Women who wear burkhas in public in France will be fined

[quisquose 10]

My opinion, for what it is worth, is as follows ...

 

It’s hardly surprising that the advocates of Political Islam want to normalise the wearing of their uniform.

 

On the one hand there are media attempts to portray the burqa as a free choice. This helps to make it more suggestive to young girls. You will often see this claim made in the media by a young lady in a burqa, often fluttering her attractive mascaraed eyes. (Cue cringetastic comments from Martin Jarvis on the One Show). This is the friendly face of the burqa if you like. They will claim that the burqa is liberating, and the ultimate expression of feminism. (Since when feminism was a movement in favour of women not being able to take part in most sports, or being disadvantaged to men in nearly every way, I fail to see, but Stockholm Syndrome is a complex delusion.)

 

On the other hand there is also a legal attempt to claim that the burqa is not a choice, and should be subject to special privilege like the turban for example.

 

Well clearly it is one or the other, but not both. But the advocates want both.

 

The advocates publicly shy away from demanding that it falls into the second category because they realise that would turn off many girls from wearing it, and also because it simply isn’t the case.

 

Although they have failed thus far, they will continue to pursue the claim that the burqa is special in the courts because ultimately they want to force me to “respect” it.

 

I appreciate that most girls wearing this garb in the UK have freely chosen to proclaim their identity in this manner. Therefore, I do not think that France it taking the right course of action. However, I fully reserve my own right to find this uniform totally ludicrous and treat these girls in the same manner as I would anybody else wearing ludicrous attire.

 

It’s their freedom of choice to wear it, and my freedom of choice to laugh at them as if they were wearing size 20 shoes, a red nose and a curly wig. If they want to disadvantage themselves from employment then that too is their choice.

[boyfriday 21]

OMG Boyfriday, totally roflcopter'd at that!

 

..at least I have the good grace to cover mine up

[boyfriday 21]

Nobody should be telling any woman what to wear, or not wear.

 

Unless they're called Trinny or Suzannah or Gok

[Thebanginman 10]

The point in freedom of choice? Or the point in the burka?

Does a piece of clothing have to have a point now? What's the point of coloured contact lenses? Should we ban items of clothing that don't have a 'point'?

(Of course I suppose a burka serves the same purpose as all clothing, warm and modesty).

Yes but is it just a piece of clothing or is there more significance to it ?

[Amaranthus 10]

Yes but is it just a piece of clothing or is there more significance to it ?

 

It obviously has more significance to it but what difference should that make?

[boyfriday 21]

Yes but is it just a piece of clothing or is there more significance to it ?

 

So what if there is?

 

People wear club ties, stripey blazers, football shirts, golf trousers, habits, yarmulkas to show their affiliation with a particular association or belief-just because something has significance doesnt mean there's anything sinister about it.

[Cyclone 10]

why can it not be a choice and a special piece of religious dress? (although from what I understand it isn't, it's cultural).

Nobody is forced to wear a turban, even if that does have some sort of special significance. They can still choose to take it off.

Do you generally laugh at people in public? I've seen lots of people dressed in lots of ridiculous ways, but I normally maintain enough dignity and manners to not laugh at them in public.

[Kthebean 10]

well, this is my view (and i have many muslim friends)

 

if you live in another country, you should follow the rules of that country (and i have lived in other countries), why should a woman hide behind a piece of clothing (i think, i know the idea behind it)

 

why should you hide your face away, if you have nothing to hide?

 

YES! When in Rome!!!! They should issue overtight denim skirts with ugg boots at the border. and feed them! so their legs get chubby and dimply! DAMNIT!

[Grubshifter 10]

I went on the beach at Cleethorpes a few years ago and thought that some of the women there should be forced to wear burkhas What a sight for sore eyes they were. Some of the men too.

[spindrift 10]

many muslim women are offended by the use of female flesh to advertise goods. French hoardings often show naked women. Some muslim women do not wish to be assessed in sexual terms and they choose to cover their body. It doesn't bother me in the slightest.

[quisquose 10]

why can it not be a choice and a special piece of religious dress? (although from what I understand it isn't, it's cultural).

Nobody is forced to wear a turban, even if that does have some sort of special significance. They can still choose to take it off.

Do you generally laugh at people in public? I've seen lots of people dressed in lots of ridiculous ways, but I normally maintain enough dignity and manners to not laugh at them in public.

 

I'm guessing you are replying to me?

 

Actually what I really mean is similar to what you mean in #46.

 

They can treat their uniform as special, sure, but I would argue for my own freedom to consider it stupid. I wouldn't laugh out loud because I am a nice polite guy, but again I reserve my right to snigger inside.

 

If they want to force me to respect it in the courts, to give their uniform special privilege, they can "go away".

[Nodens 10]

I don't, for one minute, suppose that our Muslim suck-up government will introduce a similar law here, it would lose them too many votes, but how are Muslims going to react when the full body scanners at British airports are introduced?