A Muslim Woman in a Burka, YesterdayMany people who know me also know I'm not the world's biggest fan of organised religion, and Islam is no exception. Having said that, I might change my opinion, after having read an article about the increasingly-popular phenomenon of Syrian women wearing nothing but sexy lingerie underneath their all-purpose Burkas. It's true, I swear: there are even books about it.
Of course, I haven't in the slightest bit lost my distaste for the Koran, or those people with
nothing better to do than dogmatically follow its teachings without a thought to the fact that the world has changed since it was written (for the record, I'm none too fond of that hack-journalist novel, The Bible, which started off well, but got a bit confused, around the middle - talk about too many cooks...); I'm also aware that I may offend a few people by saying that (boo hoo - if they're allowed to spout all sorts of rubbish, such as "God exists", then I can say anything; it could hardly be as far fetched), but this isn't a religious debate: there isn't one, as far as I'm concerned. I'
ve yet to decide whether I think this strange practice (the lingerie, not the religion) is liberating or a further sign of oppression imposed on women by organised religion. On the one hand, only her husband is allowed to see her without the all-body veil, meaning that only he has the pleasure of seeing his wife wearing what could only be described as kinky knickers. However, I can imagine these women must feel a certain thrill when walking down the street, knowing that the only thing between the outside world and her all-but-tits-'n'-ass naked body is one thin piece of cloth. In fact, having worn women's clothing before (don't ask), its variety, and the dissembling of it from one's body can feel very exciting.In my opinion, if that's their way of sticking two fingers up to the system, then I say good on you, Syria's Suffragettes! You make sure those men know what they're missing.
Barbara Windsor in a shot from the unreleased Carry On in Damascus - She played the character of Habibi
LOL fantastic! I've never heard of this... movement. Hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI must say I'm impressed by your thoughts on religion - I couldn't have said it better myself! By the way, the British Humanist Society also agrees that if cult mongers are allowed to walk around spreading lies, then those of us who're sane are entitled to our own point of view being heard - they raised funds to have advertisements placed on TfL buses saying "God probably doesn't exist, so just enjoy yourself." I can't wait to see them.