How I Came to Love the Veil

The Washington Post ^ | October 22, 2006 | Yvonne Ridley

[HitmanLV]

I used to look at veiled women as quiet, oppressed creatures -- until I was captured by the Taliban. In September 2001, just 15 days after the terrorist attacks on the United States, I snuck into Afghanistan, clad in a head-to-toe blue burqa, intending to write a newspaper account of life under the repressive regime. Instead, I was discovered, arrested and detained for 10 days. I spat and swore at my captors; they called me a "bad" woman but let me go after I promised to read the Koran and study Islam. (Frankly, I'm not sure who was happier when I was freed -- they or I.)

[HitmanLV]

An absolutely nutty article by a recent convert to Islam. She sees the veil (actually, I prefer the word 'mask') as a sign on how much better women have it in the Arab-Islamic world.

This must be read to be believed.

[HitmanLV]

This article is NUTS!!!

[ThinkDifferent]

Wow. Classic Stockholm syndrome.

[saganite]

Why is she still using her Christian name in her byline?

[Elpasser]

The feminists must be awfully proud. Forty years of toil ... only to find themselves wrapped in eight century veils.

[gaijin]

She's boasting of being an outspoken woman, yet she rejoices in enslaving herself?

Ya know what I think? That's she's FAT!

[HitmanLV]

This article is absolutely astonishing.

[AnnaZ]

Yes, it is a religious obligation for Muslim women to dress modestly, but the majority of Muslim women I know like wearing the hijab, which leaves the face uncovered, though a few prefer the nikab. It is a personal statement: My dress tells you that I am a Muslim and that I expect to be treated respectfully, much as a Wall Street banker would say that a business suit defines him as an executive to be taken seriously. And, especially among converts to the faith like me, the attention of men who confront women with inappropriate, leering behavior is not tolerable.

It's a doozy all right.

[HitmanLV]

The Washington Post (probably unintentionally) ran 'Clothes Aren't the Issue' the same day. It makes a lot more sense, and (surprise!) authored by a woman actually born & raised in an Arab-Islamic culture!

[Dead Corpse]

Mental derrangement brought about by distress and trauma.

[VeniVidiVici]

What a load. She had a history with the religion beforehand anyhow. Sounds like she was fixated on it. A real nutcase. Check out Wiki:

---

[edit] Marriage and children
Ridley had one daughter, Daisy (born 1992), with her first husband, Daoud Zaaroura, who "was a PLO colonel when Ridley met him in Cyprus" [1]. The couple are now divorced. Her third husband was Ilan Roni Hermosh[2], to whom she was married until 1999.

[Eurotwit]

I think this woman was fired from Al Jazeera because she was too much of an extremist for them. not kidding.

[taxcontrol]

Methinks that the western wholehearted abandonment of slavery may not be as good as it is presented. It appears to me that there is a certain percentage of the population that craves ... nay, even requires the collar and enslavement in order to fulfill some self imposed fantasy or view of the world.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

Now, I know why feminists have been quiet on this issue. Now, it makes sense. I suspected it all along, but now, I GET IT. They don't believe girls were denied education in Afganistan or have been taken advantage of by fathers, brothers, uncles, etc. I GET IT, IT GET IT. I feel so much better. I was beginning to think up was down and right was left. It all makes perfect sense.

[daylate-dollarshort]

Hmmmmmm........on her I think the veil is an improvement. Don't discourage her!!!

[dano1]

"If a man does raise a finger against his wife, he is not allowed to leave a mark on her body, which is the Koran's way of saying, "Don't beat your wife, stupid."

So beating is ok, just not bruising?

[Ready4Freddy]

I see that it was published 10/22/06, but I'd swear I've seen this before. She was in the Taliban's hands some 5 years ago...

[Argus]

Doesn't stoning a woman to death leave a mark?

[omniscient]

Before and after:

But it makes sense in that she is a member of Galoway's wacko "Respect" party.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

Fat, liberal, and stupid is no way to go through life.