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A short, sad story with no illustration

I took a late nap tonight, so let my post be a short, sad story.

We live near several beaches popular with tourists in the Summer. Over the weekend, a young woman drowned at one of them. The local paper ran a couple of lines on it: thirty year old woman, got into trouble in the water and drowned, was airlifted to the hospital, all attempts to save her were in vain. End of.

Here’s what actually happened: a Muslim family came down from London for the day. I doubt any of them could swim. The young woman went into water in her Muslim regalia — I’m not sure if it was the full niqab, but certainly a large, loose, heavy skirt. When it got soaked, the weight of it pulled her under the water. Her female relatives were afraid to come after her and the men of the party — because of awkward prohibitions about touching — stood helplessly by her body in the water until rescuers arrived.

By which time it was impossible to save her. Though the police tried, giving the family the additional upsetting spectacle of seeing her largely disrobed and handled by a strange man in a public place.

This is not the first time this exact thing has happened on this same beach.

So: the papers are not telling you things because they are desperate not to offend.

And: the group they are desperate not to offend really, really needs to know this thing, at risk of drowning.

This is all kinds of messed up.

Comments


Comment from QuasiModo
Time: July 15, 2015, 10:43 pm

I’ve heard of some ritual where a woman goes swimming in her wedding dress the next day after the wedding…they have drowned that way too. They could do a public service announcement about swimming with heavy clothes if they wanted…doesn’t have to be Muslim women, I’m sure they can make the connection.


Comment from Eirik
Time: July 15, 2015, 11:26 pm

We had a teenager from Palestine stay with us a couple years back as part of a student exchange program. My wife (who is Christian from Lebanon and thus at least passingly familiar with Muslim traditions) managed to find swimwear that was culturally appropriate and still safe. It fully covered her body, but was made of a nylon that didn’t hinder her swimming much.

Though she only tried it out at a public pool. The water in the Puget Sound is too cold to swim in most of the year.


Comment from mojo
Time: July 15, 2015, 11:43 pm

Civilization stops at the water line, kid.


Comment from Feynmangroupie
Time: July 15, 2015, 11:59 pm

Wearing a life jacket would have solved the problem. Then she can wear all the clothes she wants. Doesn’t sound even vaguely enjoyable to me, but it’s an option.

There is a company that makes bathing costumes specifically for individuals who choose to preserve their modesty or are forced to cover up due to an oppressive and homicidal belief system. Whichever.


Comment from Brother Cavil, by the Pale Moon light
Time: July 16, 2015, 12:36 am

Charles Darwin approves.


Comment from Stark Ðickflüßiᵹ
Time: July 16, 2015, 1:26 am

Sadly, it didn’t cause any of the submornoic dirtbags in her party from joining her. *sigh* Maybe next time.


Comment from Man Mountain Molehill
Time: July 16, 2015, 1:34 am

Women are disposable commodities under Islam. Things like honor killings are becoming commonplace in the UK. It’s all barbaric enough in the middle east. Why anyone thought wholesale importing millions into Britain was a good idea defies sense. First off, they in fact are not “doing the jobs Britons just won’t do”; they’re on welfare, in council housing, running rape gangs, not doing any sort of job any sane person wants done. And, secondly, Britions were once known for taking shitty and dangerous jobs, from dunnykin diver to chimney sweep. What happened to you?


Comment from Stark Ðickflüßiᵹ
Time: July 16, 2015, 1:36 am

Ah, dang, wrong preposition there. Whoops! Stop posting drunk, dude.


Comment from The Neon Madman
Time: July 16, 2015, 2:00 am

So, as I understand it, the men in the party – who would have been her family members – stood by and did nothing while she drowned.

That’s so …… alien.

I have a hard time with this. Regardless of culture or religion, I have a hard time thinking of them as men.


Comment from Harbqll
Time: July 16, 2015, 7:02 am

Is it bad of me to be glad for the 14 ululating savage children the dead woman will now never inflict on the UK and the rest of the world?

Is it bad of me to suggest we should be encouraging more muslim women to drown themselves before they start breeding?


Comment from AmericanKafir
Time: July 17, 2015, 1:25 pm

Fuck ’em if they’re going to act like primitives. Sorry, I just have no sympathy for them anymore. If they insist on putting themselves at risk because of their barbarian beliefs, who is to blame if they perish?


Comment from Ed P
Time: August 1, 2015, 2:14 pm

This could have been an arranged suicide – the woman forced by family pressure to drown herself. Nothing (bad) about this barbaric belief system would surprise me.

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