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

Michael Nazir-Ali: Burkas Should Not Be Worn Where It Compromises Safety*
THE TELEGRAPH: The Sheikh of Al-Azhar, the late Dr Tantawi, famously, and provocatively made female students remove the face-veil in the classroom. This was a brave thing to do at the premier place of Sunni Muslim learning. Was he right to do it?

It is clear that the fundamental principle of freedom of belief and of the right to manifest one's own belief must continue to be upheld in a free society, whether for Christians, Muslims or anyone else.

Such a principle does not, however, exist in isolation and has to be balanced against other considerations of the common good and of public order.

As far as the wearing of the Burka is concerned, there are, first of all, questions of safety. >>> Michael Nazir-Ali, former Bishop of Rochester | Saturday, July 17, 2010

No, Sir! You've got that wrong. The burqah shouldn't be worn anywhere in public in the United Kingdom. Burqahs are an affront to our way of life and our values. – © Mark

Pakistan: Taliban nennen Deutschen mit Burka "Kameraden"
WELT ONLINE: Der in Pakistan festgenommene Deutsche, der sich mit einer Burka tarnte, soll in Verbindung mit Islamisten und Al-Qaida-Kämpfern stehen.

Der Deutsche trug bei seiner Festnahme einen Ganzkörperschleier. Bild: Welt Online
Ein im Nordwesten Pakistans festgenommener deutscher Staatsbürger hat offenbar extremistische Verbindungen. Die pakistanischen Taliban bezeichneten ihn als einen ihrer Kämpfer. „Er ist unser Kamerad“, sagte ein Taliban-Sprecher. „Wir haben viele Deutsche dort, die sich am Dschihad beteiligen. Das sollte niemanden überraschen.“

Nach Geheimdienstangaben hat der Deutsche zudem Verbindung zum Terrornetzwerk al-Qaida. Erste Ermittlungen hätten ergeben, dass der Mann an mehreren Angriffen gegen die internationalen Truppen in Afghanistan beteiligt gewesen sei, sagte ein Mitarbeiter des pakistanischen Geheimdienstes. >>> Reuters/dpa/cn | Dienstag, 22. Juni 2010

Nonsense and Dhimmitude from Cristina Odone: It's Not In Our Interest to Ban the Burka
TELEGRAPH BLOGS – CRISTINA ODONE: Religious tolerance – and I mean of Muslims, too – is not only right, it is in our interest. When I read that Barcelona has become the latest European city to ban the burka in civic buildings, I shudder. Is there a faster way to create an “us” against “them” mentality? There are 300,000 (out of a population of 1.5 million) Muslims in Barcelona. Their reaction to such diktats will be twofold: resentment with an attendant sense of victimhood; and further segregation of women. Given that they will no longer be able to ensure their wives’ and daughters’ modesty (as they see it), Muslims may keep them behind locked doors.

An outcome to cheer about? Of course not. And Britons should be congratulating themselves for not having embarked on similar measures here.

Perhaps one of the reasons Britain has been spared the burka ban is that many non-Muslims have experienced intolerance, and decided they don’t like it. Once you hear that a BA employee and an NHS nurse were stopped from wearing a crucifix to work because such expressions of faith are inappropriate in our multicultural society, the appetite to ban a religious symbol wanes. Read on and comment >>> Cristina Odone | Saturday, September 19, 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

Von der Maske zum Gesicht – und umgekehrt: Nachdenken über die Burka
NZZ ONLINE: In der Diskussion um das Burka-Verbot prallen unterschiedlichste Argumentationsweisen und Interessenlagen aufeinander. Der auf beiden Seiten öfters spürbare missionarische Eifer droht den Blick dafür zu verstellen, dass ein Aufklärungsprozess nur wirksam sein kann, wenn er sich von innen heraus entwickelt.

