Saudi Arabia: Awtan TV Presenters Break New Ground By Wearing Niqab

BBC News :

Until recently you would never have seen women presenting television programmes dressed from head to toe in the niqab or burqa. But on the Saudi religious channel Awtan TV it has now become the norm.

Read the whole story: BBC News

Comments

[RBLRDR]

03:38 PM on 12/10/2009

We should introduce them to Snuggies.

[Changeizgood]

03:55 PM on 12/10/2009

For a oment I had to do a double check. They look like "cousin IT from the Addams family with darker hair.

Seriously, how do they expect someone to look them face to face, unless they too are dressed in the bekeeper outfits.

Jeesh, where's the fashion of the 21st century?
Do the women or youth have any say in anything?

lol

[obelix1349]

02:06 PM on 12/10/2009

There was a fire in a girls school over there not long after 9/11/2001, and all the girls rushed out to escape without their niqabs. The religious police showed up and forced them back inside using whips and batons, in order to 'defend modesty'. If I remember correctly, most of not all of the girls died as a result.

Just last year, a Saudi cleric said wearing the niquab was not good enough, because women's eyes are 'too seductive' so therefore only one eye should be shown.

So now would any of the tolerant people posting care to defend this backwards thinking?
(if you dont believe me, just Google either of these two examples)

[sam49]

03:19 PM on 12/10/2009

A few fanatics don't speak for over 1.6 billion muslims around the world. I will tell you like I have told many ignorant people in the past--Religion does not corrupt people, people corrupt religion.

[obelix1349]

05:25 PM on 12/10/2009

I wasnt talking about all Muslims just the Whahabis in Saudi Arabia.

But about your point about people corrupting religion, I disagree. Good people will do good things, bad people will do bad things. But only religion ans superstition can make good people do bad things.

[OdysseusNemesis]

02:01 PM on 12/10/2009

They will scare off the kids. BTW, how do we know they are women and not men in niqab or burqa?

[rosiebond007]

01:39 PM on 12/10/2009

This has NOTHING to do with Islamic Law. - there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in the Quoran which says that women should be covered.

The men do not want other men staring at their women so they keep them subjugated and ignorant.

In other words - the Muslim men are so starved of decent conversation with women - they behave badly (and scratch!)

(I've seen it many times!)

[seattleblue]

01:38 PM on 12/10/2009

In this economy, the station decided that eliminating the need for hair stylists, make up artists, and wardrobe would be a prudent move.

[Shomali]

01:22 PM on 12/10/2009

This is a joke. The whole Niqab is from pre-islamic culture of Arabia, hiding of women and killing of young girls, which were all rejected in Islam. The only requirement in Islam is modesty in clothing, the rest is creation and promotion by Saudi based salafi/wahabi organizations. They need to move in to the 21st century.

[wereeverywhere]

01:26 PM on 12/10/2009

Thank you. Your comments are a welcome antidote to the trolls who make goofy and insulting generalizations about Islam.

[RedDogBear]

01:49 PM on 12/10/2009

I'll second that thanks. They are also a good response to people like Usama below who think all criticism of this is simply anti-islamic bigotry.

[hanoum]

04:25 PM on 12/10/2009

Spot - on, Shomali, that is EXACTLY right.

[meemu]

10:44 AM on 12/10/2009

No wonder the women in the article would say they are fine with being covered up--they would say anything they're told because the men off camera have a pile of rocks, ready to be used......

[hanoum]

11:28 AM on 12/10/2009

Stoning for blasphemy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIaORknS1Dk

The Life of Brian
Monty Pythons Flying Circus

[Caily]

10:27 AM on 12/10/2009

Once again, religion ftw.

[Usama]

09:57 AM on 12/10/2009

It really hurts you to see women doing this?

[Paula Ann]

10:10 AM on 12/10/2009

they don't give a rip about what happens to muslim women; just here to express their xenophobia and bash islam

[Paula Ann]

10:24 AM on 12/10/2009

they don't care about muslim women; they're just here to slam islam

[RedDogBear]

10:59 AM on 12/10/2009

I'm sure that's true for some people commenting but not all. If you looked through my comment history you would find me defending Islam against racist slurs (on issues such as the ridiculous minaret ban, the burka ban, and racial profiling) plenty of time.

[riff4u]

03:30 PM on 12/14/2009

I think his white hood and sheet would fit in quite nicely with a burqa.

[pjwrites]

09:33 AM on 12/10/2009

Comical! "Luke, I am your father!"
Darth Vader meets religion.

[msbeal]

09:29 AM on 12/10/2009

The 12th century meets the 21st century. Weird.

[Whinger]

09:04 AM on 12/10/2009

Ah well, whatever floats their boat.

[jayman54]

08:54 AM on 12/10/2009

Break New Ground??? Isn't that a term used to describe something evolves and something that devolves? Breaking New Ground would be some sort of Women's rights.

[BryantG]

08:40 AM on 12/10/2009

Better to do radio given the constraints.

[RedEmma1]

03:27 PM on 12/10/2009

On the other hand, these ladies are probably not going to get fired for not being 26 years old, size 2, and utterly gorgeous. Probably a lot of female journalists in this country would find that tempting.

[Paula Ann]

07:20 PM on 12/10/2009

amen, Red.

[Pgrace]

08:40 AM on 12/10/2009

Sick