THE TIMES: She walks through the narrow streets in the beating summer sun, covered from head to toe in a black burka, with only her eyes and nose showing through a niqab. In front her two daughters wear bright red versions of the same Islamic garb, save for their faces peeping out for the world to see.
But these are not the streets of Islamabad or Kabul, rather Barcelona — supposedly one of the most liberal, anything-goes places in Europe. This is the city with one of the biggest gay communities on the Continent. It was where Picasso and Dalí learnt their craft and it plays host to the antics of the avant-garde theatre troupe Fura dels Baus.
However, when pressed on the question of the right to wear the veil, the mood is rather less laid-back. A passer-by in the street shouts at the Muslim woman: “Why don’t you stand up for women? You are prisoners of men.”
Beyond the jibes the attitude in Spain’s second city towards the niqab or the face-covering burka appears to be hardening.
Last week, Jordi Hereu, the Socialist Mayor, announced that it would be the first large city in Europe to ban the the full veil in public buildings. Anyone in a burka or niqab will be unwelcome in council offices, libraries or state kindergartens. Read on and comment >>> | Saturday, June 19, 2010
It is becoming increasingly obvious that many European countries such as Belgium, Switzerland, Spain and France are prepared to take a stand against women being enslaved and suppressed by their husbands, religion, and culture. It is such a pity that the mealy-mouthed British, the spineless British perhaps more accurately, cannot make a stand for the rights of women, and fight for their Judeo-Christian civilization. It would appear that the British are prepared to allow the culture of the desert to supersede the culture of the greatest civilization that this world has ever known: Judeo-Christian civilization. – © Mark
THE TIMES: Barcelona bans burkas from public spaces: Barcelona became the first big Spanish city to ban the use of the Islamic veil in public spaces. Jordi Hereu, the city’s mayor, signed a decree banning the burka and niqab in council buildings, crèches and libraries. >>> Graham Keeley, Madrid | Wednesday, June 16, 2010
