It is for much the same reason that I, on occasion, read in the Jerusalem Report the column given over to Ms. Eltahawy. It's titled, "Mona's Musings." Because I know virtually no Muslims, it occurred to me that, if I read Mona's Musings, I'll get a better understanding of the views of a moderate Muslim. It's proven most disappointing. Here's why:
1. Mona's Musings, April 27, 2009, "Caught between Liberators and Saviors"
(Okay, it takes me a while to catch up with my reading material. But, let me proceed.) In her musings, Mona tries to explain her concerns as to how she might best cover her hair. Should she wear a hajab (one type of head covering), or a niqab (a covering that leaves only slits for vision), or nothing at all? She worries about her will think. Will their attitude towards her be one of a self-appointed liberator (of Muslim women) or self-appointed savior (of Muslim women).
Her musings remind me of my worries over what the girls would think of me in my college years when I would go to dances. I was concerned with how I might best hold my hands. (I resolved this weighty matter by taking up smoking. Thank goodness I've long since stopped.)
As I matured, I realized that what I did with my hands was of little concern to anyone. I began to realize that the the young ladies were as concerned with the impression they made on others as any concerns I might have had with my hands.
Mona, take it from me, no one cares what you put on your head. True, if you wear a hajab, most people will realize that you're a Muslim given to showing your faith. And, if that's what you want to do, that's fine. If you wear nothing on your hair, it will have those about you paying less attention to your faith and seeing you more as a unique individual.
The niqab is a totally different matter. Covering the face suggests you don't want to be seen. To me that's a no-no. If a cop stops a weaving motorist, he needs to see a face. When you go into a bank, the cameras have got to see who's coming in the doors. Think of men walking about New York in Lone Ranger masks or in ski masks. In short, the niqab is a hazard to public safely. It should be outlawed. (A possible exception might be Halloween costumes.)
2. Mona's Musings, September 13, 2010, "A Mosque, America and Me"
Mona begins these musings by giving an account of a drunken individual, named Patrick Cunningham, who sets a fire in a mosque parking lot and then attempts to shoot worshipers who come out to see what's going on. I gather from this account that the neighbors, both Muslims and non-Musllims were horrified. I understand that the mindless Mr. Cunningham received a suitable punishment within the context of the American judicial system.
She then goes on to say that she became a feminist in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Really, that's like a Catholic saying they became a Protestant upon visiting Rome. Over half of all the mosques in North America have been funded by the Saudi government. And, of course, with Saudi funding comes imams schooled in Salafist madrasses.
She then goes on to say that "in Jerusalem, where (she) lived in 1988 and where (her) ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighbors reminded (her) of the ultra-conserative Muslims in Saudi Arabia."
Really? How many Israelis (Orthodox or otherwise) had their hands cut off for theft? How many raped women were stoned to death for having allowed themselves to be subjected to this crime? And, if ultra-Orthodox women didn't drive cars, it was because their families didn't own one. How does this jibe with the situation of women in Saudi Arabia? I could offer a very long list of comparisons between the two cultures. But is this necessary? Didn't she say she had experienced both cultures first-hand?
She then says that "it is only in Cairo, my original hometown, and New York City, where I feel no self-consciousness -- not about who I am, what I believe, or what I look like that I am perfectly at home."
I am so happy for Ms. Eltahawy for being able to feel so comfortable in both NYC and Cairo. I hope she'll excuse me for not being able to say the same thing. Only on a tourist bus would I feel safe in Cairo. As someone renting an apartment in Cairo to pursue my studies -- as someone wearing a kipot and a Mogen Dovid on a chain -- I suspect I'd experience moments of anxiety. What if they thought I was an Israeli? (I gather Ms. Eltahawy's Egyptian origins created no problems for her in Israel.)
Finally, she gets to the subject of the proposed mosque near ground zero, "for bridging understandings to other faiths." In that paragraph, she lists her enemies -- the bigots. Her list includes Newt Gingrich, John Bolton, Andrew Breitbart, and the Dutch parliamentarian, Geert Wilders. I really know very little about Mr. Wilders, but, as to the others, I have always found them to be intelligent individuals known to speak truth.
Despite her extensive travels, the one subject on which Ms. Eltahawy seems abysmally ignorant is free speech and its importance to a free society. No doubt she would add to her list of enemies (bigots) such people as the murdered film producer Van Gogh, the writer, Salmon Rushdi, and the Sudanese woman and former, Dutch parliamentarian, Ms. Ali, author of "Infidel."
If the Jerusalem Report wishes to run Ms. Eltahawy's column that's their business. But, I find her to be far from moderate.
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