The Hypocrisy of Some Hijabis- Comedian Sadia Azmats

I have no issues with those who choose to dress modestly. To each his own, as they say.  And almost every religion has its conservative faction. What I do take issue with are those who use it as a political statement, those who force their women to dress conservatively, and those who might dress modestly but act in a contradictory fashion.

Take Sadia Azmats, a British Muslim stand-up comedian who wears a head covering, and then dresses like this.

The whole point of dressing "modestly in Islam, is not to call attention to oneself. Yet here Sadia is wearing skin-tight pants and red stiletto f-me shoes. Then again, she told Metro UK a few days ago:

It’s Ramadan, the month where Muslims not only fast our stomachs (during daylight hours) but when we Muslim women strive for modesty wherever it can be sought out.

The ‘modesty’ part is a bit of a problem for me. I’ve had sex during Ramadan (after Iftar, not during the fast which isn’t permitted) and it’s great.

Well it’s great all year round but there is a heightened sense of arousal given the increased awareness of primal urges through the hunger and thirst. If I had a choice, I’d give up a sandwich over semen.

But when I’m not observing fasting during the 30 days of Ramadan then society imposes upon me an almost involuntary fasting by holding me to a higher set of expectations than I do of myself.

Society expects me to be a ‘good girl’ and to lower my gaze around men. Muslim women are supposed to be bastions of culture, tradition, and responsibility, especially during Ramadan.

Muslim women like me – rounded, complicated, emotive and above all horny – aren’t even supposed to exist.

Say whaaat?  Premarital sex in Islam is haram (forbidden) and considered a sin. According to Al-Islam:

(A) Pre-Marital Sex
Pre-marital sex is absolutely forbidden in Islam, no matter whether it is with a girl-friend or a prostitute. Pre-marital sex is fornication (zina).

It also happens to be punishable according to Sharia law.

Allah says:

Do not go near adultery, surely it is an indecency, and an evil way [of fulfilling sexual urge]. (17:32)

Fornication and adultery have severely been condemned in the saying of the Prophet and the Imams. In Islam, pre-marital sex is considered an immoral act against the rights of Allah and one's own sexual organs.

Pre-marital sex is a sin punishable by the Islamic court. If an unmarried man and an unmarried woman are found guilty of fornication in an Islamic court, their punishment will be as the following:

The woman and the man who fornicate scourge each of them a hundred whips; and in the matter of God s religion, let no tenderness for them seize you if you believe in God and the Last Day; and let a party of the believers witness their punishment. (24:2)

If the unmarried man or woman commit fornication more than once, then they will be punished three times by hundred wipes, and if they are proven guilty for the fourth time, then they will be put to death.6 (As for adultery, its punishment is even more severe because married persons have no excuse, whatsoever, to commit adultery. The shari'ah says that married persons guilty of adultery should be stoned to death.)

Therefore, pre-marital sex is out of the question as a means of fulfilling the sexual urge.

So, on the one hand, Sadia is wearing a hijab to show her devotion to her Allah:

The hijab is worn by Muslim women as an act of obedience to God’s command in the Quran, where Allah (God) says:

وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ ۖ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ

“And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment….” (Quran 24:31)

And yet she's blatantly going against Islamic law by having pre-marital sex.

How's that for breathtaking hypocrisy.

I've written in the past about Muslim hijabi hypocrisy:  Bizarre hijabs worn by London women, and the Hypocrisy of Hijabi High-Fashion.  Yes, indeed, it exists.

Sadia wants to wear the hijab, I honestly don't care, but act accordingly.

Iran Will Force Female Chess Players To Wear Hijabs At 2017 World Championships

In March 2017, Iran is hosting the Women's World Championship of Chess, and the female players are being forced to wear the hijab if they want to compete.

What I'd like to know is why the heck are we honoring a country that oppresses women, with a world Chess championship? A country that executes homosexuals and child criminals? A country that will arbitrarily arrest and jail foreigners without reason, and sometimes execute them?

