While we do live in a male dominated society, let me begin by saying I am a firm believer that women should participate in sports.I have two daughters and my oldest loves to play soccer and basketball.She is very athletic and I want her to have every opportunity to participate that is available and luckily for her, in the good ole USA, women can participate.Sometimes they are allowed to participate to the detriment of the men’s programs in the NCAA but that is for another post.
Women in the USA have softball, volleyball, tennis, swimming, basketball, and much more available on the NCAA level.In the professional ranks there is soccer and basketball.The fact is that women can compete on several levels in professional sports and get paid for it.Not to mention that women can support every major professional sport as a cheer leader, but they can also go to games and cheer from the stands as a fan. This is not the case in Iran.
Heading into the World Cup, which will be held in Germany this summer, Iranian women are barred from attending and supporting their Boys of the Bedouin.The President of Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, first decided to allow women to watch, but thought better of his decision when he found out the Supreme spiritual leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei disapproved.
You would think that the Ayatollah was still living in a third world or in the third century.Wait, he is.Not allowing free citizens to attend athletic competitions because of one’s gender is not only sexist but confirms what free world has known for a long time. Freedom does not exist in the Middle East for everyone.A person is only free if he is born a male and if he is born of Arabic descent.Apparently, if you are born of Jewish descent, your whole race should be exterminated.At least that is the message of the Iranian president.(This must be a famous pose with his finger pointed toward the sky. He is actually doing it in the real press conference and the cartoon.)
All I can say about this predicament is that I am glad I was born in America.I am proud to live in a country where my daughters will enjoy the passion of any sport they choose. I am proud that my little girl can read about WonderWoman, Batgirl, Catwoman, Storm, and the Invisible Woman. How dull would comics be with only male superheroes. What would Batman do without Batgirl or Superman without his super cousin, Supergirl. Women bloggers unite and make your voice heard!(Leave a comment)
Come on Travis, I write about Bonds, NFL Draft, Duke Lacrosse, Tiger Woods, and many more topics, but thanks for reading the ones you do. I guess you only like the ones where I include scantily clad women.
Last edited by socalsportsfan on May 8th at 6:06 PM.
i wouldnt even know where to begin in debating this issue, other than to say i think it stinks that they absolutely refuse to let women do much of anything over there. segregation based on gender, ethnic background, personal beliefs and any number of other things is lame and many times is done out of fear of being found inferior in some way to the other person(s). the only people i am in favor of segregating or disallowing the same rights and priveledges as myself are those who feel that type of thing should be done to anyone else for the reasons (excuses) i mentioned above. people who are afraid of another being able prove them inferior use the power they have (fear, physical force) to keep those from doing just that. ultimately, they give the perception that those being held down have already gained the advantage, just by not being allowed the same rights as others. it's like current pro athletes telling athletically gifted kids they are no longer allowed to participate in sports. the current pros know they younger guys (and gals) will someday not only be physically better able to perform the same things the current guys do, but also do it better.
so much for equality for all humans.
tru dat socal. its a situation where i'd like to see the women be able to band together and overthrow the slimeballs who think their way is the only way. i'm sure there are a few thousand or so women here in the U.S. that wouldnt mind helping them out if it ever came to that.
sorry for the long-winded rambling, but this type of stuff really annoys me.
It is amazing that we can be so upset about the rights of blacks in South AFrica, and helped to end Apartheid, which needed to happen, but dismiss the treatment of a whole "sex" like women in the middle east. In reality, they are equivalent to slaves. They are treated like property, with no rights to speak of, and do all the work. How is it different to pre-civil war south?
not really that different, accept this relates to an entire gender of humans rather than a specific race or ethnic group.
it makes me wonder if the reason nobody is stepping up to try and stop it is because, well, all the countries with the ability to do so are also run by a mostly male dominated authority. If we had a woman president, maybe we'd go in and raise some hell....but who knows for sure.
hey handsome! I think you just wanted the women to write to you Huh!!!hahahah any way you know how I feel. Like dude where's my gun? As long as there are stars in the sky this problem will exist. I too am glad I live but for many other reason too.