Als Charles-Louis de Secondat, besser bekannt unter dem Titel des Barons de Montesquieu, im Jahr 1721 seine «Lettres Persanes» publizieren liess, leitete die europäische Aufklärung den Prozess ihrer kulturellen Selbstbefragung ein. Denn der Verfasser, der hier aus guten Gründen anonym bleiben wollte, richtete seinen kritischen Blick auf die Sitten und Gebräuche der Grande Nation, die sich damals schon gerne als den Nabel der Welt verstand. Montesquieus Kunstgriff machte Schule: Er bestand darin, dass zwei fiktive Perser in einer Reihe von Briefen untereinander und an Freunde in der Heimat darüber berichteten, was sie auf ihrer Reise erlebten. Die Route führte von Isfahan über Smyrna nach Italien und schliesslich rasch nach Paris. Rica und Usbek, begabt mit wachen Sinnen, fanden reichlich Stoff zur Verwunderung über das Leben der Franzosen wie über politische und religiöse Verhaltensweisen. Beiträge zur Selbstkritik >>> Von Martin Meyer | Samstag, 29. Mai 2010

Burqas in France

Belgium: New Radical Group To Protest Against European Oppression
EUROPE NEWS: A new Muslim organization, Muslim Rise, has sprung up in Belgium to organize a protest against the upcoming veil ban. The organization also invited well-known British radical Anjem Choudary. I wouldn't be surprised if this is Sharia4Belgium redux, and/or another attempt by Choudary to set up his organization in Belgium.



Though they say they will have a peaceful demonstration against "the kuffar", their role models are anything but. Khalid Ibn Waleed, Salahedinne Al Ayoubi, Mehmet Fatih are conquerors, and Omar Al Mokhtar was a Libyan resistance fighter against the Italian occupation. >>> | Monday, May 17, 2010

GAZET VAN ANTWERPEN: Moslims gaan betogen - "Verbod nikab is naaktheid tegenover Allah" >>>

Dissimulating Opinion: Why It’s Wrong to Ban the Veil
Watch video here: Why it’s wrong to ban the veil: Reza Aslan, a guest of the Sydney Writers' Festival, explains why it's wrong to ban the burqa and niqab.

Sarkozy Warns Against ‘Hurt’ Feelings As Cabinet Approves Veil Ban
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Bill foresees €150 fine for veiled women, men forcing women to veil face jail and €15,000 fine

President Nicolas Sarkozy urged French Muslims on Wednesday not to feel hurt or stigmatised by a planned ban on full face veils that will fine women who hide their faces and jail men if they force them to cover up.

Mr. Sarkozy told a cabinet meeting, which approved the bill that could become law this autumn, that France was an old nation that could not allow its vision of women’s dignity and public order to be violated by the veil.

Only a tiny minority of Muslim women in Europe wear full veils, called niqabs or burqas, but their numbers are growing. The Belgian parliament has already begun debating a ban there and could also impose it in the coming months.

France has reaped criticism from Muslim groups and rights advocates for the planned “burqa ban,” which Mr. Sarkozy called for last year to counter Islamist views among some Muslims.

“This is a decision one doesn’t take lightly,” he said. “Nobody should feel hurt or stigmatized. I’m thinking in particular of our Muslim compatriots, who have their place in the republic and should feel respected.” >>> Tom Heneghan, Paris, Reuters | Wednesday, May 19, 2010

France Has First 'Burka Rage' Incident
THE TELEGRAPH: A 60-year-old lawyer ripped a Muslim woman's Islamic veil off in a row in a clothing shop in what police say is France's first case of "burka rage".

The astonishing scene unfolded during a weekend shopping trip after the woman lawyer took offence at the attire of a fellow shopper resulting in argument during which the pair came to blows before being arrested.

It came as racial tensions grow in the country as it prepares to introduce a total ban on burkas and other forms of religious dress which cover the face.

A 26-year-old Muslim convert was walking through the store in Trignac, near Nantes, in the western Loire-Atlantique region, when she overhead the woman lawyer making "snide remarks about her black burka". A police officer close to the case said: "The lawyer said she was not happy seeing a fellow shopper wearing a veil and wanted the ban introduced as soon as possible."

At one point the lawyer, who was out with her daughter, is said to have likened the Muslim woman to Belphegor, a horror demon character well known to French TV viewers. Belphegor is said to haunt the Louvre museum in Paris and frequently covers up his hideous features using a mask.

An argument started before the older woman is said to have ripped the other woman's veil off. As they came to blows, the lawyer's daughter joined in.

