How can the French get away with banning headscarves?

[Haggisdj]

I thought that we all signed the same Human Rights legislation? How then can the French do this? There is not a chance of it happening in this country.

[Gromit]

Human Rights legislation will cover religious belief. The Burka is nothing to do with religion, but is about traditional dress.

I don't think the state should dictate what people chose to wear, that is a matter for them.

[jake-the-peg]

It's interesting.

He's not banning it he's establishing a commission to look at the issue.

If the commission reports that women are being compelled or pressurised to wear them then there will be a strong human rights case to ban the wearing of them.

In which case you might well see a string of other cases throughout Europe.

If the commission finds otherwise it'll be dropped

[paraffin]

In 2004 they were banned in French schools, so that's five years ago.

What's all the fuss about now?

[saxy_jag]

I don't think it's completely out of the question for it to happen in this country, especially the niqab and the burka, which is what I believe Mr Sarkozy has in mind. Whatever Mr Sarkozy gives as a reason, I for one dislike the idea of speaking to someone in the flesh whose face I cannot see.

But don't human rights go two ways? If a fifteen year old girl walks into a shopping centre with her face covered by a hood, she's likely to be asked to leave even all she intends to do is actually shop. If she's a fifteen year old muslim girl wearing a hijab then she's left alone.

[rov1200]

And we wonder why Muslims are queuing up to get into England. At the current rate the Burka will be standard dress. We had better get used to it!

[caththecrazy]

Save putting on make up and doing your hair if you want to "nip" out quickly.

When I was travelling there was a woman wearing the all in black number (don't think it was a burka) and she refused to take it off her face so they could check her passport was hers. Ridiculous then her husand , I assume ,started saying she couldn't go off in a room to uncover her face not sure why as only women were talking to her.

[whifffey]

I sincerely hope they do ban the all-over garb. It is repulsive, repugnant, demeaning to women, and inimical to Western culture. I saw a couple in Croydon today, Whitgift Centre, a modern Western shopping centre - and just those hideous slits for eyes, it made my skin crawl. It will be the norm in about 100 years time, but for the moment, please please let's outlaw it.

[VHG]

>In 2004 they were banned in French schools, so
>that's five years ago.
>What's all the fuss about now?

That was headscarves (and all religious symbols) in French schools.

This is about banning the Berqa in total from French life.

If only we had a leader with the willingness to do this in the UK.

Our political leaders are too scared to upset any ethnic minority.

They dont care what the white English think, but must not upset the Muslims.

[caththecrazy]

Many women like it though - I was talking to some distant relatives of my Turkish neighbours - who I think are arabic - and she said that once the girls start wearing it they suddenley become interesting to men.

There's a difference in them choosing to wear it and being forced to wear it.

I'm a bit confused about it anyway as I thought the really religious muslims wouldn't allow their women to go out and mix with men anyway which is why you see so masny muslim men shopping.

Seems like they are choosing bits of their culture and religion to follow and disregarding others. Just my perdsonal view

[paraffin]

VHG:

The article says nothing about any further ban than I mentioned. Chatting about it and implementing it are two very different things. That was my point: it's a non article in a way, pure speculation.

All that's being done is a lot of hot air from Sarkozy about the "establishment of a parliamentary commission to look at whether to ban the wearing of burkas in public."

So, as I said, what's all the fuss about now?

Besides, when did we in the UK, the whole of it, have to fall in line with French policy on this subject?

[123everton]

I don't like to see women (or men for that matter) walking around with their underwear sticking out over their trousers.
I dislike the veil intensely, many people do and can't understand why.
It's because in our culture if you cover someone's mouth your saying don't speak.
This is quite a modern trend I feel in Muslim women, I certainly don't recall seeing any hijabs etc as a small boy, maybe it was'nt viewed as an issue back then, or maybe (more likely to my mind) it's that some Muslim women have decided to reject as false the new decadent values that have emerged in Britain (an eqully alien development) and by wearing the veil they are emphasising their distaste at the overt over sexualisation of women in our society.
Ultimately though I agree with Gromit it's for people to decide what they want to wear.

[birdie1971]

The old Berqa question. Is it a religious requirement or not? It would appear so....


This comes from (amongst others) the Koran 33:59...

"Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters and all Muslim women to draw cloaks and veils all over their bodies (screening themselves completely except for one or two eyes to see the way). That will be better."

And from Koran 24:31...

"Say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty except what (must) appear; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display them except to their husbands..."


Yet another example of the Islamic faith subjugating women. The Koran says we MUST cover our female bodies. Why?

Because if you wear the Berqa, you're less likely to be raped!


And that's it. That is how Islamic adherents defend this piece of religious claptrap.

The entire reason why women are forced (either through peer pressure or straight-from-birth-brainwashing) to wear the Berqa is because they are told that doing so will drastically reduce their risk of being raped.

Well, Allah be praised!

Thank God it has nothing to do with the subjugation of women.

Or the apparent inability if Muslim men to refrain from the crime of rape.

[birdie1971]

Damn. I got the last sentence wrong. D'oh! Of course it should have read, �Or the apparent inability of Muslim men to refrain from the crime of rape.�

Thank God I didn't write the scriptures. Then where would we be?

What with spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and general obtuseness, one might think that I could be misinterpreted...

Heaven (or rather, My Gaff) forbid.

[sp1814]

birdie1971

If it's a religious requirement, why is it that none of the Muslims women at my workplace wear burqas???

Could it be that like all religious texts, the Koran is up for interpretation. Sure, it's regarded as the literal word of God, but then there are some pretty crazy passages in the Bible that most level-headed Christians choose to ignore.

[Nkakamasembe]

90% PLUS African women muslims DO NOT WEAR this burke.

[Gromit]

Do you really think the Government and the law should tell people what they can wear?

The burka and headscarves are traditional not religious dress.

Would you ban Morris men from wearing their silly clothes? (Bad example).

[Ric.ror]

I think it is illegal in Belgium

[brionon]

I think that the wearing of Masks,except for Carnaval,has long been prohibited in many European countries.

[Quinlad]

If we're banning berqas, can we ban chinos as well?

And the wearing of blazers with jeans.

Thanks.

[another-view]

I think they did right to ban them. The French have more b@lls than the English government. Live in their country, abide by their rules.

You wouldn't move into a mate's house then start re-arranging the furniture, would you?