BTW I look good as bat girl! You should see mew in my baseball pants getting althose bats out of the way! LOL
Socal - nice post. It really does make me glad that I live in a country where my daughters have rights and are encouraged to exercise them. For years my wife was in import/export sales and was treated with respect by many of the people she did business with, except in the Middle East. When the company she worked for was shipping product there, or when there were issues with shipments, they wouldn't even discuss things with her. She became the outsider and her boss or another male had to step in and handle things. On the other hand, the shipping people she worked with in Greece absolutely had no issues with a woman being involved. The sad thing aside from this being a part of their culture, is that businesses and other entities are held up because of this type of thinking, and they (the businesses) allow it because of the potential financial gain. This was quite a few years ago and I don't know if things have changed or if they haven't. Anyway, one of my daughters was a great softball player, the other could care less about sports and my oldest granddaughter is a decent soccer player. Not only am I glad they had the opportunity to choose to do what the wanted, I'm pretty sure they are as well. Nice job!
As a father of two teenage girls let me just say, Amen, brother. Sports is just one of many areas of life in the Middle East where equality is a myth. Anyone with daughters should thank whatever they happen to believe in that they were born here in the U.S. and not into a culture where they would stand absolutely no chance of equality....
The most ridiculous thing is that we think we are going to change the Muslim world..........I love it when these conservatives said we freed Afghanistan and Iraq.....Just here recently a guy was sentenced to death in Afghanistan for becoming a Christian. The United States then had to exert it's influence to get the decision over-ruled, then the guy had to high-tail it out of Afghanistan or the mob would kill him. Yep, we sure freed Afghanistan.
Actually the entire foundation of Christianity is based on the book of Genesis, where the woman caused humanity to be fooled by the devil, thus we all were punished for sin by death.
Religion by definition is anti-women......Men create the religions, they are full of testosterone, and thus God is always promoted in a masculine sense.
Last edited by WesleyPowell on May 9th at 9:20 AM.
Social- Nice piece. As a woman it is difficult to comprehend, but a wonderful book called "The Bookseller Of Kabul" really opened my eyes to the history, religious, and social issues surrounding women's rights in places like Iran and the Middle East. I'm not the least bit shocked that the President of Iran made such a ridiculous statement but I also doubt that there will be a day when we'll see justice for all sexes, races, and religions in the Middle East. Perhaps we should be more concerned with the right-winged Christian groups who are increasing in popularity in our own country who would start turning the tables of equality. Don't get me wrong, I attend church every Sunday, but the things some of these religious sects propose is frightening.
That President of Iran is not suicidal he's just speaking to his half-wit base, just like American politicians do........If they had the bomb they wouldn't shoot it at Israel or us. Those rulers like their thrones and their wealth and their power, they know what would happen......they ain't like these guys in the caves of Afghanistan.
Good post. The Iranian government is both dangerous and crazy. They've oppressed women as a matter of policy and I'm not surprised they're continuing. One matter of point, Iranians are Persians and take offense to being called Arab. Other than that I loved your post and completely agree. Thank God we live in a society that, for all its flaws, doesn't discriminate in such a way.
I mean let's be honest. We go to church for an hour a week half asleep, but our real Gods, who we devote endless time, thought and talk towards, are the teams and ballplayers.That IS crazy.
Wes, you are misinformed about religion. While Genesis does say that Eve was fooled, if you read further, God blames Adam for knowingly sinning. Eve was deceived, but Adam partook, and some speculate so that he could remain with his wife. Who knows, but the Bible is clear that the man, Adam, sinned and because of his sin, not hers, death and sin passed upon all men.
Belle, thanks for stopping in and commenting. I agree that many right wing groups scare me too. What our country needs is a good dose of common sense.
SSP, Rusirious, and everyone else, thanks for the comments.
Way to go EEOC, SoCal. Kudos to you for taking on a position piece like this. What else is there to say about Iran? I think it's a shame, but hopefully, more liberalized Arabic standards are on the horizon for women. However, if the liberalization of Iraq holds the key to said freedoms, then I won't be holding my breath.
Provocative as usual Socal. The democracy experiment in Iraq will be interesting. Will we really allow free elections even if they elect the Iraqi equivalent of Hamas? Hard to say. Iraqi women had many rights before the invasion but unfortunately one of them was to be a sex-slave of Saddam's psychotic sons. Nothing is easy to sort out over there.
