I think what IS beautiful about it is that these are women with sucky lives, and someone (another woman, apparently) is taking a moment to do something nice for them. Nice gestures are more poignant when they happen in the middle of #$#@.

What evidence is there to suggest the sole reason for the flower was 'International Women's Day'?

"White woman injects her unwanted racist opinion "

Islam is a religion NOT a race. It kind of irks me when people say the word racist for speaking against a religion. Plus I've seen tons of "white" Muslims (blonde, green eyes, pale).

I called my aunt blackish (she looks like she is black and white mixed). That was deemed offensive. I describe her sister (my other aunt) as white looking (blonde, pale, green eyes) and no one said that was offensive.

Can we get over all this taking offense shit?

I wonder why the woman receiving the flower has her face covered, but the other woman is showing both her face and bangs.

Or some more moderate interpretation of Islam.Not all Muslims wear the same outfits.

There is no such thing as "moderate Islam," due to how the Quran is said to be Allah's word, and not open to creative interpretation -- which is why Muslims who adhere to the tenets of Islam will rather often slay those who do not. This happens most in Muslim-majority countries.

Westerners typically make the mistake of thinking, "Well, my Muslim neighbor isn't like that!"

Countries aren't barbaric and threatening until a Muslim majority takes over.

Here's how it works in Pakistan:

http://www.wluml.org/node/3675

Pakistan: Schoolgirls in Pakistan threatened for not wearing the burqa

Amy, the fact is that many individuals interpret Islam differently from each other. I've met Muslim women who considered themselves as faithful who didn't veil at all, just wore modest western clothes. If you wouldn't call these women "moderate Muslims", is there another term you would use for them?

You're racist for criticizing the burkha, but she's not racist for immediately going with the "white woman" argument.

Okaaaaay.

So we manage to get an "international women's day"

...but there is STILL no offical Steak and a Blowjob day.

Fuck that shit.

If you wouldn't call these women "moderate Muslims", is there another term you would use for them?

One that comes to mind is apostate.

If they come to be convinced of the sinfulness of their state by, shall we say, more conservative brethren, then perhaps one could call them a budding jihadist.

There are "moderate muslims" until the "unmoderate muslims" show up and threaten the "moderates" with death. That's what they do to apostates, after all.

While we're on the subject of Muslims tossing out accusations of racism:

http://www.examiner.com/article/cair-intimidates-teacher-rally-planned-her-defense

Interesting that in celebrating women's day, the woman is covering up everything that shows she is a woman.

I have a friend who is Muslim by way of Pakistani descent (born in Pennsylvania, raised in Hong Kong, now lives in Texas). He calls his family "loose Muslims" because they consider themselves Muslims but don't really practice it, just observe the major holidays. He has many Muslim friends with a similar loose following, but the majority of the women still wear headscarves. I've seen pictures of them on outings on his Facebook page where the women are wearing short skirts out at a bar holding drinks in their hands while still wearing a headscarf. He posted Hawaiian vacation pictures and most of the women (20-somethings) were wearing tiny string bikinis with their headscarves. The photos are quite the contradiction. If you are going to be dressed so skimpily and exposing nearly your whole body, why do you still cover your head up in the name of modesty? Isn't modesty gone at that point?

BunnyGirl,

I thought the brain was everyone's biggest sexual organ....hence should always be covered..... :)

Bunny, some cultures assign more erotic value to hair than others. A belly dancing teacher I once had told us not to play with our hair on stage as it was the equivalent of masturbating or groping ourselves in some middle eastern cultures.

There are "moderate muslims" until the "unmoderate muslims" show up and threaten the "moderates" with death. That's what they do to apostates, after all.

***

OK, well, if you go by that I'm a culturally Christian Wiccan until the fundamentalists show up. I don't think you can say that non-fundamentalists don't exist, just because they might convert under threat of death. By that definition, we all might be fundamentalist Muslims.

"White woman injects her unwanted racist opinion"

Not a trace of irony in her tone. Remember kids, if someone is white their argument should automatically be rejected.

In a certain sense, I think it can be useful to be careful to make a distinction that it is not the burqa itself that should be criticized, but the forcing of women to wear it. Nothing wrong with a woman wearing it voluntarily.

It is certainly not voluntary though. I know a woman who "escaped" one of these cultures, she even fled her home country and had to change her name and avoid public attention so that her own family could not find her .. horrible stuff .. now she spends her time advocating for more liberty for women.

In some sense, it can seem like a borderline issue in many cases, as many of these woman are so used to wearing the burqa, having grown up with it they end up feeling 'comfortable' wearing it. It becomes immediately more clearcut though when you consider the ramifications they suffer when they decide they don't want to wear such things.

"Islam is a religion NOT a race. "

Oh, but Islam is both a floor wax AND a dessert topping! It's a religion, a government, a culture, and/or a race, whatever the adherent needs it to be at the moment. It is an all-purpose shield made of 100% pure political correctness.

Islam is a religion NOT a race. It kind of irks me when people say the word racist for speaking against a religion. Plus I've seen tons of "white" Muslims (blonde, green eyes, pale).

Posted by: Ppen at March 16, 2013 2:55 AM
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For the record, one source says that only 20% of Muslims are of Arab descent.

No word on how many are of sub-Saharan descent.

But I'd be interested to know how many fit neither category.