i was forced to wear a sweater that i really hated when i was a kid. it was itchy and made me cry. just for the record.

i think you should be the stylist for porkmaras's drag act.

inspiring isnt the word, its a godamn revelation!

Jon Simon says hello,by the way.

hello back. how is he? whens he get back?

He's doing well as an artist but poverty has struck a bit in Australia.He is confident that he will win a grant next year and sorry for this sudden derailment.Pm from now on.

I don't understand what you're saying. Did I not make myself clear? In a secular society, wearing a burqa is a personal choice, just like wearing a baseball cap and hoody (a similarly intimidating combination).

I've not seen any evidence of anyone being 'forced' to wear burqas. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I maintain that, from my point of view, in a secular society, a burqa is a personal choice and cannot be seen as a cipher of 'male opression' immediately. Again, perhaps it is in some cases, but I know from my experience that this is not the facts in every case.

Am I still missing something here?

Where are the good ole days, when Glice refrained from intellectual postulation, and simply resorted to cock references?

By which I mean, "Hey, look at my cock. Isn't it enormous?".

Reminded once again why I come back here.

You so want my ass.

even though i hate terrorists, i dont think they should ban burqas

Religious people are weird.

Agreed, but they have cleverly mastered the art of profiting financially from ideological insecurities.

I thought we'd covered this ground. Don't be redundant.

The Burqa is not necessarily a forced "tradition". It is religious service, as is any other religious tradition. I am Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox. During Mass, 99% of the women there cover the head and face during the service (not quite as elaborate as with a burqa, but it comes from the same Middle Eastern/North African traditional root). Why do they do this? It is not only an outward sign of faith and piety, but an inward reminder of the superiority of the Divine. It is a form of religious dedication and service. It is an important aspect of worship for women within these cultures. It is not the right of the western world, and of western women, to judge these other women or their traditions. Rest assured, they think American women are just as hopeless and backwards, with their cosmopolitan world of fashion and overt sexuality.

I am a dreadlock. Within the Rastafari culture, dreadlocks can be as important as the burqa. The Bobo Ashanti dreads never reveal their locks in public. They must maintain them covered at ALL times. Some Bobos never even show their wives their dreads. I have inherited this shame so to speak, and usually prefer a head covering to outward flowing dreads. I feel uncomfortable and nervous without a head covering, as if I am doing something wrong, when in public without one. In a way, I guess I can relate to the Burqa, because I too cover my head in public at almost all times. My dreads are a religious service, to remind me daily in my life about my dedications and venerations. So, I can truly empathize, and understand that for many women, I am sure that the burqa is fully necessary, fully voluntary, and in no way should be interferred with by the Western world.

The Netherlands has no right to do this, and it is destined to failure.

I say if women wanna willingly degrade and devalue themselves, fine.

i don't have a problem with women wearing burqas, if they arent forced to do so.. if it's their own choice and they want to express their religion that way, why not? although there's something wrong when they'd start to disrespect others for not covering themselves.. we respect what they believe, let them respect what we don't believe :)

(sorry if this isn't that clear, hard to explain)

yes ploesj I'm agree with what you wrote. the problem still to be the level of emancipation of the common people. sincerely I dont think their minds will allow this thing in a few years, so? the worse thing I can hear is: "it's use to do that" cause in this case they think to chose but they dont chose at all. it's very sad.

Snake are you talking about George W. ????

A lot of people think that the muslim dress code, only applies to women.
In some countries of the islamic world, men are expected to cover themselves up, from the navel to their knees or even their arms up to the wrists. There are many different forms of clothing to satisfy the demands of Hijab (to veil, to cover, etc), and it is all done to ensure that people dress in a modest fashion.

Getting back to the burqa, it's the most extreem version of Hijab and even the eyes get covered. I think that women should have are right to choose if they wear one or not.