"The shop manager and the husband of the Muslim woman moved to break up the fighting," the officer said. All three were arrested and taken to the local gendarmerie for questioning. >>> Peter Allen, Paris | Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Let's Face Facts, the Burqa Is an Affront to Feminism
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Who knows the difference between ethics and morality? Belgium does, for one. Technically, there's not a lot in it. The dictionary makes ethics and morality synonyms, each relating to our cumulative attempts to tell right from wrong and act accordingly.

Aristotle's Ethics examines what it means to be good; for him, and many thinkers since, ethics and moral philosophy are one.

In everyday life, though, we tend to distinguish on a public-private basis. ''Morality'' tends to imply a code that is personal, often sexual and, just as often, religious in origin. ''Ethics'' meanwhile, denotes a public and generally secular amalgam of these values. The baked crust, if you will, atop the pie. Hence talk of professional and corporate ethics, ethical investing and, of course, ethics taught in religion's place in schools.

The St James Ethics Centre's chief, Simon Longstaff, argues similarly, defining ethics as ''a conversation . . . [on] the question, 'what ought one to do'?'' Moralities, he says - and he stresses the plural - are the voices in that conversation; one Jewish, one Christian, one Hindu, one Muslim and so on.

Ethics, in this sense, come into play where there is conflict between moralities, or between rules within a morality - as when the truth imperative cuts across kindness. >>> Elizabeth Farrelly | Thursday, May 13, 2010

Anti-dhimmitude: Muslim Woman Fined £430 for Wearing Burka in Italy
THE TELEGRAPH: A Muslim woman in Italy has been fined 500 euros (£430) for wearing a burka in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.

The Tunisian immigrant, Amel Marmouri, 26, was fined by police in the city of Novara, in the north-eastern Piedmont region.

The town council is controlled by the right-wing Northern League, which has pushed for much tougher immigration controls and at a national level forms part of Silvio Berlusconi's coalition government.

Mrs Marmouri was in a post office when police officers stopped her and issued her with the fine.

"As far as I know this is a first in Italy," said police officer Mauro Franzinelli.

Her husband, Ben Salah Braim, 36, said the family would struggle to pay the penalty.

He said his wife would continue to wear the full-length item of clothing because he did not want her to be seen by other men, but in future she would be forced to stay at home most of the time.

Novara introduced an ordinance in January that prohibits the wearing of burkas. The regulation invokes a 1975 anti-terrorism law, which prohibits people from wearing anything that obscures their faces and impedes identification. >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Französischer Staatsrat gegen Burka-Verbot: Verfassungsrechtliche Bedenken
NZZ ONLINE: Wegen verfassungsrechtlicher Bedenken hat sich der Staatsrat in Frankreich gegen ein vollständiges Burka-Verbot in der Öffentlichkeit ausgesprochen.

Selbst das Tragen von Ganzkörperschleiern teilweise zu untersagen werde schwer umzusetzen sein, erklärte das Gremium am Dienstag. Zur Begründung hiess es, ein Burka-Verbot könnte die französiche Verfassung und die Europäische Menschenrechtskonvention verletzen. >>> ddp | Dienstag, 30. März 2010

WELT ONLINE: Frankreichs Staatsrat – Burka-Verbot aus Sicherheitsgründen möglich: In Frankreich ist nach Einschätzung des Staatsrates ein generelles Burka-Verbot nicht zulässig. Wenn es die öffentliche Sicherheit erfordere, sollen allerdings Vermummungsverbote ausgesprochen werden können. Das gilt etwa für Banken, Juwelierläden, Sportveranstaltungen oder internationale Konferenzen. >>> AFP/fas | Dienstag, 30. März 2010

Anti-Dhimmitude! France to Ban Veil Says Nicolas Sarkozy
THE TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy has said that France will ban the full Muslim veil.

The move would protect the dignity of women, the president added.

“The full veil is contrary to the dignity of women,” he said. “The response is to ban it. The Government will table a draft law prohibiting it.” >>> | Thursday, March 25, 2010

France's Burka Dilemma
Proposals to ban face veils provoked debate in France's Muslim community. Photograph: BBC
BBC: France could become the first country in Europe to ban the burka. A draft law submitted to the French parliament would make it illegal for a woman to cover her face in public spaces such as hospitals and trains. But the proposal has divided the country's five million-strong Muslim community.

