So true

[goldenfinger]

http://gawker.com/5944741/iranian-woman-beats-the-crap-out-of-cleric-for-telling-her-to-cover-up?post=52817244

You cover your eyes.

[tenni]

I don't know what to make of this story and your decision to post it. The story comes across as amusing to those of us not living there. Although I don't want to live in such a culture, I try not to judge. I see increasing numbers of women wearing covered clothing but some are wearing tightly fitting clothes. I don't see full face covering but was really curious when I stepped out of the West Althouse tube stop to see so many Muslim women wearing face covering and loosely fitting clothes.

The difference between London Muslim women and Iranian is that in Britain it was a choice. No woman had to beat up a cleric to cover up but there may be cultural pressure to do so. In my own country, Canada, rules about face covering are being created. Women must show their face in a court etc. but they do not have to keep it uncovered.

I'm sure that some of us in the West are amused by the story of the woman telling the cleric to cover his eyes and beating the crap out of him. The French ? magazines publishing images of Mohammed that ridicule him..the riots over a film ridiculing Mohammed. It all seems like we are going backwards in time to the Crusades with conflict between the West and Islam? Taunting from one side (our side) compared to violence on the other side?

[darkeyes]

Turns out the poor man was duffed up by 2 girls.. I can just imagine how "politely" he asked too... should we fear for the girls.. yes we should.. but it does show that the rule of repression in that country is not entirely without opposition.. I dount tho in Iran, Tenni, there would be cultural pressure to beat up a cleric in the circumstances we are talking of...

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/20/world/meast/iran-hijab-fisticuffs/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

The other points u raise are certainly very disconcerting.. can we condemn people in the west for doing as they have done regarding this film and the depiction of the Prophet in a french mag? Not really in most circumstances.. unless it is done to deliberately antagonise and create trouble.. the first instance certainly seems to be that way.. I'm not sure about the second.. and even then if we believe in freedom of speech and expression do we have the right to prevent others in our societies from acting irresponsibly with those rights? I am conflicted absolutely on this, yet I know that were it to have been a film such as this made about Christ, and the cartoons about him, that there would be a huge hue and cry in the west and demands for them to be banned and even criminal actions taken against those responsible... and I know that I would be on their side defending their right to freedom of expression and speech while most likely condemning their irresponsibility in publishing the material they had... it isn't an easy thing to balance is it?