I Might Sound Like I Want To Order Freedom Fries

Before I say anything, I would like to say that I was introduced to this world by a Birkenstock wearing, macrame making, potter who was my mother's best friend and labor coach. I grew up listening to Free to Be You and Me. I've read The People's History of The United States and some Chomsky. I respect differences. I don't think my country has everything figured out. Usually, I feel as though people should mostly be able to do whatever they want as long as it isn't hurting anybody else. We are all captains of our own ship, right man?

Why is it then, that after 5 months of living in a Muslim country I've started to understand why France wanted to ban veils in public schools? It feels like something I shouldn't support. It feels like something I should disagree with. I mean, what would Marlo Thomas [key player in Free to Be You and Me] have to say about me trying to tell other woman what they should and should not wear? If this is what so many woman choose for themselves, why should it bother me?

I made a offhanded comment about it front of some other teachers this week at a conference and they sorta jumped down my throat. I avoided a debate because I wasn't really in the mood for any serious talk [I had been sorta but not really joking and had not had lunch yet and am often times not in the mood for serious talk], especially since one of them was a Fullbrighter who probably just graduated from Yale with a degree in Islamic Studies. I really didn't feel like being schooled in a debate by a very somber looking 21 year old about what he called "legislating theology". I really didn't think all of the Vampire Romances I've been reading lately would help me out very much. Although I'm pretty sure Sookie Stackhouse would totally understand my point of view being the little Southern Fried Spitfire that she is.

So I did what everybody does when they find themselves a little bit less informed than they would like to be on a certain topic: I Googled it. [I would like to say that even after my 60 minutes on Google the 21 year old would probably still school me debate wise. He seemed to have a great amount of seriousness on his side] What I found is that it doesn't actually say that women have to be veiled in the Koran. It says something about a "veiled bosoms" and some screens. It seemed like some feminists scholars feel that the conservative reading was a result of a patriarchal culture reading the text very conservatively, not the actual book. I also found that some Indonesian scholars questioned weather the veils are a result of following the rules of the religion or adopting Middle Eastern culture.

So, I guess banning the veils might be more about legislating culture than religion. Ordinarily, I am very opposed to this. As a result I started to ask of my students why the veils were important so I could better understand them and stop feeling like I was in danger of some day joining The Tea Party. They said that it was important because it showed a woman was "good" and "more polite". I didn't hear anything about devout. They also said that it protected them from rape. If a man can't see a woman, he won't want to rape her. I don't know. These just don't seem like great reasons to wear this outfit to the beach.

Shouldn't men just be taught that rape is totally off the table? Even if women are not wearing tents?

And babies? Why do babies have to wear them? Are babies suddenly a whole lot sluttier than they used to be? Are they trying to seduce people with their great big eyes and chubby cheeks? When I asked my students said it was because they looked cute and because it was good practice. It is totally possible that spending the last five months in the jungle away from red wine, boys, and good friends has made me cranky, paranoid, and xenophobic. But here's the thing: It seems like the veils have a lot to do with teaching women how to be quiet and subservient. It also teaches them that they have to be afraid and are unable to do even simple things on their own.

All of my female students have to be home by ten o'clock or their neighbors will gossip about them and think they are a "naughty woman". According to their essays, if they have "free sex" or are even suspected of having it, they risk being ostracized from their communities and being unable to find a husband [which is the number one goal around these parts]. All of a sudden, it doesn't seem like wearing the veils are all that much of a choice like my would be debate partners tried to suggest.

I totally think think that in your own country you should do whatever you see good and fit. However, I have some reservations about supporting these practices in my own country.

And yes, I know that statement makes me sound like this lady:

Yes, I too find this very scary. However, I'm not going to get totally concerned about it until I invite some friends over to my house to look at Russia and hunt some wolves from a helicopter.

I think it might be a matter of simple self preservation. If you look at the entire world, women have only really made big improvements in a few places. For the majority of women, life has remained pretty unchanged. Now, I would say that I am in the top 10% of Bigmouth, aggressive ladies in the U.S. This probably puts me in the top 1% of Bigmouth, aggressive ladies on planet earth. I hate following directions, I don't know how to cook, and I hate cleaning. I have to make sure there remains a place where I can hang out without people trying to throw rocks at me.

Besides, I am from a country where SNOOKI [a Jersey Shore cast member] is now a NY Times bestselling author and Sarah Palin was almost elected VP. You can't tell me that people couldn't sometimes use a little push in the right direction. I'm pretty sure it's what Betty Friedan would want.