"Then there is the burqa..."

I can't even begin to talk about the problems I have with this article. It's about two September 11th widows, who are doing charity work in Afghanistan to help Afghani women. I have no quarrel with the women themselves: grieving people deal with their loss in different ways, and this is their way. As individuals I have no doubt that they are well-meaning and generous.

My issues are with the way the article is written and some of its assumptions.

While there is one sentence at the beginning about the "similarities" between the American women and the Afghani women, namely motherhood and widowhood, the rest of the piece is really about "difference." And difference, as usually is the case, translates into "they are inferior to us." "Their widows," you know, are so different from "our widows" as to make them an alien species. We pamper and support our widows, and they don't. It's their culture, you see. Different culture. Inferior culture.

"Then there is the burqa..."

While the article is supposedly dealing with "war widows," the writer prefers to focus on the "widow" part and ignore the "war" part. Because wars are inevitable, you know, and they are men's business anyway and this is a story about women and their sphere.

"Then there is the burqa..."

But don't underestimate these two women's work: what they do, according to the piece, transforms Afghani women's condition, changes their society, eradicates gender inequality, and reforms their culture. All is done by giving the widows, who can't ride a bycicle, you know, a chicken or a cow.

"Then there is the burqa..."

The condesension and arrogance of this "feel good" journalism is astounding.