Cut From Different Cloth
Charles Johnson
Tue Dec 26, 2006 at 6:53 pm PST • Views: 540
Last month one of the local PBS affiliates broadcast a powerfully understated documentary on the horrible situation of women in Afghanistan, by Olga Shalygin and Kris Orloff, titled: Cut From Different Cloth: Burqas & Beliefs.
It follows a 27-year old American woman named Serena living with an Afghan family, as she comes to understand what it means to be a woman in a society where the Islamic autarchs reign. I have no idea what Olga and Kris’s politics are, but I highly recommend their film. In one memorable sequence, Serena goes on a shopping expedition with her friend Hasina dressed in a burqa, and ends up breaking down in tears.
Here’s an excerpt; this is Hasina’s brother, explaining his perspective on the proper behavior for women. Everyone’s laughing nervously, but the subtext is deadly serious. Women are killed when they violate these rules—often by their own families.
Often by brothers like Samim.
Frank says: