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| Africa: North |
| Virginity is a matter of life or death for Arab brides |
| 2004-10-07 |
| Waiting for her turn with the gynaecologist in the Moroccan capital of Rabat, Nawal wanted to fix one last thing to ensure a perfect marriage of convenience. With the 2 500 dirham (R2 100) she borrowed, she will undergo a surgical procedure that she hopes will convince her new husband she is still a virgin. "My cousin asked to marry me believing I'm a virgin. I accepted because I need a husband. So we'll both get what we want," said the 26-year-old textile worker. The minor operation consists of hooking biodegradable suture clips on the hymen to provoke bleeding during the first sexual intercourse on the wedding night. Seeing blood then is crucial and can be a matter of life or death for the bride in an Arab country. Nawal's family wants the big event to include the traditional Sabah ceremony, when relatives parade in the streets with the bride's blood-stained undergarment as proof of her chastity before marriage. "They'll get the blood they want," Nawal said. |
| Posted by:TS(vice girl) |
| #32 There was a belief that only virgins could see/capture unicorns. Must be that is why we don't have unicorns today. Is the 72 virgin thing in the Koran? Ouch! About the virginity transformation. |
| Posted by: John (Q. Citizen) 2004-10-07 4:25:32 PM |
| #31 There is a kind of goth quality to all the Islamo-Neandro-sexual stuff. Shapeless, morose clothing hiding as much of the body as possible; overdone seriousness; flesh being cut, sliced off, pierced, sutured...next thing you know, it will be branded nipples. |
| Posted by: jules 187 2004-10-07 3:48:02 PM |
| #30 "I saw the parading of the sheet in the late '70s while a Peace Corps Vol in Morocco." My wife, (an Indian National) informs that this is still quite common today in rural India, even when everyone knows that the woman is NOT a virgin. Odd. Mr. Peabody |
| Posted by: Mr. Peabody 2004-10-07 3:29:50 PM |
| #29 TW: I have read the article you speak of. The article I referenced stated clearly that "If the pool's pretty clean..." there shouldn't be a problem, generally. Now, I would suspect that the Arab gene pool is anything but "clean", and, I would also suspect that there has been a high incidence of incest over the generations. Both Father/Daughter, and, Brother/Sister! Now, compound that over a few hundred generations and they are starting to reap the fruit of the poisoned seeds they have been planting (no pun intended). Mr. Peabody |
| Posted by: Mr. Peabody 2004-10-07 3:24:40 PM |
| #28 I saw the parading of the sheet in the late '70s while a Peace Corps Vol in Morocco. The town was rural. I told some city Moroccans about what had taken place and they derided the practice in strong terms. "They should be worrying about getting their kids in school" or the equivalent. Moroccan marriage proposal: M: Will you marry me? F: Yes. M: Are you a virgin? F: Yes. (Then Latifa makes an appointment with the suture specialists) Other men don't ask the second question as they're not interested or THEY have been the perpetrator. Chicken blood was used in case girl is not virgin. |
| Posted by: chicago mike 2004-10-07 3:22:38 PM |
| #27 That link may dismiss it, Mr. Peabody, but there was a fascinating article in the Arab News (Saudi Arabia) about the high level of birth defects amongst the natives for exactly that reason. Granted, the article was complaining about the difficulties in marrying off the deficient offspring, but it spoke of mental retardation, insanity and congenital diseases. Theoretically, cousin-marriage should lead to as many geniuses as defectives, but that doesn't seem to be happening over there. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2004-10-07 3:11:06 PM |
| #26 #19. "Explains some of the problems in the mid-East." Actually...it doesn't. This LINK to an article on Straight Dope tends to dismiss the myth vis-a-vis first cousins marrying. 8-) |
| Posted by: Mr. Peabody 2004-10-07 3:01:09 PM |
| #25 2B---depends upon your mindset.......some of them seem....ah.....precambrian..... |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-10-07 3:00:32 PM |
| #24 these people live in such a time warp. What century are we in again? |
