Osama on Stage

This play is available for production/ Osama The Demented/ Logline: Exploring the heart of Afghanistan and exposing the distorted version of Islam as envisioned by the Taliban./ Synopsis:/ This Nine Eleven play depicts the years of madness and concealment of Osama./ A medley of comedy/parody this play shifts characters from the cave in northwest of Pakistan to the luxurious compound in Abbottabad./ The first three Acts are inside a cave ringed by clustering range of Pamir Mountains./ In the first act Osama tries to defend himself against the accusations for his wife, cook and mulla while busy knotting the rug of the Twin Towers./ His wife Sameera is busy concocting herbal potions for healing./ Amani the cook is brewing tea and tossing snide comments over her shoulders./ Niazi the mulla is most critical of Osama. /All the characters are suffering different maladies in the second act with the exception of Sameera. /She successfully cures their illnesses with herbal potions. /In the third act the characters are weakened mentally and physically, plotting to escape to Pakistan. / Osama, his wife, a Mulla and a beautician after five years of concealment in the cave find home in the city of Abbottabad in Pakistan./ The next five years are in a compound in Abbottabad, which is the fourth Act. /Osama’s wife turned herbalist is half wise, half crazy. / The beautician has become a cook, bitter and belligerent. / Mulla becomes the conscience of Osama, accusing him of zeal and bigotry. /Finally their hideout is discovered by US. /With impeccable secrecy of SEAL Osama is killed by the bullet wounds. /Performance time is ninety minutes approximately./ Staged play reading of Osama the Demented in Stockholm./ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hpvQ94Gow0 /farzana’s interview Osama the Demented/ http://connotationpress.com/drama/1691-farzana-moon-drama /Omar Khayyam’s quatrain at beginning of 1st act/ Osama/ Tis all a chequerboard of Nights and Days/ Where destiny with man for pieces plays/ Hither and thither moves, and mates and slays/ And one by one back in the closet lays/

Politico 2016 update

Trump for America/ Trump child Trump wild/ Make America white again/ Skate board water board/ Replace gun with naked sword/ Cut Muslim’s jugular vein/ Make America white again/ Honor thy wall of hate/ Punch insult prate/ Erase name of faith profane/ Make America white again/ Latinos Muslims Mexicans/ Terrorist trashy neighbors/ All our enemies in great domain/ Make America white again/ Sing dance and proclaim/ Trump the emperor in gold frame/ Fortunes of world we will gain/ Make America white again/ Life Matters in parchment white/ Soar aloft in ether and glide/ We know world has gone insane/ Make America Great Again/ I have a secret plan Don't you get it, Man We are here to entertain Make America white again/ Skit / Democracy in Peril/ Characters:/ Tim Kaine/ Teen Sit-out/ TSO/ Do you like all sheiks groups, like the ones, men’s beards knotted to their cheeks and their heads in folds of towels?/ TK/ Do you mean the Sikhs? They are the most peace-loving people on earth. Also very generous, serving free food to poor people every Sunday regardless of their race faith or gender./ TSO/ Churches do that too! Soup kitchens every day of the week, but we don’t dress odd, some who do have some sort of identity problem. I just want to sleep through this election and not talk about anything./ TK/ Didn’t you say you don’t want to vote for Hillary because she is for TPP?