This week in Islam

[Guest]

It's hard to keep up this thread since we would have to be posting into it 24hrs a day, but this story strikes a chord for its foreshadowing of our own future. Muslim refugees attacked tourists and locals when a tourist took pictures of a Muslim woman in a 'burkini' at the beach.

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/tourist-photographs-women-in-burkinis-on-beach-in-corsica-and-mass-brawl-erupts-involving-harpoon-hatchets

When I was in the Middle East, I was told not to photograph anyone without first getting permission. It seemed reasonable, to me, as I was a foreigner in their country, to follow that protocol.

What would be the equivalent acquiescence for foreigners to my country? I don't know. Probably nothing involving harpoons though.

[dialamah]

When I was in the Middle East, I was told not to photograph anyone without first getting permission. It seemed reasonable, to me, as I was a foreigner in their country, to follow that protocol.

What would be the equivalent acquiescence for foreigners to my country? I don't know. Probably nothing involving harpoons though.

When I was in Egypt, I was invited to take pictures of people all the time. Sometimes they wanted to be in the picture with me/us. Sometimes they wanted money for the pic. But Egypt is (or was) more tolerant and accepting than some other parts of the ME, I think.

[Guest]

I was in Oman. People were generally happy to have their picture taken, but nothing candid. I even had tipper drivers get out of their vehicles during the tip so they could pose next to the truck.

Edited August 15, 2016 by bcsapper

[Argus]

When I was in Egypt, I was invited to take pictures of people all the time. Sometimes they wanted to be in the picture with me/us. Sometimes they wanted money for the pic. But Egypt is (or was) more tolerant and accepting than some other parts of the ME, I think.

Unless you're a woman, of course.

[dialamah]

Muslim woman helps Christians in Middle East.

"I know what a lot of people say about Islam, but my Islam that I believe in is a religion that is very peaceful and believes in helping others," Dr. Sarah Ahmed recently told The Christian Post. "You can not sleep while your neighbor is hungry or suffering. You have to lend a hand."

Muslim doctor loses home/practice after saving Christian

While facing overwhelming challenges, the doctor doesn't regret helping the Christian patient, as he believes that "humanity is the core of any religion."

Christians burn Muslims

[dialamah]

Unless you're a woman, of course.

I'm a woman, as is my sister who has lived there for more than a decade. Her major complaint about Egypt is infrastructure, not sexism.

[?Impact]

The 'middle east' is naturally a single entity with everyone having the exact 100% same culture and practices. We know there is no difference between Canadians in Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and BC, even the "old stock" folks so why should there be any differences between a population of people over 10 times larger with many more languages.

[Guest]

The 'middle east' is naturally a single entity with everyone having the exact 100% same culture and practices. We know there is no difference between Canadians in Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and BC, even the "old stock" folks so why should there be any differences between a population of people over 10 times larger with many more languages.

No, I disagree with this.

[Argus]

I'm a woman, as is my sister who has lived there for more than a decade. Her major complaint about Egypt is infrastructure, not sexism.

Really? So all those polls and stories about Egyptian women being routinely assaulted and subjected to both verbal and physical harassment in the street are just made up?

According to the survey released in April 2013 by The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women on sexual harassment, 99.3 percent of Egyptian women are sexually harassed in one way or the other, 96.5 percent of whom said that harassment was physical, and 95.5 experienced sexual harassment through verbally abusive language.

http://egyptianstreets.com/2015/03/05/the-moral-epidemic-of-egypt-99-of-women-are-sexually-harassed/

And btw, are you aware that virtually ALL Egyptian women have been subjected to genital mutilation? Over 92% of Egyptian women have been forced to undergo the procedure while young.

http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2015/05/12/92-of-married-women-in-egypt-have-undergone-genital-mutilation-survey-finds/

[Guest]

Interesting article on ISIS and Islam. Leaked documents show that most ISIS recruits know very little about Islam when joining. They are then subjected to the the group's extreme interpretations. A former CIA case office says religion is an afterthought for most, instead recruits are seeking "a sense of belonging, notoriety and excitement."

http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/1.736943

[dialamah]

Yes, things are bad in Egypt, but are they a lot better in Canada? You aren't a woman, so you probably have no clue exactly what women experience from men in this country. For example: 80% of women in Canada have experienced sexual harassment on the street.

