Italian Woman is Fined for Veiling

Tonight, while browsing the New York Times webpage, I came across an article about an Italian woman who was fined for wearing a veil in public. While I know this is not the first country to create a fuss about veiling, Italy caught my attention due to my own knowledge and interest in the country.

The Italian woman was fined after she refused to remove her veil in a state building. She was given the fine under two older laws, one of which dated back to the Fascists in regards to a specific dress code, and another that was created during the time of the Red Brigade, which stated that masks were illegal. Members of the Red Brigade often used masks to conceal their identity. The official who imposed the fine stated that the woman's failure to remove her veil was a matter of security.

I believe this brings up three major issues, almost of all which stem from the notion of identity. First, the woman who was fined is Italian-born. She married a Tunisian about 10 years ago, and converted to Islam after that. For the officials in her town, her status as an Italian is not as important as her status as a follower of Islam. Without the veil, she would not be identified as an outsider at all. However, in this post 9/11 world, which is dominated by fear, now she is seen as a threat to security. Second, this brings up issues of immigration that may be observed throughout western Europe. For most of the last century, Italy was a country of emigration. The population that remained in Italy was homogeneous: Italian, white, Catholic, etc. Increasingly, Italy has been receiving immigrants from Albania and North Africa. During the time that I spent studying in Florence, I routinely saw lines in front of the police station of immigrants, waiting to be permitted to remain in the country. ( A side note: those of us who were American students waiting for permission were ushered in the back door of the very same police station with a much shorter line). Unfortunately, these immigrants are seen as trouble-makers and thieves, and I was told by more than one Italian to "watch out for the Albanians". As more immigrants enter the country with different beliefs and different skin colors, the Italian population will have to become more tolerant, or we are going to see many more instances of discrimination based on appearance. And finally, I have to ask what this incident has to do with gender. Obviously, only Muslim women veil. Men do not have similar religious markers in their attire. Is this an example of men exerting power over women by trying to control their attire? Why is this woman being denied her rights to self-expression, as well as the right to practice her religion? Why is this woman somehow more dangerous with her veil than without? The truth is, without the veil, the city officials would not have seen her as any different from themselves.

The Kobe Bryant Case: Why is sexual deviance okay for celebrities?

I was at the gym being exposed to both Fox News and CNN, when I heard that a judge moved to identify Kobe Bryant's accuser in the civil case against him. When I got home I searched the New York Times, and found the article, which outlined the judges reasoning for releasing her identity. The article mentions that the woman has already received death threats because her identity was leaked during the criminal trial. The criminal charges were dropped after the defendant said she no longer wanted to participate in the trial. The civil case is seeking damages for "ridicule, pain and suffering" since the alleged rape.

Will this discourage other rape victims from coming forward, especially if the person they are accusing is high profile? If this woman was raped, she has had to endure threats and unwanted publicity as "punishment" for trying to bring her rapist to justice. On the other side of the coin, if Kobe Bryant did not rape this woman, he had no protection against having his name plastered all over the newspapers and TV.

Which brings me to the title of this post: I suppose what is most disturbing is not the actions of Kobe Bryant or the defendant, but the actions of people who would threaten this woman, without getting any facts or hearing a verdict. Has Kobe Bryant received any death threats? I doubt it. What message is this sending? This also brings to mind when various male celebrities are caught with prostitutes (I'm thinking of Hugh Grant, but there are others). It makes the news for a day, these men are seen as "playboys", and everyone moves on. The public deems what society would categorize as "deviant" sexual behavior for themselves and their peers as somehow "okay" for celebrities. Why is this? And, what are the gender differentials for the acceptance and endorsement of celebrity deviant sexual behavior? I am trying to think of an A-list actress or female celebrity who has experience with deviant sexual behavior in the media, but I can't think of a counter-example. Except for Madonna, who used her sexuality to define herself for a period of her career, which is not quite what I mean. If anyone has any female examples of deviant celebrities, please post them. To wrap this up, I guess my point is that male celebrities are seen as being more macho or masculine by having experiences with deviant sexual behavior, but female celebrities do not experience the same pay-offs. Kobe's career will be just fine.