"But I was to learn that choosing to wear the hijab is much easier than choosing to take it off. And that lesson was an important reminder of how truly 'free' choice is.” ~ Mona Eltahawy
Idk Karen. You're reaching a ton in many different directions, and some arguments don't make sense. Has it occurred to you that this might all be part of God's plan and that maybe, just maybe, we mere humans have no business interfering with our flawed, extremely subjective opinions?
Hi Karen - this was an excellent essay and I will need to go back and read the historic links you included so I can learn more (only have time to read your words for the moment). It brought to mind the book Book of Queens by Pardis Mahdavi about the Iranian horsewomen who fought the Taliban. These current encampments have made feel very uncomfortable - i have friends who are reposting all of what is floating around the social media world, using all the same word salads and connecting all the same dots to try and come up with all the injustices. The support of Hamas (and now approved by the Ayatollah himself via his X account) just makes me very annoyed - how can they not see this?!? They are supporting Hamas who are funded by Iran who are continuing abuse women - the very same women they were cheering for not so long ago, as you so clearly stated. Maybe I am not so crazy ? 😜
This was definitely a painful read, but the absolute courage of these women demonstrating what a true freedom fighter is all about is truly amazing and such a powerful message.
Western women that support tyranny like the woke suburban soccer moms we have to deal with here in the United States are useful idiots for the Biden regime.
I would gladly trade all of them for these brave women you mentioned here in this wonderful article.
Thank you again for such a powerful message and history lesson.
I can't but wonder if those who demand women wear hijabs to cover their faces, are in fact, simply insecure. Are they so jealous of the charms their women possess that they can't stand the thought of them being seen by men - young and old. Unfortunately, these ilk will never change their treatment of women - all women.
A lot of this is fueled by Tik Tok as well as women, young women in particular being misinformed or just not informed. They jump on the bandwagon to be liked and be part of a group. Plus, things are not black and white. Hamas is to blame but Israel has not conducted itself well. This is a complicated situation but the behavior of the faculty of the Ivy League schools in particular, is abominable. Thanks for sharing and educating. Keep doing what you're doing. Even if you get just one person to better understand the situation, it's invaluable. Sabrinalabow.substack.com
It must be understood that western women are, by and large, idiots.
They vote for and whine about “multiculturalism,” but when another culture shows its non-Western face - say, by beating to death a woman for not wearing a hijab - they go batshit crazy.
They whine that women are denied privacy, yet vote for trannies - men - in their locker rooms.
They achieved Title9 sports support, but have thrown that away in the name of “empathy” for clinically insane men putting on a dress and pretending they’re women.
They vote for politicians supporting open borders, decarceration of murderers and rapists, non-incarceration of the same thugs - then whine when they are assaulted in the streets.
They are so amazingly entitled that they think that just because we open their doors, we should bow to their political whims that have created 100% of the social pathologies destroying Western Civilization.
… and they actually think that refusing fertility can result in anything other than the West losing the demographic war to Islam with the result of zero human rights for anyone.
They - literally - are the dumbest and most entitled people on the planet. And if they aren’t disenfranchised, Western Civ WILL die.
I'm appalled by the many comments here painting groups with the same brush, especially women. I know many women who are critical thinkers and don't buy into the rhetoric of wokism. And I know plenty of men who have bought into the nonsense: hook, line and sinker.
It's apparent to me that we can can blame the education system for much of the hysterical cross eyed thinking. Social media plays a big part too. Pathetic parenting and a shallow society focused on everything except character, virtue and purpose leads to a perfect storm that is destroying Western civilization.
Divide and conquer is working for the heirachy exploiting us. Instead of fighting among ourselves, we need to recognize that it's by design. Men and women should stop hating each other, and place that disdain where it belongs: to the rich and powerful and the governments who play the game.
The truth about this is right out in the open, plain as day, for anyone to see if they want to. (Not just this, but many other truths as well.). Women don’t see it because women don’t form their opinions through intellection, for the most part; they form opinions through social interaction/contagion. Even college-educated women do this. Women can be highly intelligent but they lack the objectivity of men. Sorry, that’s just the reality.
I do not know how you think protesting against war/killing people is somehow the same as an endorsement of the oppression perpetrated by the state/religious groups in charge. We see the oppression. Why would we want these people to suffer even more so the bankers can make more money?? So the powerful can gain more power? Why must you conflate the 2? It’s similar to the people in the US who conflate being pro military (supporting our service members) with having to be pro war. I am anti war precisely BECAUSE I am pro service members. I do not want anyone to die so these horrible humans can see their plans for more power come to fruition. They are our enemy. We are merely their pawns, their cannon fodder, and it is their manipulation of us that gets us at each other’s throats.