/ TSO/ Yes, she is for everything which Bernie doesn’t like./ TK/ Truth is, Hillary is against TPP. Get your facts right before you judge./ TSO/ Anyways, you cannot convince young people. We are not going to vote for Hillary./ TK/ Speak for yourself before you make a sweeping statement. Do your duty. Take the responsibility of doing right, try to understand./ TSO/ I understand alright. Hillary doesn’t have to convince us that she is the right candidate./ TK/ What do you propose she do to convince you to vote for her?/ TSO/ I don’t know. Something?/ TK/ If you are not voting for Hillary, are you voting for Trump?/ TSO/ I don’t know./ TK/ Do you know what Trump stands for?/ TSO/ To make America great again!/ TK/ In fact Trump is going to make US less by racism bigotry and violence you have already seen at his rallies./ TSO/ Then I will not vote for anyone./ TK/ Didn’t you hear First Lady say that we need to keep America great since it is the greatest country on earth?/ TSO/ What has she done for us? Black lives don’t matter. Police killing us./ TK/ White Police being killed too. Violence has increased this election year since Trump started preaching hate. Do you think my life is safe if Trump gets elected?/ TSO/ You are white. You have nothing to fear./ TK/ I fear for both black and white if Trump gets elected. He attacks all Color whoever stands in his way. But there is hope./ TSO/ Hope for what?/ TK/ To right the wrong done to us both black and white if we can educate young girls like you not to fall into the trap of Trump./ TSO/ What do you mean?/ TK/ What I mean is that Trump’s vision of great America is white America./ TSO/ What does it matter? You are white, Hillary is white. What’s the difference?/ TK/ Bernie is white, why do you support him?/ TSO/ For one thing he is raising minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour./ TK/ Now you are talking. And Trump is lowering minimum wage to lowest than ever./ TSO/ Who says that?/ TK/ Trump does, if you can go past his chant of Make America Great, you will hear what he says./ TSO/ Now you are making some sense. I think I am beginning to understand. But why should I vote for Hillary?/ TK/ For she stands for the same values as Bernie does./ TSO/ If I can only believe. We are all hurt because Bernie didn’t win. It’s all the fault of the Democrats wanting Hillary to win. All these WikiLeaks as if you don’t know./ TK/ I know, other countries trying to play big role in our politics to divide us. Those emails have nothing to do with Bernie losing. Hillary has support of more voters than he does./ TSO/ So why do you need my support?/ TK/ We need everyone’s support so that big countries trying to destroy us by dividing us can never boast that they are big winners. They will be happy if Trump succeeds to play his Trump of hate, racism, bigotry./ TSO/ You are beginning to make sense again./ TK/ I am hoping I can show you hope as a better future if you vote for Hillary!/ TSO/ How is that?/ TK/ You will have the opportunity to free college education. But don’t go to the Trump University, they will take all your money and you will learn nothing./ TSO/ Now you are making fun of me./ TK/ I am making fun of myself for talking bad about my fellow American whose madness has made us ashamed of US in front of the whole world./ TSO/ Is that true?/ TK/ Go online, read comments of different countries. They all are laughing at us. Even Republicans are saying Trump is an embarrassment to their Party./ TSO/ It’s all so confusing./ TK/ Yet there is hope./ TSO/ Where is that?/ TK/ Inside the hearts of all the young and the restless. Go dancing with the stars and make Hillary the First Woman President of America. We will stand proud and prosperous./ Laughter

Quranic Symphony of Love

The Living Quran to be published, with its poetry of verses in conjunction with the wisdom of Hazrat Inayat Khan is a gift of peace.—Since more than thirteen centuries after the death of Prophet Muhammad, Muslims themselves have corrupted the teachings of Islam and now their children as extremists are paying the price with their lives for this ingrained corruption.—Pious parents wondering and not exploring the cause which makes their sons jihadis and suicide bombers.—And their daughters leaving homes to become brides of violent ISIS?—Hoping, Young Muslims after reading this book might begin to understand how Clerics have usurped the very essence of Islam as a Control Machine.—Inculcating hate into the minds of the young, ignorant and both educated and uneducated.—Exalting murder as some sort of noble act to be glorified.—Disregarding the fact that suicide is forbidden in Islam.—And most heinous of sins, though extremists glorify it as highest of virtues to win heavenly rewards with rivers of wine and houris to satisfy their lust and thirst for accolade.—Oppressing women with swords of zeal by banning education, burning their rights of equality to ashes—the rights which Prophet granted them with revelations holy and profound.—Replacing truth with lies in tapestry of harsh laws invented by their own blind zeal under the weight of bigotry and ignorance.— Prophet Muhammad named Reason the highest of virtues in Islam.—In order to witness purity of Islam face to face one needs to sweep away offal of lies piled high by Muslim Clerics, leaders, zealots who sit proud parading violence, oppression as tenants of Islam.—If Islam is to be purged clean of all lies, a great transformation is needed by each and every Muslim to look deep into their hearts in reflection and contemplation.— Muslims themselves need to change their conditioned psyche of false piety and zeal to love and compassion if they wish to portray Islam in the positive light of harmonious living.— CANDLES OF REFLECTION FROM THE HEART OF QURAN— Women shall have the same rights over men as men have over them. (Quran 2:228)— And the women have rights similar to those of men in equity. I God will allow not the work of any worker from among you, male or female, to be lost. (Quran 3:196)— And whoso doeth good works, whether male or female, and he or she is a believer, such will enter Paradise and they will not be wronged the dint in a date-stone. (Quran 4:124)— Whoso doeth right, whether male or female, and is a believer, all such will enter the Garden, where they will be nourished without stint. (Quran 40:40)— Allah promiseth to the believers, men and women, Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide—blessed dwellings in the Garden of Eden. And greater far acceptance from Allah. Beautified for mankind is love of the joys that come from women and offspring, and stored-up heaps of gold and silver, and horses and cattle and land. That is comfort of the life of the world. Allah, with Let those who merit paradise this day are happily employed. (Quran 36: 54)— They and their wives, in pleasant shade, on thrones reclining. (Quran 36: 55)— The word from Merciful Lord for them is: Peace. (Quran 36: 57)— Enter the Garden, ye and your wives, to be made glad. (Quran 43: 70)— Whoso doeth which is right, and believes whether male or female, him or her We will quicken to happy life. (Quran 16: 97)— THE LIVING QURAN— And Quran is not such as could ever be invented in despite of Allah, but it is a confirmation of that which was before it and an exposition of that which is decreed for mankind. Therein is no doubt—from the Lord of the Worlds. (10:38 Quran)— The Living Quran gets its breath of life from the wisdom of Hazrat Inayat Khan.— A little over century ago he came from India to USA and then to Europe to unite east and west in love peace and harmony.— Divinely inspired in music and in knowledge of esoteric and exoteric religions he strove toward teaching God-realization, not promoting any particular faith, not even his own in which he was born, Islam.— This book contains a selection of verses from the Quran which extremists ignore, picking only the ones which they can distort to suit the fever of their hate, malice, injustice, intolerance.— The names of one hundred and fourteen Surahs in the Quran serve as chapters. — Each Surah begins with a quote from Hazrat Inayat Khan with clear explanation. At the end of each chapter are chunks of his lectures or contemplations.— Blissfully and astonishingly the seeds of love which Hazrat Inayat Khan planted a century ago have grown into tall sapling, lending afresh cool shade of kindness and compassion. Music is not forbidden in Islam as perceived by the extremists.— Call to Prayer five times a day is a song divine. The Quran is sheer poetry.— The recitation of the Quran is sacred music.—The rhythm in recitation is dancing heart—the shrine of God.— The Living Quran How could— The All Merciful Allah— Sanction killings— Ninety-nine beautiful names— of The Most Beneficent— On the rosary of peace— Proclaiming— Love, Mercy, Compassion— One hundred and fourteen suras— From The Most Compassionate— Revealing the pearls of— Unity and harmony— Study your Quran, O Muslims— With the Eye of your Heart— And yet, if the darkness in you— Can't receive the gift of Divine Guidance— Accept at least the Message Divine— From the Living Quran— That Allah is One— That Allah's Law is One— And that Law is Love— Reciting and praying— 'In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful— Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds— The Beneficent, the Merciful— Owner of the Day of Judgment— Thee alone we worship, Thee alone we ask for help— Show us the straight path— The path of those whom Thou hast favored— Not the path of those who earn Thine anger— Nor of those who go astray.'Quran’ 1: 1-7—

Ramadan Revisited

Ramadan In pre-Islamic times, the tribe of Quraysh observed Ramadan and Jews would fast on the day of Ashura, marking two historical events: the day when Noah left the Ark and the day when Moses was saved from the Egyptians by God. During the downpour of his revelations, God proclaimed to Prophet Muhammad that fasting for His sake was not a new innovation, but rather an obligation practiced by those truly devoted to the oneness of God. During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims are called upon to re-evaluate their lives in conformity with Islamic traditions, making peace with those who have wronged them, strengthening ties with their family and friends, avoiding harmful thoughts and acting nobly and courteously toward mankind. During this month every part of the body must be purged of every evil impulse or inclination. The tongue must be restrained from gossip and backbiting. The eyes must not covet that which is unlawful. The ears must refrain from listening to idle talk or angry expressions. The feet must refrain from approaching dens of vice and violence. That way, every part of the body can participate in fasting, rejecting the corruption of sin, hatred and malice, and purifying one’s body and soul to seek God’s grace and guidance. War is not permitted during the month of Ramadan. War is a great transgression in the sacred month of Ramadan. (2:217 Quran) Fasting is not only abstaining from food, but purging oneself by shunning the forces of evil, draining out hatred, malice, enmity and the lust to kill and abstaining from defiling the sanctity of any woman’s body or soul. Allah is not in need of leaving his food and drink, and He will not accept the fast of the one who tells lies, acts on lies and refrains not from evil actions. - Prophet Muhammad/Al Bukhari [3:127-O.B] Shall I inform you of a better act than alms, prayer and fasting? Making peace between one another. Enmity and malice tear up heavenly rewards by the roots. - Prophet Muhammad Times of Fasting A fast begins before sunrise and ends immediately after sunset. Muslims fast from fajr— dawn, until dusk. Fajr means the light of the morning, and Prophet Muhammad said: “God has ordained for you to eat and drink until you can discern the white streak of dawn against the blackness of the night, then resume fasting until sunset.” These are the bounds set by God. Do not then offend against them. It is thus that God makes clear His messages unto mankind, so that they might remain conscious of Him. (2:187 Quran) Eat and drink and do not be misled by the ascending white light. Eat and drink until the redness of dawn appears. - Prophet Muhammad Clerics pressed by zeal throughout centuries have succeeded in convincing Muslims worldwide that fajr starts three or four hours before sunrise. Sidelining Quran and Prophet’s injunctions ‘Eat and drink until the redness of dawn appears.’ Eid-ul-Fitr A day which occurs often, this is a festive and joyous occasion after a whole month of fasting (known as Ramadan). Sumptuous feasts and sweets - especially vermicelli cooked in sweetened milk - are prepared to be shared with friends and neighbors. It is a three day festival when Muslims visit friends, relatives and neighbors in the spirit of love, enjoying feasts and friendships, and forgiving all past rifts and grievances. Everyone wears new and colorful clothes, especially children, who are presented with gifts of cash or sweets. Other celebrations include fairs and entertainment, accompanied by song, music and dancing. This is much like the time when the Prophet Muhammad would sit with his family, watching the performance of dancing with spears, and enjoying songs and music. This joyful festival after the conclusion of Ramadan marks the birth of Islam, as Prophet Muhammad received his first revelation during this holy month. The festival also serves as a reminder to Muslims that they have an obligation toward the poor of the community. A special contribution called sidaqat-ul-fitr is made for this purpose. It is recommended that this contribution be given to the poor before Eid so that they too can enjoy the Eid celebrations. Fasting is a form of worship which has been prescribed and practiced for many ages by different peoples and religions. The essence of this worship may best be presented through this revelation from the Quran: O you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed upon you as it was prescribed upon those before you, that you may learn self-restraint and God-consciousness. (2:184 Quran) The best way of avenging yourself is not to become like the wrongdoer. Marcus Aurelius

Taliban No Islam

The Talib in Pashto, meaning student, and plural ,students, as in Taliban are Jihadis from the Arabian Peninsula and Mujahedeen—the warlords of Afghanistan who resisted the invasion of Soviet Union in Year 1979, regrouped as Taliban in Year 1989 after the Soviets were defeated, to fight the pro-Soviet Government. The time period is the same as the emergence of Al-Qaeda. They fashioned their own laws to govern and subjugate. Most of them were orphans or belonging to poor families, the victims of Soviet aggression and taught in madrassas funded by the Saudi Arabia. They were schooled to fight the 'infidel' and brainwashed into believing the distorted version of Islam which had nothing to do with Islam. Trained to have long beards and turbaned at all times, they went from village to village, carrying a copy of the Quran in one hand and Kalashnikov in the other, demanding that the chieftains put down their weapons for the sake of the Quran. If anyone resisted the armed bandits styled as Taliban, they were shot dead on the spot by the Taliban ruthlessly. The militant Taliban kept fighting the puppet government set by the soviets, but they didn’t succeed until Year 1992 when they toppled the government of Najibullah. Yet it was not until Year 1996 that the Taliban kidnapped Najibullah, the president of the Afghanistan, and his brother. They beat both Najibullah and his brother and castrated them publically, dragged their bodies behind a jeep, then hanged them by the wire nooses from the lampposts. After these brutal acts, the Taliban began issuing their man-made edicts of prohibitions outside the pale of Islam. No music, no pool tables, no kite flying,. No nail polish, no toothpaste, no television. No beard shaving or adopting the hairstyles of the British or the Americans. The women were to wear burqa, covered from head to toe, and banned from working. The girl schools and colleges were closed. In early 1998, the Taliban succeeded in capturing the northern town of Mazar-e-Sharif. On a spree of blood-thirsty rampage, they slaughtered about six to eight thousands of Shia men, women, and children. Not satisfied with mass murder, they ploughed their way into people’s homes, raping, murdering, and slitting the throats of all they could find, regardless of their age, gender or ethnicity. Pressed by the fever of madness, they packed hundreds of victims into shipping containers without water to be baked alive in the desert sun. Movie theatres were closed and music was banned. The Taliban stopped all women from working in schools or hospitals, and if they deviated from the Taliban’s edict of complete covering from head to toe, they were publicly beaten. Local festivities of New Year celebrations were banned, as well as festivities of the two Eids, and Ashura—Shia’s Islamic month of mourning. The taking of portraits and the photography too were banned. In essence, all extremists, tied to the naval of same lies, zeal, ignorance are not worthy of even the name 'human' save alone 'Islam'.