26 year-old Anisa wears a bright blue niqab, a piece of clothing that covers her completely except for her eyes and perfectly arched eyebrows.

You can't miss her among the crowds: maybe it is because of the colour of the niqab or because there is no other woman around who is covered up to this extent.

She has been wearing it for a year-and-a-half. Anisa's family, who are originally from Morocco, are against her wearing the niqab. But Anisa believes it is her religious duty.

According to official figures there are just 1900 women who wear the burka in France. Most of them are young and a quarter are converts.

But a report from the French intelligence services put this figure much lower at 367, out of an estimated population of five million Muslims, the largest in Europe.

When I met Anisa in the suburbs of Seine-Saint Denis, an area with the highest concentration of Muslims in France, she says that ever since she started wearing the niqab she has had unwelcome attention from the police, has been insulted in the street and is frequently stared at.

Women wearing the burka - a veil which covers the whole face - or the niqab in France are not as visible as those in Britain. But look hard enough in the suburbs and you can find them.

The mosque in the town of Drancy, on the outskirts of Paris, is currently the most controversial in France because the imam here has come out in support of the government's decision to ban the burka.

Imam Hassan Chalghoumi is now facing death threats and has been given police protection. Ignoring the advice of his advisors he spoke to the Today programme. >>> Zubeida Malik , Today Programme | Monday, March 15, 2010

Nicolas Sarkozy Identity Debate 'Boosted Votes for Far-right'
THE TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy's controversial "national identity" debate has been blamed for helping the far-right to reestablish itself in French elections.

Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front remains in the running in 12 of France's 22 mainland regions. Photo: The Telegraph
Opponents said the president's decision to start a high-profile discussion about issues including immigration, the burka and social cohesion led voters to back Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front (FN).

The near-bankrupt FN had been written off after a disastrous showing in the 2007 presidential elections, but on Sunday scored almost 12 per cent in the first round of regional elections.

Martine Aubry, leader of the Socialist opposition, said Mr Sarkozy was guilty of "reopening a door for the FN" by organising a "debate on national identity aimed at opposing [native] French with French from elsewhere, or foreigners".

And Francois Bayrou, former presidential candidate and head of the centrist MoDem party, said: "It's a worrying moment. The National Front is back at a level not seen in years." >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Monday, March 15, 2010

Dati: Burka 'Not a Religious Expression'
Dati: 'The burka does not correspond to our values'. Photograph: BBC
BCC: The former French justice minister, Rachida Dati, has condemned the wearing of the burka, saying that it "does not correspond" to European values.

Ms Dati, the first person of North African descent to serve in the French cabinet, is in the UK to visit the Justice Secretary Jack Straw's Blackburn constituency.

In a rare interview, she told Today programme reporter Zubeida Malik that "it's important to remind what helps citizens live together and have a common destiny and living together and having a common destiny means having principles and values in common.

"And it's true that the burka" - the wearing of which is now the subject of heated debate in France - "does not correspond neither to our values nor to our principles whether French or British and not even European. So it is important to say no to this expression that is not a religious expression."

Ms Dati rejected suggestions that banning the burka and other face veils would make them more popular. "We have to remember that often women who wear the burka are either doing it out of ignorance or others are motivated by an activism linked to the creation of a new identity," she said.

"And to those for whom it represents the expression of an identity, it is important to say that in our countries there can't be any confrontation of identities. There is one single identity based upon common values and principles shared by our countries."

Rachida Dati was a lawyer when she was named as French justice minister by President Sarkozy in 2007. She was the first person of North African origin to hold a top government post in Paris.

Born in 1965 to a Moroccan mason father and an Algerian mother, Ms Dati was one of 12 children raised in humble circumstances. Aged 16, she started working as a carer in a private clinic, looking after her younger sisters and brothers after her mother's death. >>> | Friday, February 19, 2010

Paris: Männer in Burka rauben Postfiliale aus
DIE PRESSE: Zwei mit Ganzkörperschleiern Maskierte erbeuteten unerkannt 4500 Euro. Erst als sie die Waffen zogen und Geld verlangten wurde offenbar, dass es sich nicht um Frauen handelt.

