Meet Yasmin

In the secularized Christian United States of America, we can see Islamic women, who wear headscarves as oppressed. There can be no possibility that they would do that of their own free-will, or would they?

In these contemporary times, we think that dressing like that is old fashioned, and we don’t understand how a woman living in a first world country could voluntarily choose to dress like that.

I would like to introduce you to my friend Yasmin. She is of Pakistani descent, and she lives in the north of England. She has her undergraduate degree in biology and a masters in education. She is a beautiful independent woman with lots of friends and a great sense of humor. She’s always cracking wise … She’s also a Muslim and wears a headscarf in her daily life.

She doesn’t wear it because someone is forcing her to do it. She wants to. She is proud of being a Muslim, and this is a symbol of her commitment to her faith. And look at what beautiful colors she can wear. I think that one is marvelous with her skin tone.)

(If you’ll notice, in the back, the women are not wearing
headscarves, so it’s not due to peer pressure either.)

When I compare this to many of the scantily clad objectified women in the Superbowl commercials, I find Yasmin much more beautiful. Was it just me, or were the Superbowl ads this year even More sexist than usual? But that’s another story. lol

But while I'm on the subject ... Did you know that is one of the reasons for the headscarf (and other Muslim coverings)? It is to reduce the chance of women being objectified as sexual objects. It is intended to honor them not oppress them, but like anything, it can be twisted. Just like equal rights initiatives for women in the U.S. were not intended to promote push up bras.

This is a strange world we live in.

Next time: Is there global warming on Pluto?

France’s Fight of Radical Islam

I saw something the other day that stopped me short. There was a headline on the BBC that France is considering outlawing the headscarf for Islamic women there. (They barred the wearing of headscarves for children in public schools in 2004.)

As usual, the person who wrote the headline didn’t bother reading the story, which talks about banning the much more conservative face veil in public spaces, like the metro (subway) or government buildings.

This affects considerably less people (approximately 1,900 versus millions). If it had been the headscarf in general, I would have expected rioting in the streets. Though the Muslim community accepted the ban on headscarves in the public schools much more quietly than I expected.

I don’t think that this even could be considered in the United States (U.S.) without there being instant demonstrations and lawsuits filed in court, and I thank God for that. But I have to remember that this is France and not the U.S. Their laws and philosophy for government are different there. However, I do feel very sorry for the women who are caught in the middle.

The reason that the French government wants to ban the full face veil is that it promotes “radical religious practice,” and it is oppressive to women. They do not feel that women should be forced into that visually subservient position. That would not be my first choice either, but I see a problem.

The policy will punish the victim. Women, possibly being oppressed in their families and homes, potentially will be refused access to the government that is supposed to protect them. I applaud the goal of the French government, but I hope that they find another way to achieve it.

Note: Since reading this original story, France has refused citizenship to a man on the basis that he "compelled" his French wife to wear the full veil. Very interesting indeed.

References: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8480161.stm, http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/8494860.stm, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_law_on_secularity_and_conspicuous_religious_symbols_in_schools

Please, see my next entry, which will feature an unmarried working Muslim woman living in England. She chooses to wear the headscarf in her daily life as a sign of her faith.

Sunday Stealing: The Negativity Meme

Sunday Stealing is a great place where they scour the internet looking for new meme's to swipe. This week they honored Flea @ Flea's World. Check 'em out!


Sunday Stealing: The Negativity Meme

A food which disgusts the crap out of me:

fried onions

TV show I loathe:

Jerry Springer

Movie I loathe:

Pretty Woman

Music genres I [generally] loathe:

Heavy metal

Magazine which annoys me:

Cosmo

Makes me cranky at restaurant:

bad service

Makes me cranky in public:

People who talk on their cellphones at full voice like they think that they're the only people there.

Makes me cranky in general:

Being late

Pisses me off at home:

When something breaks on a weekend, and you can't get it fixed until the following week.

Pisses me off at work:

Changing the goal posts just after you finished the assignment and management acting like it isn't the first time they're telling you. (When you have the proof to the contrary in writing.)

Pisses me off in general:

Domestic violence

Makes me impatient at home:

When I've been ordered to be ready at a particular time, but "the boss" makes us wait.

Makes me impatient at work:

Someone continuing their personal phone call when I'm standing in front of their desk to talk business.

