Wednesday 21 April 2010

WOMEN AND EARTHQUAKES

Tehran's acting Friday prayer leader, Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi, has said that earthquakes are caused by women who wear revealing clothing and behave promiscuously.

This would be funny, if it were not serious. First, Iran sits on a number of earthquake faultlines. A 2003 earthquake devastated the mud city of Bam, and many believe that Tehran, a city of 12 million people, will inevitably be hit at some point. Secondly, Mr Sedighi is a senior cleric in the Iranian theocratic regime. And thirdly, Iran is viewed with distrust by many other countries, not least because of its efforts to become a nuclear power. All in all, it is rather alarming.

However, at least I now know the origin of the age-old question "did the earth move for you too, dear?".

Walter Blotscher
Posted by Walter Blotscher at 10:17

2 comments:

  1. Anni Brejnholt21 April 2010 at 12:40

    I agree. It is hysterical to think that an adult human being can honestly believe and say out loud that eathquakes are caused by women's bad behaviour, and it does make me laugh.

    It is a good story to tell at the lunch table at work. But it is also horrible to realize that such beliefs actually can - and probably will - lead to further oppression of women in certain parts of the world.

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  2. Michael22 April 2010 at 20:21

    I do not think that earthquakes are caused by the bad behaviour of women but also I do not think the earth has ever really been moved by the sexual performance of men.

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