These photos, sent by my good friend Tareq Heggy, speak volumes about the politicization of the Islamic Veil. In the 1950s, Cairo University graduates were not veiled. By the twenty first century, the veiling of educated women was fully underway.
Class of 1959
Class of 1978
Class of 1995
Class of 2004
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Phyllis, I heartily recommend you take a look at the pages that have to do with FDR in “The Lost Crusade:America in Vietnam” by Chester L. Cooper. For they are echoed, albeit with fewer words, about a preparatory regime for Indochina in FDR’s biography by Conrad Black, and the plan for an interim Palestinian Authority in “The case for democracy” by Natan Sharansky.
That way, proper governing can be taught to those who desperately need it. For, no one can convince me that Egypt, like large swathes
of Africa, Asia, and South America are governed properly.
Cairo in the late 1950s was a very metropolitan city. A large number of Jews also lived there—and were considered respected member of the community. Much of the blame for the de-Westernization of Egypt belongs to President Dwight Eisenhower who foolishly sided with Gamal Abdel Nasser during the 1956 Suez Canal crisis. He was perceived as a heroic figure able to get away with insulting the United States and the other Western powers. This emboldened both the secular and religious radicals of the region. It’s all been downhill for that country since then.
Is it my browser settings or is something wrong with the images on this page?
I can’t see the pictures. Is there a problem with how you posted them?
David Thomson,
I agree with you about Eisenhower, who was perhaps the worst president in the history of the United States. He helped to overthrow Mossadegh and installed the Shah. Had there not been a Shah, there might never have been a Khomeini revolution and an Islamic regime in Iran. Eisenhower also canceled the elections that were scheduled to reunify Vietnam when the French left in 1958. Had he not done so, there never would have been a Vietnam War.
“I agree with you about Eisenhower”
Whoa, you are pushing your argument a bit too far. We are not in complete agreement regarding Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was a flawed individual like all other human beings. His Suez Canal decision was disastrously awful. Eisenhower failed to comprehend the danger of turning a nutcase like Gamal Nasser into a regional hero. Still, his overall administration was a positive one. He did more good than harm. My candidates for worst presidents in American history would include both Andrew Johnson and Woodrow Wilson.
I whole-heartedly agree with Eisenhower pushing Mossadegh out of power and installing the Shah. The latter gentleman was somewhat naïve and too trusting of the Communists. You also fail to comprehend why the Islamic radicals overthrew the Shah. They did so because he was too much of a Western style leader! The mullahs were enraged by the fact that many Iranian women wore short skirts—and the Shah had very friendly relations with the Jews of Israel. The North Vietnamese were dedicated Communists and didn’t give a hoot about honest elections. This was simply a tactic on their part to guilt trip gullible left-wingers. The only way to prevent a war in Vietnam was to capitulate to the Communists. These thugs were not agrarian reformers, but scum of the earth.
Sorry to everyone who couldn’t view the pictures when the blog first appeared. The problem was on my end.
The oppression of women in Islamic countries is disgraceful, indefensible by any interpretation of philosophy or theology.
As an Arab it makes me cringe to look at these photos, and indeed to see first hand the inequality imposed upon women when I travel through the Middle East.
Dr Chesler, I praise you for raising awareness of this shameful issue, and support with all my will those who seek to end persecution of genders, races and religions.
Equal suffrage was supposedly considered in Saudi Arabia in the 2009 “elections”, but under masculist theocratic rule, this seems somewhat academic. We can all hope that these are the first tentative steps towards reform.
Long live the memory of The Suffragettes, who bravely fought (and died) for equality in 19th century England. May their spirit live on in the modern day Suffragist movement, both in the United States and in all lands.
Islam in the 16th century was a moderate religion according to the standards of the day. It has been growing more extreme ever since. During the last 50 years, it has been characterized by blind faith and violence.
Eisenhower may be responsible for the rebirth of religious extremism all over the world, since he changed America’s history by signing a bill adding the words “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance, setting off a battle between religion and moderation that spread everywhere. This is one of the points I made in my essay
http://www.jochnowitz.net/Essays/Eisenhower.html
in which I also mention that the Communists won Vietnam despite the war. As for the mullahs winning in Iran, most people supported the Khomeini revolution not because they liked the mullahs but because they opposed the Shah. The mullahs never had the support of the majority of Iranians.