Sharia Exposed Published

Sharia Exposed to be published by All Things That Matter Press is coming alive Soon as a musical Harp of Peace, teasing the rusted strings of truth and evoking the divine symphony of God’s own love, justice and harmony.—First is the unfoldment of Islamic paradox which emerges as the splitting of Islam into multiple sects and bringing about demise of Oneness with the knives of sectarian pride, prejudice and intolerance.—Islam, in likeness of a giant tree, its manifold limbs hacked off by violence of inclement winds and storms shows only one stump of a tree, bruised, gouged, mutilated by uncontrollable fury of nature wild and untamed.— This misshapen stump is thirsting for the nourishment of love, harmony, reprieve before it could sprout afresh, but even before that it must be cauterized of all toxic elements, so that its bleeding roots could be healed and bandaged.— For such a process of purification Sharia de Fabricated is adopted by All Things That Matter Press with the pure intention of saving Islam from the inferno of hate and distortion.— If Islam could be revitalized with doses of love, wisdom and understanding, it needs to slough off its garment of multicolored patched lies which have cut through the fabric of Islam like naked blades of hatred and intolerance.—Sharia has become a tool of violence in the hands of extremists.— Man-made bullets of zeal, bigotry which could only be blunted with the diamond of knowledge.—Sharia was concocted by the authors of zeal several centuries after the death of Prophet Muhammad.—It was invented by brutes and bigots comprised of man-made laws which were further invented sporadically during centuries of rule by Muslim Caliphs in succession.—Most of them were men of great ambition, not moved by piety, but by their strong wills to devise laws, to control their subjects, to subjugate and to expand their empires beyond the imagination of any king or emperor on the face of this earth.— Sharia assumed many faces according to the whims of each Caliph and it sank and surfaced amidst the ebb and tide of wars and innovations.—Paradoxically it could never claim any place in the pages of history and in this century twenty-one it is utterly shattered to the very face of IS, ISIS, ISIL, so very cowardly hiding behind the tattered skirts of sharia while raping their way to glorious damnation through murder, stoning, beheading and destruction.—All these faces of sectarian violence, naked and bleeding, slashed with knives of lies reveal themselves in this book, emerging afresh impenitent and shameless. This book deals with Sharia as the rule of law and its fabrication by Fiqh as human understanding of Sharia.— And we have not sent thee but as a mercy to the nations. (Quran 21:107)— The Prophet’s Sharia, before it was hijacked by the scholars turned bigots and zealots was in all its purity the law of love, peace and harmony.—He lived this law by the example of his life as a loving, compassionate and forgiving man of words and deeds.—By interpreting revelations in such a profound manner so as to polish the precepts of Islam with the gold of love, tolerance and harmony.—As it is stated in this revelation below.— He it is who hath revealed unto thee Muhammad the Scripture wherein are clear revelations.— They are the substance of the Book—and others which are allegorical.—But those in whose hearts is doubt pursue, forsooth, that which is allegorical, seeking to cause dissention by seeking to explain it.—None knoweth its explanation save Allah.—And those who are of sound instruction say: we believe therein, the whole is from our Lord, but only men of understanding really heed. (Quran 3:7)— Hazrat Inayat Khan’s quote of the Day more than a century ago, for contemplation Everyday:— ‘Beyond the narrow barriers of race and creed we can all unite, because we all belong to one God.— The soul is the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of God lives within the shrine of the heart; this shrine can be closed or it can be open.—There are some things in life that open it and some that close it.—The things that close the heart are those which are contrary to love, tolerance and forgiveness, such as coldness, bitterness and ill-will, and a strong element of duality.—The world is more upset today than ever before; in many ways man seems to go from bad to worse, and yet he thinks that he is progressing.—It is not lack of organization or of civilization; both these things he has.—What he lacks is the expression of the soul.—He closes his door to his fellow man, he closes the shrine of the heart and by doing so he is keeping God away from himself and others.—Nation is set against nation, race against race, religion against religion.— Therefore today more than ever before there is a need for the realization of this philosophy.—What we need is not that all religions should become one, nor all races; that can never be.—But what is needed is undivided progress, and making ourselves examples of love and tolerance.— By talking about it, by discussing and arguing it will not come, but by self-realization, by making ourselves the examples of what should be, by giving love, taking love, and showing in our action gentleness, consideration and the desire for service for the sake of God in whom we can all unite beyond the narrow barriers of race and creed.’ Hazrat Inayat Khan