We prefer pro-American thugs and dictators......when they stray off the reservation it's time to spread democracy. This is why our name is mud in the Muslim world. Even with moderates.
there is no democracy experiment in the middle east. you dont experiment with entire nations. people have to progress naturally, intellectually and through peaceful means. america saw the light after hundreds of years of slavery and female domination. maybe youve forgotten that US women have only recently been given the right to vote. i'm confident that had we taken the time to undermind the zealot authority, rather than hypocritically shoot our way in and jump start democracy at the muzzle o####un - the people would have risen up against their government all by themselves. Iran already has a base of students and young adults thirsting to overthrow the government. The people want change. the women are progressive - even if they dont see sports, they hold real jobs and are educated. unfortunately they think we've waged a war against Islam. its because Americans make statements like "but it is part of their domination of the female, just a part of the muslim culture" that we already start out behind the 8-Ball with them. please learn the culture your talking about. Its not Muslim culture, its Arab culture. you say muslim, you indict billions. you say arab, youre only talking about those nutjobs in the gulf. there are more muslims outside of the middle east than in - and, BTW, none of us look to the freaks-in-da-east for spiritual guidance.
Girl, da-da-dum, you'll be a woman soon -- love the post -- women in power are sexy -- every time I see that danika patrick commercial where she races the little kids I melt -- good stuff -- it's pretty difficult when it gets into religious ideology. It's ironic the worse they treat their women, the better it looks how we have it over here -- and we're still far off from an ideal situation where women are treated fair and equal but it's close -- still think it would be dangerous to let a woman play linebacker for the steelers, but if she qualifies so be it...
SoCal, very well said, or written. I, for one, am EXTREMELY happy that I live in the USA. I lvoe sports too much for me to be restricted from participating in sporting events. If someone told me I could never, ever go to another sporting event again, I would seriously be depressed and distraught. Seriously!
Thanks again guys and gals for the comments. I think we all agree this is wrong, even demon and Wes.
As for saying this is not Muslim culture, I disagree. True Muslims, which originated in the middle east believe this way. The Muslims who have progressed and moved to the West and abroad have adapted, but deep down the culture does demean the woman, (or uplifts them if you look at their side). Believe what you want, that is what makes America great. I choose to believe as I have written. Funny how you are critical of my freedom of the press demon. Maybe you would agree with those who bombed innocent embassies for what a newspaper in Denmark posted. Not me, I believe in religious tolerance and hence my post saying how thankful I am to have been born in this country.
Last edited by socalsportsfan on May 9th at 12:51 PM.
Let me say that "Muslim culture" does not inherently descriminate against women as intimated, and SOCAL: a dominant faith of over a billion people and hundreds of separate cultures cannot be summed up so neatly or cursorily.
No offense.
For example, some Muslims are much more open to women and their rights, and each culture can ebb and flow in this regard. Iran until 1979 was incredibly Westernized. Iran is only 70 million of the over billion and a half Muslims worldwide, and out of those 70, many of whom are very young (under 20), maybe 25 percent or less are as boneheaded as their current President, who I agree is a demagogue and very scary.
If you know any Muslim women you will know that they are strong and independent and can hold their own. They are not "kept women", as stereotypes would have you believe.
It is wrong to say "Muslim" culture, as wrong as it is to "say Christian" culture or "communist" culture or "sports" culture.
Does this make sense?
I do agree with most of your blog, however. Iran and its rulers are not on my favorites list right now.
Good post.
Ed, while I said as much about westernized muslim women, but I do disagree with your portrayal that women are not demeaned in the rest of the Muslim culture. Women may not agree, but it is a male dominated society and if you look at any of the countries in the middle east, not just Iran, the women are treated entirely different than in any other society. Is it right? Who are we to say, but I am glad I do not have my children raised in that environment.
The Muslims you speak of are no longer following tradition, and they are not viewed as leaders in the movement in those countries. They call for peace in some situations and are largely ignored.
Last edited by socalsportsfan on May 9th at 2:09 PM.
This makes me want to do more research on the sports lives of Muslim women in 200 different societies. Thanks for the thought provoking blog, it does educate and entertain, which is the best of all worlds.
For one, Shia (10% of worldwide adherents of Islam) are substantially alike and disimilar from the rest. Iran is predominatly Shia. Could their minority status make them feel a need to be more radical or reactionary?
I must ponder and learn more...
Blog on.
Good points on your reply.
Last edited by edclinchsaint on May 9th at 2:11 PM.