The wonderfull islam in the 16th century, never existed. Muslims has borrowed science, art, filosophy for other and added nothing. Islam is taking to much credit. Its a pile of stinking corpes tell the world that is the only, real parfume.
My Arabic teacher in New York, an Egyptian woman, described how things had changed in Cairo regarding the veil. In the 1960’s a favorite character in Egyptian comedies was the drunken, flirty housewife. Women were wearing short skirts. She described driving to the ocean in one of those newfangled bikinis.
Very few women were veiled in the 70’s and 80’s. When women started veiling themselves in recent years, her mother wondered why they wanted to dress ‘like nuns’. Veiling oneself was seen as a lower-class, rural kind of thing by most city dwellers.
Most Egyptians blame these changes on the influence of wealthy Gulf state royals, who, not coincidentally, are considered to be hillbillies. If the Gulf princes don’t want the Egyptians to serve drinks in the hotels, there are no drinks in the hotels. No one wants to offend the big-spending tourists and the good friends of the Americans.
Islam … cultural desertification.
The situation of women in the world of Islam gets worse every day, and the left, needless to say, is silent. Opposing Israel and America is more important to leftists than supporting human rights. Leftists have been openly siding with Islamists since the 1960s. Islamists, on the other hand, have not supported leftists–until January 29. Osama bin Laden praised Noam Chomsky, saying “Noam Chomsky was correct when he compared the U.S, policies to those of the Mafia” (reported in the New York Times article on January 30 under the headline “Bin Laden Adds Climate Change to List of Grievances Against U.S.”). This is the first example of symmetry ever in the history of the Marxist-Islamic Alliance. Could bin Laden have been ignorant of the fact that Chomsky is a Jew?
12. George Jochnowitz:
Quite so. And they never learn.
Nihilists, death-cult devotees, a match made in hell.
And why would the leftists not like the jihaddis? Destructive, nihilistic, shameless, remorseless, murderous … what’s not to like?
I don’t really believe that the left are motivated by anything vaguely benevolent or humanitarian at this point in history. A normal person cannot look back on the 20th Century history of socialism and communism and still believe that there is anything good to be found in that stuff.
No. I think they are attracted to other aspects than the happy-talk propaganda. The dark stuff. The destruction, theft, torture and murder.
(You do know about Jamie Glazov’s book, yes?)
Then there was the time when the communists made common cause with Khomeini in the overthrow of the Shah. They were among the first to be killed when Khomeini took power.
I always sort of enjoy that sort of thing. Poetic justice.
Regarding Chomsky, I can’t pretend to know but I’d bet that the jihaddis don’t mind cuddling up with anti-Israel, anti-American Jews, when they are available.
Besides, given proper inducements they make excellent slaves.
If the Nazis had won in WWII, just think where that Nazi licker George Soros would be today!
Oh, wait … George Soros is doing pretty well anyway … never mind.
I wonder what Osama thinks of him.
Joeblough
Nothing good about socialism?
I guess that depends on what kind of government it is paired with. Israel is to some extant socialist with universal health care and pensions. Do you really think our system is better? With homeless people living in tents, with no real mental health care, with parasitic funeral homes, with people dying because they can’t afford medical care?
I guess this disproves the idea that we need to respect thee veil as it is religious.
“Then there was the time when the communists made common cause with Khomeini in the overthrow of the Shah.”
The peasants and others of the so-called oppressed classes rarely, if ever, start a revolution. In the vast majority of instances, it is the spoiled sons and daughters of the affluent classes who help bring about revolutionary changes. We can almost take it for granted that the Jane Fondas and Tom Haydens of Iran ushered in the regime of Khomeini. By the way, this is exactly what occurred in Cuba. Castro took full advantage of the gullibility of that nation’s “useful idiots”—and then kicked them to the side after he gained power.
