[Z]

I find the burka really intimidating, personally, but I don't really agree with banning it - the fashion police is now apparently a real thing! Hah. I don't like religion though, in part because of how outdated a concept it is and how so many ridiculous values are held in spite of a changing society. We don't roast animals over an open fire anymore, we don't build our own homes and so on so why do some sectors of society maintain other practices from thousands of years ago, e.g. wearing the burka? It's all a bit ridiculous IMO. Even though France banning it goes against the freedom of choice ideology, I think it's a step in the right direction towards ridding society of these outdated values.

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by Barbie

Hopefully the UK will follow soon, what they do in their houses is their own business but outside in public for the points raised above it should be banned. We don't allow hoodies to be up in shops, or would find it acceptable if people go around in balaclava's, we shouldn't have double standard just because it is someones religion.

This.

[arista]

"but I don't really agree with banning it "

No Zee
this is France not Scotland
they have every Right to inforce it.

[letmein]

Originally Posted by arista

"but I don't really agree with banning it "

No Zee
this is France not Scotland
they have every Right to inforce it.

What part of "I don't really agree", do you not understand?

[arista]

Originally Posted by letmein

What part of "I don't really agree", do you not understand?

None

[Liberty4eva]

I think it's a disturbing new development that France feels it needs to enforce a new dress code. But I suppose it's not too surprising considering Europeans have, in sociological terms, positive freedom whereas Americans have negative freedom. If you don't like the burka why in the world did you allow millions of people from Muslim countries in to your country in the first place? They never agreed that they would dress like other French people.

I feel the government's responsibility is to protect unpopular freedom of speech and expression, not to cater to the impulses of the common people.

[arista]

Originally Posted by Liberty4eva

I think it's a disturbing new development that France feels it needs to enforce a new dress code. But I suppose it's not too surprising considering Europeans have, in sociological terms, positive freedom whereas Americans have negative freedom. If you don't like the burka why in the world did you allow millions of people from Muslim countries in to your country in the first place? They never agreed that they would dress like other French people.

I feel the government's responsibility is to protect unpopular freedom of speech and expression, not to cater to the impulses of the common people.

Here in England
we ain't the Euro
and not Europeans.

[Scarlett.]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

This really, I'm too tired of these topics to really contribute but restricting people's rights to wear what they want is a slippery path. What would be a better alternative is a educating people about the Burkha and such, tell people they can't do something and they'll probably react angrily but if you give them the choice they might very well end up rejecting the Burkha of their own accord.

A parent's mistake isn't always permanent, people can and will grow up and realise that some things their parents taught them were wrong, I did about a lot of things I was raised to believe in. Not everyone does but giving people the choice is a better and more peaceful way of doing things then outright banning it and creating more ill feeling then there was before.

Amen to that

[Liberty4eva]

Originally Posted by arista

Here in England
we ain't the Euro
and not Europeans.

In another thread it seemed like more than half of the people here wanted to stay in the European Union. It's cute how calling the English European can rankle them just like Canadians being called American irks them.

[BB_Eye]

Originally Posted by Zee

I find the burka really intimidating, personally, but I don't really agree with banning it - the fashion police is now apparently a real thing! Hah. I don't like religion though, in part because of how outdated a concept it is and how so many ridiculous values are held in spite of a changing society. We don't roast animals over an open fire anymore, we don't build our own homes and so on so why do some sectors of society maintain other practices from thousands of years ago, e.g. wearing the burka? It's all a bit ridiculous IMO. Even though France banning it goes against the freedom of choice ideology, I think it's a step in the right direction towards ridding society of these outdated values.

The absurdity of the pro-ban brigade is this.

Banning burkhas is apparently acceptable and inoffensive to ordinary muslims, because burkhas are not a requirement of Islam and never have been. Fine this is a valid point, their existence can be traced back to Manichean Persia.

How then are we supposed to accept that this ban is an attack on Wahhabi Islam alone -as commentators such as Yasmin Alibai-Brown seem so sure of- and not an attack on the ethnic customs of its wearers?