During their research, they found that over 80 percent of the women surveyed had experienced male stranger harassment in public and that those experiences had a large and detrimental impact on their perceived safety in public.

In Egypt, sexual harassment is illegal; in Canada, it is not.

Yup FGM is a problem in Egypt, and it's also illegal. People are working to eliminate the practice, and it's working:

But progress is being made. The percentage of girls aged 15 to 17 who have had the procedure has dropped from 74.4% in 2008 to 61% in 2014 -- a clear sign that the drive to end FGM is working, campaigners say.

In any case, the root cause of sexual violence against women in Western countries is that we have descended from a misogynistic and patriarchal religion called "Christianity" and it takes a very long time for these social attitudes to change. In the ME, they are still in the midst of shedding the misogyny and patriarchy that has been intrinsic to Islam. We are further along in this path then they are, but we are not "better" than they are.

And none of this negates the fact that my sister complains more about the infrastructure in Egypt, than sexual harassment. It may well be that she accepts it as part of living there, but there are advantages that she feels are lacking in Canada - for instance, the way in which families maintain close ties and help each other; there is no social safety net to speak of, so children and elderly are cared for by their family instead of the state. Or that there is much less concern about 'image' among young women in Egypt - anorexia and similar issues are not as common as they are here. Marriages - even the polygamous ones - tend to last for life, something many Western conservatives would like to see here.

[Argus]

Yes, things are bad in Egypt, but are they a lot better in Canada?

Seriously? How often do Canadian women get their clothes torn off by mobs of men in the street, or raped in public?

If someone sexually assaults a woman in Toronto the nearby police won't laugh and thrust their groins at the victims, now will they?

Certainly there's sexual harassment on the streets but It is occasional and virtually always verbal.

“I am a woman from Egypt, so I face harassment in the streets daily,”

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/06/making-egypts-streets-safe-for-women/?_r=0

How many Canadian women are going to make such a statement about life here?

The mass sexual assault of women in public has been documented in Egypt since 2005.[n 1]

Typically acting under the protective cover of large gatherings, assailants encircle a woman while outer rings of men deter rescuers. The attackers regularly pretend to be there to help the women, adding to the confusion. Women have reported being groped, stripped, beaten, bitten, penetrated with fingers and raped.[2]:38–41 The attacks have been described in Egypt as the "circle of hell.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_sexual_assault_in_Egypt

In any case, the root cause of sexual violence against women in Western countries is that we have descended from a misogynistic and patriarchal religion called "Christianity" and it takes a very long time for these social attitudes to change. In the ME, they are still in the midst of shedding the misogyny and patriarchy that has been intrinsic to Islam. We are further along in this path then they are, but we are not "better" than they are.

Really? Or is this just that you refuse to admit we are better? Is saying we are better a problem for you? Is anyone better than anyone else? Is anything better than anything else? Are you afraid to make judgments based on obvious evidence?

And none of this negates the fact that my sister complains more about the infrastructure in Egypt, than sexual harassment. It may well be that she accepts it as part of living there, but there are advantages that she feels are lacking in Canada - for instance, the way in which families maintain close ties and help each other; there is no social safety net to speak of, so children and elderly are cared for by their family instead of the state.

Which is good and bad. It means you have to rely on your family, which means those with the money have power over you, and you are at their mercy. You think that is better than having a social safety net?

Or that there is much less concern about 'image' among young women in Egypt - anorexia and similar issues are not as common as they are here. Marriages - even the polygamous ones - tend to last for life, something many Western conservatives would like to see here.