Chess’ governing body, FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs), has come under criticism for its decision to host the tournament in Iran and was accused of failing to stand up for women’s rights.

English chess champion Nigel Short tweeted that the FIDE was flouting its own statutes against sex and religious discrimination.

The body’s Commission for Women’s Chess defended the move, calling on participants to respect “cultural differences”.

Apparently, there are some competitors who are saying they will boycott:

US Women’s Champion Nazi Paikidze also expressed her frustration that she would “have to miss her first Women’s World Championship for many reasons” and tweeted a link to the US State Department’s warning about American citizens still being at heightened risk of arrest.

The Georgian-born champion told The Daily Telegraph: "It is absolutely unacceptable to host one of the most important women's tournaments in a venue where, to this day, women are forced to cover up with a hijab.

"I understand and respect cultural differences. But, failing to comply can lead to imprisonment and women's rights are being severely restricted in general.

"It does not feel safe for women from around the world to play here.”

She said she felt “honoured” to qualify for the event but that she was unlikely to attend.

Carla Heredia, from Ecuador agrees.

The former Pan American champion, Ecuadorian Carla Heredia, agreed with Ms Paikidze, telling the newspaper: “No institution, no government, nor a Women's World Chess Championship should force women to wear or to take out a hijab”.

But there are others who don't have a problem with being forced to wear a headscarf.

.. Hungarian Grandmaster Susan Polgar said in a statement that she would have “no issues with wearing a headscarf as long as it is the same for all players”.

She said: “When I visited different places with different cultures, I like to show my respect by dressing up in their traditional style of clothing . No one asked me to do it. I just do it out of respect.”

Perhaps we should force hijab-wearing women coming to the U.S. to remove their head coverings because it doesn't jibe with our Western culture.

Shame on the FIDE for even thinking of holding the competition in Tehran!

Source: The Independent UK

Fiji Says No Hijabs For Photo ID

Whether they like it or not, Muslim women in the Fiji Islands will be forced to have their pictures taken sans their hijabs for their Fiji National Provident Fund and Fiji Revenue Customs Authority joint ID card. Fiji does not have the equivalent of a CAIR advocating for veiled women, so Fijian officials have no-one to cave in to.

Apparently, two women who were refused service at the FNPF because they would not remove their veils for their photo ID, are getting no help from one of the local Muslim organizations:

Fiji Muslim League general secretary Tabiz Akbar said despite the religious and cultural belief held by the Muslim women, if the government required Muslim women to take pictures for certain things especially dealing with matters of national interest, then there was nothing they could do.

One of the women, Roselyn Karim, believes it is blasphemy to take off her hijab, especially during Ramadan:

"I can't just take off my hijab in front of anyone, especially a man. That violates my religion and I feel that I would have shamed not only myself but my family.

"The Prime Minister has been saying that he will ensure that nobody's religion is violated."

According to Aisake Taito, the FNFP requires the removal of head scarves for safety measures :

"One of the key requirements for the Joint ID procedures is a face-check verification.

"This is to ensure that the applicant is indeed a bona fide member/ taxpayer.

"If staff are not able to see the member's full facial features required for identification purposes, then there is no assurance that the member is the same person that is on the IDs being presented to us."

"Bending this customer identification and face validation procedure can be a channel for identity theft; thus is high risk.

"We do appreciate that everyone has a right to their religious/cultural belief which dictates the way they dress.

"But for identification purposes, particularly in the issuance of new ID, it is important that procedures are followed.

"It must be noted that our procedures also allow our Muslim women member's privacy to have their hijab and burqa removed in the presence of a female staff, who will verify their identity."

So the mother and daughter will get their photos taken by women.

At least the Fijians didn't cave.

Source: Fiji Times

Iranian Men Post Bizarre Photos In Response To Women Posting Photos Without Hijab

It didn't take long for  Muslim males to respond to those brave Iranian women who have been posting photos of themselves hijab-free on the Facebook page My Stealthy Freedom.  With 374 thousand likes, the page was created by Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist living in London, to "give voice" to thousands of women in that country who have no choice in the matter.

