Hijab This, Muthafukkas!
Whoa. Muslim girls and women are really taking it on the hijab, eh? My, oh my. First, there's a flurry of "We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore so we're going to take it out on our readers" righteously indignant columns in both our national newspapers (as well as the other national newspaper that people read for its sports section) about Muslim women out shopping in the grocery stores wearing burkas and now there's a follow-up flurry of "We're moderately uncomfortabe and only thinking of what's best for the athletes yaddayadda blahblah" righteously indignant columns about Muslim girls wearing hijabs during soccer tournaments.
Probably the most telling sentence common to the latter group of columns is the one with the supposed "I am NOT a Bigot" disclaimer phrase, "The referee, a Muslim"...
Too funny. Say, "Hello", middle-aged boomer pundits TO YOUR PARENTS!!! Haha! You're not getting older - you're getting bigoted. You can dress it up however you like, but this argument is just another in a long line of "Heavens, you'd hardly know you're living in Canada, anymore, the way things are going!" Because this has nothing to do with the need for Muslim girls and women to adapt to what's comfortable for you and everything to do with your need to get hip with the times, guys and dolls.
Safety in sports? Good one. Especially since the same pundits picking on the latest girl asserting her rights in a free country by wearing, or rather, attempting to wear, her hijab during a soccer tournament are the same columnists who make fun of well-meaning, good-intentioned citizens who would like to see more helmets on toboganners following whatever tragic death has occured because kids DON'T have to wear helmets while toboganning.
Priorities, priorites. But it's not where to start, it's where to end. This focus on Muslim clothing isn't just the turban/kirpan revisited. That, at least, focussed on the men and boys and left the women and girls alone for a change. This latest round of, "Who ARE these people we are letting into OUR country?" is worse than the battle over whether or not women could wear pantsuits to work and girls could wear slacks to school.
BECAUSE IT'S RACIST, TOO!!!
Yup. It is considered reasonable discourse in our nation's newspapers to discuss what women of a certain tribe should and should not be allowed to wear. I don't know how you'd put that, but I'd say that crosses the sexist line and leaps straight into racist terroritory.
Because this isn't about public safety in the case of the burka or sports safety in the case of the hijab. It's about a Conservative, white, Christian society asserting its "time-honoured by virture of birthright" rights over the rights of newcomers, immigrants, non-white non-Christians who have chosen to come here but who choose not to live like "Real Canadians".
Sorry, but the very obvious notion that the Muslim referee can be used as some sort of talisman against accusations that this latest head covering controversy is nothing more'n bigotry, pretty much proves - THAT IT'S NOTHING MORE'N BIGOTRY!
Yes indeedy. Pundits galore are lining up to figuratively throw stones at Muslim girls and women because they don't like the fact that Muslim girls and women seem to be particularly outspoken about their clothing rights in this country. Interesting, isn't it. That clothing some Canadians perceive as oppressive and wrong, that some Canadians think should be legislated against, is the catalyst that has some Muslim girls and women asserting their rights in this country to wear what they want, to speak up about who they are, to insist on being heard and recognized as equal citizens without adapting to... to... what, exactly? Being Canadian? Standing up for your rights no matter your station IS being Canadian.
Hilariously, it's the boomer popular culture in work and play that they're taking on, too. Because women fought and won those legal "what to wear" battles already in this country.
I mean, it really is ironic. History should tell us, that a girl standing up for her rights now, will stand up for her rights later. She's learning that sexism and racism have to be challenged and that Canadians can utter all the platitudes they want to about tolerance and multiculturalism but the fact is - some Canadians are targetting Muslim girls and women for the finger wag exactly because they're visible minorities. And they aren't blending in like you're supposed to according to "The Rules". Worse - they're being lippy about it.
Sure, it's not like anybody's in danger of being lynched or stoned or tarred and feathered, but it's not like Canada ever did any of THOSE THINGS anyway.
Oh nooooo... Not women's lip from MUSLIMS now?! Gud Gawd in Heven. "Murtle? Fetch my ear plugs!"
