[Dean's World] Dean: Freaking Out Over Religious Garb

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Posted by Dean:
Freaking Out Over Religious Garb
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1183940524.shtml


   I see Dan Riehl is yet another on the right growing aware of the
   irrational prejudices of some on the right toward Muslims. This time
   in a dustup with the Hot Air folks. Although I hold them no ill will,
   I felt ill-treated by those folks last time I weighed in on this
   subject, so it's rather nice to see that others are willing to take on
   so much of the extremist stuff that comes out of those guys.

   The cause this time? Freaking out over the hijab, a traditional
   woman's head scarf. Dan's [1]latest response is a good one, and he
   rightly points to examples of US politicians respectfully wearing the
   kipa or yarmulke (a traditional Jewish men's head covering) when
   visiting certain Jewish holy sites out of respect.

   Good point. I might also point out the [2]growing trend of
   conservative Christian women to wear head coverings, which of course
   has clear Biblical basis (1 Corinthians 11: 4-6):

     4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered,
     dishonors his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with
     her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same
     as if her head were shaved.

   .As an interesting note, I was recently at a gathering of a small
   group of Christians who are trying to Judaize the New Testament. I
   noticed, oddly, that they covered their heads by praying. [shrug]
   People read what they want into the Bible sometimes I guess.

   What gets most tiring about this sort of thing is that if you ever
   bother pointing out similarities between Christian, Jewish, and Muslim
   practices, you are accused of "attacking Christianity" or "attacking
   Judaism." So basically you can't accuse Christians of being
   hypocrites, ever, or not understanding the many variations of their
   own faith, ever. If a Muslim does it, it's sinister and dangerous; if
   you point out a Christian doing the same exact stinking thing, you're
   accused of having it in for Christians. What a special form of
   hypocrisy that is.

   By the way, the practice of head covering is accepted by some
   Christians as necessary only in church, some as all the time, and
   still others as simply something cultural that the apostle Paul was
   talking about 2,000 years ago that doesn't really apply now, and note
   that Paul was often hyperbolic on some things (Paul also once claimed
   that any Christian who got circumcized was destroying his own
   salvation--he literally said that--but I know few Christians who take
   that literally either).

   Extreme versions of the Muslim faith have these burkas that cover them
   from head to toe, based on some very literalist and extreme
   prooftexting from the Koran. Some are more normal, and view wearing a
   simple head scarf (a hijab) as a voluntary thing that some of them
   wear all the time and some only at religious services.

   Acting like any of this is a big deal or, worse, that wearing one by a
   politician visiting a religious group of Muslims is paranoid nonsense,
   and still more proof positive that at least some on the right have
   gone way over the deep end in their obvious paranoia and hostility
   toward Islam.

   It's worth considering by the way, what the actual definition of
   "bigot" is. Perhaps looking at it will help: Bigot: One strongly loyal
   to one's own social group, and irrationally intolerant or disdainful
   of others.

   I'd say I'm a bigot in some ways, and we all have some bigotry in it.
   Would any sane Christian suggest there's no such thing as a Christian
   bigot? If confronted with the charge that you're holding people to
   double standards and acting like a bigot be something a good Christian
   would immediately reject? Or one they'd actually stop to carefully
   (and perhaps prayerfully?) consider?

   Anyone who thinks voluntarily [3]donning a hijab out of a sign of
   respect during special occasions by a politician visiting a Muslim
   event is somehow a sellout to radical Islam is someone who really
   needs to stop and think about just how far close to the edge of
   paranoia and, yes, bigotry, they're dancing toward.

   No offense toward Bryan Preston, but please dude. You guys are getting
   out of control with this stuff.

References

   1. http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2007/07/the-islamo-fasc.html
   2. http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2006-10-04-covering_x.htm
   3. http://hotair.com/archives/2007/07/06/bush-officials-don-the-hijab/