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Re: [RC] slave abuse - Maryanne Stroud GabbaniThe problem with a vague statement like this is the fact that it is soooo vague. I think that it's easier to say "some males" rather than some societies...and anyway, aren't they the ones who make the rules in these vague societies? Please, guys, don't string me up yet....I have so many people ask about the status of women in Egypt for example. Women here make up a higher proportion of law, medicine and engineering students than they do in Europe or North America. And they work in their professions too. Women riders are in a minority here, to make this equine related, but considering the number of horses and the number of riders, humans in general aren't holding up their end. Most equids here are pullers. Women have considerable say in families, and if you listen to the guys, they have WAY too much power, especially mothers. I get more respect here as an older woman than I get in NA. Egyptian women won't live in Saudi Arabia and make their ex-pat husbands fly back and forth because they disapprove of Saudi law. But I read recently that almost 1/3 of the property in Saudi Arabia is now in the hands of women and it increases yearly. It's a much more complicated issue that it seems, which is precisely why I never responded to the post in the first place. I suspect that many of the rules that inhibit the roles of women came about precisely because the power of women was feared. One of the most famous sayings of Mohamed was his response to the question of to which parent a child owed the primary allegiance. He is reported to have said, "First to your mother, second to your mother, third to your mother, and then to your father." Having lived with an Arab husband for almost 25 years, I'd like to testify that this really is true. Women hold a quiet, behind the scenes, but indisputable power. Oddly enough, the symbol of the subjugation of women in Islam is the chador, the abaya and scarf, whatever, which was adopted from the Persians when the Arabs conquered Baghdad. The Persians in turn got it from the Greeks who kept their women indoors all their lives. History is a very weird thing. Maryanne Cairo On Oct 28, 2004, at 4:42 PM, Barbara McCrary wrote: It has always intrigued me how some societies treat women like dirt, while =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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