It never ceases to amaze me at how western women, particularly the younger generation grasp onto these trends without realizing what they are doing strips away at our own hard won rights in the western world. I recognize that Muslim woman have right to chose whether to wear a hijab or not when they live in North American, that being if their families allow it. Still it bothers me to see a woman wear one, or worse yet veiled. It is not a prejudice, it is just a reminder of the type of oppression of women that still exists in the modern world. You quote Ayaan Hirsi Ali in your piece. I don't know if you know where that quote came from, it was at the very end of an interview she did in a show called On The Map,with Canadian media commentator Avi Lewis, son of the former leader of the Canadian socialist party the NDP. He sparred with Ali over her love of the US, which Lewis has an deranged hate, she got fed up with his nonsense and ended the interview with that remark. Here's a link to the whole interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08EYqwyns-k&t=28s
I would alsoventure to say that another example of western woman, again particularly the younger ones, is the extreme elements of the transgenderism. Many young women are fine with men who become women simply by saying they feel like a woman, buying into the notion that a woman is anyone who identifies as one, but yet they cannot define the word woman. They are unknowingly erasing what it means to be a woman. That's probably a whole other essay you can write.
Dear Karen, I still have tears in my eyes over the bravery and suffering and struggle you describe in this article. In my 20s I probably was one of those silly over-educated Western girls protesting for and against things I did not truly understand. For some reason, a lot of the hipocrisy behind Greenpeace, WWF, et al soon became pretty clear for me - I wonder why for many (including my contemporaries at university) it does not.
In 2019 I spent a year in Norway and was fortunate to get to know the local Kurdish refugee community. I was first of all appalled that I had never heard of this marginalised group of people (Moi? An educated, socially aware Western girl?) and dumbfounded by these women's strength and bravery building new lives so far away from home, without any chance of going back, amongst the ice and cold of Norway. And how they received me, a priviliged foreigner who barely had a common language with them (many did not speak English and my Norwegian was beginne rlevel), with open arms and hospitality.
Thank you for all your writing and inspiration. I hope I can truly leave behind my naive 20-year old self and become as brave as you and the women you write about.
Idk Karen. You're reaching a ton in many different directions, and some arguments don't make sense. Has it occurred to you that this might all be part of God's plan and that maybe, just maybe, we mere humans have no business interfering with our flawed, extremely subjective opinions?
https://stopworldcontrol.com/endhumanity/
Hi Karen - this was an excellent essay and I will need to go back and read the historic links you included so I can learn more (only have time to read your words for the moment). It brought to mind the book Book of Queens by Pardis Mahdavi about the Iranian horsewomen who fought the Taliban. These current encampments have made feel very uncomfortable - i have friends who are reposting all of what is floating around the social media world, using all the same word salads and connecting all the same dots to try and come up with all the injustices. The support of Hamas (and now approved by the Ayatollah himself via his X account) just makes me very annoyed - how can they not see this?!? They are supporting Hamas who are funded by Iran who are continuing abuse women - the very same women they were cheering for not so long ago, as you so clearly stated. Maybe I am not so crazy ? 😜
Great article. I completely agree with you. For years I’ve been asking what happened to the sisterhood ?
This was definitely a painful read, but the absolute courage of these women demonstrating what a true freedom fighter is all about is truly amazing and such a powerful message.
Western women that support tyranny like the woke suburban soccer moms we have to deal with here in the United States are useful idiots for the Biden regime.
I would gladly trade all of them for these brave women you mentioned here in this wonderful article.
Thank you again for such a powerful message and history lesson.
Godspeed my friend.
I can't but wonder if those who demand women wear hijabs to cover their faces, are in fact, simply insecure. Are they so jealous of the charms their women possess that they can't stand the thought of them being seen by men - young and old. Unfortunately, these ilk will never change their treatment of women - all women.
A lot of this is fueled by Tik Tok as well as women, young women in particular being misinformed or just not informed. They jump on the bandwagon to be liked and be part of a group. Plus, things are not black and white. Hamas is to blame but Israel has not conducted itself well. This is a complicated situation but the behavior of the faculty of the Ivy League schools in particular, is abominable. Thanks for sharing and educating. Keep doing what you're doing. Even if you get just one person to better understand the situation, it's invaluable. Sabrinalabow.substack.com
It must be understood that western women are, by and large, idiots.
They vote for and whine about “multiculturalism,” but when another culture shows its non-Western face - say, by beating to death a woman for not wearing a hijab - they go batshit crazy.
They whine that women are denied privacy, yet vote for trannies - men - in their locker rooms.
