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May 17, 2006
Queen Rania
I watch Oprah, so you don't have to.
Just so no one questions my sanity, I capture it on DVR for quicker viewing. The show is no more than 25 minutes of content and 35 minutes of commercials and previews of future shows. Most days it's not worth blogging. A typical show is all about how Oprah is saving the world, one battered woman at a time.
Don't get me wrong -- undeniably, Oprah does a whole lot of good. And it's hard to find a woman in the world who doesn't adore her. I especially like the Angel Network where donations are used 100% for the cause. The big O pays for administrative costs out of her own pocket.
Queen Rania of Jordan was on today, if you are male - pity that you didn't get to gaze at her. She's truly lovely on the eyes and ears.
Since the conversation dealt with some interesting political issues, I've transcribed some quotes for your viewing pleasure.
Queen Rania on Muslim women in Jordan:
"Unfortunately in the west, people look at the veil as a sign of oppression or weakness and this is not true. As long as a woman is wearing it because of her belief, and I always say, we should judge woman according to what is going on in their heads rather than what is on top of their heads."
(In Jordan "only" 60% of women choose to wear the veil. For Muslims there, the interpretation "asks" you to wear the veil, but ultimately it's a personal choice. Clips on the show were VERY specific -- women can drive, work and lead fairly normal lives. I suppose that's good for the Americans who had no idea Jordan isn't extreme in that sense.)
On being a "global citizen", a phrase that reaks of HillaryRot:
"Because once you feel that others [in the world] are like you, then you want for others what you want for yourself. And that way you start helping others."
On what she'd like to see happen in the future:
"I'd love to see the political conflict in the middle east solved, the problem between the Palestinians and Israelis. I'd love to see a settlement in Iraq. I'd love to see more of our children educated in the arab world."
(Settlement? Iraq? Since I'm not commenting politically these days, I'll bite my tongue.)
Big O asked how Arabs in the middle east feel about americans right now:
"I think on both sides between the Arabs and the West, there is a mutual misunderstanding and a feeling of suspicion and mistrust. Many of the Arabs feel that America is not on their side. That their policies are not fair towards Arabs and Muslims. However, I must say that the majority of the Arab people differentiate between American policy and American people. So if any of you were to come and visit any of the Arab countries you would be met with a great deal of hospitality and welcome. But when you talk about politics, then they start to say that you know, America is not fair towards the Arabs. That they are biased against Arabs. And that just highlights the need for us to communicate a little bit more. We really need to change the way we look at each other, the way we deal with each other, the way we talk to each other..."
(I feel Arab warmth every time I put gas in my car, thank you very much.)
Queen Rania on how to fight terrorism:
"The fight is not between Americans and Arabs. It's not between East and West. It's between extremists who exist in all religions against the moderates. The extremists biggest nightmare is for us to get along. And that's why we have to get along."
Posted by Moxie at May 17, 2006 10:42 PM
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Yeah, Queenie. Just last night at our Mens Club Meeting at our Catholic Church, we were talking about blowing up some markets, schools and government buildings in the Arab world. We discussed assasinating political figures who didn't see things our way. We burned some Muslim effigies, and well...you know, the usual extremist shit we Catholics do. We're a religion of peace, don'tcha know.
cough*bullshit*cough
Posted by: tony at May 18, 2006 4:50 AM
The queen is [removed by administrator]. They all are, they have to be. If they don't want their head chopped, they have to give.....
Posted by: Terry at May 18, 2006 12:40 PM
damn Terry...that's pretty hard core. I have to give it up for Tony though. As a fellow Catholic, I think it’s amazing that the Catholic Jihad is the only secret the Church has been able to keep! I tell ya, the hardest thing for us has been finding remote, uninhabited training sites. The "Survivalists" and groups like The Militia of the Arizona Republic have taken up all the good ones!
Posted by: Saul at May 18, 2006 3:22 PM
Tony, my folks are Catholic, and also very involved in the Catholic jihad. Just last night they hosted a prayer circle and bomb-making lecture!
