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

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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

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

Hijab in the UK: What a Bloody Nonsense!
For British women to take to the veil, hijab, niqab, or burqah is a total bloody nonsense!

Women have to wear such ridiculous garb in countries where men are unable to keep their dicks in their pants, robes, thobes, dishdashas. This is NOT the case in Great Britain. British men have a long history of restraint. A good pedigree, in fact. And that’s more than can be said about men in many Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, the home of Islam.

In Muslim countries, taking to the veil might well be necessary; here in the United Kingdom, it is a nonsense, and an absolute bloody nonsense at that! – © Mark Alexander

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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.

Anti-Dhimmitude! Woman Fined for Driving While Wearing Burka
THE TELEGRAPH: A woman has been fined for driving while wearing a burka because the garment "reduced her field of vision".

Police stopped the Muslim woman during routine drink-drive checks on motorists in Louvroil, northern France.

The Islamic driver had not been drinking but instead officers issued her with a £17 fine for breaking road safety rules.

Two months ago, a separate woman was pulled over in Nantes, western France, for driving in a full face veil and also fined.

The latest incident comes as French MPs prepare to vote on whether to impose a full ban on wearing burkas and niqabs later this year.

Moves to ban the burka in France come after a year of heated national debate and mounting public tensions over the issue.

Last month, France's reported its first known case of 'burka rage', when a female lawyer ripped off a Muslim woman's veil in a bust-up in a clothes shop.

And last year a Muslim woman took her local council to court after she was banned from wearing a 'burqini' swimsuit at her local pool for 'hygiene reasons'. >>> | Thursday, June 03, 2010

Spanish Town Bans Burka in Public Buildings
THE TELEGRAPH: The Spanish town of Lerida has become the first in the country to ban the Burka in municipal buildings.

The town council voted to prohibit the "use of the veil and other clothes and accessories which cover the face and prevent identification in buildings and installations of the town hall."

The vote, by 23 to one with two abstentions, is the first of its kind in Spain, a country where Islamic veils and the body-covering burqas are little in evidence despite a large Muslim population.

The move is aimed at promoting "respect for the dignity of women and values of equality and tolerance," the town hall said in a statement. >>> | Friday, May 28, 2010

Related article here

Veil Ban Bill to French Cabinet, Women Protest

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" >>>

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

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

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

So When Will British Politicians Find Their Balls? Nicolas Sarkozy Ally 'Received Death Threats' Over Muslim Veil Ban
THE TELEGRAPH: A French conservative politician at the forefront of a campaign for a full ban on Islamic veils has been placed under police protection after reportedly receiving death threats.

Jean-François Copé, who leads the parliamentary group of President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party, has had a security officer accompanying him since January, it emerged on Friday.

Mr Copé submitted a proposed bill on banning the veil in public in January, on grounds of security and women's equality. On Wednesday, the government announced its intention to push through a full ban as early as this summer.

Mr Sarkozy, who has said that full veils oppress women, chose to defy France's highest administrative body, which says a full ban could be declared unconstitutional.

In a sign the French are already clamping down on the wearing of the garment, it emerged on Friday that a woman driver wearing an Islamic face veil had been fined 22 euros (£20) by French police for not having a clear field of vision.

Traffic police in the western city of Nantes fined the 31-year-old woman in early April. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Friday, April 23, 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