Should women be allowed to wear Burqas in public?
 

I don't have a problem with it at all, but it has become an important issue in Holland the last year or so. I can't say that Holland is one of the most tolerant countries in Europe anymore. Fucking pathetic!!
Die Rita Die!!!!!!!

Netherlands considers burqa ban

The Dutch immigration minister says she will look into the legality of banning the burqa, the robes worn by some Muslim women to cover their bodies.

Rita Verdonk made the pledge after a majority in parliament said it would support such a ban.

The proposal was put forward by independent politician Geert Wilders.

"That women should walk the streets in a totally unrecognisable manner is an insult to everyone who believes in equal rights," he said.

"This law is a comfort to moderate Muslims and will contribute to integration in the Netherlands," he added in a statement.

His proposal is supported by two of the parties in the governing centre-right coalition, as well as the opposition right-wing party founded by the late Pim Fortuyn.

Mrs Verdonk did not say when she might complete her investigation.

If the Netherlands does decide to ban the burqa, it will be the first European country to do so.

I recently wore a balaclava when I went shopping in a busy high street and almost got arrested for it. People avoided me, and I felt like a terrorist.

What are your opinions? Should Tokolosh have the right to wear one on a nudist beach, while suntanning? (: )

yes they should be allowed to wear them. as much as i dont agree with them and think that they are wrong i dont think that they should be banned in public.

as far as the balaclava on the nudist beach, they have websites for that kind of thing man.

im not a big fan of islam at all, not a fan of any religions, especialy the extreme versions. but im a big fan off free speech and personal freedom. it doesnt hurt me or this guy who's trying to ban it.
it may harm the women, but its up to them to break out of it. if western women didnt fight for the vote and for equal rights, theyd still be wearing aprons, baking cakes and very much controlled by the men in their life.
i disagree this has anything to do with beliefs, but im sure the islam community will argue otherwise.

personally i find it disgusting, ugly and ridiculous, the whole wearing buqas. but if i didnt find it so disgusting, id very much want the right to wear one, as its fuck all to do with anyone else and its not hurting anyone.
the real issue is.......do the women really want to wear them?
or is it the guys/tradition making them? (i think YES)
would the same men who enforce it on the women in their family enjoy wearing one themselves if it were the norm?
answer------no, it would piss them off.

its not my place to tell soomeone what to wear or how to wear it! it shouldnt be one culture imposing beliefs on another... how would the christian world like it if the muslim/islamic world told us that we can no longer eat cow!

I'm sure Meena would have agreed with you.


One of her poems I’LL NEVER RETURN is very much popular among feminists. Parts of the poem:

I'm the woman who has awoken
I've arisen and become a tempest through the ashes of my burnt children
I've arisen from the rivulets of my brother's blood
My nation's wrath has empowered me
My ruined and burnt villages fill me with hatred against the enemy
Oh compatriot, no longer regard me weak and incapable,
My voice has mingled with thousands of arisen women
My fists are clenched with fists of thousands compatriots
To break all these sufferings all these fetters of slavery.
I'm the woman who has awoken,
I've found my path and will never return.

"An insult to everyone who believes in equal rights?"

Anyone making religious clothing illegal has no business using this rationale.

Yes, I think the whole thing is fucked up, but I can't really relate to religious people of any stripe. They can do what they want.

Where's Laila when you need her........

i don't think women should be allowed out in public.

I don't agree with them either but,yes,everyone should be allowed to wear their colours wherever and whenever they want.I couldn't think of anything more aberrant than someone(religious or not) negating the right of showing themselves the way they actually look like to other human beings but if that means the person in question doesn't know any better,let it be that way.

yes but just to do pictures.

Considering thoughts of reciprocity .... yes. And I would have big problems denying this central maxim of law tradition (and maybe not only law). Western originated law tradition – of course. But also applied by the nearly universal UN.

I don't have a terminal opinion on this and to prescribe somebody what to wear indeed appears strange, but it's arguable.

Yes, but it is more arguable pertaining to the wearing of flipflops.
Now that is offensive!

Flipflops a are crime against society and therefore more punishable and prone to derision.

If your wit got translated correctly, then this doesn't make any sense

Double standards,you understand.....

That photo is more disgusting than tubgirl and goatse put together.

somehow i am doubting that.

the koran says not to make a big thing out of your beauty or to hide your beauty. something along those lines, which some jerk decided meant all women to cover their faces.

I find the notion that women wearing the burqa are 'forced' into it by 'male opressors' somewhat distasteful.

The burqa isn't, as many assume, a religious obligation - many Muslim countries don't observe it at all, and as far as I'm concerned, it is a choice in a secular society (such as Britain) and an observation of a cultural norm in Muslim societies (that is, the societies which observe it). I know one lady who wears the Burqa from time to time, and she does really enjoy wearing it. I would say she is far from being a battered fishwife, and is probably one of the most confident women I know. She feels very comfortable in a burqa, and I don't think it's fair for anyone to suggest that every woman who wears a burqa is being intimidated by the male oppressors.

Personally, I don't like the burqas. I don't mind headscarves, but not being able to see someone's facial expressions is something I find disconcerting. In the recent (British) instance of a teaching assistant being ordered to remove her burqa while teaching, I side with the teaching authorities, although so far as I can make out the story has, predictably, been blown entirely out of all proportion. Like many people here though, I defend anyone's personal choice to wear what they like. I often wear t-shirts which may be considered offensive (particularly the one which says, "I am a CUNT"), and I think that's a lot more offensive than a burqa. I generally wear it under a shirt, unless there's a particular ocassion where I know no-one is going to take massive offense. However, if I were to wear it in a shopping centre with kids around, I think I would be right to be arrested for obscenity. The thing with the burqa is that it is disconcerting, but I don't think that it is in any way offensive, unless the secular societies which serve to prohibit the choice to wear the burqa find any 'different' trends or fashion to be offensive, which is certainly very unlikely (in what I know of Europe, anyway).

I was going to neg rep you for that but it wont let me.

For the record,women being forced to dress or undress in any way is a distasteful thing wichever way you look at it.I'm sure Glice didn't mean no harm but there is no debate on this issue as being forced to wear and hide your face is never,EVER, pleasant in whatever context you put it.End of discussion here.

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.