Posted by: Moxie at May 18, 2006 3:28 PM
Phrases Oprah didn't bring up: dhimmi, jizya, jihad, honor killing, how a Hashemite minority gets to rule a Palestinian majority, how Jordan in September of 1970 killed more Palestinians in one month than Israel has in 58 years... And why is it that there is but one Muslim nation in the top half of the nations ranked by Freedom House for political and civil rights?
$1000 to the first person who sends me an atlas published in the 1800's that refers to a nation called Jordan or its kingdom.
Another question Oprah wouldn't ask: "Queen Rania, would you fight to prevent sharia law supplanting our American constitution or do you envision a Muslim America someday?"
Posted by: Aarons cc at May 18, 2006 6:32 PM
Damn, I missed Queen Rania? She is s-m-oking! Unbelievable. If my wife looks anywhere near that good after four or five kids, I'll be a very lucky man.
Posted by: Shawn at May 18, 2006 7:11 PM
Hmm. These tongue-in-cheek (?) Catholic "Jihadists" seem to have forgotten about Ulster. They seem to have forgotten about the Inquisition. And white Christians of all denominations seem to have forgotten about burning crosses being used to terrorize African Americans in this country -- and not that long ago.
And ... so what if Jordan didn't exist as a country in the 1800's? Convenient choice of centuries, that. Go back 100 years and you wouldn't have found the US either. Cultural amnesia does not make for profound thought or intelligent discourse.... just self-righteous pomposity.
Posted by: Lisa at May 20, 2006 11:57 AM
Lisa,
Have you heard any news about the film adaptation of The Satanic Verses yet? I haven't heard much from Salman Rushdie lately, and I wonder why......
[February 14 2006, Iran’s official state news agency reported on the anniversary of the decree that the government-run Martyrs Foundation had announced, "The fatwa by Imam Khomeini in regards to the apostate Salman Rushdie will be in effect forever", and that one of Iran’s state bonyad, or foundations, had offered a $2.8 million bounty on his life.]
Posted by: reagan80 at May 21, 2006 11:36 AM
Reagan80,
Have you heard of the straw man argument?
I have gotten into some extremely heated arguments about the fatwa against Rushdie with Muslim friends of mine.
My point was that a religion should not be judged only by its fanatics.
And why should the queen of Jordan be held accountable for the acts of Iranians? She is Arab, they are not. She is Sunni, they are Shiite. She is Jordanian... etc.
I think our habit of throwing together everything that happens in the Arab/Muslim world is part of the reason why the US is so disliked by so in the Mideast.
It would be like judging Christianity solely by the acts of the KKK.
There is no place in the Koran which says women can cover their heads if they want to, and yet the queen leaves her head uncovered. Can't we admit to differences?
Posted by: Lisa at May 21, 2006 1:06 PM
the fight isn't between americans and arabs. to use stephen colbert's allegory - george bush is rocky balboa, and apollo creed is.. just about everything else in the world. 'it is the heartwarming story of a guy repeated punched in the face'.
Posted by: des at May 21, 2006 4:30 PM
I'm sorry, Lisa. I was mistaken. Since you put it that way, I guess I'll agree.
Posted by: reagan80 at May 21, 2006 5:46 PM
Des:
Just mentioning Colbert makes me want to wrap sandpaper around my cock to sodomize you....repeatedly.
I won't stop until I see a weeping crimson rosebud.
Posted by: Spanky at May 21, 2006 6:19 PM
Actually, I've been visiting a very obscure website that idolizes Salman Rushdie. Did you folks know he's coming out with a new book? It's called "Buddha, You Fat Fuck!"
Posted by: tony at May 22, 2006 7:08 AM
i had the privilege of meeting princess aisha bint hussein alhashemi (a twin daughter to king hussein, and sister to king abdallah) a while back. she's a colonel in the jordanian army and was in the us to learn about how women were integrated into our military.
there is a lot of truth to the postive things oprah asked her. there is a lot of truth to the negative things being said about islam.
i spare jordan my hatred. if there is a single muslim country starting on the path towards moderation and tolerance it is jordan.
queen rania is quite the looker isn't she.
Posted by: mlah at May 22, 2006 9:13 PM
