Birmingham College Bans Muslim Veils

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A college has been accused of discrimination after it banned Muslim students from wearing religious veils.

Birmingham Metropolitan College ordered all students, staff and visitors to remove any face coverings so individuals are "easily identifiable at all times".

The move led to claims that Muslim students were being discriminated against after women were told they could not wear the niqab, a veil that leaves only a slot for the eyes.

The disclosure comes as proposals to ban face coverings in public places are being debated in Parliament.

A private members bill proposed by Philip Hollobone, the Conservative MP for Kettering, would make it an offence for someone to wear “a garment or other object” intended primarily to obscure their face, in public. » | Edward Malnick | Tuesday, September 10, 2013

France Bars Muslim Clerics from Entering Country
FOX NEWS: PARIS – France has barred a group of Muslim clerics, including one of the most prominent voices in Sunni Islam, from entering the country to attend a conference. France's foreign ministry said Thursday the clerics were invited by the French Islamic Union to speak at a congress in Le Bourget near Paris from April 6-9.

One of those barred, the Egyptian-born Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, says he refuses to come to France.

The ban also includes other high-profile Muslim clerics of Palestinian, Egyptian and Saudi origin.

The foreign ministry said in a statement that "these people call for hatred and violence and seriously violate the principles of the Republic, and in the current context, seriously risk disrupting public order."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said earlier this week that these figures would not be "welcome" as their views are incompatible with French values. » | Associated Press | Thursday, March 29, 2012

FOX NEWS: Is There Something In Islam That Makes Believers More Susceptible to Radicalization? » | Lauren Green | Thursday, March 10, 2011

French Riot Police Threaten to Strike over Alcohol Ban
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France's riot police have complained about being "treated like children" following a new ban on drinking alcohol while on duty.

The CRS (Republican Security Companies), which made its name quelling student demonstrators during nationwide disturbances in 1968, has always enjoyed a glass of beer or wine with its meals.

However, following photos of riot police drinking bottles of beer during Paris street protest, police chiefs have decided to put an end to the tradition.

They were wearing body armour and carrying weapons as they sipped from beer and wine bottles. Some were also smoking.

Didier Mangione, national secretary of the police union, said bosses were "trying to turn us into priests, but without the altar wine".

"Nobody should object to a small drink on jobs," he said. "CRS officers do not have any more or less alcohol problems than anybody else in society. They should be allowed to drink in moderation." » | Peter Allen in Paris | Thursday, April 21, 2011

British Muslim Radical Banned from France ahead of Burka Ban
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A British Muslim radical has been banned permanently from France as the country steps up security before the introduction of a nationwide burka ban on Monday.

Anjem Choudary, head of the outlawed Islam4UK which advocates Sharia law, was turned back as he tried to join an illegal protest against the measure in Paris on Saturday.

He was served with a legal notice informing him that the French Interior Ministry was banning him permanently.

Abu Izzadeen and Omar Bakri, who are similarly controversial figures based in Britain, also tried to get to the event but were stopped by police.

France is on a high state of alert after al Qaeda issued warnings that it would attack the country following the introduction of the ban, which imposes fines of £130 to women caught wearing Islamic veils.

Men who force their wives or daughters to cover up illegally will face up to a year in prison, and fines of up to £25,000.

In October Jacques Myard, a senior member of President Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling UMP party who helped introduce the burka ban in France, said Britain was "losing the battle against Islamic extremism" and thus "opened the door to terrorism". » | Peter Allen in Paris | Sunday, April 10, 2011

Dutch Ritual Slaughter Ban a Step Closer

EURONEWS: In Holland, a proposal to ban Kosher and Halal slaughter methods has moved a step closer to reality, with a majority of the country’s MPs now supporting the ban.

In order to reduce stress, in the EU animals slaughtered for meat are normally stunned before they are killed. But Kosher and Halal butchery requires the animals to be fully conscious when their throats are cut. » | © Euronews | Friday, April 08, 2011

Another Step Closer to Sharia Law: TV Alcohol Advertising Ban Proposed
THE INDEPENDENT: A bid to impose a total ban on alcohol advertising on television has been launched in Parliament.

