tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118891597274196740.post5454876340050655045..comments2009-07-23T23:31:23.206-04:00Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05001054547611679329misssoubrette@gmail.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118891597274196740.post-42467530099408931212009-07-23T23:31:23.206-04:002009-07-23T23:31:23.206-04:00Most scholars believe that the burqa emerged a couple hundred years ago when an Afghan king was upset about people looking at his wives. The garment eventually became a sign of decadence--not only because the kings wives wore it, but also because it showed that wearer so rich that she could walk around ridiculously constrained and still afford to eat.<br /><br />There is also the interesting phenomenon of women going niqabi as a sign of rebellion. For many women in the West, the niqab is the Muslim version of spiked hair: it shocks people, so they do it.<br />Of course, I only know this second hand, because niqabis also believe that no woman may speak with a man who is not in her family. I find that rule to be more alien to my values than any debate about dress code.Barry Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15542270370193076604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118891597274196740.post-52080358905740071782009-06-24T10:44:42.811-04:002009-06-24T10:44:42.811-04:00http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/23/sarkozy-burka-french-parliamentKerguidounoreply@blogger.com