France's burka ban

[anotheoldgit]

http://tinyurl.com/6gqmpsn

Well done the French for having the guts to introduce the 'burka ban', but it seems with a little trepidation.

/// Earlier, French police said they will be enforcing the country’s new burka ban "extremely cautiously" because of fears of provoking violence. ///

Belgium introduced a full ban last year, and a ban also looks likely in Holland, Spain and Switzerland.

Could Britain ever have the guts to do likewise?

[birdie1971]

Almost everyone on this thread has missed the most important point. This is not a question about who, if anyone, should be allowed to wear Burkas, hoodies or balaclavas, etc. in a public place. It is a question about the Islamic oppression of women.

It's all very well saying that Muslim women have a choice in what they wear. But choice depends on the freedom to choose. If a God-fearing person is told that a full body covering is mandatory in order to fully be at one with God but wearing that garment is not compulsory, where's the freedom? That person is caught between a rock and hard place. There is a better name for that kind of 'choice' and that name is 'coercion'.

If a full body covering is prescribed for women in the Koran then that is oppression. It is forcing women on pain of eternal damnation to wear this garment. However, I think that most people who know the verses of the Koran will agree that it makes no such demands on women – only asking them to dress modestly.

[birdie1971]

Continued...

Therefore the really important question to address is – why do some Muslim women (and men) think that a women should cover themselves from head to toe? If we agree that it's not prescribed in the scriptures then it is cultural in origin and therefore not compulsory. The only reason I have ever heard from women who wear it by 'choice' is that they do so because they think Allah looks favourably on them as a result. But if it's cultural, how can this be the case?

The Burka is demonstrably a symbol of male dominance over females. The women who wear it do so either out of ignorance of the Koran or because they are 'politely' asked to by their partners and/or family because of a misplaced belief that entirely covering the female members of planet Earth will somehow bring them closer to God.

[Sir Alec]

The burka is responsible for hiding a lot of bruises.

[trt]

If they wore a mask like Robin from Batman, I wouldn't mind, much more sexy, especially in bed!!! :-)

[andy-hughes]

And your point is based on what evidence Sir Alec?

[keepontrucking]

pixi may i ask you a question do you walk alongside your man or do you walk a few steps behind voluntarily.

[keepontrucking]

Honest question pixi the ones near me when they leave the house with full garb on always walk a few steps behind not alongside.
When i walk with my girlfriend we are side by side.

Simple question ?

[B00]

i don't understand how anyone would volunteer to wear one, it looks quite cumbersome and awkward to wear, and on the 10 minutes per year we do get hot weather, surely it makes you sweat bucket loads?

[Oneeyedvic]

birdie - are you suggesting that we pass legislation to force women in western cultures to stop wearing feminine clothing - they are done purely as a way of women showing off their figure in order to attract men. They are coerced into doing this by magazines and newspapers that are printed sexualising women. They are being 'coerced' into looking attractive - it must stop now. blah blah blah

[Tuddypat]

I don't think he's doing that Vic - he's more arguing against the burka.

[birdie1971]

Pixi - “... the girls i know who wear it do it (voluntarily) because they believe the entire body should be covered...”

That's my point! Why do they think that their entire body should be covered? It's not a requirement of Islam according to the Koran so why do they think that it is?

[birdie1971]

Oneeyedvic - “... They [women who dress provocatively] are coerced into doing this by magazines and newspapers that are printed sexualising women...”

Apart from the fact that I don't think you can honestly compare a religious belief system and a cultural system based on that religion with some rather unpleasant modern 'beauty' magazines, I think you've managed to miss my point entirely.

If you re-read my above comments, I'm not arguing that people should be banned from wearing any particular type of clothing. What I am saying is that I believe that the burqa represents the very real oppression of women since there is little or no scriptural evidence that female members of the Islamic religion should either be compelled to wear it or feel the need to cover their entire bodies in order to be more pious.

I will concede that I also believe that the type of magazines you mention do indeed denigrate women in general and place unrealistic goals upon the more impressionable members of society – but that's a different argument to the one being discussed in this thread.

[welshlibranr]

we do not wear a burka here in the Uk, they choose to live here! and so they should not feel the need to wear it either!...if they want to live in the Western World, then maybe they should uphold some our traditions........not us theirs!...........

[andy-hughes]

But why?

What is so dreadful about a very small minority of people choosing to uphold their culture by dressing in a certain way?

I do not believe women are not required by law to wear burkas in Islamic countries - they seem to pffer a more tolerant approach over the issue of cultural differences, maybe we should learn from them.

[Sqad]

andy


>>>What is so dreadful about a very small minority of people choosing to uphold their culture by dressing in a certain way? >>>>

It isn't, but the dress represents a culture that is "hell bound" on dominating and replacing the present culture.

Whether this is fact or just fiction is beside the point as that lingering suspicion will continue to linger as long as the growth of Islam continues at it's present rate.

[ladybirder]

There's an interesting article in the D Telegraph today by Allison Pearson on this issue entitled "We too should ban the burka".

[Katie~77]

Why am I not as bothered as some on here appear to be??? I live in Luton where there is a large Muslim population - I couldn't care less if they wandered around wearing space suits and welders helmets!