The legislation, proposed by GP and Tory MP Sarah Wollaston, would also prevent alcohol brands being used to sponsor sporting and cultural events.

Under her plan to limit children's exposure to alcohol marketing, tightly controlled advertising would only be permitted in certain circumstances with a blanket ban on all other promotion.

Dr Wollaston (Totnes) has cross-party backing for her move, but critics labelled it an extension of the "nanny state". » | David Hughes, PA | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Hospitals Back Down Over Smoking Ban
THE TELEGRAPH: Managers at two hospitals who banned smoking have been forced to back down over fears that staff and patients trying to light up illicitly could start a fire.

Patients, visitors and staff have repeatedly been caught flouting the no-smoking restrictions at the hospitals in Bournemouth, Dorset.

So for "Health and Safety reasons" the smoking areas have been brought back in – after firefighters were repeatedly called and staff have had to put out small bed blazes with water.

Patients have been caught smoking under the bedclothes, in stairwells, lavatories, storerooms, courtyards and even next to the oxygen store.

Employees were caught smoking in a total of 21 areas around the Royal Bournemouth Hospital and six at the Christchurch Hospital, Bournemouth, leading to piles of cigarette butts and debris forming.

After five years banning cigarettes on-site they have been allowed back – although only in designated areas. >>> | Monday, September 13, 2010

Home Secretary Bans English Defence League March in Bradford
THE TELEGRAPH: Theresa May, the Home Secretary, has authorised a blanket ban on marches in a city on the day of a planned protest by the English Defence League (EDL), an [sic] right-wing campaign group.

The EDL had intended to demonstrate in Bradford on Saturday August 28 and Unite Against Fascism has planned a protest in the city on the same day.

A Home Office spokesman said: ''Having carefully balanced rights to protest against the need to ensure local communities and property are protected, the Home Secretary today gave her consent to a Bradford Council order banning any marches in the city over the bank holiday weekend. >>> | Friday, August 20, 2010

La Syrie interdit le niqab à l'université
Deux Syriennes portant le niqab font leurs courses lundi à Damas. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Damas, qui veut protéger son «identité laïque», n'autorise plus depuis dimanche les étudiantes à porter le voile intégral. Déjà, en juin, 1200 enseignantes du primaire, qui l'arboraient, avaient été mutées dans des services administratifs.

Le débat sur le voile intégral n'agite pas uniquement les pays européens. Il s'est aussi emparé du Proche-Orient. La Syrie interdit depuis dimanche aux étudiantes des universités de porter la burqa ou le niqab. Dorénavant, les étudiantes arborant le voile intégral ne pourront plus s'inscrire dans les établissements privés et publics du secondaire. En revanche le foulard reste toujours autorisé. Du coté des autorités syriennes, on explique avoir voulu protéger «l'identique laïque» du pays.

Le ministre de l'Education supérieure, qui a publié le décret, affirme avoir reçu de nombreuses plaintes de parents demandant «à ce que leurs filles soient éduquées dans des lieux dépourvu de tout extrémisme». «Nous ne laisserons pas nos filles être la proie de telles idées», a promis le ministre à ses collaborateurs. Pour Ghiath Barakat, «le voile intégral va à l'encontre des principes académiques et des règles des campus», rapporte la chaîne Al-Arabiya. >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Mardi 20 Juillet 2010

Syria Bans Niqab from Universities
THE GUARDIAN: Regime fears face-covering Islamic veil poses threat to country's secular identity

Niqabs such as this will not be seen in any Syrian university once the country's new measures come into force. Photograph: The Guardian
Syria has banned the face-covering Islamic veil from the country's universities to prevent what it sees as a threat to its secular identity, as similar moves in Europe spark cries of discrimination against Muslims.

The education ministry issued the ban on Sunday, according to a government official. The ban, which affects public and private universities, is only against the niqab – a full Islamic veil that reveals just a woman's eyes – not headscarves, which are far more commonly worn by Syrian women.

The billowing black robe known as a niqab is not widespread in Syria, although it has become more common recently – a move that has not gone unnoticed in a country governed by a secular, authoritarian regime.

