Iran Arrests 49 People For Wearing "Satanic" Clothes & Hairstyles

by minimus 10 Replies latest jw friends

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  minimus

  I wonder if they were wearing green.
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  Elsewhere

  I read that article today and it reminded me about how in some US cities the police are fining young men who wear baggy pants that droop low.
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  sir82

  If it was green vinyl clothes, that would explain it.
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  minimus

  These nut jobs think everything is demonic, satanic. We're the Great Satan!
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  Gill

  I suppose once a person has learnt to be a nasty, snide remarked Jehovah's Witness ELDER they remain such an ignorant git once they stop being a JW elder and still think it 'smart' to bully a person who dares voice an opinion.

  But this is not a Kingdom Hall and you can kiss my a$%£!

  Love From Sister Gill to EX Elder Brother Minimus!
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  Justitia Themis

  They are trying to crack down on what is called "bad hijabi." The internet is challenging controlling religious groups everywhere, and Iranian women particularly are using it effectively.

  Hadith

  is the written summation of oral reports of Muhammad’s words and deeds, and since Mohammed is believed to be the perfect example of Muslim behavior, it and the sunnah are used to clarify how a Muslim should act in circumstances in which the Quran is silent. Hadith is esteemed second only to the Quran, and it comprises the basis for Muslim jurisprudence or sharia. Because of its elevated position, hadith textual exegesis can be used strategically by religious authorities and governments to legitimize political organizations and governmental stances, to promote and codify a particular form of Islam and to control adherent’s behavior and silence dissent. However, hadith legitimacy can be challenged based upon a variety of internal forces such as its context and its chain of transmitters; this results in multiple dynamic and diverse interpretations. However, it appears hadith interpretation, and its related sharia, is molded by non-theological, social pressures also. I will examine two such forces: the internet and the strategic use of economic capital.

  How has the internet affected hadith?

  The internet increases access to information and eases communication, which helps to empower the marginalized, encourages debate and challenges established secular and religious authority. It thereby levels the playing field and acts as a democratizing agent. Iran’s internet users grew to 23,000,000, or 34.9% of its population in 2008, which translates into 9,100% growth from 2000 to 2008. Increased access to the internet is enabling Iranian feminist activists to circumvent the state-controlled media to access information. In addition, the internet provides them a platform to transmit their ideas and affords them a novel means by which they can establish professional and personal support relationships.

  This has led to the creation of "virtual ethnic communities that reach beyond traditional land boundaries, which link people of like descent, and has served instead to link in "Weblogistan" people of like mind as writers and bloggers. Weblogistan is presenting a challenge to those who traditionally have controlled hadith interpretation. These religious scholars’ authority usually is based upon their local reputation, and many assert that only those with specific scholarly credentials may legitimately interpret the Quran and hadith. However, with the advent of the internet, "the ability to claim religious authority has been democratized in the sense that anybody can assume the role of an imam." These internet imams, activists and jurists are using the internet to network, which is a necessary early maneuver to organize opposition. Increased networking is resulting in the formation of websites, e-magazines, blogs and international movements designed to challenge hadith interpretation and change sharia.

  One such campaign is the "One Million Signatures Campaign Demanding Changes to Discriminatory Laws." The campaign’s official website features the story of one campaigner, Maral Farokhi, who learned of and subsequently joined the campaign as a direct result of her persistent inspection of feminist websites, which demonstrates the ability of websites to attract potential activist. In addition, it openly debates the Qu’ran and hadith, showing its ability to educate readers and present non-traditional hadith interpretations that support the desired sharia reform.

  Currently, another website is presenting pro-female hadith interpretations that support the theory that an Iranian woman can be elected president. Per Ziba Mir-Hosseini, the internet is one of the main vehicles for Iranians to debate hijab, and this debate ranges from "personal opinions" to "sophisticated juristic arguments whether covering of the hair for women can be argued for on the basis of Qur’anic verses and traditions." They are hotly contesting Iran’s oppressive interpretations, and as Amir-Ebrahimi concludes, they are challenging hadith and trying to change sharia "through argument and reasoning to struggle against the discriminatory laws and rules that preside over today’s Iran."

  Unfortunately, no laws have yet been changed in Iran as a result of this struggle; however, considering its authoritarian government and powerful, controlling Shia religious empire, the presence of such an athletic and proliferating dissident movement, due in large part to its internet presence, should be considered success.
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  Big Tex

  Religion is a snare and a racket
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  minimus

  I hate fundies.
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  BluesBrother

  I hate fundies.

  Does not hatred of those whom you do not understand make one fundamental too?
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  minimus

  nope