After
reading “The Other Side of the Veil”, I was shocked to see just how constructed
society is in other parts of the world. Personally, I only think of the way our
society is constructed, but after reading this article, obviously this is a
worldwide problem. I was really shcoked to see just how strict some cultures
can be when it comes to appearance and clothing. However, with that being said,
I was also amazed in comparing the difference between perhaps the Muslim image
of what is not appropriate and thhe American image of not appropriate. Killian
talks about what is appropriate for Muslim women to look like or dress like.
What really sticks out, besides the fact that women are supposed to be covered
from head to toe, is the fact that these women are treated as “objects.” The
veil is supposedly is claimed to be a piece of clothing that can help
distinguish men from women. Although I know virtually nothing about the motives
of Muslim culture, to me, the veil almost seems like a way in which men can
hold the power of women. Killian also talks about how the veil is suppose to
control male sexual desire. How I interpret that is that women are punished
because these males are these sex driven humans that blame women and their
appearance for their sex motives. What also stood out to me was the fact that
the way a women dresses can not only harm herself, but also harm her family and
male counterpart. Its amazing to see how many different instruments are used
worldwide by males to continue to be the dominant figure in society.
Killian
does a great job portraying the issues, specifically in France, about the
countless cases of girls being expelled from school because they are wearing a
veil. The idea of a veil is part of a culture, and despite the fact that many
Muslim Immigrants have made their way to France in recent years, the Muslim’s
should not be forced to change their culture. Personally, I do not see the harm
if these girls are wering veil’s to school. Killian does a great job when she
talks about how there are two groups that support veiling in school, but each
group supports the veil a different way. The point is, that despite these
groups supporting veiling in school, each group supports the veil in a way that
is ultimately altering and changing the Muslim culture. Killian also brings up
the other end of the argument in which she talks about how religion should be
kept apart from school. However, who is one to say that a person must stop
religion during the hours that schooling takes place? To some people, religion
is something that is happening all day. Some people cannot just stop their
beliefs just because they are at school, and the should not be forced to
either. Kilian writes on page 581, “The point of school is intergration.” Well,
then why aren’t these students being accepted for what they believe in and why
are they being forced to change?
The
idea of the veil is something that to people who have never been forced to
understand it, will not. However, like the veil, I think every culture has an
idea of what is acceptable to wear in public and what is not. It amazing to see
how much different our society is, compared to Muslim for example, as I can
only imaging what Muslim’s would say if they went to a Cro dance on a Saturday
night.
As Keith points out, it is crazy to look at the issues we have been studying throughout the semester, and see how it stretches across the world. Throughout the reading, I tried to step back and think about what would happen if someone wore a head scarf at Conn, for religious reasons. While, I sadly do believe she would be pointed out, just as she is "different from the rest" and is an "other", I believe that it would be tolerated and no one would go out of their way to criticize her decision. In my Globalization and American Culture class, we discussed an article that included the stigma that has been attached to Muslims post 9/11 - They are all out to get us and want to demolish the United States. Part of me believes that women wearing head scarves do fall underneath this category. But, will this every disappear?
ReplyDeleteKeith, I liked your analysis of the headscarf possibly acting as an unfair punishment for women in order to control men. As you said, "How I interpret that is that women are punished because these males are these sex driven humans that blame women and their appearance for their sex motives." This reminded me of the rape culture in modern America. In rape culture, women are told to wear more clothing, and if they don't and they get raped, they were "asking for it". It's about punishing women to wear more conservative clothing so that men won't feel the urge to rape them. Instead of telling women how not to get raped, we should be teaching men not to rape. It's a form of victim-blaming that takes the responsibility of the tragedy and places it on women instead of where it's supposed to be - on men. As you said in your interpretation, headscarves are thought of something made for women to control male desires. I know this isn't the only purpose of the headscarf, but I don't think it should be a purpose at all. They should be putting the responsibility of controlling male desires on men instead of women.
ReplyDeleteKeith, some of the points you made here really made me think. You wrote that what shocked you about the veil was that women were being treated by objects and that a society would have such strict rules for appearances. As Mike pointed out above, this is not something that is foreign to our culture. Mike identifies how women are told to wear more conservative clothing to avoid being raped. I think it is important to identify that women are also told originally not to wear clothes. What women wear in this culture is just as highly scrutinized as in France or Muslim culture.
ReplyDeleteKeith, fantastic job buddy. I am the same way when looking at other cultures on the basis of religion. I am accustomed only to what our society presents to us. I don't think that religion in our society is nearly as strict or important as it is over in Europe and Africa. I found this article pretty shocking due to the fact that families and individuals can be harmed from this. I also was alarmed like you said that these people are forced to change their ways due to their religion when moving to a new country.
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming this is you, John, and I think Keith's explanation of this article actually proves how prevalent religion is here in America. I know it seems like religion is everything in other parts of the world, but religion is a lifestyle choice used to keep people together in working communities so as to utilize resources properly. In America, our government functions on the basis of religion and so do a majority of our citizens. I think it is religion that has made many policy decisions in this country that do not work in favor of most people, notably women and minorities. If the American government can control a woman's body, then what's next? We may begin to resemble some of those other countries soon enough.
Delete-Molly Bienstock
Keith, you raise some interesting points in your response. I thought the most interesting issue was: “Who is one to say that a person must stop religion during the hours that schooling takes place?” This comment is very important because in the US we have also had several issues surrounding self- expression in schools. I am taking a child rights and public policy class and we analyze several cases very similar to the “headscarf affair” talked about in Killian’s article. What I think is most interesting about this is that the girls were not disrupting their classmates in anyway they were simply expressing their Muslim values. In the US the girls would have the right to sue the school for expelling them, and most likely win the case. Its very interesting that this is a cultural issue. It makes me question the reason kids attend school, and how different countries have different ideas. Is it to learn and grow, in hopes of become a contributor to our country? Or is it to integrate into a culture, and try and mesh diverse people from around the world into one? - Tina Seretta
ReplyDeleteTina! I think you mentioned something very interesting when you said "In the US the girls would have the right to sue the school for expelling them, and most likely win the case." Do you think this may be because American citizenship is seen as whiteness? A muslim woman wearing a head scarf would have a lot of trouble labeling herself as an American because she is a 'disruptive other.' This means that she is disrupting the cultural fabric that America has tried tremendously hard to keep in tact. Without even saying a word, a young Muslim girl wearing a veil makes a statement of difference that others can only notice with wide eyes.
DeleteAlso, to add to your comment of Keith's statement about religion in schools, I think we are all so deluded to the fact that religion is in literally everything we do even in school. The pledge of allegiance has "under God" in it, we say "God bless you" when someone sneezes, and we follow a set of values that mirror the ten commandments. I know not all these little things are religious necessarily, but they spark the thought of a higher being and almighty controller of the universe. Can you imagine school without religion?
-Molly Bienstock
Whoops, John Gallagher above Tina
ReplyDelete