"We have given directives to all universities to ban niqab-wearing women from registering," the government official said today.
The niqab "contradicts university ethics," he added, saying the government was seeking to protect its secular identity. >>> Associated Press in Damascus | Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Uproar After Minister Says: Let Women Wear a Burkha
DAILY EXPRESS: A CABINET minister provoked outrage last night by suggesting wearing a burkha could be “empowering” for some Muslim women.

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman claimed that a full-face veil was seen as “conferring dignity” in some Islamic societies, such as Afghanistan.

And she vowed to oppose calls for Britain to follow France in outlawing burkhas in public.

She said: “We are a free country, we attach importance to people being free and for a woman it is empowering to be able to choose each morning when you wake up what you wear.”

But her remarks sparked an angry reaction from ­critics last night.

UK Independence Party Euro MP Nigel Farage, whose party is pressing for the ­burkha and other face ­coverings to be outlawed, said: “It is astonishing that a member of the Government in the 21st century can say that women covering their faces empowers them.

“It does not. It disadvantages them in every walk of life. Her comments are ignorant and ill-founded.” Mrs Spelman spoke out ­yesterday after the Government ruled out banning the burkha, the niqab and other face veils. >>> Macer Hall, Political Editor | Monday, July 19, 2010

Related >>>

Syria's Niqab Ban Is Part of a Clash Within Islam Itself
THE GUARDIAN: Far from the heated debates of Europe, Syria has banned the niqab in classrooms, adding another layer to this complex story

Quietly, away from the fanfare that accompanied the French vote on banning the niqab in public, and calls by Philip Hollobone to impose a ban in Britain, the Syrian government has instituted its own, more limited, ban, removing teachers who wear the full face veil from teaching in public schools.

At first glance, such a move might seem puzzling: Syria, with dozens of religious sects and a nominally secular government, has managed for decades to use a light touch, at least when it comes to personal faith.

But the rise of religion among the population has shaken the leadership: with overt displays of faith on the rise and a rare terrorist attack in Damascus two years ago attributed to Islamists, the government appears to be moving against hardline religious ideas.

The niqab ban in public schools is a fairly blunt instrument but, on such a small scale, it may be intended to send a message. Egypt, too, has instigated a similarly limited ban (for university exams), a move opposed by Islamists but upheld by the courts.

But Syria's struggle with Islamists and visible symbols of Islam is part of a wider clash, a clash within Islam itself. Political Islam is gaining ground across both the Arab world and Muslim-majority countries. What happens in this debate matters profoundly, because the same debate is taking place within Muslim communities in the west.

The debate, crudely put, is over the space between the personal and the political. Secular-minded governments have tried to keep faith out of state institutions; Islamists want their faith to guide those institutions. Personal space has also increasingly been politicised, with a rise in the wearing of the headscarf and the veil in Syria and in most Muslim-majority countries. Read on and comment >>> Faisal al Yafai | Monday, July 19, 2010

What a Silly, Stupid, Idiotic Thing to Say! Is This Really the Calibre of This Parliament?
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Wearing a burka can be 'empowering ' and 'dignified' for Mulsim [sic] women, one of the Government’s most senior female ministers has said.

The controversial remarks by Caroline Spelman, who as Environment Secretary is the second most powerful woman in the Cabinet, were immediately described as “moronic” and “bizarre”.

She is also likely to face anger from back bench Conservative MPs, some of whom have called for the burka – the covering which some Muslim women adopt in public to hide their face, hair and body – to be banned outside of private homes.

Mrs Spelman made her remarks when asked in an interview what she thought of the recent decision by French MPs to introduce a law outlawing the burka in public.

Critics of the ban, including her fellow ministers, have argued that while they do not like to see women covering their faces, particularly if forced to do so by male relatives, legislation is heavy-handed and contrary to the principle of freedom of expression.

But the Environment Secretary’s suggestion that wearing the burka could in fact be seen as a feminist statement will raise eyebrows.

She said that she held her view “as a woman,” and claimed that her experience of visiting Afghanistan had persuaded her that “the burka confers dignity”.

Her remarks are particularly controversial given that before the Taliban was driven out of large parts of Afghanistan with the help of British troops, millions of women were forced under threat of physical violence to wear the veil in public.

British soldiers still gauge the level of threat from the Taliban in a particular area by assessing whether local women feel the need to cover themselves.

