Those Muslim women who are honestly speaking out about the oppressive nature of Islam are the precursors of a feminism that in ten or twenty years will be regarded as most heroic in all of female suffrage. They have a battle in front of them that women born of democratic society will never know. Existing womens organizations need to support these women and girls now. Courts need to step in and exert their authority over religious social dictates. The only way Islam is going to change is if the courts compel them to adhere to established social principles and laws. Of course there is nothing to be done for those who are happiest with things as they are, just as little can be done for the fellow who is happiest institutionalized. Being solely responsible for thought and deed is very intimidating.

obozo, I read that article too, but I'm not as sure as you are that it is happening in "almost all Muslim families".

For a start, the extremist brother, as mentioned in the article, didn't even speak Arabic and wasn't raised in a Muslim country. The article sets out a situation where the brother's oppressive extremism seems to spring from a total alienation from any culture: whether Muslim, British or some admixture of the two.

I share your certainty that some Muslim families are as depicted in the article, just as I am sure it is true of some Seventh Day Adventist, Christian Brethren and other such families. In any case, it is unacceptable in our culture.

But consider this study released today into the attitudes of young Australian men towards their future wives and housework. Is it fair or right to conclude from the below that these attitudes are happening in almost all Anglo families?:

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http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/market-does-the-work-men-wont/2006/10/31/1162278139146.html
"My lady is doing the cleaning," said Mike, a year 11 student from Sydney. "I'll just be on the porch having a beer."

Many young men already had tactics in mind for minimising how much housework they will do. Some will use flattery. "[I'll] suggest my wife is a good cleaner," said Smithy, 17.

Others planned to make a healthy contribution early on and then scale back as their partner "relaxed". "You should be able to help for the first few years [of marriage] then it might wear off," said Kevin, 17, from a country high school.
</selected quotes>

obozo, there is no doubt some Muslim families oppress their women. But what makes you so sure it is happening in almost all Muslim families? I suggest your certainty arises from the same bigotry that causes some Muslims to believe that Western women are "sluts and whores" for the way they dress.

And it is noisome bigotry, on both sides of this debate, that is preventing us from getting on with building a tolerant society, based on mutual understanding and respect.

Just observe here with this joker, Sheik Taj el-Din al Hilaly and now with Rayann Bekdache and her religious uniform. Gawwwwd, is the mufti saying that Muslims cover their cat's meat with the hijab? Seems that this idea takes us back to pre-refrigeration days, and that's where that hijab belongs, ...... the primitive days, the days of medieval religious dumdums with archaic control rules. Any modern woman who values themselves with enough independent spirit should stay away from these women-hating superstitious playpens with their apartheid in the bedrooms. Villainous "men" who rely on an ancient book to justify their insecurity and codify their domination of women are incapable of understanding women on equal terms.

Be it Christianity or Judaism or Islam or Hinduism, it just seems such grandiose stupidity to have let the world fall sucker to these religious dumdums with their most dishonest concepts, their cultural codification of ancient superstition and magical thinking, their solipsistic dream, their drug, their noxious and malignant influence. AND, look how easy it is for people to disregard the major issue of guardianship of the planet with these pathetic little religious wars on everything. We should now stop being so damned respectful of this belief in teddies (i.e. gods) because it can be and often is lethally dangerous nonsense.

Deep space, the billions of years of life's evolution, the microscopic workings of biology and heredity, the enormous data bank our tiny lonely planet has bequeathed us, all contain more beauty and wonder and are a trillion times more important and interesting than myths, pseudosciences, the ritual of sacharrine adoration and flattery of imagined teddies (gods) that dumdums are so attracted to. Just seems we have to manage the change over from living with the disasters of the religious past to an understanding that we live in a brilliant material universe where there are real enticement rules that you do get to vote on.

The only thing I didn't get from your interesting article, Rayann, is why you personally wear the hijab.
I am all for any person wearing whatever they like - although I find the burkha personally terrifying and it induces a sympathetic claustrophobia in me that is actually physically nauseating - but the reasons I have heard given for wearing the much less restrictive and disturbing hijab, also leave me disquieted.
I have mostly heard that women wear it to protect themselves from male attention - which implies that women should take responsibility for male responses, when surely men should do that? It is terribly patronising to men to assume that women must take responsibility for the "weak" males supposedly uncontrollable emotions. I wear no hijab, but, at almost 50, certainly don't find myself overwhelmed with male attention, so if that is so, why must little girls and older women wear one? Another reason given, as has been expressed here, is that it is worn to "please" the husband. So what does her husband wear to please her, then, I ask myself, or does this pleasing only work one way?
I wish I'd hear that it is worn to get up the nose of westerners, or because it flatters the wearer, or, even, because it declares the wearer's religion publicly, but I always hear the old chestnuts about women having to control or please men, instead of themselves.

I came to this very late, and support those who thank the writer for a frank, interesting and engaging letter. When I was young Catholic nuns all covered themselves from head to toe, with only part of the face open, and there were many of them. That's just the way it was, and it would never have occurred to me, or anyone else at that time (1950s) to suggest that nuns shouldn't wear their habit.
What people wear is simply up to them. Nor do I want to know why the writer, or anyone else, wears what she wears. We learn eventually that what we wear makes some sort of statement about ourselves and those we interact with, and we learn to modify our dress if we realise that that statement is getting in the way of the outcome we want. Otherwise, it's one of the privileges of living in an open society — and long may it remain so!

Hey Mercurius,

I am really impressed with your post. The point "He cant speak Arabic" is wonderful. Do you think that muslims who speak Arabic are the real muslims?

Anyways, Ms. Shakira has written an article. I hope that answers all your rants. You comparison of some 11-yr old boy saying My girl should be in home cannot be equal to the point Shakira was making.

Have you ever heard of Muslims raping white-women for not wearing veils in muslim/non-muslim countries? I can give you 'n' number of links if you wish to see.

I haven't heard/saw a non-muslim raping a muslim girl in a non-muslim country for not following some of his custom/religious rules. Have you?