Headscarf war in Cyberspace

Muslims have embraced hijab/veiling as a cultural practice rather than simply an Islamic practice.—Scarves and veils of different colors and shapes were customary in countless cultures long before Islam came into being in the seventh century in the Arabian Peninsula.—To this day, head coverings play a significant role in many religions, including Orthodox Judaism and Catholicism.—The first reference to veiling dates to an Assyrian text in 13 B.C. In the text, the practice of veiling was described as reserved for elite.—It was not until the reign of the Safavids in the Ottoman Empire, an area that extends through the Middle East and North Africa, in the 16th century that the veil emerged as a symbol of social status among Muslims.—What constitutes modest clothing has changed over time.—Like most customs, what women wear has reflected the practices of a region and the social position of the wearer.—The veil itself predates Islam by many centuries. In the Near East, Assyrian kings first introduced both the seclusion of women in the royal harem and the veil.—Beyond the Near East, the practice of hiding one's face and largely living in seclusion appeared in classical Greece, in the Byzantine Christian world, in Persia, and in India among upper caste Rajput women.—Muslims in their first century at first were relaxed about female dress. When the niece of Aishah Bint Abu Bakr (the Prophet’s wife), Aisha bint Talha was asked by her husband Musab to veil her face, she answered, "Since the Almighty hath put on me the stamp of beauty, it is my wish that the public should view the beauty and thereby recognize His grace unto them. On no account, therefore, will I veil myself."—As Islam reached other lands, regional practices, including the covering of women, were adopted by the early Muslims.—Yet it was only in the second Islamic century that the veil became common, first used among the powerful and rich as a status symbol.—The Qu'ranic revelation to "draw their veils over their bosoms"—in response to pagan women wearing veils, yet leaving their bosoms naked, became interpreted by some as an injunction to veil one's hair, neck and ears.—The Quran speaks of dressing and modesty in general.—The holy book of Islam does not explicitly state that women must cover their hair or their faces, or that they must remain secluded from public life.—Early Islamic history in fact provides examples of how women participated in public life, including fighting wars.—During the battle of Uhud, Um Darda, a female companion of the Prophet Mohammad, sustained wounds while defending him single-handedly.—One must ask: Could she have achieved this while draped in cumbersome garb as burqa/niqab/abaya—invention of Clerics, pressed by inexpiable zeal/misogyny?—If wearing the veil was a faith-oriented right, every Muslim woman should be striving for it. But most Muslim women in Islamic countries and in the West don't practice this tradition, which was traditionally imposed by Muslim men.—The Quran doesn't require Muslim women to cover their faces.—Women in Prophet Muhammad's times were allowed to work with open faces.—Muslims' most sacred pilgrimage known as Hajj in Saudi Arabia doesn't require women to cover their faces. Rather, women are not allowed to cover their faces during the Hajj Pilgrimage.—Most people think of the veil solely in terms of Islam, but it is much older.—It originated from ancient Indo-European cultures, such as the Hittites, Greeks, Romans and Persians.—It was also practiced by the Assyrians.—Veiling had class as well as gender implications; thus, the ancient Assyrian law required it of upper class women while punishing commoners for it.—The strong association of veiling with class rank, as well as an urban/peasant split, persisted historically up until the last century.—Then more privileged women began rejecting the veil, as did Egyptian feminist Huda Sharawi, while poor women increasingly adopted it as a ticket to upward mobility.— Hijab/niqab/burqa/abaya are cultural symbols of man-made fabric (fabrication) oppression of women.—Hijab now is mostly/vaingloriously adopted by teens (even if they escape lure of extremists) as deep-rooted conflict between faith and identity crisis?—