Jesus in a burka

Jesus & Mo - excellent!

OK, pet, ironic, succinct, clumsy, and obvious. Difficult not to be clumsy about those clumsy things, burkas. Clumsy idea. Clumsy shroud. Clumsylly (I wrote clumsilly first – that too) and bullyingly enforced. And so obvious an illustration of male oppression of women.

Just had another look. I really don't think the irony is going over my head. Mo is telling Jesus that the burka is a symbol of his freedom but when Jesus wants to take it off Mo says he can't.

But some women do want to wear the burka. Yes, they have been conditioned by their society but so have we all.

I don't agree with people being forced to wear the burka but it's a complex issue.

To be really funny, I think something something has to have some logic behind it. That has n' t. The Jesus bit is just meaningless.

It's not as though it's Christians who make Muslim women wear Burkas.

It really does need to be funny. Or it becomes silly.

It occurs to me that perhaps it is not THE Jesus. It is a common name.

It's an ongoing thing. People who read it regularly seem to become rather fond of J and Mo and familiar with their characters, so the things they do probably seem funnier than they would to someone just looking at one episode.

Yes. But still meant to be a Christian perhaps? And Christians haven't got anything to do with Burkas.

It's just another anti- religion thing. But they need to be a bit cleverer.

Perhaps other ones are funnier. Who knows?!

#doubt

Yes Ana i thought that. The drawings are sweet and i could well imagine Jesus and Mo would grow on you.

j08 are you serious?

First seven posts - no.

Ones posted this morning - yes.

The cartoon is spot on with the complexity of the burka issue, petallus. At least, I can see it clearly. Whether it's 'funny' or not is irrelevant, I think. Cartoons are not all meant to be funny. They can be, and in this case are, succinct (yes), shorthand ways of conveying quite complex things.

If you (anyone) don't get it, fine, you don't get it.

It is THE Jesus - this is one of a long-running series featuring the double-act of Jesus and Mo - other occasional characters are the Barmaid and Moses. Sometimes J has the more logical position sometimes not. The barmaid frequently shoots them both down.

Making judgments like those above is pointless on theh basis of just one strip.
Devotees, of which there are many, know the set-up...

The cartoon could have more accurately portrayed the complexity of the burka issue by showing Mo saying, okay go on then, take it off, and Jesus then looking hesitant about doing so.

Or Jesus taking it off and being attacked by passers-by for immodesty.

Or Jesus telling Mo he wanted to wear the Burka and Mo replying that he couldn't because it was a restriction on his freedom.

Yes, that last scenario, I particularly think would be subtley ironic.

And J08 - Islam itself has little to do with burkas - it's a matter of culture - which in my book is no excuse, but Islamists seem keen on it, and insist on walking coffins...

It's a matter of the culture of women being regarded as inferior to men, and as possessions. If it happened in cultures with gender equality (or even an approach to gender equality), men would wear burkas too. That's the bottom line for me. If men don't have to hide themselves, women shouldn't have to either.

Initially, the garments were probably designed to protect people from sand burn in deserts. Tuareg men still cover up in sandstorms because it makes sense. If you're in a modern city free of sandstorms, burkas make no sense at all.

Why do you care so much Bags? You can't champion everything in this world.

Why pick on this particular culture and this manifestation of inequality between men and women which exists everywhere?

Not only that, there are strong feminist women in the culture who can fight for women's right not to wear the burka. Some of them have said they feel patronised by Western women.

And those women who want to wear the bloody garment should be allowed to do so, otherwise they are just being doubly oppressed.

I thought it was really funny, probably because being [sort of] Cof E I belong to a group of people that can laugh at themselves sometimes.

Those of us who did not laugh are not Muslim though so it can't be down to not being able to take a joke against ourselves.

Tegan how was it to do with ourselves? I don't understand that.

In fact, I don't understand any of it.

Well, I looked at it assuming I would be offended in some way and it made me chuckle and I couldn't pretend to myself that I didn't. I suppose I should have just said I found it funny without attempting to analyse why I found it funny. Apologies.

Don't apologise. I don't feel in the least bit sorry that it didn't make me laugh. Humour is a very individual thing.

Bags I have to complain re you posting this on Gransnet. I clicked on the link and was forced, forced, I say, to spend two hours in the middle of the night looking at back numbers of the cartoons. I have heard DD2 & DSIL talking about J & M and when I asked for information was told 'Oh! you won't get it!' but I do, and I do and I do. Now added to my favourites