But Mrs Spelman insisted that the burka was “empowering”. She told Sky News: “I take a strong view on this, actually. Caroline Spelman: wearing burka can be ‘empowering’ >>> Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent | Sunday, July 18, 2010

Burka Ban Would 'Not Be British'
SKY NEWS: A senior female Cabinet minister says Britain should not ban the burka. Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman told Sky News a ban would be "un-British".

Ignorance and Dhimmitude! The Burqah? Muslimah’s Choice, Says Stupid Conservative Minister!
MAIL ON SUNDAY: Banning the burka would infringe a woman's right to 'choose each morning when you wake up what you wear', Cabinet minister Caroline Spelman said today.

The Environment Secretary claimed it was 'empowering' to be able to choose your own outfit, and this must not be taken away.

It came after the immigration minister, Damian Green, resisted demands from within the Tory party to ban the burka - which critics claim is actually a symbol of oppression.

Mr Green said a ban would be 'rather un-British'* and run contrary to the conventions of a 'tolerant and mutually respectful society'.

This is despite a YouGov survey that found that 67 per cent of voters wanted the wearing of full-face veils to be made illegal. Female minister insists women must be able to choose their own clothes as ban on burka is ruled out >>> James Slack, Home Affairs Editor | Sunday, July 18, 2010

*It is also very un-British to wear such a ridiculous garment! – © Mark

Related article here

The Trouble with Dr. Zakir Naik
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Britain's decision to bar an influential Muslim cleric from entering the country underscores the failure of Indian secularism.

If you're looking for a snapshot of India's hapless response to radical Islam, then look no further than Bombay-based cleric Dr. Zakir Naik. In India, the 44-year-old Dr. Naik—a medical doctor by training and a televangelist by vocation—is a widely respected figure, feted by newspapers and gushed over by television anchors. The British, however, want no part of him. On Friday, the newly elected Conservative-led government announced that it would not allow Dr. Naik to enter Britain to deliver a series of lectures. According to Home Secretary Theresa May, the televangelist has made "numerous comments" that are evidence of his "unacceptable behavior."

The good doctor's views run the gamut from nutty to vile, so it's hard to pinpoint which of them has landed him in trouble. For instance, though Dr. Naik has condemned terrorism, at times he also appears to condone it. "If he [Osama bin Laden] is fighting the enemies of Islam, I am for him," he said in a widely watched 2007 YouTube diatribe. "If he is terrorizing the terrorists, if he is terrorizing America the terrorist, the biggest terrorist, I am with him. Every Muslim should be a terrorist."

Dr. Naik recommends the death penalty for homosexuals and for apostasy from the faith, which he likens to wartime treason. He calls for India to be ruled by the medieval tenets of Shariah law. He supports a ban on the construction of non-Muslim places of worship in Muslim lands and the Taliban's bombing of the Bamiyan Buddhas. He says revealing clothes make Western women "more susceptible to rape." Not surprisingly, Dr. Naik believes that Jews "control America" and are the "strongest in enmity to Muslims." >>> Sadanand Dhume | Sunday, June 20, 2010

Al hamdu lillah! Attitudes Harden in Liberal Barcelona towards Wearing Islamic Dress
Hostility in Barcelona towards Islamic dress can manifest itself as verbal abuse. Photo: The Times
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

Home Secretary Theresa May Bans Radical Preacher Zakir Naik from Entering UK
THE TELEGRAPH: A radical preacher who claimed that “every Muslim should be a terrorist” has been banned from coming to Britain, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

Zakir Naik, a 44-year-old Indian televangelist, has been banned from coming to Britain. Photo: The Telegraph
In her first major test of being tough on extremism, Theresa May, the new Home Secretary, said she was banning Zakir Naik from entering the UK.

Dr Naik, a 44-year-old Indian televangelist, had been due to give a series of lectures at arenas in Wembley Arena and Sheffield.

The Home Secretary can exclude or deport an individual if she thinks that their presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good.

There had been speculation that Dr Naik would be allowed into the UK. However Mrs May said she was excluding him because of the “numerous comments” he made were evidence of his “unacceptable behaviour”.

This behaviour applies to anyone who writes or publishes material which can “foment justify or glorify terrorist violence” or “seek to provoke others to terrorist acts”.

Mrs May told The Daily Telegraph: “I have excluded Dr Naik from the UK. Numerous comments made by Dr Naik are evidence to me of his unacceptable behaviour.

“Coming to the UK is a privilege not a right and I am not wiling to allow those who might not be conducive to the public good to enter the UK.

“Exclusion powers are very serious and no decision is taken lightly or as a method of stopping open debate on issues.”

Home Office sources said Dr Naik had been filmed on a website making inflammatory comments such as “every Muslim should be a terrorist”. >>> Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor | Friday, June 18, 2010

Should the West Ban the Burqa?
FOX NEWS: Early in June, Iran denounced European “intolerance” vis-à-vis the burqa. But is this true?

Many Muslims have come to the West in search of freedom and modernity; others have not. Controversy is inevitable. Islamist leaders believe that the West must “tolerate” the practice of gender apartheid as a “religious” right.

Western leaders have condemned the Islamic veil as a sign of hostility to Western ways and as a refusal to integrate. Muslim and ex-Muslim feminists and secularists have condemned the veil as a violation of women’s human rights and claim that it is not a religious requirement.



Many Muslim and ex-Muslim experts on Islam insist that the Qu’ran does not command women to cover their faces, bodies or hair. Women are merely told to dress modestly. They further point out that for part or all of the 20th century, many women in Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Afghanistan, stopped wearing the veil and wore western dress. Islamists claim that the veil is a religious requirement; that bikinis are worse than burqas; that veiled Muslim women are sacred and as such, should not be exposed to corrupting Western, secular mores.

All Europe is wrestling with the issue of whether to ban the Islamic veil.

On May 19, the French cabinet finally voted to ban the burqa. If parliament approves the bill this summer, female violators will be fined 150 euros; men who force their wives to cover their faces will be fined 15,000 euros and will face jail time. France did this despite a 2009 threat by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb to “do all in our power and take revenge at the first opportunity against France.”

In May, 2010, a burqa-clad woman in Novara, Italy, was fined 500 euros; the city had previously banned burqas and niqabs. In April, 2010, the lower house of Parliament in Belgium approved a ban on burqas and niqabs. In April, in Madrid, a girl wearing hijab was sent home from school. Throughout Germany, women are not allowed to drive while wearing a burqa. As of January 2010, 53% of Swedes polled wanted a ban on burqas and niqab in public. In May, 2010, in France and Switzerland, women physically attacked women who were wearing a burqa or a headscarf.

Where does America stand on the Islamic veil? In his June 2009 speech in Cairo, President Obama had this to say: "The U.S. government has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the hijab, and to punish those who would deny it." Muslim feminists have condemned the president, arguing that the West must fight for a woman’s right not to wear the veil as well. >>> Phyllis Chesler | Saturday, June 05, 2010

Phyllis Chesler, is an author and emerita professor of Psychology and Women’s Studies. She once lived in Kabul, Afghanistan. She may be reached through her website www.phyllis-chesler.com.

Burqas in France

Elton John to Headline Morocco's Biggest Music Festival Despite Islamic Protest
THE TELEGRAPH: Elton John is to headline Morocco's biggest music festival despite calls from Islamist opposition that he should be turned away.

Religious conservatives argued that the gay singer would tarnish the image of the north African kingdom were he allowed to perform at the Mawazine World Rhythms festival in the capital Rabat.

Despite the opposition, the singer will head the festival, beginning on May 21, which brings together musicians from 50 countries and is backed by King Mohammed.

"Elton John is one of the best artists in the world. He is great and extraordinary when he appears on stage. That's why we invite him and welcome him to the Mawazine festival," festival director Aziz Daki said.

"The private life of a singer is not our business. We do not invite singers and artists after assessing their private lives." >>> | Monday, May 17, 2010

Morocco Resists Islamist Calls to Ban Elton John
abcNEWS: RABAT (Reuters) - Elton John will headline Morocco's biggest music festival this week despite calls by religious conservatives for the gay singer to be turned away, the event's organizer said.

Allowing the British singer and songwriter to perform at the Mawazine World Rhythms festival in the capital Rabat would tarnish the image of the north African kingdom, say powerful opposition Islamists.

