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October 26, 2006
On Burning Widows
Carlos comments:
It should be noted too, that while widow-burning has largely stopped in India, the mistreatment of widows has not. Widows are often treated harshly by their deceased husband's family, even today, and they frequently live in poverty. Now, as I understand it, the burning of young brides over dowry issues still goes on, although disguised as "kitchen accidents".
True enough. Apparently, the practice of sending widows -- even young ones -- off to dilapidated, prison-like convents to live out their years in purity, devotion, and misery remains relatively common. There was a relatively wrenching movie in 2005 called Water that tracked the practice, focusing on a prepubescent girl who was betrothed from birth but whose husband died practically before she left diapers. So this child, who never even met her husband-to-be, was shipped off to a holding cell to await her own death, decades into the future. Upsetting stuff. On the bright side, the movie does feature the incomprehensibly beautiful Lisa Ray (and for the ladies, the undeniably dashing John Abraham).
October 26, 2006 | Permalink
Comments
hmm....
checked the IMDB site on Lisa Ray.
Must say, I didn't find it that hard to comprehend her beauty.
Seemed practically...self-evident.
Posted by: kid bitzer | Oct 26, 2006 3:10:25 PM
Is this focus on India because they are largely NOT a Muslim nation? Because the Muslims do really, really bad things to women as well, but it seems the progressive crowd is unwilling to get angry about it.
Posted by: Fred Jones | Oct 26, 2006 3:36:37 PM
Is this focus on India because they are largely NOT a Muslim nation?
As it happens, there are more Muslims in India than in anyplace you think of as a "Muslim nation" (second only to Indonesia).
For the rest of your twaddle, google "Mavis Leno".
Really, Fred, you could at least try.
Posted by: Thlayli | Oct 26, 2006 4:19:16 PM
I think your reading comprehension needs a tuneup. Perhaps English is not your native language. Perhaps you are simply a dufus. My statement was that it was largely not a Muslim nation, and it isn't. It is largely a Hindu nation.
Posted by: Fred Jones | Oct 26, 2006 4:25:25 PM
This focus is on India because Mark Steyn, a major booster for the war on terror, brought it up. Read the post below.
Posted by: Ezra | Oct 26, 2006 4:34:58 PM
Is this focus on India because they are largely NOT a Muslim nation? Because the Muslims do really, really bad things to women as well, but it seems the progressive crowd is unwilling to get angry about it.
Apparently, two posts on India (one of which directly responding to a comment to the other) in who knows how long amount to a "focus on India." But mainly, from this, I deduce that Fred wants to invade India and set up a democracy. Because if someone responds to Bad Practice X in one way in Situation a and in a different way in Situations b through z, they're hypocrites or just eeevil.
I admire your message discipline, Fred, I really do.
Posted by: Cyrus | Oct 26, 2006 4:35:05 PM
Okay, well, as long as we're talking about incredibly beautiful women in Deepa Mehta movies, can I nominate Nandita Das (who was in the first two of the trilogy, Fire and Earth)?
Oh, and Fred, your comment reads like the "Two coins add up to 30 cents, and one of them is not a nickel" riddle. It's true: India is largely not a Muslim nation. It also largely is one. That's cute, but not useful in political discussions.
Also, the focus was placed on India by Mark Steyn, or did you not read that post before you commented on it?
Posted by: jhupp | Oct 26, 2006 4:36:00 PM
Also Fred, check your email.
Posted by: Ezra | Oct 26, 2006 4:36:03 PM
Discount my Mark Steyn comment, pwned by Ezra.
Posted by: jhupp | Oct 26, 2006 4:36:45 PM
Also Fred, check your email.
I suggest you do the same.
Posted by: Fred Jones | Oct 26, 2006 5:09:32 PM
This type of thing, "and for the ladies, the undeniably dashing John Abraham" is generally considered heternormative as it is based on the implication that the only people that would be attracted to a hot guy are women.
I'm not sure how much you might want to avoid that type of language, but if you do wish to avoid the heteronormativity and didn't realize you were doing it, I wanted to point it out.
Posted by: Andy r. | Oct 26, 2006 5:14:47 PM
How dare you criticize India or any other nation! Dont you know that all societial practices are moral-neutral and that if you criticize any cultural/societal practices then you are a racist!
Americans are not allowed to criticize social customs in other nations!
How dare you stray from your liberal PC indoctrination!
Posted by: joe blow | Oct 26, 2006 5:16:50 PM
Heteronormativity? Jesus. Perhaps for the sake of brevity Ezra didn't write, "For the ladies, or homosexual men, or heterosexual men who appreciate male beauty, or homosexual women who don't mind a bit of dude eye candy..."
Anyway, you weren't kidding when you said she was beautiful. Aye caramba.
Oh, and Fred? Given that the world is a large place and there aren't more than twenty-four hours in a day I think you can forgive one single pundit for pointing out that awful cultural practices toward women exist outside of the Muslim world. If not, then I'm sure the bouncy lass at Atlas Shrugs would love your e-patronage.
Posted by: Matt S | Oct 26, 2006 5:21:46 PM
She is a bouncy lass, ain't she (really like that picture)!!! She is the target of jealous feminists everywhere.
Posted by: Fred Jones | Oct 26, 2006 5:31:21 PM
To emulate Pamela, the feminists in our midst would only have to hollow out their brains and insert the contents into their breasts- even then I'd hope they'd be above spewing warped interpretations of Ayn Rand and frankly racist invective.
Posted by: Matt S | Oct 26, 2006 7:29:26 PM
She is a bouncy lass, ain't she (really like that picture)!!! She is the target of jealous feminists everywhere.
Yes, because feminists only disagree with people out of jealousy. But how dare someone assume you're sexist!
Posted by: Cyrus | Oct 26, 2006 9:07:32 PM
Speaking of Earth, I'd like to suggest that everyone watch Dil Chahta Hai which also stars Aamir Khan, who's nothing less than super-hot.
I think I might need to watch it over some butter chicken tonight.
Posted by: ajw93 | Oct 27, 2006 5:20:39 PM
In all fairness, Ezra has rightly pointed out that he has posted articles ragging on the practices of Muslim nations as well.
It seems that the mistreatment of women in India is not a particularly religious issue for the Hindus. Is the status of women in Muslim countries required by the Koran somewhere or is it, too, more of a custom?
Posted by: Fred Jones | Oct 28, 2006 9:24:26 AM
Fred said -
Is the status of women in Muslim countries required by the Koran somewhere or is it, too, more of a custom?
That is open to interpretation. Countries which practice Sharia above secular law, have a legal system not dissimilar to our own. Only the laws and ideas that are argued in court are the interpretations of the Koran.
Short answer - it depends on the Koranic scholar you ask.
Posted by: DuWayne | Oct 28, 2006 9:57:41 AM
Sharia law is based more on later commentary and tradition than the Quran itself. Most of the oppressive practices aren't based directly on the Quran. There are a few points in the Quran that seem to promote oppression of women, but there are also ways (as with the Bible) to read them differently or get around them, as many Muslims do.
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