I saw a very important global women’s rights program on C-Span’s Washington’s Journal this morning. You will be able to see a video in a day or two in the C-Span video archives on-line. This organization is training women to be police and military officers in Islamic countries, organizing women in those countries and holding international conferences of those women who are working for equality.
http://www.huntalternatives.org/pages/7_the_initiative_for_inclusive_security.cfm
Jacqueline O’Neill
Advocacy Co-ordinator
Institute for Inclusive Security
——————
Role of Women in Peace Building
C Span
Washington Journal Sunday 1-31-10
Now that we’ve gotten past the juvenile and sophomoric comments , know well that islam is the waY IT IS due to …..ISLAM . It was never moderate , it was drenched in blood and perversion from it’s inception ,for it is based in it’s own founders violence and perversion . Eisenhower ? The Left ???
All the elements and causes of the behaviour you see today , are easily and quite clearly found in the Q’uran , Sunna and haddiths .
Sadly [ and today most dangerously ] this self deceptive -guilt , denial , ignorance ,and excuse making .
The “moderate muslim ” is just a myth for the “moderate muslim ” is in fact an apostate , not a muslim at all .
Both the Right and the Left have made themselves gullible victims , “dhimmis” as it were , in this exercise in denial .
Most people just see what they want to see throught the prism of their personal biases and social or political agendas .
Only with objective “eyes wide open ” will we be able to recognize and deal with this deviant and twisted form of human behavior , this cult , called islam .
If you are not willing to study this abberation in earnest and fully understand its bizzare rationale and foundation , then you are not qualified to make any remarks or statements about it .
“Israel is to some extant socialist with universal health care and pensions”.
…………………………………
Israel began to prosper when it rid itself of socialism.
Above comment, (Jimmy)…Wow, if you are so enlightened on this topic, why then are you blogging here and not on your own site?
Point is, many of the readers on this site are VERY objective and thier eyes are “wide open”. The biases come from half-assed comments…much like your own!
Geesh…speak down to me moron when your family has been a victim to what the topic of this article is about! GRRRrrrrr
I agree wholeheartedly with you Jimmy D. I first began to study islam after 9/11. I wanted to know how, what I believed at the time was a religion on par with Christianity and Judaism, could do something so awful. How could these particular adherents have gotten their own religion so horribly wrong. The first book I read was called “Sword of the Prophet”. I was astonished at what I read and I have been reading ever since about islam and have now become so disgusted with it I can’t even tell you. unfortunately, most people here in the USA don’t know what I know about islam. Just this last thanksgiving, my own sister-in-law argued with me about being intolerant about islam because, hey, everybody has things in their religions that are not so nice. Then I got to hear about all the sins of Christianity.
Gail is typical of the ignorance I bespeak . She sees all, through the prism of her own uninformed view of islam as it relates to western womens lib . No Gail my family will never be a victim of any sort to “what the topic is about ” , and that is because they , unlike you , are informed properly on the nature of islam , especially as it relates to its denigrating and mysogimistic treatment of women .
In this day and age , people like you Gail , have no excuse , the information is out there , and its under your nose . Truth is Gail , women were mistreated by the prophet himself , yes even killed , as the EXAMPLE was being formed for all muslims , then written in stone as it were by the Q’uran ,and subsequent Sunna’s and Haddiths .
The wearing of veils , in no way indicates any change in the overall mistreatment oif women by islam down through the centuries , there has always been female mutilation , beatings , honor killings , legalized rape , punishment of rape victims , sale of females , forced marriage , and very little if any legal or social rights , indeed women are deprived of HUMAN RIGHTS in islam .
The only things that have limited the spread of islam and it’s outward signs of dominance [ one of which is the coverings on women ] was geography and technology . Those barriers removed , islam once again emboldened , it’s outward signs become visible .
The notion that , [now] and recently , womens rights have been eroded , and your perception that you are being “talked down to ” as if a moron , merely confirms your ignorance on the subject. And to attribute this ” apparent erosion of womens rights ” to actions of the west or anything else other than islam itself , is SUBJECTIVE , rather than OBJECTIVE .
Do you know Mohameds real name ? Do you know WHY it is forbidden to produce any image of him ? Do you know why many muslim men prefer a form of homosexuality over sexual relations with women ?[although they do not call it such ], Did you know that young boys as well as virgins are promised in “paradise ” .