Makes me impatient in public:

Traffic jams.

Celebrity I despise:

Angelina Jolie

Musical artist I despise:

I don't know that I have a musical artist that I care enough about to "despise".

I couldn't care less about:

What Al Gore or Rush Limbaugh thinks about global warming

Annoys the crap out of me weekdays:

D.C. traffic

Annoys the crap out of me weekends:

That I didn't get half of what I wanted to accomplish.

Blogger's habit that annoys you:

Promises to be more consistent with their blogging. (I find it especially annoying when I do it. LOL)

Feature on your blog you despise:

That comments can't be edited.

Movie star you despise:

Didn't I already answer this question? (Angelina Jolie)

Politician that you despise:

I'm having a difficult time thinking of a politician that I don't despise.

Through this I've been able to detect a few trends. Things that make me happy: doing what you say you're going to do and having consideration for my time. Trust me, I'd do it for you. :)

Now, that I have all that off my chest, I can wish you a great Sunday and a great week! ;)

Saturday 9 - Call Me

It's Saturday 9 time! Check 'em out!

Saturday 9: Call Me

1. Who is someone that phones you routinely that you never seem to be up to talk to, but you are not ready to push them out of your life?

I really don't have anyone like that. I really don't talk to too many people on the phone with any regularity.

2. What is something that effects you deeply, to your core, no matter your mood or what else is going on in your life?

Public humiliation. It can come in a variety of different ways. It can be as simple as someone tripping on the sidewalk, practical jokes, or reality tv shows. It always hurts me.

3. Tell us of something that relaxes you and always makes you happy.

Ballroom/Latin dancing ... works every time. :)

4. If you could take the train from anywhere to anywhere, where would 'anywhere' be?

From Paris to Istambul, the original ending points of the Orient Express. Sadly, the train route no longer exists, according to Wikipedia.

5. If you could look into the future, how far down the road would you like to see? 10 years? 100 years? A million?

My future? The world's? The answer would be different depending. If it was for me, I'd be tempted to look 10 years ahead. However, I'm not sure that I would want to know my future. Could I change it? Is is locked in? If it's locked in, what if I didn't like it? I would rather not know. To see where the world is going, I might like to see what the world's like in 100 years. I'm rather confident (and hopeful) that I wouldn't be around then. lol

6. Did you do your shopping online for this Christmas, how did it go? Did things come in on time? Any significant failures? ...and if you didn't, will you consider trying online shopping sometime this year?

I usually do a fair amount of my Christmas shopping online, but I didn't this year due to last minuteness of it all this year. (To be honest, it's always close to last minute, but this was a bit closer than usual. lol) Hopefully, next year, I'll do better, which means that I'll definitely be shopping online again next year.

7. What people or projects are worth your time, money or effort?

Hmmm ... A surprisingly deep question and oddly phrased. The answer is in how I spend my time and my money. I would say that means following the path that God has set me on, which right now means going to seminary, my family, and my friends.

8. Think back when you were in high school. Are you proud of the way you dressed, or do you wish you could go back and change it all?

Proud? It was in keeping with the preppy style of the 80's. When I look back at pictures, I rather like how I looked back then. (A much higher opinion than I had of my "look" at the time.)

9. Do any of your friends, family or co-workers know about your blogs? For those that do, did you tell them or have they stumbled upon it by themselves?

They know, but they don't look at it. (At least as far as I know.) I told them about it, but most of them aren't really online all that much. Ah well, I guess it means that I could talk about them more. ;)

That's all for now ... Have a great weekend!

2009 Wrap Up

A little summary of the year. I did the same one last year and really liked it. I especially like it now when I can see where I was at this time last year, compared with now. Very interesting.

Let's see what's happened in 2009 ...

1. What was the best thing that happened to you personally in 2009? I continued following the path that God set before me by moving to Washington D.C. to go to grad school to get my Masters of Theological Studies. I love what I'm studying, and there's something exhilarating about doing what you know you were meant to do … even if you don't know where it will lead to, or why you're supposed to be doing it. It's the greatest adventure of my life, and I've had some doozies.

