Mondays post in english
WHAT????
I am sure thats what you are thinking right now 🙂
Has she gone mad?
Does she really mean this?
Of course not….
Let me elaborate…
If you never heard any different…
If, from the day you were born, you were told that this is how it is supposed to be…
If those closest to you, taught you that this is the right thing to do
It wouldn’t be easy to think otherwise….
Especially if there would be strong sanctions if you tried…
It wouldn’t be easy to oppose
Especially if your family and everyone you know would turn their back on you if you did
If your life would be threatened
It wouldn’t be easy to refuse…
We who are born in Norway, cant even start to realize how much courage these woman has to show….
Most of us would not be brave enough to protest in a country were the government can throw you in jail without any explanation, were people are tortured and disappear every day…
But some do …
«She starts with saying that her name is Bahar and she is from Iran. She then says that is totally against the compulsory veil. She speaks of how some people don’t consider it an important problem but she doesn’t not want to wear.
Bahar also says it is an insult to men as women are asked to hide their faces and not tempt them to do anything shameful.»
BRAVE AND STRONG WOMAN
And they get support from some great men
Strong woman have been protesting for us here in Norway as well…
Fighting for equal rights – equal pay – the right to vote – to have children or not – the right to love who we want
(meeting in the woman rights to vote union in Lillehammer somewhere between 1898-1913 tallet.)
But it wasn’t easy being a feminists at that time;
«it has been told that they were «boooed» and yelled at in the debates. The few woman that did speak; Ragna Nielsen, Magrethe Vullum og Kitty Kielland – was ridiculed int the media as well. (Norwegian womans life and struggle. By Bodil Chr. Erichsen)
Some were maybe beaten
Threatened
Shut out of the community
But they weren’t stoned, whipped or killed…
It is hard to understand other`s religion and belief…
Jehovas witnesses for example, who would rather let their loved one die than give them a blood transfusion
How is that even possible?
But try to imagine that you KNEW that if someone were given blood – they would never go to heaven ( if you believe in heaven that is..)
Not have eternal life
If the choice you had to make, were either to loose the one you love right now – or never to get to spend the eternity with them…
I am sure we all would think twice then…
For some their belief is that strong – They KNOW that’s how it is…
Of course we can discuss how it is possible to believe something as crazy as that..??
…again; this is something they have been told since the day they were born
indoctrinated for years….
By the people that loves them
Who they love…
that believes this completely
They don’t want to hurt them – disappoint them – endanger them
But some break free…
Maybe because they have someone to support them…
Someone to talk to
Someone who doesn’t judge….
Or mock…
Hijab and Burka have heathen the discussions and made a lot of people angry both in Norway and in Europe….
Should it be permitted in public?
Should it be permitted to work with a headgear on, or should it be banned?
Nuns in Bergen
In 2011 a plane landed in Bergen with 7 very young nuns from Vietnam, they now live in Maria`s Minde monastery, in Bergen
The monastery was almost empty, very few nuns were left
They needed more nuns to keep it going……
They have to cover their head and wear a special grey costume for the rest of their life..
They can never marry…
Never have children…
Never own anything personal
They have devoted their lives to GOD
I have never heard anyone discuss their costume
Never heard a word about them being oppressed
To me it sounds like a prison
A lifetime sentence….
They will claim it is a personal choice…
but many who wear the hijab or Burka says the same thing
What do we know about how much they had to say about becoming a nun?
Maybe this was expected since they were little?
When they came to Norway they couldn’t speak a word in Norwegian
They only socialize with the other nuns and live quite an isolated life…
The catholic church say this is how it is suppose to be
The ministers are not allowed to marry either…
the results we´ve seen in the media
sexual abuse of young choir boys…
It is hard for us in Norway to comprehend that woman can be so oppressed that they accept to cover them selves up completely….and even demand the right to do so here in Norway were they don’t have to…
But changes doesn’t happened over night…
To come to a foreign country – as a refugee of war…is frightening enough
We can not expect them to adopt our lifestyle immediately
Many still live with their families – and the same rules still applies
Some socialize only with their own and can not speak the language..
many doesn’t know if they will be allowed to stay in Norway and might have to stand trial for what they have done here, when they return home…
Many doesn’t feel welcome
They experience harassment
and racism.
How easy it is to break free than?
How easy is it to ask for help?
Why should they trust us?
So how can we help???
I dont know…
But I am pretty convinced that mocking them in social media doesn’t do any good, like comparing them to buss seats…
.
Or refer to sale on sheets….
Isn’t it the men who force them to wear this we are angry at?
Why do we attack the woman?
Why do they make us so angry?
Isn’t it the oppression of woman we want to fight?
Do we really expect these woman to seek our help if they want to break free?
Do we really expect them to trust us and ask us for help?
We who mock them??
and write hatefull words?
?????
Yes, we must stand up and fight against oppression of woman – but we can not attack the ones being oppressed!!
Then we are just as bad!!
Do I want to se young girls and woman fully covered in a burka?
Of course not!!
The question is how we can help and support them in the fight agains woman oppression?
I believe in understanding
and acceptance of were they come from
Accepting that it is scary to throw away a costume that you have been hiding under your entire life
especially in a foreign country..
with foreign people….
that isn’t always so friendly….
But if we show understanding
kindness
Interest…
Maybe than they will seek contact – show us trust – and actually believe that we have their best interest in mind.
But it will take time…
…..and in the meantime our politicians has to be clear and set rules for what we can and cannot do in our society….
And I believe that we can not hide our face out in the public…
…at the same time we have to realize that this might mean prison for some woman – they will not be allowed to go outside…
this also has to be addressed and solved in one way or another…
Maybe demand some participation in our society……
But I dont care if some wants to wear a veil or not….
I only hope they feel secure enough in Norway to take it off if they want…
Unfortunately I dont have all the answers – but i believe that compassion and understanding will do much more than mockery and hate…
It has seldom been successful to force someone to do something they dont want…
And we, woman in Norway today ,what have we done for our freedom and equality?
how tough would we have been if it had been us?
We dont know
Because we are lucky
Would we break free if we had no one at our side?
We dont know
Because we are lucky
WE didnt fight for our rights here in Norway!!
Woman before us did!
a gift to all of us!!
AND WE SHOULD BE FOR EVER GRATEFUL!
WOMAN – LET US SUPPORT EACH OTHER!!
❤ ❤ ❤
I
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