Chechnya...looking back

I am no youngster, I have lived an interesting life, I have witnessed odd and quirky human behaviour throughout my humble existence and tried to make sense of the senseless;  but the TV documentary  "This World:Stolen Brides"  left me completely stumped - baffled - at what some societies still accept as normal behaviour.

I learned that around 40% of Chechnyan young women are kidnapped and forced to marry their abductors. 40% !     Apparently most young Chechnyan men think it OK to kidnap a girl off the street and marry her! Stranger still, the mothers of these young men think it is absolutely fine for their sons to find a bride by these means!

 But worse still, most of the kidnapped girls also find this practice acceptable !!

 WHAT THE    F&*%K   IS GOING ON IN CHECHNYA?!??? That used to be  a popular way of finding a wife  when we were all still living in caves and grunting at each other.

Talk about 'sweeping her off her feet'!

seen but not heard...The Burka

I support the old saying "when in Rome do as the romans do". With some European countries moving towards banning the wearing of burkas in public, I await in anticipation to see where it all leads. I agree that it should and must be banned. I would be arrested if I went to the local shopping centre with the same head-wear. The backlash has started, muslim fundamentalist are outraged, they see it as an infringement of their rights.To most sensible people, forcing women to wear the burka can only be seen as an infringement of those women´s rights.The human face is our means of identification, that´s why photos are used in passports, drivers licences etc. But are there actually many muslim women complaining? Women the world over want to look beautiful and show their charms and be complimented. It´s as natural as their desire to be clean and fragrant. Are western women allowed to dress as they like in the muslim world? Allowed to show a bit of leg and tummy? Not a chance! A lot of muslim men want their women to cover up for whatever reason,but won´t allow western women the freedom to dress as they like in their world. Double standards once again, from societies that treat their women as second-class citizens. If the western society is unacceptable to some, those same people should stay where they belong and feel happy. No one is forcing them to head west! But should they wish to join our modern, fair,successful "Rome, then they should do as the romans do".....