re: #7 Lobengula

I’m guessing the presence of the opposite sex was foremost amongst the cultural/religious objections they raised against the regular prom. I’m not sure why we should be ‘proud’ that these young girls are espousing gender segregation; if anything, discourage them from carrying such attitudes into their adult lives.

You misunderstand. I was referring to RW Islamophobia, that anything having to do with Muslims is inherently evil, not the single-sex nature of their prom. Hamtramck is a community in transition from an Old World immigrant base that’s mostly Catholic to a Middle Eastern immigrant base that’s mostly Muslim. Yet, these girls’ efforts to enjoy a small part of American culture within the restrictions of their religion was not only accepted by the school, but welcomed and supported. And the world didn’t come to an end. Sharia has not been imposed on the fair city of Hamtramck.

The single-sex nature of their prom puts me off a little, I admit, but I understand why it must be. They took a tiny step away from the rigidity of their culture. Let them enjoy it, and don’t judge their situation too harshly.