Orhan Pamuk

And if we succeed in

degrading our women, aren't we also running the risk of--pardon my

language--turning ourselves into pimps?

Head scarves protect women from harassment, rape,

and degradation. It's the head scarf that gives women respect and a comfortable place in society. We've heard this from many women who've

chosen later in life to cover themselves.

"If God does not exist, that

means heaven does not exist either. And that means the world's poor,

those millions who live in poverty and oppression, will never go to

heaven. And if that is so, then how do you explain all the suffering of the

poor? What are we here for, and why do we put up with so much unhappiness, if it's all for nothing?"

Conrad, Nabokov, Naipau