In case you ever get to thinking that all Middle Eastern Muslim women are hopelessly under the thumb of men just because they wear veils, this video from an Egyptian TV program should prove instructive:
The interviewer, Riham Said, “agrees” to wear a scarf while she interviews this cleric, who appears to have no trouble with her uncovered hair beforehand, when he doesn’t realize the cameras are already rolling. But when the interview gets going in earnest, soon Ms. Said removes her scarf, saying it feels hypocritical (and it is). And when the cleric starts to object, she brings up the salient fact that the channel paid him to appear in what is supposed to be a discussion on sexual harassment. He denies it, but he isn’t very convincing. Probably because the sight of a woman’s uncovered head is just so distracting, eh?
But for me, the best part of all is HER explanation: She says she’ll wear a scarf for God, not men. Not even “holy” men. A point that even a wily old cleric can’t counter very effectively, because it reminds him of whom he is supposed to be serving!