Go do your homework Gail . Be objective rather than emotional , and you may actually understand what is going on in islam as it relates to women .
Then you will be INFORMED , and then you will understand my statement .
I was looking for something about the Veiling, by Anwal AlSaadawy, who I used to like a lot for her Activism as Humanist.
The Text I found, a part of criticizing the Veil, started critizing the US and Israel very hard, too – she appearently considered Barack Hussein Obama a kind of Enemy of Islam (Cairo Speech).
I think therefore that the Problem of Radicalization is somehow related to Western Policy in the Middle East,
and this is appearently caused by the harsh Islamist anti-Western and “Palestinian” Propaganda, carried on in the Middle East,
which affected an otherwise very open minded Person like Anwal AlSaadawy, too.
This Mix turns a Matter like the Veiling of Girls/Women harder to be solved,
since – for many – it appearently is a Synonym of Pro-(Islamo-)Palestine and Anti-West (anti-Israel, anti-Jews).
Anwal AlSaadawy seems not to understand why did Jews get Israel, like if they had Nothing to do with that Land: according to her, they should rather get some Land in Europe – I couldn’t believe such a Comment coming from an intelligent Woman like her.
You clearly see how women are progressively :
first , veiled
Second, separated from the men
That’s all the story of the islamic Apartheid taking root in a few pictures, or how a then-really-multicultural Egypt turned into an intolerant country where the Muslim Brotherhood ideology became the norm.
This proves that the islamofascist ideology is not restrained to a small minority bu that whole societies in the arab world fell for it. Too bad for them as this will result in even more ruin and despair…
At long last an article I have been waiting for. I traveled extensively in the area in the 60’s and 70’s, I did not see as many burqas in Khartoum then as I see in London now. When I bring this up in discussions all i hear is that perhaps I did not pay attention. I have even found the turning point, the oil crisis of 1973. Nothing to do with oil, only the money. I had the dubious pleasure of meeting Feisal, he was the one behind it all, he is the one who started pushing religion down every throat in the middle east. He was proud of his descent from the original wahabi and did everything possible to get back to those days. There is nothing as easy as swallowing religion when it is washed down with a copious draught of money.
Jimmy, spot on. All others, excuses du jour.
Islam is its own worst enemy. Muslims kill more Muslims than anyone else. Everything is not America’s fault. The evidence shown in these photos shows a progression towards “devotion.” And when that word is used to describe Muslims, be prepared for hell.
Read the Qur’an. It’s all in there. The misogyny, the wife beating, plural marriage, slavery (in the case of women, sexual slavery.
How truly depressing.
Gail, Jimmy’s right and if we don’t wise up quickly, we’ll all be victims of islamic supremacism/megalomania. Here’s the bottom line: muslims consider themselves the “best of people”, muslim males being at the top of the hierarchy. They’re worth twice as much as females (this is islamic DOCTRINE). But even muslim females are worth more than non-muslims. Muslims can kill non-muslims with impunity. Christians and Jews are considered inferior, less than human. Polytheists, atheists, animists, etc. are the worst of the worst and islam dictates that they should be slaughtered. There is much, much more than just misogyny to despise about islam; it is a supremacist, predatory death cult. Islam victimizes everyone it touches. It turns men into brutal, sexual predators and murderers. It enslaves women and subjects them to unspeakable abuses. It threatens non-muslims with perpetual jihad, enslavement, and islamic domination. I would suggest that you throw away Karen Armstrong and Esposito and learn the truth about this hideous ideology. If you think it’s too horrible to be true, join the millions of Americans, our leaders included, who are too cowardly to face the truth.
#9. You’re kidding about Eisenhower, right? He signed a bill that change a pledge that only matters to Americans, but that somehow set off a battle between religion and secularism (as opposed to say the steady, relentless efforts by secularists in the West to remove or discredit the influence of religion in the public spehere)?
With all due respect, that’s a much, much weaker argument than blaming his foreign policy moves. In fact, it defies credulity.
The biggest error has been the ill-considered US support of Saudi Arabia, a country which has done more through Wahabbism to jihadize the Islamic world that any other nation, with the possible exception of Iran.
