What I don't get, and correct me if I'm wrong- But doesn't the Muslim faith have women as second class citizens, wearing scarfs to cover their head and such? Why would someone of that faith want a woman as VP, who could someday be President, if they think of woman that way.
The Muslim faith does not designate women as second class citizens. Certainly some people who happen also to be Muslim do seem to do that. Just as some people who happen to be Christian or Jewish do likewise.
Wearing a hijab has tradtionally been meant as a sign of respect towards Allah, like wearing a yarmulke or a wig amongst someJewish sects or the until recently common practice among Catholic women to wear a head scarf in church or among Catholic nuns to wear wimples.
Mostly conservative or fundamentalist or Middle Eastern Muslim women wear head scarves. Also women in Iran where it is required by law. And surprisingly, female teachers working in state sponsored Muslim primary and secondary schools in the Netherlands. Muslim women living in Europe and the Balkans and urban areas of the Maghreb generally do not.
However, wearing a head scarf has begun to take on a political meaning for some Muslim women. Beginning in the 20's when the head scarf was banned in government buildings in Turkey till nowadays where countries like France have banned the wearing of head scarves in public schools. Some Muslim women take that as an affront to what they see as their right to wear religious symbols and women who never wore a scarf before in their lives, whose mothers and grandmothers may never have even worn a scarf, are now putting on head scarves.
It's a complicated issue. I know a few Muslim women personally. They all have different reasons for wearing or not wearing a head scarf. None of them seem to think it demonstrates an inclination in Islam towards oppression of women. I don't really either. I do think it represents an inclination in Islam, an inclination which seems to exist in other Judeo Christian religions as well, towards considering the human body as dirty or filthy or something to be avoided as it will lead to ungodly temptations.
In some Judeo Christian sects it is considered necessary for women to dress modestly so as not to incite the lust of men. Some extremists say it incites rape and therefore lack of so called " modest' clothing indicates a raped woman's culpability in the crime.
What a crock of shit.
I don't think fear and hatred of women is particular to any religion, just to those who may get control of it.