Some media sites, including Al Arabiya and Telegraph UK, are claiming that there's been a conservative backlash, and that men have created their own Men's Stealthy Freedom Facebook page where they too are posting photos of themselves. In their case, many of the photos posted are of silly men wearing various makeshift head coverings.

Along with other truly bizarre pics including men picking their noses (who knows what that represents), and a man licking whipped cream off the face of another male. Uhuh. Doesn't look too conservative to me.

Whether it's a mockery of the women or not, and whether the men are conservative or not is difficult to determine, since the page is not in English.  Those pics have to be seen, though.

In protest, there have been several small rallies by those conservatives happy with the compulsory hijab laws.  And conservatives have created another Facebook page: Real Freedom of Iranian Women. Those enlightened souls have no problem demanding freedom to wear hijab, but condemn those who would like the choice not to.  They posted the following:

Members write that the hijab is freeing and women should not be given the right to choose whether to wear it. Others posting on the page say they should be compulsory to protect women's modesty.

In one post, the word rape has been written over the photos of three prominent Iranian journalist who work abroad and appear unveiled in their broadcasts. It was accompanied with a message warning that women who do not wear the hijab are more likely to get raped.

Charming.

Muslim Woman Sues Planet Fitness Gym Over Hijab

Another frivolous lawsuit involving an American Muslim.

Planet Fitness has a dress code it asks its members to adhere to: “no jeans, work boots, bandannas, skull caps or revealing apparel" but 37-year-old Tarainia McDaniel feels she should be able to wear a head covering to the gym.  Apparently she transferred from one New Mexico gym that allowed her to wear one, to one that did not.  Back in 2011 she showed up at the new location, and she was told she was not allowed to work out as long as she wore the head covering. So, almost three years later, she has suddenly decided to sue the company for a violation of the Human Rights and Unfair Practices Acts, claiming that they denied her entrance because she was either Muslim or black.

According to McDaniels, when she arrived at the gym on October 3, 2011 wearing a head scarf, she was told she could not work out at that facility because she did not meet Planet Fitness dress code. She says that even after she told them she was a Muslim and wore the 'informal head covering' for religious purposes, and that she'd be happy to wear the more formal 'hijab', she was told no.

According to Planet Fitness:

 "..they didn't know the head covering was for religious purposes," and that “.... our policy is, and has always been, that members are allowed to wear head scarves for religious reasons in our clubs." 

Planet Fitness claims it did not violate any of McDaniel's rights, but there is no reason given as to why she was not allowed access even though they say they allow religious head coverings.

What I want to know is why did she wait this long to file suit?

Source: Al Arabiya

Poll- What Is Appropriate Dress For Muslim Women In Public

The University of Michigan (Institute for Social Research) ran a poll in Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Turkey to find out what most people felt was an appropriate way for women to dress in those Muslim-majority countries.

The infographic below shows the six different styles of dress people were to choose from. The white hijab was the most popular choice for most.

Not really surprising which countries prefer which.

More details at Pew Research Center.

The Ugliest Islamic Face Veil Of All- The Burghu

The burghu, not to be mixed up with the wheat product bulgur, is probably one of the ugliest forms of Islamic face coverings you will ever encounter. There's very little information out there other than references to it in an article in Gulf News regarding a recently published book by Dr. Reem El Mutwalli titled 'Sultani, Changes in Women's Traditional Dress in the UAE during the reign of Shaikh Zayid Bi Sultan Al Nahyan 1966-2004.'

The burqa, and niqab are ugly enough:

Afghan Blue Burqa

Niqab

But the burghu looks like a cross between something out of some  fetishist/S and M catalogue and some kind of muzzle you'd use on a vicious pet. It also disturbingly resembles a mustache, at least in the photos below, which are published in Mutwalli's book.

