FWIW

Post #39,982 by Steve Lowe 5/26/02 4:14:39 PM Reply	FWIW I've had ongoing email conversations with Nick since this started. There's obviously a lot going on here, and there's a lot that Nick's shared with me that I don't think I should repeat. However, I think I'm safe in sharing that Janice decided to convert to Islam. [link\|http://www.petreley.org/article.php?sid=83&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0\|Here's] Nick's first public announcement for everyone's recollection. [link\|mailto:nicholas@petreley.org\|Nick] would probably answer any questions, and would certainly appreciate any emails of support. Peace. ----- Steve
Post #39,983 by Andrew Grygus 5/26/02 4:52:39 PM Reply	Yagottabekidding . . . . there's plenty of things I can see a sane woman converting to - wicca, buddhism, even catholicism, but Islam just ain't one of 'em. Talk about jumping out of the frying pan into the fire - wasn't Nick's brand of fundamentalism repressive enough for her? No wonder he was able to keep the kids. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #40,062 by Brandioch 5/27/02 2:56:35 PM Reply	I don't see much of a difference, really. Islam Judiasm Catholicism Fundamentalist whatever All can be as restrictive as the rest. It depends upon the "interpretation" of the one(s) with the power. This doesn't even take into account that a person can "believe" one thing (religion) yet act in a totally different way, every day.
Post #40,374 by inthane-chan 5/29/02 4:37:05 PM Reply	Islam and women are not mutually exclusive. One of my wife's friends converted while in college - she became convinced that the Islamic attire for women was actually an equalizer, that forced men to take women as people, not sex objects. Considering who "wears the pants" in my wife's friend's marriage unit, it seems to have worked out pretty well... InThane - Now running Ashton rev 2.0
Post #39,989 by ben_tilly 5/26/02 6:31:15 PM Reply	This is supposed to horrify me? They are going through a divorce. It is probably ugly. Well I have seen some pretty damned ugly divorces up close and personal. No surprise there. Most of us can be made to sound like real assholes by someone who knows us. I am no exception to that. So she is converting to Islam. Well I have counted as friends several muslims whose faith bothered me less than most brands of Christian fundamentalism. Islam doesn't start and end with the Saudi Wahabi sect. Plus even if she has converted to an extreme sect, doesn't that suggest to you that she could use a gentle reminder that she still has friends out there? And about the two principals here. Please remember that I have a personal reason to be biased. I liked and got along with both of them most of the time, but Nick's brand of fundamentalism resulted several times in his flaring out fairly seriously at me, while Janice was always pretty reasonable. So if you will pardon me, I am not trying to choose sides. I am just asking about Janice. Does anyone have contact information for her, know how she is doing, etc? Cheers, Ben "... I couldn't see how anyone could be educated by this self-propagating system in which people pass exams, teach others to pass exams, but nobody knows anything." --Richard Feynman
Post #39,995 by Ashton 5/26/02 9:14:42 PM Reply	If you discover a means for contact, which preserves J's privacy - maybe via the mail-list (?) or another way, you could inform some of us other than publicly. Unclear whether she needs more than just kind words. I always found her comments (and rebuttals :-) quite civil - thank GRR that she was 'blessed' with a sense of humour and proportionality, hopefully about lots of homo-sap silliness. (But humour won't much ameliorate separation from one's children, we see.) I don't find her switch particularly surprising either - lot less of imaginary 'personalized conversations with #1' there.. What you flee-from is always the clearer, in any event. Ashton
Post #40,015 by Steve Lowe 5/27/02 1:23:20 AM Reply	Nope Sorry, I didn't intend to portray that as a negative, or as to why one would choose sides. Merely as a reason, nothing more. I've been through a pretty damned ugly divorce, happened in 97-98 and I'm still paying for it, in a number of ways. ----- Steve

Welcome to IWETHEY!