They achieved Title9 sports support, but have thrown that away in the name of “empathy” for clinically insane men putting on a dress and pretending they’re women.
They vote for politicians supporting open borders, decarceration of murderers and rapists, non-incarceration of the same thugs - then whine when they are assaulted in the streets.
They are so amazingly entitled that they think that just because we open their doors, we should bow to their political whims that have created 100% of the social pathologies destroying Western Civilization.
… and they actually think that refusing fertility can result in anything other than the West losing the demographic war to Islam with the result of zero human rights for anyone.
They - literally - are the dumbest and most entitled people on the planet. And if they aren’t disenfranchised, Western Civ WILL die.
I'm appalled by the many comments here painting groups with the same brush, especially women. I know many women who are critical thinkers and don't buy into the rhetoric of wokism. And I know plenty of men who have bought into the nonsense: hook, line and sinker.
It's apparent to me that we can can blame the education system for much of the hysterical cross eyed thinking. Social media plays a big part too. Pathetic parenting and a shallow society focused on everything except character, virtue and purpose leads to a perfect storm that is destroying Western civilization.
Divide and conquer is working for the heirachy exploiting us. Instead of fighting among ourselves, we need to recognize that it's by design. Men and women should stop hating each other, and place that disdain where it belongs: to the rich and powerful and the governments who play the game.
Incredibly powerful essay,
Semper Fortis! ⚓🌐🧭💫
☦️ Grace and Peace to you.
Excellent 🧕🏻🗡️☪️❤️🩹
Keep it up!
Western Women are basically NPCs, and they'll root for their own enslavement at the hands of muslim men.
If the mental insanity isn't reason to take away their right to vote, what is?
The truth about this is right out in the open, plain as day, for anyone to see if they want to. (Not just this, but many other truths as well.). Women don’t see it because women don’t form their opinions through intellection, for the most part; they form opinions through social interaction/contagion. Even college-educated women do this. Women can be highly intelligent but they lack the objectivity of men. Sorry, that’s just the reality.
I do not know how you think protesting against war/killing people is somehow the same as an endorsement of the oppression perpetrated by the state/religious groups in charge. We see the oppression. Why would we want these people to suffer even more so the bankers can make more money?? So the powerful can gain more power? Why must you conflate the 2? It’s similar to the people in the US who conflate being pro military (supporting our service members) with having to be pro war. I am anti war precisely BECAUSE I am pro service members. I do not want anyone to die so these horrible humans can see their plans for more power come to fruition. They are our enemy. We are merely their pawns, their cannon fodder, and it is their manipulation of us that gets us at each other’s throats.
It never ceases to amaze me at how western women, particularly the younger generation grasp onto these trends without realizing what they are doing strips away at our own hard won rights in the western world. I recognize that Muslim woman have right to chose whether to wear a hijab or not when they live in North American, that being if their families allow it. Still it bothers me to see a woman wear one, or worse yet veiled. It is not a prejudice, it is just a reminder of the type of oppression of women that still exists in the modern world. You quote Ayaan Hirsi Ali in your piece. I don't know if you know where that quote came from, it was at the very end of an interview she did in a show called On The Map,with Canadian media commentator Avi Lewis, son of the former leader of the Canadian socialist party the NDP. He sparred with Ali over her love of the US, which Lewis has an deranged hate, she got fed up with his nonsense and ended the interview with that remark. Here's a link to the whole interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08EYqwyns-k&t=28s
I would alsoventure to say that another example of western woman, again particularly the younger ones, is the extreme elements of the transgenderism. Many young women are fine with men who become women simply by saying they feel like a woman, buying into the notion that a woman is anyone who identifies as one, but yet they cannot define the word woman. They are unknowingly erasing what it means to be a woman. That's probably a whole other essay you can write.
Dear Karen, I still have tears in my eyes over the bravery and suffering and struggle you describe in this article. In my 20s I probably was one of those silly over-educated Western girls protesting for and against things I did not truly understand. For some reason, a lot of the hipocrisy behind Greenpeace, WWF, et al soon became pretty clear for me - I wonder why for many (including my contemporaries at university) it does not.
In 2019 I spent a year in Norway and was fortunate to get to know the local Kurdish refugee community. I was first of all appalled that I had never heard of this marginalised group of people (Moi? An educated, socially aware Western girl?) and dumbfounded by these women's strength and bravery building new lives so far away from home, without any chance of going back, amongst the ice and cold of Norway. And how they received me, a priviliged foreigner who barely had a common language with them (many did not speak English and my Norwegian was beginne rlevel), with open arms and hospitality.
Thank you for all your writing and inspiration. I hope I can truly leave behind my naive 20-year old self and become as brave as you and the women you write about.