France moves to ban the Burqa

[gitana1]

What do you think? http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/07/13/france.burqa.ban/index.html?hpt=T2

I have always supported Amnesty International's work. But I don't here. To me, in today's climate, a full-face covering in a western country can be a threat to national security. I am against a ban on head coverings, but not face coverings. We need to be able to see who is underneath the mask, IMO.

 

[ziggy]

I completely agree with you. We have these needs for our safety - the basis for the law would not be to deny religeous freedom which we fully respect, but for the greater good of the public at large. Countries should have a right to do that.

They won't let anyone wear a hat here in the States for a driver's license picture but they allow that head garb. That doesn't seem right.

 

[TechWriter797]

What do you think? http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/07/13/france.burqa.ban/index.html?hpt=T2
I am against a ban on head coverings, but not face coverings. We need to be able to see who is underneath the mask, IMO.

ITA with you.

 

[ziggy]

Is anyone really FOR the burqa besides the sexually repressed Middle Eastern men who visit strip clubs? Just sayin...

 

[Vegas Bride]

I've had some days when I would like to wear one, bad hair, bad skin, and no one would ever know!

But I agree with France on this.


It made me think about something that happened once when dh and I were going through customs between the US and Canada. dh wears very dark sunglasses when he's outside and the customs officer asked him to take his glasses off so she could get a good look at his face.
Makes me wonder how they would handle a situation where they really weren't able to see the person at all.

VB

 

[Kat]

I support this on every level so far named. I'm 100% behind it.

After I heard about this on the AM radio. It was just a report no commentary. (NPR I think).

I'm wondering what the eventual backlash might be from the communities within these countries (I heard areas of Spain are also doing this IIRC)?

Not that I don't think they shouldn't do this---it's just I wonder what the response is going to be?

France has already had a few riots haven't they (in the past few years?) mainly involving a section of their Muslim population? I could be wrong about that but I thought I had read that somewhere?

Just curious. Like I said it doesn't alarm me, and I support the move to do this but I wonder how the community that is effected by this will perceive this move?

Now this is how uninformed I am about the wearing of the burka. Is it a custom that is interpreted by the religion or is it just a social custom? I dunno.

I guess I"ll have to go look into it but I really don't want to have to (being lazy about this ) I was hoping someone could give me some insight into what this is all about.

 

[kgeaux]

What do you think? http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/07/13/france.burqa.ban/index.html?hpt=T2

I have always supported Amnesty International's work. But I don't here. To me, in today's climate, a full-face covering in a western country can be a threat to national security. I am against a ban on head coverings, but not face coverings. We need to be able to see who is underneath the mask, IMO.

My husband is from France, he is WAY more liberal than I am, but let me go out on a limb here.

In today's terrorist climate, it is absolutely ridiculous to allow a person to walk around in society fully masked. As a church I used to attend used to say, Can I hear an amen, amen, and amen? Aside from public safety issues, it is demeaning to women to require them to mask their heads, arms, legs, etc. and it is beyond the pale to expect governments NOT founded on a muslim religion to bow down to muslim "rules." Especially when all muslims do not agree that women need to wear a burqa and facial masking.

I admit it, I absolutely HATE the way the muslim religion suppresses women. I am not ignorant of the religion, I know Muslim women, and I HATE what that religion does in the name of Allah. IMO, Allah would be so ashamed.

 

[kgeaux]

I've had some days when I would like to wear one, bad hair, bad skin, and no one would ever know!

But I agree with France on this.


It made me think about something that happened once when dh and I were going through customs between the US and Canada. dh wears very dark sunglasses when he's outside and the customs officer asked him to take his glasses off so she could get a good look at his face.
Makes me wonder how they would handle a situation where they really weren't able to see the person at all.

VB

In 1992 USA was at "red alert" against terrorism, especially those terrorists who would dare to use the airlines of this country to attack us. Coincidentally, my son (a twelve year old Christian white boy from the center of Louisiana) was flying to Washington DC to visit a federal judge who was a friend of ours.

My son, when going thru the "checkpoint" at the airport, was required to remove his belt, remove his shoes and socks and submit to a full body search. His luggage (a small backpack and a skateboard) was subjected to an "in depth" search by Usa'S "OH SO SMART" airport security officers. Nothing was found on my pre-teen son. While he was being searched, a fully garbed Muslim woman and her husband, neither of whom spoke English, were passed right thru the checkpoint. The woman had been asked to lay her purse down on the conveyor belt so that it could be x-rayed, and she just clutched it to her chest and refused to cooperate. Her husband was screaming and yelling and also refused to allow his bags to be searched. Guess what? They got to board the plane anyway!!!

So a 12 year old kid, from the heart of Acadiana, who fit no terrorist profile, even remotely!, was thoroughly searched, even though he was fully cooperative! and a mMuslim couple who refused to cooperate at all was just waved through the checkpoint.

Call me whatever you will, but the above situation makes ZERO sense.

 

[Salem]

My husband is from France, he is WAY more liberal than I am, but let me go out on a limb here.

In today's terrorist climate, it is absolutely ridiculous to allow a person to walk around in society fully masked. As a church I used to attend used to say, Can I hear an amen, amen, and amen? Aside from public safety issues, it is demeaning to women to require them to mask their heads, arms, legs, etc. and it is beyond the pale to expect governments NOT founded on a muslim religion to bow down to muslim "rules." Especially when all muslims do not agree that women need to wear a burqa and facial masking.

I admit it, I absolutely HATE the way the muslim religion suppresses women. I am not ignorant of the religion, I know Muslim women, and I HATE what that religion does in the name of Allah. IMO, Allah would be so ashamed.

Everything you said!!! I have such strong feelings about all of your points that I don't dare start or I will never stop! Thank you for saying it all.

Salem

 

[Kat]

Interesting video coverage, this doesn't talk about France but the USA and honor killings but it does talk about wearing of the burqa.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZbgaoQV_JM&feature=player_embedded

It helped to answer my own question about if the burqa is cultural attire or if it is a religious expression.

At the end of the video one of the guests describes honor killings as discipline. :waitasec:

I'm not trying to highjack this thread. I thought that this ban on the burqa would encompass making sure to try and not let sharia law get a hold in the US too.

JMHO.

 

[MLE]

I support their decision when it comes to face coverings. That's a security issue.

I don't support their ban when it doesn't involve the face, when the person is easily identifiable. They've banned burquinis, which doesn't seem to make any sense.

My mom, a Christian, always went to beaches in one piece swimsuits. There's no way she would've ever worn a two piece bikini, or a thong, or something like that. Mom was modest and I think Muslim women wearing burquinis to the beach are really no different than my mother was. Some women are more modest than others.

I support a woman's right to go around nude and I also support a woman's right to wear modest attire as long as they show their faces in order to be indentifiable. For all of the talk about Islamic culture being oppressive, I actually think there's a lot of hypocrisy from Christians on this issue, because I live in the Bible Belt in the USA and I know that women would get arrested and put in jail if they were to walk around with some parts of their bodies exposed. I've seen it happen to female animal rights activists. It's all so ridiculous.

 

[PorcineGranny]

I agree with the above posters to the fact burquas should not be allowed because of a safety measure. I don't know anything about the bathing suit thingy.

I know here you can't even wear a cap for a drivers license photo. No way could someone be identified with a face covering. I think legislation is probably the safe way to go on this. If you didn't make it a law, it might force the women into further subordination. jmo

 

[MLE]

I think there needs to be more gender equity in Islamic and Christian lands where women are oppressed more than in other cultures. I don't like how I, a male, can go around with my shirt off but women can get arrested for the same thing when we all have nipples.