2. What was the worst thing that happened to you personally in 2009? The worst thing was the move to D.C. to go to school. If you're familiar with this blog, you'll probably already know this, but … I had a hard time leaving Texas. After a lifetime of moving every 3-5 years, I found a place where I finally felt was “home.” I had to leave the people that I love and a culture that I love. And the beautiful West Texas skies. Man, how I miss them. It's been harder to adapt to this strange environment where I now find myself. I'm not the most outgoing person in the world, and that really isn't helping. I try very hard, every day, but I find it very difficult. It's emotionally exhausting. I'm glad to have the break between semesters right now.

3. What was the best thing to happen to all of us in 2009? Cash for clunkers. It appears to have done what it was designed to do. (That's gotta be a record for the government.) It jump-started the economy enough for the quarter to end with positive economic growth. The media got to report that, which gave the people some confidence to start spending some money again. We're certainly not out of the woods yet, but when you think that last year at this time “they” were saying that we were in the beginning stages of the 2^nd Great Depression, things are very good. “People” have very short memories, and they don't remember how bad or how long (over 10 years) the Great Depression was. When you consider that, things are very very good.

4. What was the worst thing to happen to all of us in 2009? The health insurance debate. I have been saying for YEARS that the health insurance system was broken and needed to be reformed. Even though I am more fiscally conservative by my background, I was willing to give this healthcare reform thing a chance. There were some good ideas out there, but with all the horse trading that went on to get the bills through, I'm very scared of the end result.

5. What was the best gift you received during the ’09 holidays? The Star Trek DVD! I loved that movie this year! I'm not one of those Trekkies who dress up in costumes and go to conventions, but I did go on the Star Trek “ride” in Vegas. (It was very cool, btw. Don't know if it's still there, but anyway…) The costume/convention folks had “issues” with the film, but I thought this “reboot” of the series was fantastic and leaves the door open for many adventures in the years to come. Yeah, I liked the gift. lol

6. What was the best gift (most appropriate or best received) you gave during the ’09 holidays? That would be a serving tray that I gave to my mom. It was a multi-tiered crystal contraption that she can use to display various baked goods and the like. She was thrilled, when I asked her in the store if the style suited her. (Yeah, it wasn't a huge surprise on Christmas, but it had the benefit of being exactly what she wanted. lol)

7. Do you have any regrets about what you did in 2009? I regret the things that I did that inadvertently hurt other people. I put a lot of effort into not hurting other people's feelings or offending them, but sometimes it happens anyway. It always kills me. Let me put out my formal apology to anyone out there that may be reading this that I may have hurt in any way. I am truly sorry for any injury that I may have caused. It is the last thing that I ever want to do.


8. Do you have any regrets about what you didn’t do in 2009? Not really. There are several things, mostly having to do with the move that I could have done differently, but I think that I made the right choice. Ultimately, it doesn't matter. Woulda, coulda, shoulda … didn't. And now, there's no going back.

9. Resolutions for 2010? Now’s the time for them. I was looking at my resolutions from last year ...

• To Boldly go where the Lord leads me without fear … “… for Thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Well, I think I get to check this one off … perhaps not the fear part. I spent the year concerned that I was going to somehow screw things up by forgetting to cross a “t” or to dot an “i.”

• To worry less and live more. In the words of the Nike slogan … Just Do It. Or as one of my favorite film characters, Auntie Mame says, “Live, live, LIVE! Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death.” I lived, but I also worried … See above.

• To remember that bored people are boring, and then be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. I was never bored. Quite the contrary. This is so true that I'm taking a lighter load at school this next semester. Maybe I'll be able to get out of my cell (dorm room) a little more often in the spring. Looking forward to seeing some Cherry Blossoms.

• To be proactive rather than procrastinate. Find excitement in the mundane. It is there in the trenches where you turn your dreams into reality. I was certainly in the trenches, working very hard 99.999999% of the time. Even my academic adviser suggested that I not take any accelerated courses during the winter break to give myself a rest. I did earn it if I say so myself.

But what about resolutions for 2010?

• To continue forward with the goals from last year. Progress made, but a long way left to go.

• Develop a support system in D.C. I think that I will have a nervous breakdown if I don't find some people locally. I've already got a line on something, but I'm not sure if it will pan out. Will definitely check it out.

• That doesn't seem like enough. Any suggestions?

That's all folks! Everything you never wanted to know. LOL Have a Happy & Safe New Year! :)