LM was one of the first to break the news about Shanna Bukhari the Muslim beauty contestant from Rochdale who wants to represent Britain in Miss Universe.
Some commentators have pointed out my alleged hypocrisy in on the one hand telling the likes of reptilian creature Phillip Hollobone MP who wants to ban the Niqab to get the hell out of a Muslim Sisters wardrobe with my opposition to a beauty pageant.
LM sees no contradiction or inconsistency in my view. Surely all reasonable folk can see the distinction between ones normal and customary day to day cultural attire with a "beauty event" whose sole purpose is sexual gratification of men. My opposition is not ultimately focused on Shanna Bukhari but on a "beauty pageant" that seeks to sexually titillate men in an event that is decades past it's sell by date.
However, where I do take issue with Shanna is when she bizarrely states that she will seek to promote the virtues of beauty pageants to other Muslim girls. Sorry Shanna, frankly a choice between a career in medicine, law, Politics or the media etc I can understand but not your chosen career path. While LM can perhaps understand although not agree with the desperation about getting your kit off to escape the dump up north in Rochdale I don't think these events do anything to advance the cause of women both Muslim or non Muslim.
LM is no betting person however, if I were I would be tempted to place a small bet on some bright marketing sparks at the Miss Britain contest ensuring Shanna wins, thus making this story run and run.
No, LM, your point of view is utterly inconsistent. You cannot be some kind of 'sartorial libertarian' and then in the next breath claim that a woman must not enter a beauty contest. Do us a favour - that's absurd.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, beauty contests are a touch of glamour, a bit of fun. Sexual gratification of men? I think you have them confused with pornography. People of both genders and all ages watch them; admittedly they are quite silly, oldfashioned and tacky, but it is family fun (to some extent) and not about pornographic sexual gratification.
Secondly, your views here point clearly to the fact that you aren't advocating 'freedom of dress', as the comments about "stay out of my wardrobe" rhetorically imply. What you are doing is advocating the enforcement on a restrictive moral code on women. The key word there being 'restrictive'; which is something that most people find objectionable, given the context of the last 100 years and hence, the continent-wide debate on hijabs.
Cut all the fancy 'keep out of my wardrobe' crap and get straight to it: "LM believes women should not be allowed to dress as they wish", and you'll at least have an honest, transparent position that noone can attack.
Just another in a long line of willing patsies using the "muslim" thing for quick self-promotion. She knows what she's doing because she's intelligent enough to have a degree in English Lit (ok, it's from Bolton Uni, but still) and she's mounted a "campaign" on Facebook for the purpose!
ReplyDeleteBesides that, she's stated:
"Muslim girls don’t enter competitions like this because ISLAM DOES NOT PERMIT IT [my emphasis] but there is so much more to it than looking pretty."
If Islam "does not permit it", then
(a) why do you do it, and
(b) why specifically do you want other *muslimas* to follow suite, to wit: "I want other girls from Muslim communities to feel they can do this"
Eh!!??
Yes, there is so much more to a beauty pageant than beauty: shameless self-promotion using the "Islam" card and the promise of (ill-gotten) riches to come!
She knows the benefits of catching the eye of a media that seizes any opportunity to berate (if not outright bash) Islam, with the usual battle cry of "extremists!" - meaning "practising muslims", as we now know...
(I wonder whether some feminists will defend her 'right' to enter this competition... Sounds like an oxymoron, but never be surprised at how far and deep the hypocrisy goes when it comes to opposing Islam.)
It shows how calculating - never mind ego-driven - this person must be that such an ordinary-looking girl is so publicly campaigning to enter no less than Miss UNIVERSE (!)- well, Miss Uni GB for starters... A competition she has zero chance of winning, even locally - especially if pageant owner, a certain Trump of Apprentice ("you're fired!") fame has anything to say about it. (Perhaps her ego Trumps other, more monetary considerations after all!)
P.S. Surprising that such a bid for attention doesn't have any YouTube presence. Unless you count an obscure Cantonese-language media clip, wherein Rochdale Girl's picture floats amongst footage of all-but-naked stage-walkers...
The 'debate' on hijab has nothing to do with "freedom"; it is part of the same "debate" on muslim schools, halal food and everything to do with Islam, as any open-minded observer would know.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, where is the 'debate' on nuns' habits or Orthodox Jewish women's wearing of wigs over shaven heads?
And distinguishing between the respective meat markets of 'beauty' pageants and pornography is a just another self-serving rationalisation. One market sells lamb and the other mutton, but they are both in the same general trade.
apologies for some comments going missing after approving them. Will check in spam etc
ReplyDeletewell said akhi786!
ReplyDeleteBleeeeuuuurgh
ReplyDeleteI know beauty contests are of staggering importance, and a muslim girl participating puts to rest the islamophopbic lie that muslim women must cover up hijab or niqab because they are of such inbred ugly. Personally, I believe that if one cannot marvel at the beauty of God's creation, male and female form,without your mind seeking out the carnal such is less than an animal definitely less than human.
ReplyDeleteBeauty pageants are so important, but I wonder at londonmuslim's thoughts on this little tidbit: http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/
i appreciate the answer of akhi786
ReplyDeleteNot good for muslims...
ReplyDeleteMost non-muslims like me would consider beauty contests to be innocent fun, not meat markets as akhi786 as claimed. The fact that many Muslims think these contests are pornographic shows that they're overly concerned about women having to be hidden behind clothing and inside the house. Just because a woman shows her beauty to the public doesn't mean she's willing to have sex with all the men!
ReplyDeletewhy all restrictions come to muslim women only whats about the men misusing their wealth to sleep with women from europe..why dont u send death threats to these men..why these double standards...human is a god's creation and we ve no right to punish or impose any restriction on anybody..its the god who has right to give n take life..
ReplyDeleteam shocked just read the news...and...too many people are jealous, look at what everyones going on about on every website, very sad, i think most of these people have got chillies up their ass that theres a 'paki' girl whos been successful and have nothing better to do than lazy about and chat shit...y are peole bringing islam into things, for gods sake stop picking up and every aspect of everything published in the paper,leave the girl with it, she has not to answer to anyone but god,, just critisim after criticsm,you know what you guys know how to give 'dwa' to people to join religon or follow it,dont you, perfect job losers, keep it up, shanna got2 say, you do whatever u pls, u got no1 to answer but to god
ReplyDeleteWhy are you people using her religeon as a representation, why deos it need be that way with bigots is beyond my understanding, someone from a region of the world deos something, their religeon is bought up as a representation, lol - she clearly spoke about not repping Islam.
ReplyDelete****&**** What she is doing is very admirable. Obviously she wants to show people that there is more to women than just mere existence. She is a talented women and I feel she should be able to prove it. Keep on the contest course and hold your head up, smile and be happy, for there are many who are with you.
ReplyDelete