Mutwalli  actually has an uber cool website, and a Pinterest board where you can see other photos of traditional outfits worn during the period of time she writes about, some of which are actually quite beautiful. But this burghu... it's  just another symbol of the "muzzling" of Arab Muslim womenfolk. According to some info on one of the photos on her Pinterest board (although that one is called a Bandari costume), the younger generation no longer wears them, and it's usually married older women and rural dwellers in the UAE, Oman, Qatar and Arabs of southern Iran and southeastern Turkey who still do.

Source: Gulf News

UK Islamic School Forcing Hijab On teachers Is Shut Down

Remember Al-Madinah, the state-funded Islamic school that was forcing Muslim and non-Muslim teachers to wear the hijab, one of whom quit shortly thereafter? It was shut down last week, at least for now.

The school was shutdown abruptly on Wednesday after a visit by Ofsted’s team, the British official body for inspecting schools.

Undetailed “health and safety” reasons were cited by Ofsted as the reason behind closure.
“We can confirm that Ofsted is currently undertaking a two-day inspection of the Al-Madinah school in Derby,” it said, in a statement carried by The Guardian.

“As a result of findings that our inspectors have shared with the principal during the first day of the inspection, we understand that he has written to parents informing them that the school will be closed to children.

“We have also informed the Department for Education and the local authority of our initial findings. As the inspection is in progress, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”

The move comes less than two weeks after a teacher quit her job at the school, claiming that in addition to the headscarf rule, all girls were being made to sit at the back of classrooms, separate from male students, the newspaper added.

Oops.

The school also seems to think that everyone, including non-Muslims, should aspire to Islamic principles.

The school’s online prospectus states that: “our school will be underpinned by the principles of the Islamic faith, which we believe to be universal principles that all should aspire to whether they are Muslims, of other faiths or none.”

Go for it, if you are a private school. Which they are not.

No doubt, it will reopen.

More here.

Muslim Woman Complains To CAIR About Being Kicked Out Of Meeting

More pissing and moaning to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) by some Minnesotan Muslim woman who complained about being "physically escorted" out of the Annual Hibbing Area Women's Retreat which was being hosted at the Chisholm Baptist Church.

Apparently, this woman showed up wearing her hijab to the meeting where Cynthia Khan- an Islamophobe according to CAIR- was scheduled to speak.  

" [she].. was initially welcomed to the event by organizers. She completed the registration, paid the entrance fee and was given a nametag. As she was entering the auditorium, Khan approached event volunteers and asked that they remove the Muslim woman.

When the Muslim woman explained that she was only there to listen and would not interrupt the speech or disrupt the event, Khan said she did not want a Muslim in the audience. Khan told her that videos and materials "offensive" to Muslims will be shown and distributed during her talk.

Despite her objections to the unfair treatment due to her religion, the Muslim woman was physically escorted outside by event volunteers.

Come on, the woman really expects us to believe that she was only there to listen? And why would you go to an event that you know will offend you if you aren't there to cause problems either during or after that event. Which was obviously her intent, since she went straight to CAIR. 

Video report on the situation.

As expected, CAIR is looking into legal action.

Egyptian Girl Commits Suicide After Refusing To Wear Hijab

Amira, a 15-year-old Egyptian girl, allegedly committed suicide as a result of the domestic abuse she suffered at the hands of her family after refusing to wear the hijab. The girl apparently shot herself with her father's gun, but you have to wonder if it was actually suicide or did her family kill her for dishonoring them by refusing to wear the headscarf.  Not an impossibility, considering people have been honor killed for equally ludicrous reasons.

Either way, I'm sure they are probably happy to be rid of a rebellious child.

How incredibly sad.

Source: Al Arabiya

CAIR Wants U.S. Prisons To Be Hijab-Friendly

The Council on American-Islamic Relations' latest target is the U.S. prison system, and it looks like they're winning. At least in Michigan. But this time it has nothing to do with food, but rather with the Islamic head scarf.

CAIR wants:

 a uniform “hijab-friendly” policy to allow Muslim women to keep their head cover during detention and photos in all local and federal U.S. prisons.

