From: teoman@milton.u.washington.edu (Teoman Smith)
Subject: Re: Greek communities throughout europe
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 18:44:38 GMT

In article <BuEn4B.1GC@news.cso.uiuc.edu> ptg2351@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Panos Tamamidis ) writes:
>teoman@milton.u.washington.edu (Teoman Smith) writes:
>
>>In article <BuDyzC.6DE@news.cso.uiuc.edu> ptg2351@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Panos Tamamidis ) writes:
>>>
>>>>  Your hatred towards Turkiye popped up again. he he he he he. ho ho ho..
>>>>You made my day man. he he he he. Have you dreamed lately? he he he...
>>>>You have never been to Turkey, right? They were covering their faces ha?
>>>>he he he. Were they walking up side down as well ha? he he he he..
>>>>Panos Panos Panos, you and I know quite well that you have never been to
>>>>Turkey ho ho ho ho ho
>>>
>>> That was in 1981. I saw it.  Why should this mean that I hate Turkey?
>>> And, who has told you that I hate Turkey? (he, not of course that I love
>>> it)
>>>
>>>>Hakan
>>>
>
>>Panos, I am sure you saw some Turks covering their faces, of course it
>>could have been Arabs or some other Muslims... In Istanbul the percentage
>>of the women I believe that cover their faces are probably around 1% and
>>if you ask me this doesn't amount to much... During those days I remember
>>my classmates going to school in mini-skirts, but none of them were covered...
>
> Well, perhaps this means that you can't probably make solid conclusions
> on a short visit to a country.  Or, perhaps, if something impresses you,
> you tend, after years, to remember this somewhat exagerated.  Or, If
> you don't know well the place, you don't get the true picture of the place.
> Thing is, that I didn't had any bad intensions writing that.
>
> Personaly, I can't understand why so many people got upset.  Even if this
> was correct, and every woman was covering her face, what is wrong with that?
> Is this shameful?
> 
>---> Panos Tamamidis
>     University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

No I don't think it is shameful to cover your face in the name of a religion
if that's what you want. I can't say for sure but that it is used to 
show the dominance of the male.  covering your face and 
body with a black cloth (carsaf) must not be comfortable. I know only how
hot it got with our black uniforms for grade school... Boy wasn't I glad when
the school I went to allowed you to wear jeans and t-shirts.

Panos, maybe people get upset about the fact that they want to be considered
European, and the way I look at it I think the Turks are more European
than the Americans, who have a big majority coming from European roots...
I consider myself European, just because as an half american and half Turk
I can't see myself associated with the American and Middle Eastern culture
completely. Many times in Europe while competing for the Turkish Track
Team people couldn't believe that we were Turks... I guess people judge
from what they hear from others about a culture and base their decisions on
you before they meet you or someone from that culture. 

Better get back to my thesis or I will be in deep shit... :)
Laters
Teo

Xref: sparky soc.culture.greek:8932 soc.culture.europe:8403 soc.culture.yugoslavia:8721