Sunday, February 22, 2009

So hard to keep score

The Steyn writes:

the lunchtime poll at Toronto's CITY-TV thought was the big issue arising from Aqsa Parvez's murder:

Do you think society discriminates against women who wear a hijab?

Gotcha. It's our fault.


So, let me see if I've got this right.

Aqsa Parvez was murdered by her family because society discriminates against Muslims?

OK, I think I get it.

Y'see, Aqsa wanted to blend in with her high-school friends and have what in Western countries we call a "normal life" as a Toronto teenager. But this was only because her high school friends, the high school itself and Toronto/Western civilization only present one kind of lifestyle choice as acceptable. This meant Aqsa didn't want to wear a hijab or do any of the other things that Muslim girls are supposed to do. The reason she didn't want to wear one is because we white (Christian...sort of...) Westerners are bigots who have created a heteronormative...oh, wait, wrong guilt trip racist environment in which only behaving like a white (Christian...sort of...) Westerner is acceptable. Thus putting Aqsa in an insoluble dilemma of choice which her family helpfully solved for her.

Ah.

Good.

Got it cleared up.

* ~ * ~ *
The Montreal Gazette...
"Of any faith or none"...

Muhammed Parvez might have been fighting a losing battle trying to make Aqsa wear a hijab, but that hardly sets him apart. Few are the fathers, of any faith or none, who have not clashed with their adolescent daughters over something...


Sooo...can we take it then that the helpful Montreal Gazette is helpfully recommending Mr. Parvez's method - described by helpful Lloyd as "compressing" her neck "to the point she couldn't breathe" - to fathers of "other faiths or none"? Or is this just OK for the Islams?

Wait wait...

I'm still trying to figure this out.

It's OK for the Islams because their religion says it is. Got it. And we have to let them do it because we have to respect the diversity that makes Canada great. Right. Good.

What I want to know is, does that mean that followers of other religions (or none) can't compress their teenage daughters necks to the point where they can't breathe? What if there's something about teenage neck-compressing in the holy writ of other religions (or none)?

What if I want to compress someone's neck who isn't related to me within one or two degrees of consanguinity?

What if we start a new religion that allows the compressing of the necks of other people? Journalists, say.

Is there some sub-section of the Department of Canadian Heritage where you get your new Holy Writ notarized before you can commence neck-compressing?

Is there a stamp you have to get or something?

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