Sensitive topic. religion and politics. thoughts?

[hippyhips]

A few months ago, there was a semi famous belly dancer caught on camera supporting Trump, and not JUST supporting Trump, but supporting policies and ideologies that negatively effect people from whom this dance originates. On top of this, she also lied to everyone as to the extent of these beliefs, saying that someone put a trump hat on her head and stuck a camera in her face, while she was at a rally. This was said BEFORE people pointed out that there was more than one video of her in support of these policies.
Would you still direct people to her website? would you say its fair to deny support for any of her business? i know some dancers who have asked her to take down articles they have written for her site and i know there are people who have defended her right to believe what she wants without consequence. i also have seen people say they remain distant "friends" so that she has a way "out" of that mindset, if she ever gets there.
What do you make of all this?

 

[Tourbeau]

I'm not active on social media, so I don't know who this is about. It's a free country, which means the government doesn't prosecute people for Orwellian thoughtcrimes. It also means other people are free to hold your opinions against you and not support you. There are certain lines you can't cross (you can't harass, slander, threaten, etc.), but beyond that, you have pretty wide leeway, as do the people who disagree with you.

It seems like a pretty foolish business move for a dancer to say they are in favor of Trump's Muslim ban (or taking Israel's side against the Palestinians or whatever "policies" this refers to) because it will alienate many potential ME customers you might have had as a performer, as well as fellow dancers and students who would have otherwise patronized you as a teacher, performer, or merchant. It's also difficult to simultaneously argue you respect ME cultures while demeaning the people from them, which undermines your credibility.

But if you want to shoot yourself in the foot while doing raqs al-taasheer, you do you, Habibi...

 

[Zorba]

So - you'd rather have Biden continue to destroy our country then?

 

[Amanda (was Aziyade)]

I'm not active on social media, so I don't know who this is about. It's a free country, which means the government doesn't prosecute people for Orwellian thoughtcrimes. It also means other people are free to hold your opinions against you and not support you. There are certain lines you can't cross (you can't harass, slander, threaten, etc.), but beyond that, you have pretty wide leeway, as do the people who disagree with you.

It seems like a pretty foolish business move for a dancer to say they are in favor of Trump's Muslim ban (or taking Israel's side against the Palestinians or whatever "policies" this refers to) because it will alienate many potential ME customers you might have had as a performer, as well as fellow dancers and students who would have otherwise patronized you as a teacher, performer, or merchant. It's also difficult to simultaneously argue you respect ME cultures while demeaning the people from them, which undermines your credibility.

But if you want to shoot yourself in the foot while doing raqs al-taasheer, you do you, Habibi...

It was Shira, and honestly those of us who knew her weren't the least bit surprised. She's said some viciously racist things in the past about East Indians, and I cut ties with her during the early stages of the pandemic when she kept sharing conspiracy and anti-vax nonsense. She's not full Q-Anon, but she's def a bigot and has been for some time. The Trump thing just gave her an outlet. (The recent video controversy is hardly her first offense. It's just the most public one.)

Honestly, it's not surprising in another way, and that is that so many American dancers supposedly love "the dance" or "teh cultoor" but they hate Arabs, or they hate Muslims or they hate xyz about the people who do the dance. It's just standard operating practice these days for white Americans to be so incredibly racist or prejudiced that I don't even raise my eyebrows over it anymore.

As to the OP's question, most people I know have removed Shira from their lives, and half of the stuff on her site is so outdated or outright wrong anyway that we haven't been referring people to it for a while anyway. PERSONALLY, I have no room in my life for a person who believes (and advocates that belief) that one group of people is somehow less than another group of people because of their race, religion, gender identity, or national origin, so I want nothing to do with her. But she's effectively retired from the dance scene and I doubt she's concerned at all about any of this -- she's removed everyone's comments from her social media, so it's clear she has no interest in any further discussion.

 

[Zorba]

Please leave this crap on facebook where it belongs.