“Boobquake” to challenge claims of Iranian cleric

boobquakeJennifer McCreight, a Purdue University student in the United States is asking women around the world to show a little cleavage or a little leg on Monday as a humorous test to disprove an Iranian cleric’s theory that immodest dress has the power to make the earth shake.

The story began when Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi, Tehran's acting Friday prayer leader, said: “Many women who do not dress modestly… lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes.”

Jen McCreight who describes herself as a liberal, geeky, nerdy, scientific, perverted atheist feminist trapped in Indiana, wrote in her blog:

I have a modest proposal. Sedighi claims that not dressing modestly causes earthquakes. If so, we should be able to test this claim scientifically. You all remember the homeopathy overdose? Time for a Boobquake. On Monday, April 26th, I will wear the most cleavage-showing shirt I own. Yes, the one usually reserved for a night on the town. I encourage other female skeptics to join me and embrace the supposed supernatural power of their breasts. Or short shorts, if that's your preferred form of immodesty. With the power of our scandalous bodies combined, we should surely produce an earthquake. If not, I'm sure Sedighi can come up with a rational explanation for why the ground didn't rumble. And if we really get through to him, maybe it'll be one involving plate tectonics.

The Boobquake event on Facebook already has 123,680 confirmed supporters, including many men. The photo above is from the Facebook page.

And here is a video message on Boobquake:

Iranians themselves have also launched creative campaigns against censorship and repression in the past. One of the most recent was the Men in hijab campaign to support Majid Tavakoli, a jailed leading student activist. It seems the Iranian story has become world wide sensation this time.

8 comments

  • Khaled Khalil

    it’s shame to put such bull**** on Global Voices Online.
    when that cleric said what he said that was due to his lack of awareness, mixed with a little of personal stupidity.
    the same happened when another Kuwaiti cleric said that 2004 tsunami was due to infidelity. not knowing that Indonesia has the largest population of people of his religion! that’s the same silliness, here in undeveloped countries we hear these *** every now and then.
    but in the current case, BECAUSE the stupid cleric is Iranian, and because there is an ongoing western campaign against Iran, then most of the, uh, respected media made his statement a trending topic, mixing it with nonsense of their own imagination.
    then come the role of slave-activism, the reactionists who lack a real case to defend, well a media is awaiting, they make their fashioned protest just to make fun. but THEY DON’T CARE that their voices won’t reach this cleric, and if they did he won’t count on them, even if he cared to reply he would simply say that any future catastrophe will be because of their protest and that predestination doesn’t have to follow their actions immediately etc.
    if you want to make a meaningful and effective campaign, make it about ignorance in World, or in Iran as a case. and like that you can press on government(s) to raise interest in field of education and culture.
    i will then support you.

  • kookoo

    obviously the cleric was referring to a mental phenomena which has its roots in the biological process of replication of genes, which involves the firing of certain canon which such intensity that the earth seems to shake.

    so the intro may read: ….that immodest dress has the power to disorient men through the expectation of a violent spasm especially those visually inquisitive and imaginitive enough to ask what makes the earth shake. What is experienced is real, and the cleric was hardly implying that earthshaking events are not thunderous events from the above.

  • miryam

    Hi y´all….Just when I thought the criminal and illegal (rigged elections) IRI regime could not make more of an a.. of themselves, they did it again !!!
    Those in power, responsible for vicious atrocities against defenseless people, need to be brought to the ICC in The Hague because of the ongoing serious Human Rights violations like torture, rape and murder in Iran´s prisons.
    I think that UN is mainly about talk, talk and even more talk to which IRIregime shrugs it´s shoulders and goes on as usual….while the world stands by watching, waiting …
    The beautiful country has become, even more, a true living hell due to diluted evil religious radicalism of its dangerously ignorant rulers.
    I honestly worry so badly that I sometimes can´t sleep at night because of this.
    Miryam

  • murtaza

    salamz 2 u all

    i just heard the fuss that been going around breasts and earthquakes and i will say only thing that i hope is acceptable 2 all of people with different religious bacgrounds and ethics that women wearing clothes that show their body parts just isn’t right bcoz i believe its against any woman’s dignity (muslim or non muslim) bcoz such clothes always give an impression,that the woman is whore(sorry 4 being rude 2 u all)bcoz thats how most of us men see them.

    again i apologize 4 being a rude person, all i wanted was 2 convey a clear message of reality.

    may allah’s blessing b with u.

  • Jennifer Mc Cleary

    This “protest” is ridiculous, laughable really. Although I don’t agree that revealing clothing makes women “whores,” because it’s about the content of a persons character and not their outward appearance; asking people to wear revealing clothing to protest a Clerics comment in Iran is just asinine. Let people believe what they want to believe… it’s not affecting anyone in the States, so why do we care. I know I don’t. And don’t get me wrong, I get annoyed by some of the girls in the States that walk around like the world is a nudist beach, but for some who just want to wear a nice dress or skirt, those women aren’t whores, they just want to look nice on a warm day. Just something to consider.

  • jahan

    loved you post :D i am iranina :D

    cheers

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