Good Evening Eye Fans, it’s good to be back on the blog. I know you all missed me as I had a lot of messages, but I was away from Sharm for a while and taking a break. Good to see the response to my blog about Ahmed the scammer. What an absolute arsehole he is, totally sure of himself and completely unrepentant about his behaviour and the hurt he causes. People call me hard hearted but this guy is unbelievable, he makes even me look all soft and fluffy.
While I was out having a beer a few nights ago, I saw something which gave me an idea for my latest rant. I’ve been away for a while but being out and about since I got back there’s a definite change in the tourists visiting Sharm. I’ve noticed more ladies wearing the burka in Sharm, something you did not see in the past, I was having a drink with a friend in Naama and as we sat there, we saw groups of ladies passing by covered head to toe in black. What the f…! This is Sharm not Saudi for God’s sake, it’s a beach resort and I expect to see bikini clad ladies, not women trying to each lunch through a flap in their burka.
I’m all for religious tolerance and understanding but there’s a place for everything and this is not it. Sharm is for sunbathing and fun. Why would you want to come here and hide yourself from head to toe especially in this heat?. Makes no sense to me. Now I know this is a contentious subject but I also know that secretly lots of people agree with me. I wouldn’t go as far as our friend Bojo, esteemed PM of the dear old country who compared burka clad women to “letterboxes” or “bank robbers” but come on, Sharm is not the place for these garments. Sharm is a place for sun, fun. sea and s.. ( you can work the last one out for yourself).
Of course it’s a security risk. Who is under there? Do we know? No we don’t. Faces should be seen, not hidden and who knows what could be concealed under all that fabric?. I’m getting on my soapbox now. Here’s my 10 good reasons to ban the burka.
1. Security is a massive issue worldwide so it’s understandable that people have concerns about the burka . Face concealment is unacceptable in public. Back home in the UK, people are not allowed to wear hoodies or motor cycle helmets in shops or public places because it can be threatening to people. So why is the burka any different to that? No different in my view. We need to see people’s faces. We have no idea who or what is under that burka.
2. It’s really anti social as well. You can’t have any interaction with someone whose face is covered. Why do you need to remove yourself from society? Sharm is a fun place for people to meet and socialise, not to cover your face. If you want to cut yourself off from society then people have the right to ignore you. It’s like you’re not there.. You can look at me but I’m not allowed to look at you. How is that ok?
3. Lots of countries have now banned the burka including Denmark, France, Belgium and others due to security concerns. Quite right too and more and more countries are heading that way. Cutting yourself off from society in this way builds barriers between communities. It’s not the way to integrate with others is it?
4. When I first came to Egypt years ago, nobody was wearing the burka or even the hijab. It has crept in over the last 10 years though I noticed when I was in Cairo recently that most women in restaurants do not wear it. I was told it was seen as a little ” lower class” by many. A friend said that some high class restaurants deny entry to women in burkas and even hijabs. Too bloody right, I don’t want to stare at people with their faces covered while I’m eating. It would put me off my koshari!
5. Burka can seem intimidating to others. It doesn’t encourage communication between people and isolates the person wearing it. It’s a bit like saying I’m better than you and you can’t speak to me. There are enough barriers and differences between people without adding another one by segregating yourself from others. How are we all going to integrate and make our communities better if we can’t speak and mix with each other?
NOT an attack on religious freedom. A sensible response to a dangerous world.
6. The Qu’ran doesn’t say you have to cover your face so why do it? I understand modest dress but covering your whole face? It’s really not necessary. Does it really make you more holy by covering up your face? Remember the glory days of Alex and Cairo back in the 50s and 60s when ladies dressed in the latest fashions and there was not a hijab in sight. Back in those days, Cairo and Alex rivalled Paris with their fashionable and beautiful ladies who even wore swimsuits on the beaches. What went wrong?
7. It’s like going back to the dark ages covering up the female of the species. Can’t men control themselves if women are not covered up? Do they have no self control? Does seeing female flesh get them too excited? Don’t they want people looking at their women because they are so beautiful? Or are they so ugly that they have to keep them covered up? Wise up guys this ridiculous practice has to end.
8. Men don’t have to cover themselves up in the same way. Although the Quoran does say that men should dress modestly too, but most of the guys in Sharm seem to have missed that bit of the holy book as they wander around half naked a lot of the time, strutting their stuff around the beaches of Sharm showing off their tanned chests in the hope of snaring a European lady and possibly a passport.
9. Some say it’s empowering to women but I don’t get that seriously. I know I’m a guy but I don’t see how covering up your beauty can be empowering. The burka seems like a totally misogynistic invention to me. An invention by the menfolk to keep the women covered and quiet. Seems like oppression to me. I thought this was the 21st century but we seem to be going backwards.
10. As you all know I’m a fan of the fairer sex and an unreconstructed chauvinist( according to the lovely Irina who some of you may remember I wrote about in one of my previous blogs). so of course I love to see beautiful ladies sunning themselves in bikinis around the pools of Sharm. Beauty should be celebrated and not covered up. After all that’s what Sharm is for, it’s a playground for beautiful (and some not so beautiful) people to come and have fun. It’s not a place for flocks of burka clad women trailing behind their husbands. It’s putting me off my beer. Maybe I’ve been away from Sharm for too long. Things have changed and not for the better in the view of this old git.
OK that’s enough of my ramblings, let’s get back to my beer. Feel free to comment or message me with your comments as always and I’m sure there will be plenty on this blog. Someone had to say it, right? Until next time Sharmers.
Sharm El Sheikh & Hurghada Rocks........ Eye of Sharm Underground 