NEWS JUNKIE POST
Apr 1, 2010 at 9:04 pmBelgium To Ban Burqa
The House Affairs Committee of the Belgian Parliament voted unanimously to ban the use of a burqa in public. The measure will be brought before the full government after Easter, and is expected to be the first bill of its kind in Europe.
The recent wave of immigration into secular Europe from predominantly Muslim countries has sparked a fierce debate on the subcontinent. In regards to the burqa, on one hand are those pressing for religious expression, on the other women’s rights advocates.
“Wearing the burqa in public is not compatible with an open, liberal, tolerant society” stated Daniel Bacquelaine, the liberal sponsor of the bill.
A center right Member of Parliament, Denis Ducarme added, “I am proud that Belgium would be the first country in Europe which dares to legislate on this sensitive matter”
The New York Times reports that, “The bill could mean a ban being imposed on wearing burqas, or full-length garments that prevent women being identified, in streets, public gardens and sports grounds or buildings “meant for public use.”
This comes on the heels of the recent direct democratic vote in Switzerland which banned the construction of any new Islamic minarets by a wide plurality. The Netherlands and France are similarly considering measures to curb the use of the burqa in public.
France banned wearing scarves in public schools in 2004, and the Netherlands is considering legislation that would ban them for teachers and public servants.
There are around half million Muslims living in Belgium. The sight of women wearing burqas and niqabs is not common, likely due to the highly secular nature of Belgian society.
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This has more to do with the sexual immaturity of men than religious rights in a society. We are supposed to be a civilized modern society, but yet we still allow women to suffer the indignity of oppressive rituals.
Unfortunately our level of civilization still requires a means of visual identification for purposes of security. A burqa, like a ski mask, obscures the identity of those that wear them in public places. The burqa is also a social barrier that inhibits our intrinsic means of communication through facial responses and gestures.
The ban, in public places, is justified and welcomed.
Hehehehe, thanks for this !..
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Sacrificing a religious group’s freedom to wear their customary style of dress sounds like a backwards step in terms of becoming a more liberal country.
Religious freedom is important. The rights of women to not have an oppressive garment imposed upon them is probably more important. Just in my opinion.
First of all…. Ole, nice to meet a fellow “Ole”. Mine is a nickname but… it’s still a fun surprise to find you on my first digg exploration!
Secondly, I entirely understand what Tim is saying. That’s my first instinct too. And I agree with your response. At the same time, I fear that laws like this can further alienate other cultures and cause the practicing men to confine their wives to their homes. (I.e. If the husbands force their wives to wear burqas in the first place, do we really think their husbands will let them out of the house without penalty without them?) I don’t know! I’ll hope for positive progress and look for further articles.
Tim, -Since when is being forced to do something a freedom? Religious organisations should have no more right to practice or preach practices which discriminate on the basis of gender that any other organisation.
so anyone wearing a burqa MUST be doing so under oppression ? has anyone considered that they may be doing that out of self-will ? isnt restricting self-will oppression ? this is bigotry – plain and simple. this is no different than waking up one day and banning housewives under claim that the concept of housewives is oppressive to women. for this, i ban belgium till it lifts this ban.
Then again Tim, many German children willfully joined the Nazi party and their affliated youth organizations of their own volition. However, that hardly makes it anything other than oppression, considering the highly indoctrination nature of Nazi Germany.
I feel cruel saying it, but the truth remains the same: the Muslim religion is quite the same. It’s a fierce indoctrination tactic from birth to enforce the inferiority of women to the minds of girls and women. In an extreme case it creates suicide bombers with its indoctrination, which I’m most assuredly not saying is all Islamic churches, but… like an religion, its perpetuated by its indoctrination. In this istance, it’s an infringement on the rights of women.
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