What amazes me most about this whole thread is that the Skyrad goes on and on about those big words respect, arrogance, truth...and he started this whole rant on the women's forum under the pretext that this was open general discussion of a different culture, when in fact this was (is) a blatant propaganda speech about all of us evil westnerners. To be more precise, us evil western culture sluts, because apprently if you're not an islamic woman it is assumed that you are a Brittany Spears wanna- be slut. This was not truthful, not respectful, but was definitely arrogant. You go on and on about how ignorant we all are of your culture, but as someone said earlier, it also blows my mind that you are soooo oblivious to your deep-seated prejudice that ultimately the only way for women to behave is when they are "modestly" dressed - whatever that means, I'm guessing it doesn't allow for too much freedom. You don't want to give a woman that, for God's sake!! For the record since you are quite ignorant of our culture, somehow despite being exposed to it for many years as you say( - I doubt this, by the way. I say you, for the most part, stay cloistered in your own community and sit back and judge everyone else as lesser people. Especially us whorish, evil western women), we most definitely do not all want to look like Brittany Spears and, how did you put it??- have a gang-bang party??!!!. We all don't see her as a role model of any kind. I definitely agree that there is a lot of misinformation about the difference in our cultures. But there is lot we know that isn't just "made-up" - like a woman in danger of being killed because she was raped (oddly enough called and "honor killing"), by her ownfamily, no less. I guess she was raped because she dressed provacatively, like Brittany Spears I'm sure (LOL), and for that deserves to die... I work in an Asian-Indian doctors office. There are many Indians, of different sects, and there are many Muslims who come in. Some of the meanest, nastiest people who come in are are the "most devout", which again, is an ironic fact of all "fundamentalists" of every stripe - Muslim, Hindu, and, yes, even Christian. It seems they really work from a position of anger (about what I don't know, but it's there) and of arrogance. I think it has something to do w/fear - fear of God, fear of punishment by God, fear of their fellow men.... I see them and I talk with them, I work along side them. I am exposed to these cultures 8 hours, or longer, a day. I don't agree personally w/the arranged marriages, the way many of the women clearly are expected to be subsurvient to their husbands - the husbands speak for them, interrupt them when they speak, order them to sit, stand, get on the scale(to be weighed) - they don't normally yell in public, but there definitely is the tension they they are to do what they are told which is uncomfortable. But it is their life, and I respect that and don't make fun of them. There isn't a lot to make fun of. So many of them are soooo depressed - I see it. Now there are definitely some who seem happy, content w/their lives - it's about 50/50. The ones who are happiest by far are those who are allowed to enjoy some of the "western" culture, but even among those there is still a bottom line threat, a real[bthreat, that if one of the young college-age girls were to marry out of their faith they would be killed. Why? Because any one who is not of their faith and culture is a lesser person. The doctors I work for left India because the husband is Muslim, his wife is Hindu - they wanted to come to the USA because they knew they had a chance at a life together here. They loved each other and wanted to create a life together. They knew they would be killedif they stayed in India because he was a muslim and she was hindu. They chose to come to the USA because of the freedoms we have here - it isn't perfect. Many people experience prejudice and bad treatment daily. But at least we have, for the most part, the option to pursue the life we want w/out fear of death. This is most dear to us women I think. We don't have to be controlled by the men in our lives and around us. We have the freedom the because we the [have the/b]right as human beings to choose our own path - and that clearly bugs some people. "...I've learned that while the "needs" in life are important (food, water, shelter), it's the "wants" in life (ice cream, chocolate, sex) that make it worth the effort." Kbordson