| Posted by: 2b 2004-10-07 2:34:33 PM |
| #23 IF you are 'saving face, then the patient is on the table backwards....... maybe they should wear a second burkah; |
| Posted by: USN, retired 2004-10-07 2:24:10 PM |
| #22 It's Alcoholu Akbar, actually. |
| Posted by: BH 2004-10-07 1:58:28 PM |
| #21 But you infidel dogs don't understand! Allah Akhbar! Allah Akhbar! It'a Allahu Akbar, dumbass. |
| Posted by: badanov 2004-10-07 1:02:08 PM |
| #20 But you infidel dogs don't understand! Allah Akhbar! Allah Akhbar! |
| Posted by: Arab Street 2004-10-07 12:53:51 PM |
| #19 "My cousin asked to marry me..." Explains some of the problems in the mid-East. |
| Posted by: John (Q. Citizen) 2004-10-07 12:25:03 PM |
| #18 RN - I don't think they're putting the "biodegradabe suture clips" on the face.... :-p |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-10-07 12:20:49 PM |
| #17 There was a Swiss clinic that also has/had been doing a procedure, where an artificial hymen was 'installed'. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2004-10-07 12:07:03 PM |
| #16 The Japanese have been doing these surgeries for over 40 years. An important face-saving operation I'm told. |
| Posted by: RN 2004-10-07 11:43:12 AM |
| #15 I used to work for a plastic surgeon and we got many calls from young Muslim women who were going "back home" for marriage and needed to have their hymens reconstructed...unfortunately we couldn't help them. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2004-10-07 11:36:10 AM |
| #14 ...It's that 'cousins' thing that should tell you what we're dealing with here... Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-10-07 10:20:57 AM |
| #13 So what, honey, you trying to avoid a beating? You're just delaying the inevitable. |
| Posted by: BH 2004-10-07 10:18:57 AM |
| #12 A unique opportunity. I could provide a virginal close inspections servic, before surgery, that is. |
| Posted by: badanov 2004-10-07 10:07:05 AM |
| #11 Anoymoose, In that case put razor wire 'up there'.... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-10-07 10:04:02 AM |
| #10 The irony being that about 1 in 4 women don't bleed enough for it to show, externally, when they lose their virginity. Personally, I think that fair is fair: if he wants to see her blood on his wedding night, he should be prepared to see his own. That should make him twice as happy. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2004-10-07 10:02:17 AM |
| #9 Well, I suppose this nonsense is better than cutting off clitori... |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2004-10-07 9:54:04 AM |
| #8 I see a market for the Arab equivalent of "Clean Urine"; "Virgin Blood", now in 6 packs. |
| Posted by: Kent Brockman 2004-10-07 9:50:56 AM |
| #7 what do they do to the woman if she's found out? what do they do to the doctor who performs the procedure? I shudder to think. |
| Posted by: PlanetDan 2004-10-07 9:34:16 AM |
| #6 Arkansas farmers have been using biodegradable suture clips on sheep, for years. Ever heard of "sheep stump training." |
| Posted by: Poison Reverse 2004-10-07 9:10:27 AM |
| #5 Remember, it was we filthy kuffars who devised biodegradable suture clips. Does that make us facilitators? |
| Posted by: longtime lurker 2004-10-07 9:05:06 AM |
| #4 In Italy, the morning after the big event, the sheets were hung out the bedroom window to display evidence of the initial swordplay. Should the happy couple have consummated their love prior to the wedding day, a cruet of sheep’s blood was secreted in the night stand, then applied to the sheets prior to the unveiling. See there...sheep do have their place in Allan's wonderland of love. |
| Posted by: RN 2004-10-07 8:58:25 AM |
| #3 If Allan had not wanted Moslem girls to do this, then he wouldn't have created a universe with biodegradable suture clips. . |
| Posted by: Mike Sylwester 2004-10-07 8:54:38 AM |
| #2 There you go, Arab culture rocketing BACK to the 14th century. "My cousin asked to marry me believing I’m a virgin." Should have added: "But he forgot about my three brothers." |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2004-10-07 8:53:26 AM |
| #1 And remember...when inbreeding, make sure you at least think it's virgin. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-10-07 8:44:33 AM |