Yes, they tend to last a long time since the woman has no choice no matter how much her husband beats her or fools around on her. You think this is an advantage? Arranged marriages also mean you have no choice on who is going to bed you and control you in Egypt's harsh matriarchal culture.

[cybercoma]

Seriously? How often do Canadian women get their clothes torn off by mobs of men in the street, or raped in public?

If someone sexually assaults a woman in Toronto the nearby police won't laugh and thrust their groins at the victims, now will they?

No but our judges just might berate the victim and ask her why she couldn't just keep her knees together.

[?Impact]

So all those polls and stories about Egyptian women being routinely assaulted and subjected to both verbal and physical harassment in the street are just made up?

Canadians are also subject to physical harassment in the street as well, it is call swarming. Here is just one of many examples: http://www.calgarysun.com/2016/05/18/you-were-messing-with-the-wrong-people

[Argus]

Canadians are also subject to physical harassment in the street as well, it is call swarming. Here is just one of many examples: http://www.calgarysun.com/2016/05/18/you-were-messing-with-the-wrong-people

And again, the progressive need to be an apologist for the violence of Muslim society, to stretch however ridiculously far to somehow show that our society is no better.

[?Impact]

And again, the progressive need to be an apologist for the violence of Muslim society, to stretch however ridiculously far to somehow show that our society is no better.

Nobody is apologizing for the violent thugs in any society. It is only the regressive that needs to point out a specific thug, and then say that thug represents 1.5 billion people.

[Big Guy]

Nobody is apologizing for the violent thugs in any society. It is only the regressive that needs to point out a specific thug, and then say that thug represents 1.5 billion people.

Interesting, does that mean that the opposite of a Progressive is a Regressive?

[WestCoastRunner]

Really? Or is this just that you refuse to admit we are better? Is saying we are better a problem for you? Is anyone better than anyone else? Is anything better than anything else? Are you afraid to make judgments based on obvious evidence?

.

Everyone knows of the atrocities that take place against women, LGBT, disabled, and men, etc all over the world . You don't need to post endless links. We aren't stupid. We get it

But are your rants simply to have posters here say we are better than everyone else? Is that your agenda?

Edited August 17, 2016 by WestCoastRunner

[poochy]

Everyone knows of the atrocities that take place against women, LGBT, disabled, and men, etc all over the world . You don't need to post endless links. We aren't stupid. We get it

But are your rants simply to have posters here say we are better than everyone else? Is that your agenda?

Why would it matter if it was? It should be enough that it's true, but some people, literally in this thread, seem to think things aren't much better here, which is ridiculous. Of course if things aren't much better here it's easier to pretend that our customs aren't really much better, and aren't worth defending. Also ridiculous.

[Argus]

Interesting, does that mean that the opposite of a Progressive is a Regressive?

No, the opposite of a progressive is a realist.

[Argus]

Everyone knows of the atrocities that take place against women, LGBT, disabled, and men, etc all over the world . You don't need to post endless links. We aren't stupid. We get it

But are your rants simply to have posters here say we are better than everyone else? Is that your agenda?

Who says I have an 'agenda'? What is your agenda? I believe in calling a spade a spade and not indulging in hand wringing and apologizing for offending people when I condemn the stupid things they do. This seems to outrage the left. I point out how barbaric some particular group or culture is and they rush in to point out bad things about ours. Why? Why is there this desperate need to make apology posts every time someone points out the barbarism of certain cultures?

[Argus]

Nobody is apologizing for the violent thugs in any society.

Yes, that's exactly what progressives do.

[CITIZEN_2015]

Read the history

Edited August 28, 2016 by CITIZEN_2015

[Big Guy]

No, the opposite of a progressive is a realist.

I suggest a little more research. This may help:

Synonyms and antonyms

[Guest]

Hey, found one!

In the video, widely shared on social media, the man tells the hijab-wearing women: "Terrorists are Muslims and all Muslims are terrorists."

I definitely wouldn't eat at his restaurant.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37209605