Muslims Hate Boobies, and other stories of West meets Allah
October 2, 2007 8:12 AM   Subscribe

Yesterday represents a watershed for Muslim relations. Middle America now understands that there are fundamental differences between Muslim society, and Western society. Who do we have to thank? Beyonce's Boobies. While "Not News™", it is one of a growing series of clashes between the two cultures. Including Muslim political appointments in Virginia, stoning gays in New Zealand, and special privileges for Vancouver Muslims. Is our understanding of Islam completely wrong? Or do Muslims agree and think they need to work on their image?
posted by gandledorf (20 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: The front page shouldn't really be used as a roundtable like this; this pretty much feels like Hey, Let's Talk About Muslims wrapped up in some all-over-the-board links. (Including, yet again, 12angrymen -- I know you like that blog, gandledorf, but it shouldn't come up every damn time.) -- cortex



 
Of course the other question is, are we really that different despite the Beyonce bit, considering how the nation reacted to a certain wardrobe malfunction during a superbowl...
posted by gandledorf at 8:25 AM on October 2, 2007


I love the bit about Gwen Stefani claiming that it's a major sacrifice to dress modestly.
posted by oddman at 8:28 AM on October 2, 2007


That's not a clash between Muslims and Westerns. That's yet another clash between conservatives and humans.
posted by DU at 8:31 AM on October 2, 2007 [5 favorites]


I love the bit about Gwen Stefani claiming that it's a major sacrifice to dress modestly.

Quite frankly I think she is past her expiration date.
posted by gandledorf at 8:32 AM on October 2, 2007


Beyonce isn't about boobies. Just saying.
posted by srboisvert at 8:35 AM on October 2, 2007


Its not that different from Western Society
posted by ZippityBuddha at 8:36 AM on October 2, 2007


That's some huge tits.
posted by IronLizard at 8:44 AM on October 2, 2007


Any situation in which your daily behavior and appearance is mitigated by arbitrary social standards that you don't agree with is a sacrifice. When those standards are linked to violence and oppression and, furthermore, projected onto visitors from other cultures, then I can see that conforming to them would be a major sacrifice. Especially if I was a member of the oppressed subgroup.

Kind of requires an imaginary trip outside of the male perspective to grok, in this case.
posted by hermitosis at 8:49 AM on October 2, 2007 [1 favorite]


What you should be saying is that there are fundamental differences between Middle Eastern society and Western society. There are plenty of Muslims who fit into Western society just like there are plenty of people of Asian and African and Native American and soforth descent that fit into Western Society. Referring to Middle Eastern society as "Muslim society" is just as stupid, useless, and counterproductive as referring to Western society as "Christian society".
posted by Pope Guilty at 8:51 AM on October 2, 2007


A lot of the noise from the wingnuts about the Vancouver thing misses the fact that at the same time as granting the exemption to the hookah rooms, the council at the same time also granted exemptions to a couple of cigar lounges inside cigar shops.

They also assume middle-eastern = muslim and that the hookah lounges are open to muslims (or middle-easterners) only - neither of which is true.

But don't let that get in the way of your clash of civilizations...
posted by pascal at 8:53 AM on October 2, 2007


Yes, now I understand Muslim culture, thanks to... Beyonce.
posted by desjardins at 9:05 AM on October 2, 2007


Looking at Beyonce and thinking "hey, she's got a great rack" is like going into a Toys R Us and hanging around all the board games. Sure, they're nice, they have a lot of them, and they might be bigger and better than you're use to. They could even be a little less limp than the ones you have back home and, if you play your cards right, you might take one of those lovelies home and get a big score. But there is an entire store behind the boobs that make Toy R Us the great store that it is. Embrace the rows in the back - action figures, legos, video games. Spend the five extra seconds to turn that store around. You'll be glad you did.

Beyonce is about booty not boobies. Like the wise men say, back dat ass up.
posted by Stynxno at 9:06 AM on October 2, 2007


What really gets my goat is when Muslims refer to westerners as infidels. It's like they are taunting us for being gay for Castro.
posted by srboisvert at 9:07 AM on October 2, 2007


pascal got it right. The powerline.com "wingnut" link is misleading at best and doesn't deserve a link in this article. Vancouver is not giving Muslims "special privileges."

Playing devil's advocate, though, it might be fun to see if anyone could get into a hookah lounge and smoke something other than a hookah. ;-)
posted by warby at 9:08 AM on October 2, 2007


gandledorf writes "Quite frankly I think she is past her expiration date."

She's about my age, so that means I am, too? Can we get sent to the same retirement home?
posted by krinklyfig at 9:12 AM on October 2, 2007 [2 favorites]


Is our understanding of Islam completely wrong?

if by "ours" you mean "yours" yes, yes it is: since you read (and recycle here) Powerline and Mark Steyn and other LGF-related content, you'll keep getting things very very wrong.

but then, getting things wrong is the only way one can remain xenophobic in the 21st century, so knock yourself out
posted by matteo at 9:14 AM on October 2, 2007 [2 favorites]


In Turkey I've seen (local) women at the beach in thongs. Muslims aren't all alike in this regard any more than Christians are.
posted by Slothrup at 9:16 AM on October 2, 2007


Muslims Hate Boobies, and other stories of West meets Allah

Did Metafilter just turn into Idiocracy? WTF?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:20 AM on October 2, 2007


I gotta say, Stynxno, I really struggled with that metaphor.
Although I do agree with the premise that it is most definitely all about the ass.
posted by dosterm at 9:22 AM on October 2, 2007


Any situation in which your daily behavior and appearance is mitigated by arbitrary social standards that you don't agree with is a sacrifice. *

* Except when you are a guest in a foreign country in which you hold no citizenship, have established no residency and own no property. In that case - if, say, you're in Kuala Lumpur, which is a very modern city in most respects, whose Muslim Malay population is in a bit of a tug-of-war over the impact of said modernity that's really not far from like the Baptist preacher in Footloose or something - then obeying the social standards of your host isn't a sacrifice; it's just good manners.

Also, as pascal noted, the idea that Vancouver hookah lounges equate to the surrender of Western Civizilization to the Mohammadan hordes is far from the full picture. gandledorf chose to link sort of indirectly to Mark Steyn to frame that story, and quoting Steyn on Muslim culture is a bit like using Pat Buchanan as your first reference on question of the Talmud.
posted by gompa at 9:24 AM on October 2, 2007


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