“I’m working on several pending cases in different states... and I’m in touch with an attorney for the Department of Justice’s Office of Civil Rights,” Nadhira al-Khalili, legal counsel for CAIR, told Al Arabiya.

It's official now in Novi, Michigan- Muslim women are allowed to wear their hijabs while jailed or while having their mug shots taken.

Per CAIR'S Dawud Walid:

“If hijab is allowed in the military, and U.S. driving licenses permit women IDs with hijab, then the same logic can be applied,” Walid said. “Hijab doesn’t impede the identity of women.”

The rest here.

I still find it incredibly ironic that Muslims who are religious enough to eat halal and wear hijab somehow find themselves in jail. They're lucky they aren't living under Shariah because Shariah law doesn't look too kindly on criminal activity.

Death Threats For Turkish Author Rabia Kazan For Removing Her Veil

Although Rabia Kazan was born and raised in secular Turkey, the bestselling author, journalist and activist's parents were ultra conservative, and she was therefore forced to wear the hijab from a very young age. She recently decided to unveil, and as expected, the death threats have started rolling in.

"The headscarf was a decision of my mother and when I uncovered my head, I felt freedom for the first time in my life."

Kazan has said there is nothing in the Quran that dictates the wearing of the hijab, that it was a pre-Islamic custom for both men and women in certain geographic areas. And even though some Islamic scholars have said the hijab is not an Islamic duty, there are those who are adamant that one can not be a good Muslimah if one does not cover one's head.

She has angered many including her father, who stoned her house. I'm sure he probably would have preferred to stone his daughter.

She explains her decision to stop wearing the hijab:

If a person has gotten used to seeing life through a single window, and worse, was stuck with the idea that no other windows exist, then they live through rigidity, blindness, dogma or whatever you call it, through a "pitiful" persistence. My philosophical struggle was quite difficult due to conditions beyond my power... Due to the divorce of my parents, ultraconservative views of my mother's family and conditions that cannot be overcome by a small child; I was a believer of truths I wasn't allowed to choose. I was forcefully introduced to the head scarf at a very early age by my mother.

Living with a headscarf required devotion. But of course that choice didn't belong to me! But believe me it was a much harder, much more uphill struggle for me to decide not to have it in my life; to eventually give up constantly struggling against my reasoning, my mind and my conscience, and to choose to take up the challenge of facing the consequences of this decision.

During the first years of wearing a headscarf, I used to feel like my head was stuck up inside a nylon bag, and I heard humming. I had those fearful moments when the needles came loose, wondering if the needle would prick my throat. So I would at times take off the headscarf secretly when my mother was not watching. But one day when I got caught by my mother she subjected me to an unforgettably painful beating.

30 years later, when I decided to uncover my head, another battle started. It was very difficult. Radical Islamists got very furious when a covered and well-known writer decided to uncover her head. I harsh insults and received death threats.

Change was painful in this respect. But when I came to America, first of all I started to swim to my heart’s content... It was such regret for me not to have done it for so long that I didn't want to get out of the swimming pool before I swam for two hours every night...

I suffered from vitamin D deficiency since my skin didn't get enough sunlight by then and this normally causes serious illnesses, weakness and mental fatigue. I sunbathed a lot. Then I tied my hair in a pony-tail and played tennis under the blue sky with my white tennis clothes on. I cannot tell you how good it felt. Then I fulfilled my dream of growing nails and putting on red nail polish, which was a personal remembrance to me. I had met a woman in my trip to Iran who was forced to put her hands into a bag full of insects just because she had put on red nail polish... Whenever I put on red nail polish, I still remember that woman with sadness...

Now I am free and believe that God has no problem with the hair on my head, He will not burn me in his Hell for this reason, He holds us with much more mercy and kindness than we think, and that being "a good person" is much more important than wearing a dark veil.

I have understood that destroying our lives like a criminal in pain and tears just because we express our feelings of thankfulness clearly cannot be something He desires. And I have chosen to accept everyone He created, without conditions, prejudices and with love like He does. This new movement which saves Muslim women from the primitive image of Arabic nomadic life should rather be encouraged than being criticized. Women should be the sole decision makers on what they wear.

