CrossTalk on Tolerance: Burqa Catfight

Ha ha ha. Who said Soviet propaganda techniques were out of fashion? Whilst I despise most of the behaviour of masculine people, and feel sick at violence and training people to kill, I know ill-motivated hypocrisy when I see a full length advert on Soldiers of Conscience, featuring only persons serving in the US military.

As for the Burqa, Hijab, Jilbab or BinLiner? Hmmm, let’s ask some relevant questions. My sister who wears the veil, what are her choices now; why is s/he saying s/he wants to wear it; who taught her to put on that shroud; what were their motives? Sure, the principle of liberty means one is free to wear the veil. But that is only one-third of the equation.

The next third is the ideological meanings radiating from this shroud. That we, half of humanity, should be ashamed of our gender identity and role? Our XX-SNC physiological type? Our rich affectional orientation? Our capacity to share ourselves and create new life? That the sensuous and erotic is satanic and to be disowned, rather than integrated into a world of grown-up love, respect, desire and creativity?

That the other half of humanity is excused if it assaults someone because of uncontrolled “sexual impulses”? That I or another XX-SNC person’s affectional and erotic life is always managed by someone else – her “father”, her “brother”, her “uncle”, her “husband”? All patriarchal tyrants.

Which brings us to the final third. Don’t expect such obnoxious fallacies to go unchallenged, whether or not they are given the colour of a religious creed. The challenge may be coolly reasonable. It may be outrageous. What I say is “F*ck that demeaning shit!” Top marks to Anne Elizabeth-Moutet.

BTW…..Islamophobia is clearly a b*llshit concept, invented by persons who have no dedication to freedom of expression, and who wish to short-circuit robust public debate.

(i) It is an attempt to insulate ridiculous or obnoxious political or ethical beliefs from analysis and deserved mockery. Religion especially is very fair game for completely unbridled criticism.

(ii) No self-respecting individual would allow themselves to be compartmentalised and categorised purely in terms of their ideological precepts. I do not criticise the core of your identity even if I you thoroughly ridicule your most treasured beliefs, albeit that I should confine such ridicule to the public square. I have no entitlement to demand entry to expound my views to private associations where religious neurotics congregate – churches, mosques, synagogues, whatever

(iii) Except in the minds of clerical fascists, there is no respectable notion of a unified homogenous group of persons, called Islamists. Rather, there are revolting ideas, and the Islamic Ideology is full of them. I criticise the ideas, and anyone ill-motivated enough to claim that such ideas can justify wrongdoing.

Regards, andrea