catty, i have something to say. i do not have a choice other than working on my present job. this is what im supposed to do. some things you do not have control over. some thing you cant change. so you are stuck. so similarly im stuck with my job. and i was FORCED to wear burka and am STILL FORCED to cover my head when im at work.
initially, i was doing it by choice cz i had respect for the kind of environement they had at work. i was not forced. it was by choice. but many many things happened which made me hate this thing called burka so, i quit wearing it. THEN i was FORCED to wear it. i was even told "we do not care of you wanna leave but you HAVE to wear this." and why i could not continue to wear it if i once started. one may have many reasons. but why to force something? i fought. i saw the HR manager and told him I CANNOT MAKE MYSELF USED TO WEARING BURKA SO I CANNOT. they can give me a dress code of they have a problem about how im dressed up but not burka.
so much stress i have gone through at work not only to do with burka sh!t but my long term career prospects with this company. i am seriously looking for any other decent job at some decent place and the day i find one, i wont be here the next minute this is where my relation and thinking about my workplace has reached. so much has happened. so much.... so much i have gone through. nobody has even bothered to take out sometime to pay attention to the quality of my work and those who have and know it, are keeping a blind eye. at this point, do you know what they have to say about my presence there?
just a few days ago, i reached work. my car ac was out of order all of a sudden so mid-noon i drove without ac for 1.5 hours in all that traffic and heat of the desert. i reach work and i am completely in sweat. im all wet with sweat from top to bottom and especially my back. so that overcoat and that scarf im supposed to wear at work is on the side of my chair and scarf on the desk. waiting to dry myself up before putting that sh!t on..... so the head of the section sends a supervisor to me only to ask me why i wasnt wearing that and atleast i should cover the head cz the management has already told me to. why i need to be reminded. i was LIKE.......... WOW!!! I love this place. i was so much exauhsted by all the heat i had been in outside and did not have the slightest idea that my "colorful outfit" (subtle violet blous and a trashy beige pants) was proving to be such a turn on that the supervisor has to leave his seat in that busy hour of customer inquriries only to come to me and tell me to cover my head. this was the most important thing then. at that point i only wanted to SLAP that supervisor along with the head who sent him to me who was standing at a few feet and smiling. i just dont know how i controlled myself. i just turned my face and covered my head.
Entirely your spin on the issue others might disagree with it, alot of generalization, you are talking to bunch of people here (this one was in response to danda)
Its very simple PD. It doesn't concern you. You ignore the fact that jews force their women to do this at a tender age but its wrong for muslim women to do so. You show your racist attitude more and more daily.
It is part of US law and society, to practice your religion freely. You have no right legally or morally to stop someone from practicing their religion by their own choice. This discussion is just another pathetic attempt by our local "amsterdamn boys".
i mean i meant to say that i do not have a choice to change my job and i need my job. so........... i am forced to go through all this. nothing i can do and they are taking advantage.
Gee, I have met jews of all kinds. Orthodox, reformed, conservatives…the women have a choice. In the west women have a right to wear and not wear what they want, work or not work if they want, run a marathon or not runa marathon if they want. if that makes me racist, then sure I am a racist.
Just as you can say it is their choice to wear the burkha in the US (which I agree with), it is as much a right of a woman to wear a spaghetti strap top if she wants. Her value doesn’t increase or decrese because of what she wears. It is what is in her head and her character as an individual. Unlike in Saudi, where they don’t have a choice and their worth is a little above the pet hamster but below the filipino maid.
Interesting analogy about filipino maid.
I get your point PD but as i said they are two different systems, you (as in non muslims) and many other non practising muslims would like western system better. Ofcourse covering up is harder but that comes with the religion there is a saying by hazrat Ali
"Duniya momin kay liey kaidkhana hai or kafir kay liey janat". hoping you can read urdu.
I do however find that appraoch doesnt have to be so rigid, no one should offend women as WB was offended.
Firstly you and I both know the hasdic women do not have a choice in the matter. Those who practice wear a wig and the like. They cover their real hair. They do not show it to outsiders. Same as a hijab.
Next Saudi arabia does not = Islam. Only in your mind can you take a small minority and apply it to 1 billion people.
Lets get back on track here shall we?
It is freedom of choice. They have every right to wear a burqa or hijab. US law and society accepts it and allows it. So who are you to say anything on the matter?
The point is that if if the woman wants to become a reformed jew or a conservative and wants to live as she might want to, wear what she wants to ..it is her choice and can do so without fear of being killed. do you know how many hasidem become reformed jews every year?
I am agreeing wiht you chanda that if someone wants to wear a burkha it is ok. If osmeone wants to wear a fantastic Roberto Cavalli strapless dress, it is ok. This is what America is about. the muslim world is eons behind this paradigm because of the lack of choice. IF women are afforded the same rights to choose in the muslims world, heck even India for that matter as they are here, these countries would be well on their way.
And wiseone, if this life is a jail for a muslim then it is only because of the saying like these. Try this one "swarg dharti mein hai aur ambar mein"
Roman, it isn’t a sign of oppression as long as there is a choice involved. It isn’t exploitation or oppression or anything of the sort if a woman opts to wear a burka according to her own free will. That’s one of the great things about living here in the West. You have a CHOICE on a lot of different, controversial and taboo issues. Wearing a burka is only a sign of oppression in societies where there is absolutely no choice involved in the matter. If women over here want to wear a burka/hijab according to their own will, more power to them.
madhanee I agree wit Mehnaz on this one. Th eproblem is that people bring their antiquated value system along with the richness of their cultures to their lands of migration. In Jane Kramers article in the New Yorker on the Hijab issue in france. She highlighted that most girls in france who wore hijab were not doing so for some sense of piety, but because of the treatment they got by their politically impotent and professionally decrepit male members of their families. Bhaipana is the biggest reason for covering up.
(this one was in response to danda)