Source: Muslim Women News

Muslim Hijab Should Be As English As Bangers and Mash- St George's Day message

Saint George of St. George and The Dragon fame, and patron saint of England, had his celebration yesterday. 

Born to a Greek Christian family in Lydda, Palestine long before the Muslims laid claim to the land,  George set off and joined the Roman army. He was much  respected by the Emperor of the time, Diocletian, until Dio decided to have all his Christian soldiers arrested, forcing all others to offer sacrifices to the Roman Gods. George denounced the edict in front of his fellow soldiers, and his eventual demise came after he still refused to renounce his Christian faith in spite of Diocletian's bribes of land, slaves and money. He was martyred (beheaded) on April 23rd, 303AD.

Since the crusaders used St. George as their symbol- and so do some far-right groups in the UK- a bunch of religious leaders and organizations decided in order not to offend the Muslim population of good old England they would make some statements to promote inclusiveness:  they want hijabs to be as English as bangers and mash. For those who might not know, bangers and mash are a typical meal of sausages and mashed potatoes.

The Christian Muslim Forum, the Muslim Council of Britain, the City Sikhs Network, the Baptist Union of Great Britain, among others, said:

‘We want to promote a new, relaxed and confident English national identity. A place where a hijab is as welcome as bangers and mash, and no one is attacked for their race, religion – or lack thereof – or any other belief.’

"Although the Crusaders used the Cross of St George, St George actually lived before the birth of Islam and should not be associated with any hatred of Muslims. He is respected by many people in the Middle East because of his origins there."

They believe St. George has been co-opted by the "extreme right" groups including the English Defence League and the British National Party (BNP), and by George,

 ‘St George needs to take his rightful place as a symbol of inclusivity.’

In addition to the above mentioned groups a declaration was signed by:

Three Faiths Forum, Faith Matters, Hope Not Hate and the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board.

From the Huffpo:

Fiyaz Mughal, director of Faith Matters, told HuffPost UK: "The Far Right do not realise that St George was part Greek and his mother came from the city of Lydda in Palestine.

"He actually epitomises what Britain now is, a vibrant multi-community country and Christians and many Muslims in the Middle East value the symbolism of St George.

"So we all have to reclaim it from the hatred, anger and violence of Far Right groups like the EDL who do not even know what it symbolises.”

There are plenty of Muslims in England who should take that whole "inclusivity" and letting go of hatred, anger and violence preaching to heart.

Sources: Metro.co and  Huffpo

Egyptian 6th Graders Allegedly Beaten For Not Wearing Hijab

Egypt. Once secular.  Now this, 11 and 12-year-old students beaten by their teacher for not wearing the hijab:

Four sixth-graders at a primary school in Bulaq al-Dakrur, Giza Governorate, were allegedly beaten by their religion teacher for not wearing the hijab, said the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights.

The rights group issued a statement harshly condemning the incident, and called for the state to apply the international convention on childrens’ rights, which stipulates that the government shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that educational facilities respect the dignity of all children.

Gawaher al-Zahery, an activist who works with the center, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the accused teacher reportedly told one of the alleged victims, “You will thus be a Christian among them [her veiled classmates].” The teacher, who also teaches Arabic language, reportedly insulted the four girls and beat them in front of their classmates.

And apparently not a peep from the families because they were afraid the teacher would fail the kids. Which is probably what would have happened.

Shameful.

Hijabs For Muslim Inmates In King County Washington Jails

There should be no concessions made for people who commit crimes that land them in jail, but it's happening ever more frequently with jails succumbing to demands for kosher and halal meals. Now a jail in King County in Washington state is providing hijabs and yarmulkes to inmates because enough people balked. They are also being allowed to wear head coverings in courthouses in the county. If they are that religious why are they in jail in the first place?

It's not often a Muslim woman ends up in jail, say King County officials. But, a few years ago, a woman was forced to remove her headscarf – or Hijab -- during her one-night stay in jail. She described it as humiliating, similar to being forced to take off her clothes.

