Thinly Veiled Sentiments
... okay, moving away from something decidely less controversial than dead seals, I offer you the veiled women of Islam - or more specifically, popstar & "role model" Sami Yusuf's take on them. Because there's nothing that I love more than when men tell women how to feel. So here we go, Free
What goes through your mind? As you sit there looking at me
Well I can tell from your looks
That you think I’m so oppressed
But I don’t need for you to liberate me
My head is not bare
And you can’t see my covered hair
So you sit there and you stare
And you judge me with your glare
You’re sure I’m in despair
But are you not aware
Under this scarf that I wear I have feelings, and I do care
CHORUS: So don’t you see?
That I’m truly free
This piece of scarf on me I wear so proudly
To preserve my dignity...
Open your eyes and see...
“Why can’t you just accept me?” she says
“Why can’t I just be me?” she says
Time and time again
You speak of democracy
Yet you rob me of my liberty
And all I want is equality
Why can’t you just let me be free?
For you I sing this song
My sister, may you always be strong
From you I’ve learnt so much
How you suffer so much
Yet you forgive those who laugh at you
You walk with no fear
Through the insults you hear
Your wish so sincere
That they’d understand you
But before you walk away
This time you turn and say:
But don’t you see? That I’m truly free
This piece of scarf on me I wear so proudly
To preserve my dignity
My modesty
My integrity
So let me be
She says with a smile I’m the one who’s free
Wow, I want to get me a veil now - I want to be free too! I can only hope that he'll pen a little ditty about the burqa next. Hope I can watch the video for it next time I'm at Pizza Hut in Agdal, where I go to watch scantily-clad Lebanese babes gyrate in a frenzy of oppression and indignity.
Sorry Sami, but until you can ovulate, I don't give a rat's ass what you think.
posted by Cat in Rabat ( كات في الرباط) at 3:20 p.m.
12 Comments:
If the 'piece of scarf' is so shit-hot, why doesn't the enlightened young Sami gear up??
(That said, there's about two days a month when I'd kill for a burqa.)
I know you're kidding about going to Pizza Hut in Agdal, considering that Yum! Brands owns them.
It was the best example I could come up with!
Are you certain that those lyrics aren't written by Paul McCartney? (g,d&r)
They are his calibre.
While we're on this topic, I would just like to say that I would listen to Paul McCartney 24/7 rather than be subjected to another shitty Nancy Ajram song.
Hmmmm... While I've not ever heard Nancy Ajram, I must say that she must be pretty bad to have you prefering Sir Paul to her.
May I decline listening to either?
BTW, liosliath, you probably know it, but my reference to McCartney actually has nothing to do with this post, but was a cheap and nasty reference to a little brother and sister scrap that took place yesterday - I couldn't resist getting one more dig in (because that's what big brothers do) :-)
Liosliath, you know that you can download music from her website: http://www.nancyajramonline.com ... I bet you do it all the time!
Gasp! That is a SLUR and an INSULT. Now I will go organize a conference to discuss how upset I am and how I can't possibly ever ever EVER get over it.
Ha.
Yes, Mr. Knarf, I read all the entries regarding a slight difference of opinion on killing small defenseless animals for no other reason than someone wanting a chic coat. (just my own little dig) It's certainly a difficult topic. Living in Morocco, I've become much more aware of where my food comes from. It's not just methods for killing animals for food that bother me. It's the horrific conditions for the animals and humans that provide the labor, too.
Anyway, Cat, you should have seen me at the chicken market yesterday. (I went with a friend.) Imagine chickens all huddled together on the floor, not knowing when they'll be scooped up and "taken to the back." My friend bought a chicken, and said chicken looked me straight in the eye as he (she?) was being weighed. The next time I saw the chicken, my friend was refusing to buy it, because it had a dark mark on the back. All I could do was stare at the poor naked skin and stark yellow feet sticking straight out. Mainly I was taking deep breaths and trying not to break into a crazed run.
However, I still eat chicken, pork, beef, and fish from time to time. I suppose that when you don't grow or raise your own food, and you feel the way Cat and I do (though she's a bit more vehement about it, I think), every meal becomes a test of your values.
I can't even get started on the seal hunt, since this is supposed to be a comment, not a novel!
The chicken market? - you're braver than me. If I slip you a few dirhams will you release some of the birds when no one is looking?
I kind of thought about doing that (liberating some chickens, that is), but there's nowhere I could release them in Morocco where they wouldn't be scooped right up again by a Moroccan and eaten!
I had hoped that they could congregate somewhere and establish a community of feral poultry, but alas, you are right.
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