 |
| Female American Pilot Defies Local Islamic Traditions |
Here is a unique story of a female American pilot stationed in Saudi Arabia and her battle against local traditions which is a classic example of the clash between the USA and the Arab world. Thousands of American Air Force personnel are stationed in Saudi Arabia, from where they conduct their patrols into Southern Iraq. While they are there, they are guests of the Saudi people, and as guests they are expected to show some respect for the Arab tradition and customs. However, American Air Force Colonel Martha McSally, a female combat pilot, has other ideas. The U.S. Air Force, in trying to honor the traditions of their hosts, has told Colonel McSally that when she leaves the American base and travels among the Saudis she is to respect their feelings and heritage by wearing a traditional Abaya, by not going about on her own, etc. Colonel McSally has replied by launching a full-scale public campaign in the Unites States congress and media, basically insisting on her right to insult her hosts by wearing what she wants to, irrespective of their heritage. In December 2001, Colonel McSally used the favourite American weapon, the legal system - she sued Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, contending that the Abaya policy is unconstitutional because it discriminates against women and violates their religious freedom by forcing them to adopt the garb of another faith. Colonel McSally contends that she is an observant Christian required against her will to represent herself as a Moslem, according to the Washington Post. At a time when the Americans see themselves as fighting a war in Afghanistan in order to free the Afghan women from their Burkas, Colonel McSally�s campaign has received massive support. There are, however, a few voices of reason left in the U.S., and some American commentators have pointed out that it is not a case of U.S. civil rights, but a case of guests honoring their hosts and adjusting to them. In Europe, it is completely acceptable for women to go topless at the beach. However, if the wife of a French ambassador were to go topless at an American beach, she would probably be arrested by the police, because Americans at that beach would be offended. In the United States, the boundaries of acceptability are different than they are in Europe. In Saudi Arabia, they are different than in the United States. But each country and each culture gets to set its own rules, and gests must honor them. Whichever way the American court decides in her legal case, Colonel McSally�s fight against the Abaya is yet another example of the clash of American and Middle Eastern cultures, and the inability of some Americans to accept traditions and customs other then their own. The display of ignorance is beyond my comprehension and the obvious question will continue to loudly present itself in the daylight which is why does not she go home, and maybe take with her all the christian army stationed in the holy land. |