“This is a larger issue of how is our jail balancing peoples’ right to express their religion ... even in a correctional environment,” says Jennifer Gist of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an advocacy group for Muslims.

Jews and Sikhs have come to King County jails requesting they keep their headwear too. While the county jail and court staffs were open to accommodating religious beliefs, they did have some problems to solve.

“A turban, obviously, is a long piece of cloth, it’s typically six to eight feet long. An individual can use that to hurt themselves, or they could also use that to conceal things,” says Commander William Hayes of the county jail in Kent.

Under a new policy that took effect in January, King County inmates are now given generic, department-issued hijab or other head cover, along with their red jumpsuit, says Hayes. The policy also allows spot-checks inside the head coverings, at any time, provided the check is performed by a guard of the same sex as the prisoner.

As you can well imagine, CAIR was instrumental in getting King County officials to cave.  If they want to express their religion, then stay out of jail.

Evolution Of Islamic Covering Up- Burqa Joke Of The day

Okay, so this really isn't funny, but it's spot on. It will never be enough.

This would be much more fitting, since it's the men who have minimal self control.

Bizarre Fancy Hijabs Worn In London- More Hypocrisy

Iranian photographer Sara Shamsavari took a bunch of photos of the varying, eclectic styles of hijab that London women sport to cover their hair. The photos are part of an exhibit to celebrate International Women's Day.

Now, the whole purpose of donning the Islamic veil is supposedly for reasons of modesty, and to ensure that a woman does not attract undue attention to herself, even though the verses that are referred to in the Quran don't really mention anything about covering the hair, neck and ears:

And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, or their brothers' sons or their sisters' sons, or their women or the servants whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex, and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O you Believers, turn you all together towards Allah, that you may attain Bliss. (Quran 24:31).

 O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognized and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful. (Quran 33:59)

No actual mention of covering the head, which is probably why there are some Muslim clerics who have concluded that it is not an Islamic duty to wear a hijab. But there are some Muslimahs (like the women Shamsavari photographed below) who insist on wearing such outrageously wild veils, the whole purpose of not attracting attention is rendered totally moot.

Okay, the first one looks like a Muslim version of a graduation cap and gown, but the other two are kind of pretty in a bizarre way. But all three would definitely prompt stares, which is what I assumed they were trying to avoid.  They definitely call more attention to themselves than if they were to remove the veil and just dress modestly.

They're not the only ones dressing Islamic trendy, they actually have hijab high-fashion shows, with even more elaborate hijabs ready for all those fashion-conscious, hypocritical hijabis.

What's the point?

Hijabi Competes In "Miss Big Arabian Beauty, 2013" Pageant

Lebanon just hosted its first "most beautiful fat woman pageant." Actually, it was a first for the whole Middle East. Fashioned after similar ones in Brazil, Britain and France- in fact, one of the judges was the winner of the French competition- ten Middle Eastern women competed for the title of Miss Big Arabian Beauty, 2013.  Prizes worth over fifty thousand dollars were up for grabs by the mostly Lebanese contestants.

Twenty percent of the vote was based upon their style in casual clothes, 20 percent of the vote was based upon their grace while walking in a swimsuit, 20 percent was based upon their looks in an evening dress and the final 40 percent was based upon the competence of answers they gave when questioned by the judicial panel.

21-year-old Eliana Nehme from Lebanon won.

But what the heck was hijab-clad Noura Zeindine doing in a beauty pageant? If she's religiously conservative enough to wear a hijab, she should have no interest in entering a beauty pageant. Yes, she was covered from head to toe in variations of black, but still. I found that very bizarre.

You can see her towards the back in the picture below (right behind the LBC logo), and you can also watch her dancing towards the back in the video on Al Arabiya.

In case you want to watch the whole programme.