Äußerst ungewöhnlich getarnt haben zwei Männer in der Nähe von Paris eine Postfiliale überfallen. Statt ihr Gesicht mit der in Gangsterkreisen üblichen Sturmhaube zu verdecken, hüllten sich die Räuber komplett in muslimische Ganzkörperschleier. Erst als sie eine Waffe zogen, bemerkten viele der Postkunden, dass es sich bei den beiden Burka-Trägern nicht um muslimische Frauen handelte. >>> DiePresse.com | Sonntag, 07. Februar 2010

Armed Robbers Disguised in Burkhas Carry Out £4,000 Raid
MAIL ONLINE: Armed robbers disguised in burkhas have escaped with thousands in cash after carrying out a post office raid in Paris.

The crime – which took place yesterday in the suburb of Athis Mons – comes following calls for the controversial garments to be banned.
 
President Nicolas Sarkozy himself has described them as a ‘security risk’, saying they provide the perfect cover for criminals or terrorists.

Now those fighting for the ban claim the robbery – which is the first of its kind in France – shows how useful the burkha is as a disguise.

It took place at around 10.30am, when two robbers carrying pistols entered the main post office bank building in Athis Mons, which has a large immigrant Muslim community, mainly from North Africa.

Once inside they ordered a bank clerk to take out the equivalent of £4,000 in cash by pointing a pistol at him. After ten minutes they fled to a nearby car park and escaped. >>> Peter Allen | Sunday, February 07, 2010

Ils braquent la poste en burqa
lePARISIEN.fr: Deux hommes, dissimulés sous une burqa, ont braqué le bureau de poste d’Athis-Mons (Essonne) pour un butin de 4 500 € .

Si le braquage n’était pas très juteux, le costume était insolite. Hier matin, vers 10 h 30, deux personnes vêtues de burqa et de baskets se sont attaquées à un bureau de poste à Athis-Mons (Essonne). Les malfrats sont repartis avec un butin estimé à 4 500 €. « J’ai d’abord cru que c’étaient des femmes, raconte Sonia, un témoin de la scène.

Je les ai vus traverser la route. Ils étaient grands et baraqués. Et en les voyant courir sous leur burqa noire, avec leurs baskets, j’ai compris que c’étaient des hommes. » >>> Céline Carez et Florence Mereo | Dimanche 07 Février 2010

Ban That Bloody Burqah!
THE TELEGRAPH: The head of President Nicolas Sarkozy's Right-wing UMP party on Tuesday said he would continue to push for a total ban of face-covering Islamic veils in France.

Jean-François Copé's proposal for a full ban was backed by 190 MPs but rejected by a cross-party commission, which handed a list of proposals to parliament recommending a ban of the burka or niqab in state facilities but not in the street.

The ban would apply to public places, including all schools, hospitals, public transport and government offices. It described the face-covering veil as an unacceptable "challenge to our republic".

However, after six months of hearings, the commission stopped short of outlawing the veil in the streets, in shopping centres and other public venues, due to doubts about the constitutionality of such a move.

Mr Copé, however, dismissed the idea a full ban was unconstitutional.
"It is incomprehensible to say you can't wear (the full veil) in hospitals but can in bakeries," he told the Daily Telegraph.

His stance is backed by the majority of French: a poll last week showed 57 per cent are in favour of a total ban.

The cross-party report recommends passing a parliamentary resolution, paving the way to a law making it illegal for anyone to appear with their face covered at state-run institutions and on public transport, for security reasons.

Niqab-clad women could be denied services at the post office, or other government buildings, as well as access to a work visa, residency papers or French citizenship, the report said.

Parliament is expected to pass a resolution after regional elections in March, with a law possible "by the end of the year", according to one commission member. France moves closer to Muslim face veil ban >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Tuesday, January 26, 2010

LE TEMPS: France : Alerte contre les «barbares» en burqa : Un rapport parlementaire préconise des mesures pour compliquer la vie des femmes portant le voile intégral. Dans l’espoir, à terme, d’éliminer le phénomène >>> Sylvain Besson | Mercredi 27 Janvier 2010