The writer of "Candle in the Wind '97"', the best-selling single of all time, according to the Guinness Book of Records, has championed sexual freedom and campaigned against the spread of AIDS during a four-decade musical career.

"Elton John is one of the best artists in the world. He is great and extraordinary when he appears on stage. That's why we invite him and welcome him to the Mawazine festival," festival director Aziz Daki told Reuters.

"The private life of a singer is not our business. We do not invite singers and artists after assessing their private lives." >>> Lamine Ghanmi | Monday, May 17, 2010

Moroccan Islamist Party Calls for Elton John Ban
AFP: RABAT — Morocco's main Islamist opposition party has called for gay singer Elton John to be banned from performing at a festival in Rabat later this month, a party leader said Friday.

"We categorically reject the appearance of this singer because there is a risk of encouraging homosexuality in Morocco," the head of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) parliamentary group, Mustapha Ramid, told AFP.

"The problem is not with the singer himself but the image he has in society," another leading party member, Lahcen Daoudi, added.

"Moroccan society has a negative perception of this singer and we must take it into consideration." >>> | Friday, May 07, 2010

Éditorial
AUJOURD’HUI LE MAROC: Festival massif de Mawâzine, qu’un paranoïaque quelconque, travaillé au corps et à l’esprit par la campagne indigne de notre pays en cours d’exécution, se jette sur notre invité anglais à coup de slogans vengeurs et rédempteurs. >>> Khalil Hachimi Idrissi | Mercredi 24 Février 2010

Label marocanité : l’imposture de l’éthique
AUJOURD’HUI LE MAROC: Les festivals, on le sait, dérangent les islamistes. La musique, et ils le savent, est le seul domaine où ils perdent pied.

En dehors des chants religieux qui restent à audience limitée, tout ce qui est notes, rythmes, percussions ou vocalises prompts à s’emparer de l’âme et des cœurs, doit être, à leurs yeux, détesté et maudit. Ils n’ont donc jamais aimé «Mawâzine» pas plus qu’ils n’aiment «L’Boulevard» ou le Festival d’Essaouira. Et à la limite, c’est leur droit le plus strict et le plus absolu. Mais ce que, en revanche, on doit leur refuser, c’est de parler au nom de tout le peuple marocain. Nous aimons Elton John. Non pas pour son homosexualité, ses provocations ou pour ses accoutrements et lunettes excentriques. Nous l’aimons parce que c’est un grand, très grand artiste. … >>> Par Driss Ajbali | Vendredi 14 Mai 2010

Durch den Sehschlitz einer Burka sind die Augen einer Frau nur zu erahnen. Bild: Berliner Zeitung
Nach Burka-Überfall Schleierdebatte in Australien
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Sydney - Ein mit einer Burka verhüllter Geldräuber hat in Australien eine Debatte über den muslimischen Ganzkörperschleiers wie in Frankreich und Belgien ausgelöst.

Cory Bernardi, Politiker der oppositionellen Partei der Liberalen, brachte das Thema mit einem Blog-Eintrag ins Rollen, in dem er sich für ein Verbot aussprach. >>> © dpa | Freitag, 07. Mai 2010

For Australia's Sake, We Need to Ban the Burqa
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: The burqa is no longer simply the symbol of female repression and Islamic culture, it is now emerging as a disguise of bandits and n'er do wells.



In Sydney this morning a man was robbed by a burqa wearing bandit who further disguised his (or her) identity by wearing sunglasses. The bandit was described by police as being of "Middle Eastern appearance".



Well of course he was (assuming it was a he) because the only characteristics the victim could see were the burqa and the sunglasses. Now unless the sunglasses had 'made in Iran' stamped on them, it's fair to say that the 'Middle Eastern appearance' line was attributed to the head to toe veiling of the Islamic burqa.



In my mind, the burqa has no place in Australian society.

I would go as far as to say it is un-Australian. To me, the burqa represents the repressive domination of men over women, which has no place in our society and compromises some of the most important aspects of human communication.



It also establishes a different set of rules and societal expectations in our hitherto homogenous society. Read on (+ video) >>> Cory Bernardi | Thursday, May 06, 2010