally scare a few patients to death.

Anyway, it's an odd word, modesty is. The way burkha lovers use it, it's supposed to convey the chaste, humble message that the female form mustn't draw attention to itself. But the garment chosen to attain that goal is hardly modest in the sense of inconspicuous. In fact, in any Western setting, a burkha is likely to be the most conspicuous sartorial choice of all. A woman in a burkha is exactly as in-your-face (and as out of place) as a bikini-clad Paris Hilton on a commuter train, and just as impossible to visually ignore as a leather fetishist wearing a huge studded codpiece to a dinner party.

You could say that the codpiece is a really "modest" clothing choice, too. Hey, it completely covers the guy's package, doesn't it? And yet, it also makes an aggressive, confrontational statement that, to me, is pretty much the opposite of modest.

Still, I'm sure the burkha in the photo will be a big hit in a newly proposed hospital in Rotterdam, the Netherlands — intended for Muslims only.

Comments

[GreginOz]

Is it rascist for me to say that I abso-fucking-lutely LOATHE the fuckin' Burkha? That I see it as an appalling overhang from Medieval times? That if 'someone' tried to make the female members of my family wear it I would shoot that 'someone' deader than my last meal? That I'd like to tape up the eyes hole and make 'em walk through busy traffic? That if a women makes the subservient statement of wearing it that I will oblige by regarding her as a Muslim male would? IE with contempt worthy of a breeding vessel that possesses NO soul, as per Islamic teaching. As the saying goes "A woman is for breeding, a boy is for pleasure and a melon is for ecstasy.(Bedouin)

[GreginOz]

On the other hand check out how scary Christians can be!
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/09/29/1159337339884.html

[Martin Owens]

The joke is, the burkha or similar all-over covering is NOT required by the Koran!
The Prophet said ( and I'm paraphrasing here) that a woman should be modest from neck to knees. ALso he was down on females who stomped while they walked to make their jewelry jingle- whether this was bad as a tasteless display of wealth or as a form of flirting I don't know. But like so many other things in that civilization it's a reasonable measure that's been overdone to the point of insanity.

The disgusting thing is the behavior of the British authorities in response ot the raving ands bitchings of a few troublemakers. They crawl. They've become collaborators before there was even a conquest.

[Jeff the Poustman]

In the article Rogier references it talks about female patients only being treated by female doctors, and male patients by male doctors.

Why?

And what answer won't invite questions about whether it is ok for female nurses to treat male patients? Or is that segregated too?

Finally, isn't it already quite a stretch for Islam for females to be educated enough to become nurses and doctors at all? Yet they still have to wear the burkhas. I don't get it.

Ah, that's really the key point. 'I don't get it', I mean.

[Iamnotextreme]

Wearing a Burkha is a matter of personal choice for the women. I'm sure in the west, women DO think for themselves and can choose to cover their head and if they want to, their face.

The point of it is to hide the shape of a woman's body so that they do not attract attention. The introduction of such a garment, I feel is commendable, as it shows that the authorities are making an effort to accommodate the beliefs of Muslims and you should be ashamed for hampering their efforts by typing out crap like this.

Martin Owens: If a Muslim has to touch a member of the opposite sex in their line of work i.e. being a doctor/nurse etc(not prostitute)it is permissible.

Also, females in Islam are encouraged to acquire the highest education they possibly can, contrary to popular belief. What you see on TV is the work of extremists and such practices are frowned upon by the Muslim community.

hope this explains some things

[Martin Owens]

Dear no-extreme: it was not I who published the comment regarding doctors.

On this page, the author's name appears at the bottom of the contribution. So my actual comments are immediately above my name.

And I stand by what I have said.