Friday, January 17, 2014

In Syria, Islamists Don't Allow Women To Sit In Chairs, In Saudi Arabia, Women Can't Use Swings

Apparently, in Syria and Saudi Arabia, the only time you are allowed to be on your ass as a woman is if you are servicing your husband.

The glowing report of the "honor" and "dignity" doled out to women in each of these two countries can be found at The Clarion Project (2nd story here).



Saudi Religious Police Prevent Women From Using Swings


A picture of the Saudi Arabian religious police stopping women in a public park from using the swings has gone viral in the Kingdom. News outlets and social media, abuzz with the story, have garnered opinions that both support and oppose the actions of the police (who are officially titled the "Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice").

Akhbaar24 news, who originally reported the story, said those who supported the actions of the police said "the swing could tempt passers-by to harass or attack them."


Syria: Islamists Forbid Women to Sit in Chairs

After taking over areas of northern Syria, the Al-Qaeda-linked group ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) instituted draconian, sharia-based laws and made known its expectations of the population to follow them.

“It is absolutely forbidden for women to sit on the chairs, according to the instructions of the authorities,” stated a prominent sign.

Other promulgations stated that women must wear the abaya and the burqa (coverings for the entire body and face), and that sweaters, jeans and makeup of any kind were strictly forbidden. Any type of smoking was forbidden upon the penalty of death.

Syrian rebels groups, including those associated with Al Qaeda, like the Nusra Front, are now fighting against ISIS. The fight is not so much over the end result – as the end goal of both groups is to establish a sharia-based Islamic state – but over tactics and strategy. It is a well-known battle between Islamists who believe in a gradualists approach (for example, groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, who seek to win over world powers by purporting to be “moderates”) and the Salafists (“purists”) – this time being played out in the Syrian civil war.

Recent infighting between the rebel groups has left close to 700 dead, including 100 civilians (of which 21 were executed by ISIS in a children’s hospital in Aleppo).

The decision to fight ISIS by other rebel groups was in part made after the group took over El-Dana, a town in Syria’s northern district of Idib. As reported by a Syrian news station, ISIS terrorized the town, instituting the following new laws (in addition to the ones stated above):

All barbershops must be closed down. Men are forbidden from having short hair, wearing modern hairstyles or using hair products.
If a taxi driver tries to take an unfair price, his penalty will start from cutting off his hand to cutting off his head because, according to the laws of ISIS, he has "violated the interests of the people."
All signs and advertising for beauty salons for women are forbidden.
It is forbidden to visit female doctors.
Shops that employ women seamstresses will be closed if there is a man in the shop.
It is forbidden to open places of business during prayer times. Violators will be punished.
Female clothing may not be shown in shop windows and only women are allowed to work in these shops. If a man is found on the grounds, the shop faces closure.
Men are forbidden from wearing low-waist jeans.
Shops found selling cigarettes will be burned to the ground.

1 comment:

Vladimir Putin said...

So who gives Saudi Arabia $1.5 billion in aid every year? Who is supporting the "rebels" in Syria? That's right Holger, your hard earned tax dollars. You bust your hump everyday so that the Saudis and the Qataris can facilitate your tax dollars to support cannibals and mysoginysts.

Once you've removed yet another secular regime; take comfort in the fact that the guys you're supporting now are going to attack you next(That was meant to be sarcastic).

Keep on blogging!