681 ‘A Veil to Protect or Eyes Will Molest’
Late to this, but these adverts for the hijab, via Hatshepsut and Ursula, have put a bee in my bonnet:
“You Can’t Stop Them, but You Can Protect Yourself.”
“A Veil to Protect or Eyes Will Molest”
A few simple points:
- The hijab is a poor defense against sexual harassment.
- Whether a woman chooses to wear the hijab should be her choice alone. She should not be coerced or pressured either way.
- Men, it is our responsibility alone to make our thoughts and behavior honorable.
Along the same lines, see “Shame and Sexual Harassment” from Mona Eltahawy.
8 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
40 queries. 0.086 seconds. CMS: WordPress. Design: modified Hiperminimalist Theme.
RSS for posts and comments.
Valid XHTML and CSS.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7514567.stm
“Western women who took part in the study demonstrated a strong belief in their entitlement to personal safety and freedom of movement, she says, but this was totally absent among Egyptian respondents.
No-one spoke about freedom of choice, freedom of movement or the right to legal protection. No-one showed any awareness that the harasser was a criminal, regardless of what clothes the victim was wearing.”
Hmmm, you wonder why! what with all these immaculate campaigns! Iza 3urefa al-sabab…
Comment by Yazan — July 30, 2008 #
OK, now I’m really depressed. Thanks, Yazan.
Comment by The Skeptic — July 30, 2008 #
I think if I were a woman I would prefer to be a pearl in the shell than a piece of cheap candy in a plastic wrapper.
That aside, the whole thing looks to me like something Tarentino thought up. I can see him pitching it, that little chihuahua jaw of his flapping like a sheet of toilet paper caught on a car antenna:
“See, it’s like this: they take the women, and they cut their genitals off right? And then, then they wrap them up like in shrouds, you know? Big black sheets right? And then, then they send them out to do the shopping!”
Manic laughter from Quentin. Awful silence from everyone else.
Comment by MC — August 7, 2008 #
This ad IS annoying.
Actually, to my knowledge, the veil doesn’t stop men’s harassment of women in Egypt and the harassment is severe and constant from the moment you step out on the street – unless you are wearing Niqab, but maybe not even then.
And it’s not all paradise and cultural perfection in the West either – Western feminists have a tradition of “covering up” to block the male gaze and assert their right to be viewed as an individual, not an object. The problem exists everywhere.
I think personal responsibility is the answer, not women hiding and covering.
Comment by elisa lemur — August 12, 2008 #
[…] Knickmeyer’s article has an article for the Washington Post about those nauseating “Veil Your Lolipop” ads. August 20, 2008 | In Cultcha, Egypt, Online Censorship, Region, Tunisia […]
Pingback by The Skeptic ?????? » Parliament Destroyed, Paper Banned — August 20, 2008 #
I do not wear the veil but wear conservative clothes . I m secular muslim and keep my beliefs to myself , i may end up with the veil in the future . But i respect those who choose to cover up , it is up to them , who am I to judge and make fun of them ? if a woman wants to show her undearwear (veryshort shorts seen on tv or hipster jeans worn very low ) and a woman wants to cover up , it is none of my business . a friend of mine (lawyer ) decided to wear the veil oneday and surprised her husband with such a decision . she is happy with her decision . My own mother also wore the hijab at 40 , and no one forced her to , dad had been dead for 2 decades before she took that decision .
in Morocco , in my street , veiled women are more respected , whereas western looking women get wolf whistles and suggestive comments which NOT all women enjoy hearing . so yes the veil helps .
Comment by leyla — September 9, 2008 #
[…] ??? ?? ? ????? ??? ???????: ????? ????? ????? ????? ????? : ??????? ?? ?????? ??????? ? […]
Pingback by ????? ??? ??? ! » Blog Archive » ??????? ???? ???? ???? ???? — September 9, 2008 #
[…] Why is this still even an issue? […]
Pingback by To hijab or not to hijab | Antony Loewenstein — October 31, 2008 #