Correction – should have been commas around “through Wahabbism” to recognize that is Saudi Arabia’s brand of radical Islam, as opposed to Iran’s radical Shi’a branch.
Funny, maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see how the veiled women are more oppressed here. Maybe it’s your own cultural ethnocentricity?
It certainly is an interesting change, but I also notice that the percentage of men in the pictures is decreasing over time. Does anyone know what has caused this change in the enrollment demographic?
A.S., here let me help you.
Some Muslim men get very angry when a Muslim or even non-Muslim woman isn’t wearing the head veil and feel compelled to do this:
http://www.parapundit.com/archives/002878.html
(WARNING: These pictures are disturbing)
http://barenakedislam.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/i-thought-the-muslim-veil-is-supposed-to-protect-muslim-women-from-harm/
34. I fear you have absolutely no Idea about what kind of Ethnocentricity/Culturalcentricity/Religiouscentricity/Whatevercentricity the Islamic (in the Egyptian case: the Islamo-arabic world) suffers of.
There is no Way to learn Something positive about Others: it is our lack of Ethnoproudness which turned us into the most tolerant toward Intolerance.
(I invite you to follow FormerMuslismsUnited.com and MEMRI.org, instead of following Marxist anti-Western Propaganda – served to all of us since Decades ago, in public Education’s Institutes and Medias -).
#35 :
Maybe the men in the last year are just the minders who check that the women behave properly….;-)
Felow bloggers , it is a MUST , an absolute MUST to study the ethos involved in Mohamadism [Islam ]
Once known , the pieces like in a puzzle come together , and that is not to say that the finished picture will in any way be logical or pleasant to look upon . BUT IT WILL give a clear picture of motive and the unchangeable agenda of muslims and islam .
The treatment of women is just one part . Mohamed is the perfect example for muslims , to be like mohamed , “the best of humans ” is to be strived for by the best of muslims .All that you see in the way of their behavior , is the imitation of ther Prophet and adherence to the Q’uran .The Sunna’s and Haddiths , are held in equal reverence .Terorism is in fact a requirement . that is terrorism against the Kufar [ a denigrating term for non-muslims] , that is all non-believers , for NONE are innocent , and muslims will always claim that they do not engage in violence or slaughter of innocents . But one must UNDERSTAND just what the term “innocent” denotes when used in the islamic lexicon .
The hajib , the burqua are merely outward signs to indicate muslim power . These things operate independent of any outside influences , the west , western leaders , Israel , Jews ,Christians or anyone or anything else , they are built in the foundation of mohamadism .They are increasing because islamic hegemony is increasing , but not as if it is a single nation’s hegemony , but of a cult’s hegemony .
There are TWO goals in islam , and to struggle [jihad ] for these is encumbent on every good muslim and they are , to strive for a more perfect observance of the Five Pillars of Islam , and to struggle for The Goal of the Prophet , and that is nothing less than world subjugation to islam . Anything standing in the way that encumbers those goals is considered “unjust ” ergo the removal of such obstacles , no matter the means , is considered “justice “. Hence suicide bombers are considered martyrs and heroes , for their acts are not ones of murder and slaughter , but …..”justice ” , as all infidels are obstacles to The Goal of the Prophet .
Veiled women is not an indicator of any “protection ” , but more of an expression of muslim dominance in a society where there is a pluralism , and in totally muslim societies like the Saudis or the Taliban regime ,total DOMINANCE over women .
Jochnowitz: Wrong on Vietnamese history.
In 1954, the population of North Vietnam was between 1-2 million more than in So. Vietnam so the communists of Ho Chi Minh and his Lao Dong Party would have won the election for the following reasons:
1. Dictatorships tell their people how to vote, or ELSE.
2. So. Vietnam had several major political factions from the Vietnamese KMT, the Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, Ba Xuyen gangsters, etc. It was not a unified dictatorship like the North, thus putting it at a decided electoral disadvantage.
3. Communist Viet Minh/LDP terrorism killed of some anti-communist candidates in the South.
4. So. Vietnam was NOT a signatory to the 1954 Geneva Agreements. Only Hanoi and France were.
5. If the people of all Vietnam were allowed to vote freely, there was a good chance that Diem would have won because he was a know nationalist from his resistance to the Japanese occupation as well as that to the communist dictatorship.
