Hey Muslim Brotherhood, Who Got the Role of Leading Lady?

Islamic women (Photo credit: See Wah)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday as I watched events unfold in Egypt courtesy of CHCH TV

the camera flashed on a group of protesters. 

They were pro President Morsi/Muslim Brotherhood.

The only thing unusual about it was that a woman stood in the middle

of the crowd of men. 

She was dressed in a black robe, wore a niqab and was veiled.

As far as visual impact went she might as well have been wearing

a Santa Claus suit.

And to further draw your attention she was vigorously jumping up and

down, thrusting her fist in the air and (presumably) shouting.

"What the frick is this?"  I thought.

But by the time what I'd seen registered in my tiny little brain the

camera had moved on.

Now I have seen groups of veiled Muslim women protesters before but

never one woman who stood alone in a crowd of Egyptian men.

Some days I am SO cynical. 

 

Sooooooo cynical.

 

 

It was, in my opinion, a message for western viewers:

Muslim Brotherhood = Democracy and freedom for women.

 

And I wondered which democratic brother drew the short straw

and had to be the woman.

Farewell to a Blogger

Turkish Muslim woman (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The blogging world just lost an intriguing young female American Muslim blogger.

She's hung up her keyboard.

But before I comment about her work - a few words about where I stand on spiritual issues.

My personal belief is that we can't possibly understand the Creator/Creatrix.

But because we are human it helps us make sense of things by hanging human attributes onto the ineffable.

That which existed before time began.

Something first identified solely as female, then as male for perhaps the last 6,000 years.

 

Although a Christian, I love the pagan Goddess worship that is now emerging, especially among women.

To me it is part of the divine plan to right some historic wrongs.

Slow in coming maybe, but nevertheless change is afoot in western culture.

 

I have a harder time, although I know it is not fair, accepting religions that insist that the Spirit has only male characteristics. 

But I do follow some women who are traditional Christians and I was following the young woman who is a practising Muslim.

And truthfully, my hardest, most important lessons in compassion and understanding have come from those women.

So today I was saddened to learn that Cindy, who wrote the blog "Organica", is ending her blogging career.

Up until a few months ago her blog was on my sidebar but as she blogged less and less I tucked it back into my list of people I read infrequently.

 

She wrote about how important her faith is to her.

But she also wrote about intolerance.

And not just our western intolerance. 

She wrote candidly about Muslim intolerance - with us and with each other, particularly women.

I didn't always understand or even approve of her beliefs and practices but what she had to say led me to understand that Islam itself is not a stagnant religion.

Growth and beauty are happening from within and Muslim women are talking to each other about it.

 

But all women need to build bridges to each other.

Christians, Pagans, Atheists, Muslims, Jews, agnostics, Hindus etc. etc.

Our ability to change things may lie in our ability to connect by computers across physically inaccessible boundaries.

I'm sorry she's ended her blogging career but wish her the very best.