platinum786

no concept of love....i truly feel sorry for those people.

really...i mean ur introduced into a religion and told love doesn't exist....

THL

I am still not saying that I agree with this all, per my standards, but if they had always thought that love did not exist, they would not know any different.

I don't remember now if it was on this thread or not, and man do I hope this was not the story that started the last WAB mini-war, and right now I cannot even remember who told this story, but SOMEONE on the WAB told the story about that little frog in the well. Another frog came in from the ocean and remarked how little ( or maybe how ugly ) the well was compared to the ocean and the little well frog got all mad and kicked the ocean frog out.

Why would we feel bad for that little well frog? That is all he has known and he is happy thinking that his little well is the greatest place on earth and he obviously does not want a a change or to get out and to see the ocean. He is not trying to make the ocean frogs live in his well, so we should just let him be and let him live his little life how he is happy living it, no?

Now let's say that these societies do not have a concept of love - think of it - these women who are having to share their husbands with whoever the husbands think they should have to share them with, they are not getting hurt (emotionally) if they have no feelings for their husbands. Not all of the women would want to share the one they were in love with. So for how this society lives, this lack of love is a good thing, a safeguard.

Again, I am not saying that I think people all over the world should ward off the whole love and commitment thing or should start following the rules of the land in question, but why bother worrying about a society that is okay with how things are going? When they step up and say that they need the worlds help with things and that is when the rest of us would feel bad for them and try to help.

__________________
"To dream of the person you would like to be is to waste the person you are."-Sholem Asch

"I always turn to the sports page first, which records people's accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man's failures."-Earl Warren

"I didn't intend for this to take on a political tone. I'm just here for the drugs."-Nancy Reagan, when asked a political question at a "Just Say No" rally

"He no play-a da game, he no make-a da rules."-Earl Butz, on the Pope's attitude toward birth control

Monk

Well, I Live in Oman,
State doesn't interfere in my personal life.
There is no income Tax.
I pay US cents 32 for a litre of petrol or $1.18 for a Gallon.

__________________
"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except all those others that have been tried from time to time. "

"Although prepared for martyrdom, I preferred that it be postponed."

Sir Winston Churchill

Monk

THL, since you have opened this topic, I want to say a few things about a woman's role in Islamic Society,
First, Don't believe in any blanket statement that all Islamic women are oppressed, then you would be very far from the truth and would draw wrong conclusions. The oppression would depend on the country, for example in KSA to my mind the women are extremely oppressed and all the things you have been told about a woman's role in Islamic society as just a child-bearer and nothing more would be quite true. But there are other countries in the Middle east where women are extremely empowered, to name a few Turkey, Oman, UAE etc. These women do very well for themselves in Business, social life and everywhere else.
Secondly, the concept of four marriages, every islamic man doesn't do that, I think even if a guy tried it in pakistan his wife would cut off his balls.
In oman, the king lost his queen a few years ago, he never remarried and the queen who died was his only wife. They don't have a heir to the throne, he had all the justification to marry again he still didn't. He loved his dead Queen. So love can't be claimed to be non-existent in Islamic society, it exists behind closed doors, its not for public consumption.

Finally, the Bahraini Princess you pointed out, the reason she ran away wasn't oppression but sheer boredom. She has nothing to do, lives on a tiny island, has heard about big beautiful USA. Why do you think she went after the marine, it had nothing to do with Love.

Ray

Ah well. so you know the Greeks better.....literature!

THL

My question is then: What is the burka for, really? Is it really to keep women "hidden" and express their lower level in society? There are tons of women here that wear it, but they are not always, or even usually, oppressed. They are business women, working women, just regular women.

Monk

One woman informed me that she feels "naked" without it. Now it has become something which they seem to choose, i don't know why.

At the same time I have seen several women change into it only when they go out.

Parihaka

It comes back to that differentiation you were talking about. There's nothing wrong, infact everything right about respecting other peoples customs, where the punishment is comensurate with the crimes. If on the other hand they were going to be flogged.....

Parihaka

Sounds good but a couple of questions. I have a little 5 year old girl. Would she, when she is older, be able to go to the college of her choice, study what she wanted to study and get a job doing what she wanted to do? Would she be able to drive her car to town and hang out with her friends? Would she be allowed to hang out at the beach in a bikini? Kiss her boyfriend on the street? Or would the state 'intervene'?

lemontree

I never said that it was unhygienic to have a bath after intercourse. The point I'm getting it is that we have a shower every night before sleeping, while in these communities a woman is looked down upon if she has a regular shower at night. It means that she has "done it" (for them), even if the woman wanted to cool down after a warm day's work.

__________________

Cheers!...on the rocks!!

THL

Oh, wait a minute, I think I may have missed something.

So by taking a shower she is saying that she has just had sex and that is actually looked down upon? My gosh, what would they think if she actually enjoyed herself? *gasp*

Again, I think it is sad that these societies feel this way, but if this is all they know, then it may not be all bad. They are probably feeling sorry for us for feeling the opposite of how they do and for not having experienced life how they have.

Ray

THL,

So you are now being real educated.

One finds that you are a keen student.

A great pleasure for any teacher!

BTW, I bathe in the morning and also before going to bed. However, don't misunderstand me to be a person afflicted with an hyper libido. It is just that I am blessed with a hyper-cleanliness fad!

India is a hot country. Its the warm weather that encourages a bath.

THL

I understand. I also take a lot of showers, and (unfortunately) it is not because I need to ... I just don't like to be dirty.

Ray

Good for you.

I hope that does not mean that you do not shower, only in your spare time!

Just ribbing.

THL