However, I agree with David Thomson about Ike making a grave mistake over the Suez Canal, the need to oust Mossadegh, and the fact that the communists in Vietnam didn’t give a damn about elections or anything else except seizing power “by any means necessary” including genocide (which they did).
BTW , most muslim women if given the choice , would not wear hijab nor burqua . They have been intimidated , and so much so that they are not at liberty to admit .
Then there are those who merely for status will do so , just as in muslim societies where female circumcision exists , uncircumcised women are ostracized , and thus many submit to it for societal status with peers .
Excelent analogy to a dog collar , is cited in the above post . Now couple that practice , with religious license . It is correctly cited as a non-religious symbol , for it is truly a symbol of subservience , and that subservience having it’s origin in the foundational beliefs of islam , reinforced and perpetuated with dogmatic adherence to the Q’uran , indeed imitated behavior of the prophet himself .
Of course the “symbolism “here is not any garb forcibly put upon women , that is merely the symptom , one of many , whereas the actual disease is the inferiority imposed on women and inculcated the islamic mindset . THEY are the lesser , the less-privileged ,the morally and physically inferior , the UNCLEAN of the two between , man and woman .
The Muslims do ,what is demanded of them by the Koran.Visit “muslims against Sharia” where a list of all the atrocious paragraphs of the Koran are listed in just 13 pages that you can read in less than an hour and then you can download all of the Koran at the same site to verify for yourself those paragraphs and be appalled that Jihad and the killing of the infidels has been preached for ..1400 years!
The site “stop islamization of america”also provides us with valuable knowledge to defeat Islam,
if we want to protect our democracy,liberties,human rights,and our way of life
Much is said about the veiling and mistreatment of women in Islam. But the veiling of women is not the central problem with Islam, the veiling is best understood as EMBLEMATIC of the problem with Islam. Treating Islamic law as just a women’s problem misses the point of the true danger that Islam poses for all people, male and female, in the west elsewhere: it is profoundly at odds with the idea that all men and women are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among those rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Thank you, Thomas Jefferson. Islam, in the modern world, is retrograde. It is barbarity.
Thanks for the photos. I was in Cairo in 2008 and noticed that about 90% of the women were in headscarves. People who haven’t been there in a while have a hard time believing me.
A.S.: I don’t know that my “cultural ethnocentricity” would be any different from that of a lot of people who are quite different from me. I’m an American whose background is northern European. Do you really think that, say, Native Americans, Chinese, Japanese, Nigerian Christians, and Hindus would have reactions like yours rather than mine?
45. Not to forget, that the “Uncleanity” is applied to:
I. Islamic/-ist Men too (Women cannot have any Contact with them, otherweise they can be arrashed – in Case of Arrashement, the Woman is considered responsible. In case of Rape, they can be stoned, accused of “Fornication” or “Adultery”.
An Australian – sic – Imam remembered his Public that “Men are Wolves, and Women row Meat. Either they cover themselves, or they just have to blame themselves if they get arrashed by Men – Beasts -”);
II. “Unbelieving” Women too (they are considered “DirtyBitches”);
III. “Unbelieving” Men too (they are considered a Mix of Character I. and II.).
Any woman who lived through any part of the twentieth century knows from personal experience that the newest, nextist, call to women: “We’ve come to liberate you, Dearie” is always accompanied by the clanking of the newest set of chains that have just been forged by this week’s “SAVIOUR”—no matter which color, which age, which gender that Saviour and his minions display this time.
Mr. Dooley says:
When you hear that call, best to listen to James Thurber’s admonition: “Run, don’t walk, to the nearest desert Island.
I have to respond to the incredibly ignorant post #9 by George Jochnowitz:
Quote — Islam in the 16th century was a moderate religion according to the standards of the day. It has been growing more extreme ever since. During the last 50 years, it has been characterized by blind faith and violence.
Eisenhower may be responsible for the rebirth of religious extremism all over the world, since he changed America’s history by signing a bill adding the words “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance, setting off a battle between religion and moderation that spread everywhere. — Unquote.
