French Shorts in Riyadh: Of Niqabs, Thongs, and Ethnocentrism in Arabia
“The French are trying to restrict Muslims and force them to leave France…They are doing it through ugly and twisted methods…” al-Hayat (Saudi, published from London) on French objections to the niqab in their country.
Many other Saudi newspapers have expressed similar sentiments about Sarko’s public opinion on the niqab. Saudi media is incensed over the statement by French president Sarkozy that the niqab is not welcome in France.
I got news for al-Yahat: it is not welcome in most places. Even in theocratic Iran the niqab is not welcome. How do you know who is behind that black piece of (chastity?) rag? It can be Bin Laden himself with kohl-rimmed eyes; worse yet, it can be Ayam al-Zawahiri strolling down the Champs-Élysées, stopping off at Fouquet’s to surreptitiously ogle les jeunes femmes while sipping a Calvados.
The niqab was never required by Islam, anymore than the Brazilian thong was required by Catholicism; it is a tribal thing required in Saudi Arabia, Pashtunstan, and among some Salafi fundamentalists. Besides, aren’t Saudis always trying to make life harder for ‘their’ French women guests by restricting the use of shorts in Riyadh? They would not even let Carla Bruni accompany Sarko when he visited before they married. Talk about being ethnocentric!
Cheers
mhg
Mon Email
Comments