Re: Excellent wordingPosted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on August 19, 2001 at 14:23:44: In reply to: Excellent wording posted by Jeremy on August 19, 2001 at 12:12:56: Glad you like the wording.I can make a very strong case that henna is protected by the constitution as a social practice associated with the religious holidays of several major religions. I can certainly play the "henna is to these people's traditions as Christmas trees are to Christmas" angle. That's an easy concept to explain, and easy to defend. Any politician that doesn't jump on that one is going to lose votes! I can make the case that preventing henna's import is racist and zenophobic, and that it should be permitted to protect cultural diversity. I'll also push that henna should be available for educational purposes, to study the 9000 years of women's history surrounding henna! I'll point out that ALL the cases of blistering and mess have been subsequently been proven by medical tests to have been caused by PPD, not henna. I'll uphold the FDA's right to regulate and/or seize any tubes of pre-mixed paste with unlabeled, insufficiently labeled, or unsafe ingredients. I'm ONLY going to back 100% pure henna powder here, because that's the only thing I can make an airtight case for! So ...... I'll lean HARD on making 100% pure henna powder get through customs as neither approved nor illegal ... for the purposes of providing it to people requiring it for traditional social celebrations accompanying religious occasions .... for continuing traditional culture, and for education. I think any box of 100% pure henna that says "for purposes of weddings and Eids" should be allowed to pass right on through! That should put it in the hands of sincere enthusiasts, and keep it clear of big business. Local option can determine where and when henna artists ply their trade. At the minimum, weddings, eids, individual applications, educational events, and cultural events would be protected. Last I noticed, all the events we henna at are in the above categories!
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