Iran's Fars News Photoshops Michelle Obama's Sexy Dress At Oscars

I have to admit that I did not watch the Academy Awards. Actually I never do, they bore me. But I did hear from one of my agents- who happens to be a black Republican- complaining that Michelle Obama  made an appearance of sorts  (via video conference) at the Oscars.

Michelle announced the winner of "Best Picture" dressed in a slinky, revealing, silver designer dress by Naeem Khan. And since the film about the 1979 Iran hostage crisis "Argo" won, and the Iranians believe it's the Zionist, Hollywood version of events, Fars News wrote about Michelle's appearance. But since the photo of Michelle was too sexy for Iranian consumption, they did a little Photoshop job to her dress to make it a tad more modest.

I'm surprised they didn't add a hijab while they were at it. Fars did approve, however, of the hijab-clad wife of Palestinian director Emad Burnat. Burnat's film "Five Broken Cameras" was nominated for best documentary film. Last year Iran threatened to ban Iranian actresses from traveling abroad for Western award ceremonies if they did not dress modestly. In the past, many have not adhered to the Islamic dress code they are forced to wear at home. So, in another article about Burnat's win, Fars said:

“The comparison between the clothing of Burnat’s wife in the Oscar ceremony and the attire of Iranian actresses in international festivals is worthy of reflection.” 

In the piece about Michelle, Fars commented on the rare move by the Academy to have a non-entertainment celebrity announce a winner. And they're right.  Naturally, people are now debating how appropriate it was to have the First Lady involved in the Oscars, not that the Obamas care what anyone thinks.

Source: RFE/RL

Camel Hump Hijab Is a No-No in Islam- Joke of the day

From the Islam Will Dominate The World Facebook page comes the "Camel Hump Hijab" fatwa.  Who knew that Camel Hump hijabs were a no-no in Islam.

Repent ye, evil camel hump hijab wearers, or ye will go straight to hell. Ha.

This is a post to all my dear sisters who prefer this fashion by making a big “bun” on their heads specially while wearing the hijab. This is a fashion now considered by the modern day Arabs and it was already predicted by our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)!

Please read on what are the rulings on this. Some sisters, on the other hand just make a bun because they’re hair is long but please if any happens to be your case.

Prophet Muhammed [PBUH] said:There are two types of the people of hell that I've not seen yet; men with whips like the tails of cattle with which they strike people, and women who are clothed yet naked walking with an enticing gait with something on their heads that looks like the humps of the camels, leaning to one side. They will never enter paradise or even smell its fragrance, although its fragrance can be detected from such and such a distance.[Reported by Muslim and Ahmad]

The Hadith is very clear and scarily also true, there are many Muslimah’s today that wear Hijab who have really huge scarves around their head wrapped around to make a huge hump above their heads. To them this is a style which attracts people to look at them more. This defeats the whole purpose of the Hijab.

When a sister makes a decision to wear the Hijab Allah (swt) is most pleased with her, for someone giving up their desires and submitting to Allah (swt), to become a righteous person is an amazing transformation. But then you cannot make a compromise on that decision by giving in to the Dunya and following others in becoming cursed. Because that is exactly what you will be. Read the following:Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) said:There will be in the last of my Ummah (nation of believers), scantily dressed women, and the hair on the top of their heads like a camel’s hump. Curse them, for verily they are cursed. In another version he said: …scantily dressed women, who go astray and make others go astray (Away from the correct path or direction); they will not enter Paradise nor smell its fragrance, although it can be smelled from afar.[Reported by At-Tabarani and Sahih Muslim]

“Scantily dressed women” are those who wear clothing which reveals more than it conceals, thereby increasing her attractiveness while opening the path to a host of evils.

If you have been doing the camel hump Hijab style, Stop it immediately and repent. Allah SWT is the most merciful and most forgiving and he loves those who seek forgiveness and repent.

There are many other ways to style Hijab and if you have long hair like me and want to keep it up then do so, without creating a hump imitating a camel’s hump. You can tie your hair in a bun really low but above your neck ensuring that your long hair does not come out of your scarf.

They actually have a point- trying to look fashionable in a hijab is terribly hypocritical.