France to ban the Burqa? Is this secular?

[Asi-Irish]

the crucifix is a symbol one the one true god and the one true faith so you cannot compare to Islamist oddities

In your opinion, which you're entitled to. You may be right, or you may be wrong, but if Christians were on the receiving end of this type of move, I suspect your attitude would be different.

[mespilroadflats]

If you consider the wearing of veils by "Sister Callida" et al ok, then consider the burqa equally acceptable.

(cue joke about Chris De Burqa's fans in Iran)

[mollox]

Banning the burqa would imprison some women in their homes. Wearing the burqa doesn't imply terrorism any more than wearing a hoody makes you a criminal.

I admire the secular character of French education and society generally, but this imo is not about secularity, there is no logic behind it It seems to me to be a concession to anti-Islamic prejudice.

A blanket ban seems extreme.
However, you can understand the security considerations of people moving about in sensitive areas with their faces concealed. How do you know it's not a man?

I'd be in favour of a limited ban in specified security-sensitive locations - say in airports.
However, I'd also favour allowing other locations e.g. shopping centres, train stations etc., the discretion to deny access to people with their faces concealed.
And I'd include people wearing hoodies in this.

[CookieMonster]

Hiding your face cuts you off from society. It is a deliberate act to separate the Muslims from non-Muslims with the subsequent ghettoization and extremism that will go with Islamic ghettos.

But it's not. It's done in every muslim country in the world. The burka is a significant cultural symbol. I'm not a big fan of it's significance at all, but that's not my call to make.

[Wendy]

From Obama's speech in Cairo:

"Likewise, it is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit – for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear. We cannot disguise hostility towards any religion behind the pretence of liberalism."

and

"I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality. And it is no coincidence that countries where women are well-educated are far more likely to be prosperous."

Of course 'twas undermined a wee bit by the spectacle of Hillary Clinton with her hair covered by a scarf...

[Asi-Irish]

How do you know it's not a man?

And I'd include people wearing hoodies in this.

A man? Good God! Not a man!

And hoodies? For the love of God, ban the hoodies.

Has the world gone mad?

[asset test]

Islamic fundamentalists (men) insist on their females covering up completely if they leave the house. In the house they can discard it.

Moderate Muslims do not have a problem with NOT wearing the burka, the hijab etc. it is a matter of choice. Look at secular Islamic societies like Turkey and Tunisia. Matter of choice there not force.

Moderate Muslims want the burka banned because it tars them with the same brush as the fundamentalists, and gives moderate Islam a bad name.

France is a secular society. In schools both the hijab and the crucifix are banned, as are any religious paraphenalia. Good move that IMO. Wish it was the same here.

[IvoShandor]

Every culture has its norms. I trust that yours includes keeping your trousers on in public

Banning the burqa would imprison some women in their homes. Wearing the burqa doesn't imply terrorism any more than wearing a hoody makes you a criminal.

I admire the secular character of French education and society generally, but this imo is not about secularity, there is no logic behind it It seems to me to be a concession to anti-Islamic prejudice.

I don't subscribe to the view that all cultural practices are equally valid.Some cultural norms are backward and degenerate. We don't allow female genital mutilation or child marriage here despite the fact that they are widespread in parts of Africa.
Anti-Islamic? Well, if the cap fits! If Islamic society-or parts of it-is depraved enough to encourage this horrible habit, well hard cheese on Islam. Maybe it would imprison some women in their homes to start with, but it would also be a wake-up call to their menfolk that western societies are no longer going to ignore or accommodate sub-sections of society that sequester and subjugate their women. It's time these people were faced with the choice:do you want to be full members of the societies you live in, or exist in a time-warped bubble of backwardness and religious zealotry. This is nothing to do with terrorism, it is to do with misogyny.
In fact, this hideous garment is only worn by a minority of Muslims worldwide and it is not a cultural norm in Islam;mainly in Saudi Arabia,the tribal,most reactionary parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan and the deep countryside of some other countries. It is a significant sign of islamic fundamentalism. Most urban Muslim women want nothing to do with it and would not be bothered by this prohibition. The French, not for the first time, are drawing a line and setting an example. Fair play to them.

""I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality. And it is no coincidence that countries where women are well-educated are far more likely to be prosperous."

Remember, Obama is referring to a hijab. A burka is something else again.

"But it's not. It's done in every muslim country in the world. The burka is a significant cultural symbol. I'm not a big fan of it's significance at all, but that's not my call to make."

Correct. It is a significant cultural symbol of religious extremism, of the notion that women are occasions of sin and should be hidden away. If we are believers in human rights, it is our call.

[Asi-Irish]

I have a Buddhist-Sanskrit tattoo on my wrist. Should I be locked up?

[garlandgreen]

Indeed. If somebody want's to parade around Metal Gear Solid style that's their business