Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Torn asunder


I am of two minds about this photo (by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images) of an Egyptian woman voting in yesterday's elections. This simple but crucial act on the road toward democracy is a marvelous sight. One the other hand, the black burka and the humanity it so clearly suppresses is profoundly disturbing. I am reminded of what Simone Weil said: "Human beings are so made that the ones who do the crushing feel nothing." In the end, at long last, are they not simply men, "the ones" who insist upon twisting religion for subjugation?

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