Soon after the expulsion of the Crusaders from Acre in 1291, The Muslim invasion of southeastern Europe began in 1356, the middle of the 14th century. The first significant opponent of the Muslims was the young Serbian Empire, which was worn down by a series of campaigns, notably the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, which gained a central role in Serbian folklore as an epic battle and the beginning of bad luck for Serbia. Then the Muslim Turks conquered the southern half of the Second Bulgarian Empire (Thrace) in 1371 (Battle of Maritsa), Sofia fell in 1382, then the capital Tarnovgrad in 1393, the northern part after the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396, Vidin fell in 1422; Albania fell in 1385 (Battle of Savra) and again in 1480; Constantinople fell in 1453 after the Battle of Varna and Second Battle of Kosovo; Greece fell in 1460; Serbia fell in 1459 and, after Hungarian reconquest in 1480, again by 1499; Bosnia was conquered in 1463 and Herzegovina was conquered in 1482.
The Muslims attack Vienna in 1529. Europe is saved by German Count Nicholas Salm. The Muslims attack Vienna in 1683. Europe is saved by Polish King John Sobieski. The Christian armies were always outnumbered. The 1683 Muslim army consisted of 300,000 men, 300 cannon, 20,000 elite Janissary infantry from the sons of Christians in conquered territories. The defenders totaled 84,000 with 152 cannon.
The Muslim invasions continued until the army led by Prince Eugene of Savoy intercepted the Ottoman Turks crossing the River Tisza at Zenta on 11 September 1697. Forces of the Holy Roman Empire arrived in front of the enemy late in the day. The Turkish cavalry had already crossed the river. Eugene, despite instructions from Vienna, decided to attack immediately. The Austrian general formed his army into a crescent to attack the entrenchments. The vigor of the assault wrought terror and confusion amongst the enemy, and for the loss of 500 men, Eugene inflicted over 30,000 casualties, annihilating the Turkish army.
This ended three hundred and fifty years of continuous invasion of Europe by Muslim forces.
The Jochnowitz ignorance that “Eisenhower may be responsible for religious extremism all over the world” is laughable in a sane world. Extremism is taught in Muslim religion schools around the world. These schools are called madrasah. The schools are funded by the Saudi royal family. Hatred and suppression of the infidel is written in the Quaran, the Muslim foundation of religious hegemony. The people that blow themselves up to kill and terrorize, and take heads, and force conversions, and exact the poll tax, and destroy the temples of the infidel, etcetera, come from one religion, a cult actually, that literally means submission. The cult is Islam.
This is the situation in almost all non-Saudi Arabian Muslim countries – Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Jordan, Sryria, Iraq, etc. etc.
These countries did not have good governments, it must be said, but I don’t think bad government can be fully to blame for whatever weird has happened to Islam over the past 50 years.
Saudi money is one thing – but something else must be afoot.
Mary M has it right on target re Egyptian women; however, we can’t lump the Saudi princes in one bag. Many come to drink and party in Cairo–this is their personal Vegas. Re: Ike, so much to say there–unrealistic expectations on the part of both Ike and Nasser. Ike Doctrine was a massive long-term failure which couldn’t even be applied where it was needed most (Syria). Yes, and the idea of courting King Saud as a counterbalance to Nasser–Hah!
52. What should be that “weird that happened to Islam”, please? Islam is weird (bad), and it is to Countries invaded by Islam that something weird happened (still happening).
When it comes to Islam, when Islam comes, this is what happens: 1) Discrimination against Non-islamic people; 2) Discrimination against (Islamic) Women (by Islamic Men).
Those who suffer the most “thanks” to Islam are Non-islamic people, then (Islamic) Women.
But those same Women are ready to let Non-islamic Women (and People) suffering under Islamic Rule. This is Islam’s (Dis)humanity – SINCE ITS VERY BEGINNING.
#52 There is indeed something else afoot. Modern communications, TV, the internet. The people in these countries now see that there is a different life and the only way that can be discouraged is by painting it as nothing but the way of the wicked infidel. In the 50’s these countries were striving to emulate the west but they soon found the fly in the ointment. Free votes. There is not a free or democratic country – baring Israel – in the entire middle east, only by painting the west as evil can their governments hold on to power. Suddenly the koran, described as rubbish by Ataturk, Assad and Sadam becomes the holy grail to unite the faithful.