Beautiful post... I couldn't agree more... great work... still, I don't really enjoy women's sports, but that could change if I ever have a daughter of my own.
Thanks for the response to my blog, but I have to throw this in...
Yeah, Ruth loved the game and showed up to work...but so does T.O.....if he didn't love the game, why is he in such fantastic shape, if he didn't love the game, then why did he play in the Super Bowl two years ago when he was supposed to be out with a bad leg injury....if he didn't love the game, why is he one of the few marquee receivers who's not afraid to go up the middle on pass routes?
He might run his mouth a little too much, but he still loves the game(if you plan on playing football, you better love it).
And as far as being the best of all time, no, TO is not the best WR of all time. But Babe isn't the best baseball player of all time, either.
Give me a player like Mays or Aaron who I know will show up to the ballpark, not cause problems, and get me some offense AND defense while facing much tougher pitching!!!!!
PS Socal, my edclinchsaint blog (I think, I'm a blogschizzoid) has an old post list with many Muslim athletes. True, not many women on the list. (Indicative of your reasoned thesis).
But then again, I am a guy and do not talk about women athletes much unless they are compared to Disney characters. (see another blog somewhere). And THAT hype is because she is infringing on a very powerful male institution.
See my point?
Football is pretty exclusively male and testosterone based, and I wouldn't have it any other way! Some things should be male!
And then there's "figure skating".
I know I am biased, I know I'm a male.
I am glad to be a westerner who appreciates eastern values but doesn't have to adhere to them, just understand from a distance.
And learn from...
Ed, lists and such prove nothing. Read history and see how women are treated as property, nothing more or less, in the Muslim culture. That is not reasoned thinking, it is in their doctrine. True, women may not play football here in the states, (actually there is a women's football league) but we would never keep women from attending a game. I have been to many professional and college football, baseball, and basketball games, and their is at least 30 per cent women in the crowd, maybe more. Dig deeper, and not into blogs, but history books and see how women are treated in the middle east.
Well said Socal, touche!!! I always love how after you speak the truth about the middle east people come from all over to bash our country as if we still live in an oppressed country. For those of you who still think muslims want peace do I have a picture for you from a european rally. If women in burkas and men w/ full terrorist headgarb are peaceful and well intentioned holding there picket signs of "England you should take a lesson from 9/11", "Behead all non-muslims", and "Islam will rule the world" then we have our heads to far up our rearends.
We live in a free country and to those who think Iran and muslim culture should be left alone, are the same ones saying we still discriminate here in the U.S. Fact is we in the U.S don't have a flippin clue what real discrimination is b/c we can do whatever we want , wear what we want, play what we want. The women in Iran can't even go to a sporting event for God's sake.
Can we comprehend that? A woman can't go watch a sporting event. that involves sitting on your butt cheering and booing, nothing else. This also means they can't even contribute to their economy b/c buying food at the ballpark must also not be allowed. Can we imagine that occuring here in the U.S.? A woman cannot buy food at a game or even attend a game period.
If the Women's Rights movement was so hellbent on the idea that ALL women should have the same freedoms as men, where are they on the Middle East issue???? EXACTLY! THEY ARE NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. Does anyone know why? B/C THEY ARE OUT FOR MONEY AND TO KEEP THERE JOBS INTACT, LIKE JESSIE JACKSON WITH THE RACE ISSUE.
As far as religion goes I would not hold wes's comments on the subject in high regard. Obviously he does not know how Islam got its start.
Socal - It is great that so many people responded to this. It is interesting to get different perspectives. My wife is always giving me a hard time for the amount of time I spend here but after this post and our discussion following my comment earlier she said it was really difficult for her to be held in such high regard from so many and then be treated with so little respect and indignation from the businessmen she dealt with in the Middle East. FRUSTRATING!!
Did you see the news this morning from the Duke scandal? The cab driver with the excellent memory has been arrested on an old shoplifting warrant. Maybe he didn't know there was an old shoplifting warrant for him. Or maybe he forgot. Otherwise, why would he have been so eager to tell what he saw. Maybe his 15 minutes of fame were worth it.
Women in the USA have softball, volleyball, tennis, swimming, basketball, and much more available on the NCAA level.
Heading into the World Cup, which will be held in Germany this summer, Iranian women are barred from attending and supporting their Boys of the Bedouin.
You would think that the Ayatollah was still living in a third world or in the third century.
