I don't think I'm alone when I say that I don't see this being too well received by some. Nonetheless, it brings up a good question: at what point, if any, does Western society, in all of its welcoming embrace, draw the line and say enough is enough?
Read the article.
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You don't make it clear in your post as to whether or not you support the ban on burkas. I don't think it's necessary that you do so though; it makes it easier to respond to an open issue rather than a partisan statement.
I have to say that if a society preaches freedom of religion and personal choice, it cannot be selective in what it allows. That doesn't mean that anything goes - some things, like polygamy, can be harmful and even abusive to the women that are involved. The same goes for honor killings and countless other things. While there are some who would argue that burkas restrict the rights of women, I submit that they do not. Some women CHOOSE to wear burkas and hijabs - they consider it an important part of their faith. The problem arises when they are forced to wear such garments. The abuse of forcing a woman to comply with the husband's wishes is what should be dealt with. Deal with the problem, not the symptom.
At first I thought this reply would be concise and simple. The issue really does get more and more complicated the more you think about it. Sorry for rambling. =)
No need to apologize, Russel. As to your first point, I had intended to keep any discussion a bit more open in the first place.
As for myself, I'm still not fully sure what I think about it. Yes, we have freedom of religion but as you already point out, that does not justify blanket protection for anything done in the name of religion.
I don't know a lot of the finer details about Islam but my understanding is that while modesty in dress in advocated in the Quran, the use of the burka is not and has been open to its own interpretation. If someone knows better on the topic, please let me know.
If what the article suggests, that the Taliban introduced it in Afghanistan, is true then I do feel a degree of concern. The Taliban isn't exactly known for its progressive views on women and if it has been used mainly as a tool of subjection, I do not support it.
On a somewhat related note, I've read other stories out of Britain and other places where, for example, female police officers are given head coverings when they enter mosques. In another instance, community pools are having 'Muslim-friendly' swimming sessions and turning away those who refuse to conform to that particular dress code. One additional example involved a school teacher having children pray to Allah in class.
This, for me, is where it could lead to a bit of trouble, and not simply with dress codes or items of cultural and religious respect. I don't feel particularly comfortable with the idea that people are being forced to comply with standards that aren't theirs. Our own society believes that all people are equal, and yet, there are some who view these kinds of moves as a sort of special treatment to be more politically correct.
It does get touchy and unfortunately, I feel too many of us aren't willing to have meaningful discussion on these kinds of issues because some are too sensitive. I hope that changes, though. People aren't going to understand one another if we can't talk about ourselves.
I have to say I agree with the article. In my opinion, burkas are a form of oppression that is just less obvious then polygamy.
Still, I think the Danes are in for a nasty bout of freedom of religion complaints. You don't rock the boat that much without serious trauma and politically correct nutters going after you.
If they really do want to ban burkas, it's going to take a while, but I'll cheer them on.
"I don't know a lot of the finer details about Islam but my understanding is that while modesty in dress in advocated in the Quran, the use of the burka is not and has been open to its own interpretation. If someone knows better on the topic, please let me know."
The Quran does indeed preach modesty while providing some insight as to how exactly to be modest (ie: cover hair, loose-fitting clothing, etc). So in a way a garment similar to burkhas is described, but not necessarily identical.
It is worth noting, however, that the form of modesty the Quran preaches is OPTIONAL. It's a way for people of both genders (yes, there are dress standards for men as well) to express their faith if they so choose.
This goes back to what I tried to say in my first post. The issue here is the forcing of women to wear them by their husbands/fathers/brothers/whatever that is the problem, not the way a woman may choose to express her own faith.
When it was first introduced, and even now if it was followed as it was intended to be, Islam was a very liberal religion. Women flocked to it because it allowed them freedom from the harsh Arab culture that was predominant at the time. Over the years, that same culture seeped into the new religion and, unfortunately, not much has changed as a result. It's a shame, really.
The specific descriptions of acceptable dress probably were not in the Quran itself, but recorded by Mohammad later to explain in greater detail what was acceptable and what was not. I'm not entirely certain how it's done, only that the Burkha as we see it is indeed closely integrated with the religion. It's definitely not just something that was tacked on at a later date.
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