I tend to disagree with some of the post 9. by Professore Jochnowitz. Indeed, giving Eisenhower this importance in the matter at hand is a little too much.
However, it is correct that La Porte under Suleiman the Magnificent was progressive in many ways. The Turks were intelligent enough, among other things, to take the highly educated Sephardi Jews expelled from Portugal and Spain, and put them to good use. They settled throughout the Balkans, mainly in Thessaloniki, Corfu, Istanbul (until the maelstrom with the name of Alois Brunner arrived in 1943).
However, in India, things were not as rosy, for the Mughal emperors from 1526 exacted a heavy price of indiscriminate destruction and genocide, all the way to Aurangzeb in 1707, part of which, several scholars dedicated to this part of history term the Hindu Holocaust.
Spot On Calabrese . Knowledge is Power .
Narrative would dilute the impact of those images.
This is one of the most effective pieces I’ve ever seen at PJM. Brava, Ms. Chesler.
Off Topic: Western Women’s Rights or (simply) Women’s Rights under Shari’a
Interview to a Mother, living in Israel, whose Kids got kidnapped by the Bedouin Father, after the Mother and some Kids suffered of Domestic Violence. Kidnapped Kids got probally taught to hate their Mum (Hebrew and English): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY_59AeqKXg and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs6JekB7BMQ
59. The full Story: http://kindesmissbrauch.forumieren.com/our-stories-f4/berits-story-t7.htm
Why do you people consider veiling as against woman rights ?!?!?! and not considering showing women completely naked and F****D as against there rights(Adult entertainment, just that !)
and by the way, most of women do it by them self (no police in the street to arrest un-veiled woman…)
you should respect other religious beliefs (which in islam; veil for women is essential)…
Guys,
Let me just correct one thing, the expansion of Moslim radicals was supported and funded by the US CIA at late 70s in order to support Taliban against USSR’s communism spread in Afganistan. They funded the mujahedeen in various Arab countries to call for Jihad againest the communists. In egypt, Sadat was the agent for USA and implemented their plan and sent younger Egyptians to Pakistan to be trained (http://web.archive.org/web/20010917015917/globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO109C.html). Unfortunately, he ran out of control and the situation turned against him and he was assistnated by those radicals who he unleashed to implement the CIA plan
do people actually believe that islam is a death cult ect. ect. ?
becuase i was brought up believing that its a righteos religion.
just confused. i know thered be some anti-islamic philosphies, but to what extent are they spread?
“do people actually believe that islam is a death cult ect. ect. ?
becuase i was brought up believing that its a righteos religion.”
Simple! pick up a copy of the koran from your local bookstore and read it..
Righteous religion? It’s a sham. Investigate Islam for yourself, don’t let Muslims tell you it is a religion of peace, brotherhood or righteousness. That is all bull. Islam’s real purpose is to subjugate and humiliate those who oppose it.
Koran [9.29] FIGHT those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Apostle have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book, until they PAY THE TAX in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection.
Women who wear clothes are the same as men who wear clothes. I would have to say that pornography is just as denigrating to women as forcing them to wear veils, in both instances women are being treated as objects of subjection and not as equals.
To wear a veil, which no man is required to do, is a symbol that women are NOT equal with men. Men are not required to wear a veil. If there was equality, then that would be it. The inequality with which women are regularly treated in Islam is appalling. The veil is just the outward symbol of that inequality. However, this inequality comes straight from the Quran. And when I say that women should be equal with men, I do not say that they should be the same as men. But that they should be equal under the law, equal partners in marriage, equal to become the best that they can be, just the same way that men are allowed to become and do their best.
Someday, we will wake up to the fact that not all ideas are the same. Some ideas are good, and some ideas are bad. Islam is a bad idea. The sooner we wake up to that fact, the better it will be for the billion slaves who are currently Muslims. I feel very sad for all those people, because they are good people. They deserve better in their lives and for their future. We can show them a better way to live, and I hope for their sake and the world’s sake, they learn to listen.