sourceThat is not a photo of a boy and his sisters. It is a photo of three sisters. But, you must not point out the not so obvious. It's rude. If you are an Afganistan couple who has been unlucky enough to have only daughters, you can acceptably call one of them a son. It is known as making a bacha posh. You dress the kid in boys clothes, cut their hair, change their name to a more masculine version and send them into the world as a boy. This way your neighbors realize you are not cursed or unlucky and your "son" can go outside alone or work and bring home a little money that the family needs and they can even be allowed more education. But, most of all, it is about respect for your family. When the bacha posh becomes a teen and the farce can no longer be perpetuated, you can switch her gender back and arange a marriage to someone she's never met.
And why should she protest? She is worth less than nothing anyway and at least she has the memory of a short time when she was considered human. At least, by tradition. It would be disrespectful to point out the truth.
7 comments:
are you kidding me?! wtf...i dont know why im surprised.
tammy
Why. Why are women so worthless to these people?
Women walk in front of the men in rural Afghanistan in case of land mines. I watched an old man beat a younger woman with a stick on her back because she was showing too much skin.
I got all kinds of examples of how most men in Muslim countries mistreat their wifes (all of them). If you get involved then you become a target of a blood feud because of the insult. There's been "honor killings" here in America.
Women sit at the back of the mosque during service or in another part completely separate from the men. I kind of understand the logistics of that due to the frequent bowing, but it's still odd.
jarhead
There have been "honor killings" here. I remember reading about them periodically.
What a sad and bizarre way of life for those women.
The truth of it is, just knowing these things, (and I did know a lot of it before this post) I don't respect the men of Afghanistan. I think they are backwards and "less than" other people. I don't think they have any place in the world today, and if, at some point, I have one as a neighbor, I will not do anything to accommodate his viewpoints or rules as to behavior. I haven't worn a two-piece bathing suit in years (for good reason) but if I had such a neighbor, maybe it would be time to whip one out. . . you know, for gardening, tending to the chickens, etc.
I am missing my Aunt, and feeling crabby and depressed today. No fez or turban-wearing dipshits better cross my path, or they will end up hiding their sorry, uneducated backsides behind those women who mean so little to them.
This is also done in Tahiti but in the opposite sense. The boys are told to dress and act like girls, RayRay. It is like a sign of pride to be picked.
Wow, I had absolutely no idea that this was true. This culture is frightening to me. I also had no clue that women walk in front of men to protect them from landmines. Batshit crazy--always has been and always will be, IMO. I read about young girl who was basically a slave (and regularly beaten within an inch of her life) for the entire family, told her husband that she would still do all of the work but that she also wanted to go to school. His response was to throw acid all over her face, chest and arms. He then drove her up into mountains and left her to die. Somehow she found her way during the night to another village where some people hid her. She is now in CA for extensive treatment and plastic surgery. Her sight is basically gone but the most recent surgery repaired her lips and mouth enough so that she can now eat a soft diet. Heartbreaking.I too have heard about 2 or 3 honor killings (the most recent a teenager in TX) but I am not sure that those responsible have gone to jail. Does anyone know?
What a fucked up religion and country. Cowards. Its funny I am reading a book about native americans. When they Indians were under attack Women and children were there main concern. What other religion or culture feels that women and children are expenadable? Just the Muslims.
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