Grace Slick is amazing, and I think she's awesome, from her music and her amusing drug use to the incident where she tried to spike Nixon's tea at a party.

HOWEVER.
There was one concert she gave shortly after 9/11 in which she came onto the stage dressed in a burqa and tore it off to reveal an American flag, saying that "The outfit is not about Islam, it's about repression; this flag is not about politics, it's about liberty."

WRONG. WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG.
The facial coverings worn by Muslim women are NOT about repression, they're about MODESTY! The idea is that a woman's face is her crowning glory and no one but her husband should be allowed to see her like that. They wear things like that to ward off the eyes of perverts. It's about psychological and physical morality, in other words, to keep the women from becoming like the sluts you see in America and Europe who bare everything they can without breaking the law. And in regards to the generalization I just made, I am in NO WAY saying that all women from America and Europe are like that. I'm just saying that social norms for physical modesty are far more relaxed than that of Islamic societies. Not wearing a hijab or burqa doesn't make you a slut, it just means you chose not to wear it. Though it is encouraged, there's nothing wrong with not wearing one. It's a personal decision and these people need to understand that.

I honestly can't stand organized religion, but I don't see what's so wrong with wearing a hijab or a niqaab. I hate people who see women wearing those garments as 'enemies of Western values' or blatant terrorists. There are people who identify the Islamic garments as a symbol of separation from 'normal' society. These sentiments are seen all over America and Europe. I can't speak for Europe, but this is America. You all pride yourselves on your tolerance, and for your freedoms, well, what happened to freedom of speech?! Did it even occur to you that maybe, just maybe, a great many of these women CHOSE to dress like that?! If someone is forcing a woman to dress in that manner, that's their family's problem. Headcoverings are a PERSONAL DECISION in Islam, and people need to realise that and STOP THINKING OF THEM AS SYMBOLS OF OPPRESSION. It's a personal and religious decision, not a oppressive one.

For people who find such headcoverings to have an intimidating effect, then quite frankly, that's YOUR problem. Women who choose to wear these things understand what kind of impression it will give, especially in light of the 9/11 attacks. As Lewis Carroll said, "Everything in life is strange until you get used to it", and that includes Islamic dress.

I know, I know. I'm very openly against religion, so it might seem a bit OOC [out of character, if you don't know] for me to be ranting in defense of hijabs and niqaabs. I don't like religion. I especially don't like religion when people try to push their beliefs on others. That just makes me so angry. However, I have nothing against expressing your beliefs in the way you dress, like wearing a cross, Star of David or whatever symbol it is that represents your religion. If you're proud of your religion, that's awesome, I'm happy that you've got something you can believe in. I don't have a problem with that. I don't want a religion for myself, but if you want one, that's totally up to you. Be as religious as you want, it doesn't bother me unless you try to convert me. That said, wearing a hijab or a burqa is NOT in any way trying to convert others to Islam, thus, it does not conflict with my views. I actually considered wearing one for the sake of modesty. It doesn't have to be about religion. Like I've said about ten or so times, the reasons behind these things are personal.

Haha, I'm done ranting for now. (: