The Burka Empowering Women? You Must Be Mad, Minister
MAIL ONLINE: These British apologists for the burka make me see red, whatever side of the political spectrum they come from.

They can be Left-wingers who'll countenance no criticism, however valid, of hardline Muslims. They can be Right-wing libertarians who insist any woman has the right to wear whatever she chooses.

And, as we discovered this week, they can be members of the British Cabinet who ludicrously claim the burka actually empowers women.

Yes, Caroline Spelman, the Environment Secretary, really did claim that the burka delivers its wearer blissful freedom. As a Muslim, you might expect me to agree with her, but I can't. She is wrong. Her fatuous and ill-conceived defence of the burka rendered me apoplectic with fury.

Does she even understand the harm she does by sanctioning this perversion of our faith?

Immigrant Muslims who came to Britain to get away from Stalinist ayatollahs, mullahs and women-hating fanatic regimes in their home countries must be spitting their teeth out after hearing Spelman's astounding endorsement of this dreadful garment.

We Muslims who came here wanted the freedom that Britain's proud history of democracy was renowned for. We wanted better education for our children and to live and pray in peace in a country which, for all its faults, gives us civil rights and equality between the sexes.

Yet Spelman's support for the burka suddenly puts all of our expectations under threat; for the most obvious manifestation of the oppressive Islam we left behind is welcomed here with the blessing of the ruling elite.

I'd like to invite Mrs Spelman to prove she believes what she says by wearing the black sheet and mask - surely she should do that as an act of solidarity with the 'empowered' Muslim sisters she admires so much.

And if she chooses not to, if she feels she would find wearing a burka limiting and suffocating, why on earth is she breezily recommending it as a garment for other women?

Would she honestly be so upbeat about the burka if a daughter of hers hid herself away inside its veil, or if her son brought home a totally veiled bride-to-be? I don't think so. She and the rest of the 'liberal-minded' burka brigade can only afford to be generous because the burka does not - and never will - affect their own lives, nor test their powers of endurance. To check out the shrouded sisters who tell me they feel ' beautifully' liberated under a veil, I tried wearing a burka for a day - and threw it off in a couple of hours, wheezing asthmatically.

I felt wiped out, a nobody - lifeless and voiceless. A Pakistani shopkeeper said I made him nervous because he couldn't see my face. I saw others shrinking away from me - and I could understand their reactions. So, will the defenders of the burka brand me and the shopkeeper racist? I wouldn't put it past them.

In truth, I am a life-long anti-racist and die-hard defender of Muslims - yet one who abhors veils as do countless other Muslims.

It is a view that has provoked fury and warnings from veiled women, who self-righteously tell me that uncovered Muslim females will end up in hell unless they repent. Women like me, they warn, are 'western whores' who should be thrown on the eternal fire, along with our mothers.

Of course, many veiled Muslim women argue that, far from being forced to wear burkas by ruthless husbands, they do so out of choice. And I have to take them at their word. But it is also very apparent that many women are forced behind the veil. Continue reading and comment >>> Yasmin Alibhai-Brown | Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Baroness Warsi Is Just Plain WRONG!
MAIL ONLINE: Wearing a burka does not prevent Muslim women ‘engaging in everyday life’ in Britain, the Conservative Party chairman Sayeeda Warsi claimed today.

In comments that will reignite the row about the full face veil, Baroness Warsi defended the right of Muslim women to ‘choose’ to wear the burka.

Backbench Tory MPs have launched a bid to ban the wearing of the burka in public.

Critics claim the burka is a symbol of oppression, with some Muslim women ordered to wear the full face veil by their husbands.

But Lady Warsi, the first Muslim woman to serve in the Cabinet, yesterday launched a passionate defence of the burka. She suggested that many Muslim women choose to wear the veil of their own free will.

Lady Warsi, who was named last year as Britain’s most powerful Muslim woman, said: ‘Just because a woman wears the burka, it doesn’t mean she can’t engage in everyday life.

‘Why should we tell women what to wear? What it boils down to is choice. If women don’t have a choice over what to wear then they are oppressed.

‘But if a woman has a choice, and she chooses to wear whatever she chooses to wear then she’s not oppressed is she? She’s choosing what she wants.’

Critics claim that the burka alienates Muslim women from the rest of society. But Lady Warsi said the burka did not act as a barrier in itself.

She added: ‘There are women who wear the burka who run extremely successful businesses – internet businesses, which don’t actually require you to be there face to face.’

Lady Warsi’s intervention is the latest bid by the coalition Government to close down debate about the burka. Tory party chairman says Muslim women SHOULD be allowed to wear the Burka >>> Jason Groves | Monday, August 02, 2010

The Burka: To Be or Not to Be? That Is the Question!
In the Netherlands, ostensibly not! Rita Verdonk, the country's hardline Integration Minister is getting tougher still! The Netherlands, home to one million Muslims out of a total population of only about seventeen and a half million, has a particular problem with their Muslim communities. As everywhere else, they are not integrating, but different from other places, the Netherlands has been a particularly liberal country - till recently that is! The Muslim population there have tested and tried the patience of the tolerant Dutch for long enough. Now, the Dutch are drawing a line in the sand saying: thus far and no further!

It is ironic that it has taken one of the smallest countries in Europe to have the courage to state that the burka is to be banned. But then, the Dutch have had some pretty nasty experiences of late due to fundamentalist Islam. It was only a matter of several months ago that Theo van Gogh was slaughtered on the streets of Amsterdam for making a film - Submission - highlighting the unequal treatment of women in Islam. This was a turning point for the usually tolerant Dutch.

Now, it seems that the burka is to be no more in the Netherlands. And quite rightly so, too! The British need to take a leaf out of the Dutch's book and do the same. No, better still: The European Union needs to pass a law banning the burka Europe-wide.

There is no reason for a Muslim woman to wear the burka, since it has nothing to do with Islam. Prophet Muhammad, if Muslims wish to follow their religion, stated that a Muslim woman, a Muslimah, should dress modestly. Whose particular version of modesty is the burka?

I'll tell you whose version it is: It's the version of the desert Arab, the Bedouin; the desert, of course, is the home of Islam. So the wearing of the burka shows exactly how Arabo-centric the Islamic faith is.

For decades, educated Muslim women didn't wear the burka, especially in cities such as Cairo. This all changed after the Iranian revolution started by the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. He breathed new life into the Islamic fundamentalist movement worldwide, and it is since that time that more and more Muslim women have taken to wearing such garments.

This is proof, if proof were needed, that donning a burka is much more than a religious statement; rather, it is a political statement. And a subversive one at that! Why? Because no other religion in the world is so political as Islam is, and no other religion today competes with Western liberalism for pre-eminence in the world. Indeed, Islam is a competing civilization to ours, and in every respect; and, since the oil embargo of the 70's, new life has been breathed into the Islamic world from the enormous wealth generated for them by petro-dollars.

If Muslims had their way - and that includes many moderate ones, too - they would like to see the hegemony of the West superseded by a new Islamic hegemony!

This is one of the main reasons why we should not tolerate Muslimahs wearing the burka in our free societies. Another is that the burka is a symbol of the total subjugation of women - it says: be seen as an apparition; don't be heard, you wench!; you are inferior to men (which, of course, is clearly stated in the Qur'an) - and women in the West have fought long and hard for their equal position in today's world.

Mrs Verdonk gave warning that the “time of cosy tea-drinking” with Muslim groups had passed and that natives and immigrants should have the courage to be critical of each other. She recently cancelled a meeting with Muslim leaders who refused to shake her hand because she was a woman.

That Muslim men would not shake her hand was, of course, an outrage! Though one cannot be surprised. Muslims do this all the time: they often refuse to shake the hand of an inferior infidel, too. God knows I've had plenty of experience of that!

The Dutch deserve praise for the courageous way they are handling this delicate problem. I wonder who among the British list of politicians would have the courage to do the same?

Similar legislation should be introduced right across Europe! As Mrs. Thatcher once said: This is no time to go all wobbly!

©Mark Alexander

All Rights Reserved

France MPs' Report Backs Muslim Face Veil Ban
BBC: A French parliamentary committee has recommended a partial ban on women wearing Islamic face veils.

The committee's near 200-page report has proposed a ban in hospitals, schools, government offices and on public transport.

It also recommends that anyone showing visible signs of "radical religious practice" should be refused residence cards and citizenship.

The interior ministry says just 1,900 women in France wear the full veils.

In its report, the committee said requiring women to cover their faces was against the French republican principles of secularism and equality.

"The wearing of the full veil is a challenge to our republic. This is unacceptable. We must condemn this excess," the report said.

The commission called on parliament to adopt a formal resolution stating that the face veil was "contrary to the values of the republic" and proclaiming that "all of France is saying 'no' to the full veil".

Presenting the report to the French National Assembly, speaker Bernard Accoyer said the face veil had too many negative connotations.

"It is the symbol of the repression of women, and... of extremist fundamentalism.

"This divisive approach is a denial of the equality between men and women and a rejection of co-existence side-by-side, without which our republic is nothing."

The report is expected to be followed by the drafting of a bill and a parliamentary debate on the issue. >>> | Tuesday, January 26, 2010

BBC: Countries across the continent have wrestled with the issue of the Muslim veil - in various forms such as the body-covering burka and the niqab, which covers the face apart from the eyes. The debate takes in religious freedom, female equality, secular traditions and even fears of terrorism. The Islamic veil across Europe >>> | Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Interdiction du voile intégral : l'avis des juristes
Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Dans son rapport rendu mardi, la mission parlementaire préconise l'interdiction de la burqa par la loi dans les services publics. Les spécialistes du droit estiment en effet qu'une loi est mieux adaptée que des arrêtés municipaux ou des décisions de justice. Mais la justification de l'interdiction s'annonce délicate.

Le parlement peut adopter une loi restreignant le port de la burqa mais la voie est étroite : tel est l'avis des universitaires entendus par la mission d'information de l'Assemblée sur le port du voile intégral. En tout état de cause, une limitation du port de la burqa ne peut être édictée que par une loi, et non par des arrêtés municipaux ou par des décisions de justice, jugent ces juristes.

Ainsi Anne Levade, professeur de droit public à Paris XII, «le législateur bénéficie d'une plus grande liberté que l'autorité réglementaire pour poser des interdictions générales». «Les réglementations éparses qui peuvent exister ont des fondements juridiques très fragiles, observe Bertrand Mathieu, professeur de droit public. Le législateur est seul compétent pour réglementer l'exercice d'une liberté publique», en l'occurrence le droit de se vêtir librement. Et plus encore si le port du voile intégral est considéré comme la manifestation de convictions religieuses. Si les parlementaires décident d'élaborer une loi, quelle base juridique peuvent-ils invoquer?

Selon le professeur Guy Carcassonne, une réglementation du port de la burqa dans les lieux publics ne peut être motivée par le principe de laïcité. Dans son sens actuel, la laïcité signifie que l'État est tenu d'être neutre à l'égard des religions et de respecter la liberté de conscience. Le gouvernement a certes le droit d'interdire à ses agents et aux élèves des collèges et lycées publics de manifester ostensiblement leur confession. >>> Guillaume Perrault | Mardi 26 Janvier 2010

Ganzkörperschleier: Paris will Burka aus der Öffentlichkeit verbannen
WELT ONLINE: Muslimische Frauen in Ganzkörperschleiern sollen in Frankreich nicht mehr Bus und Bahn fahren dürfen. Eine parteiübergreifende Parlamentskommission empfahl ein vollständiges Verbot der Burka in öffentlichen Einrichtungen. Auch Schulen, Krankenhäuser und Behörden dürften verschleierte Frauen nicht mehr betreten.

Frauen im Burka in der südfranzösischen Metropole Marseille. Der Ganzkörperschleier soll in Frankreich aus dem öffentlichen Leben verbannt werden. Bild: Welt Online
In Frankreich zeichnet sich ein Verbot der Ganzkörperverschleierung muslimischer Frauen in Behörden und öffentlichen Einrichtungen ab. Eine parteiübergreifende Enquetekommission der Nationalversammlung forderte einstimmig eine Parlamentsresolution, die ein Verbot der Burka „auf dem Gebiet der Republik“ verlangen soll. Eine große Mehrheit der Kommissionsmitglieder sprach sich zudem für ein Gesetz aus, das die Vollverschleierung in allen staatlichen Einrichtungen untersagt.

Das würde unter anderem bedeuten, dass Frauen, die eine Burka tragen, keine öffentlichen Verkehrsmittel wie Busse oder U-Bahnen benutzen dürften. Auch der Zutritt zu Schulen, Krankenhäusern und Behörden wäre Burka- und Nikab-Trägerinnen damit untersagt. Weiter erlaubt wäre die Burka damit auf offener Straße und in der Privatwirtschaft.

„Ganz Frankreich sagt Nein zum Ganzkörperschleier und verlangt, dass diese Praxis auf dem Gebiet der Republik verboten wird“, heißt es im Vorschlag des Parlamentsausschusses für die Entschließung. Eine Burka zu tragen widerspreche „den Werten der Republik“. >>> AFP/dpa/ks | Dienstag, 26. Januar 2010

Für Burka-Verbot in Frankreichs Service Public: Parlamentskommission will Einschränkung von Verschleierung
NZZ ONLINE: Frankreich setzt ein offizielles Zeichen gegen die volle Verschleierung: Die Burka soll zwar nicht ganz aus der Öffentlichkeit verschwinden, aber das Tragen soll eingeschränkt werden. Die parlamentarische Kommission spricht von einer Herausforderung für die Demokratie.

Die vor sechs Monaten ins Leben gerufene parlamentarische Mission hat in ihrem «Burka-Bericht» klare Worte gefunden. Das voll verschleiernde Gewand sei Ausdruck einer gesellschaftliche Einkerkerung, die von einer islamische Minderheit propagiert werde. Der damit verbundene absolute Rückzug einer Person aus der Öffentlichkeit spiele sich oft auf dem Hintergrund einer sozialen und materiellen Not ab. Die Bewegung und die damit verbundene Ghettoisierung verkörpere eine Herausforderung für Demokratien.

Die Gruppe der Parlamentarier, die mit ihrem Bericht ein erstes offizielles Zeichen gegen die volle Verschleierung in Frankreich setzt, hat ihren Bericht am Dienstag dem Präsidenten der Nationalversammlung überreicht. Die Analyse, die unter dem Vorsitz des kommunistischen Abgeordneten André Gerin entstanden ist, gilt als Baustein eines Gesetzesentwurfs, der demnächst in Angriff genommen werden dürfte. Hoche Wellen wirft das Thema bereits jetzt. Denn, so eine der brennenden Fragen, lassen sich in der Republik individuelle Rechte (hier das Recht zur «freien» Kleidung) mit dem anderen staatsprägenden Gebot der gesellschaftlichen Integration vereinbaren?

Starke Symbolkraft

Der Bericht und die Schlussfolgerungen sind klar: Die Kommission schlägt nämlich vor, dass dort, wo öffentliche Dienstleistungen erbracht werden, die Verschleierung nicht toleriert werden soll. Von einem generellen Verbot, was einem Totalverbot des umstrittenen Gewands in der Öffentlichkeit gleichkäme, rät die Gruppe ab. Nun wird sich das Parlament mit dem Bericht befassen; anschliessend soll ein Gesetzesentwurf ausgearbeitet werden. Die Stossrichtung der Kommission … >>> Manfred Rist, Paris | Dienstag, 26. Januar 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".

Anti-Dhimmitude! Nicolas Sarkozy: Burqa Not Welcome in France
THE TELEGRAPH: President Nicolas Sarkozy has said that the Islamic burqa is 'not welcome' in France.

Photo: The Guardian
In a speech at the Palace of Versailles, Mr Sarkozy said that the head-to-toe Islamic garment for women was not a symbol of religion but a sign of subservience for women.

"The burka is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience," he told members of both parliamentary houses gathered for his speech.

He added: "It will not be welcome on the territory of the French republic."

His comments follow an appeal last week by 65 French MPs for a parliamentary commission to examine whether Muslim women who cover themselves fully in public undermine the secular tradition in France as well as women's rights. >>> By The Telegraph’s Foreign Staff and Agencies in Paris | Monday, June 22, 2009

LE FIGARO - Extrait: LA BURQA, NON GRATA DANS LA RÉPUBLIQUE

S'exprimant sur la polémique qui a enflammé la classe politique française, le président de la République a estimé que la burqa soulevait un «problème de dignité et de respect de la femme». «Ce n'est pas un signe religieux, c'est un signe d'asservissement (…) Elle ne sera pas la bienvenue sur le territoire de la République française», a-t-il tranché. Il reviendra au Parlement de se prononcer sur l'opportunité d'un texte de loi. [Source: Le Figaro] | Julie Connan (lefigaro.fr) Lundi 22 Juin 2009

TAGES ANZEIGER: Sarkozy: «Burkas sind ein Zeichen der Unterdrückung»

In einer Grundsatzrede vor dem Parlament schlug der französische Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy ein Verbot des Ganzkörper-Schleiers für Frauen vor. Von der Opposition erntet er Kritik.

Zu den grossen Krisenherden der Welt nahm Sarkozy in seiner Rede nicht Stellung. Dafür sagte er den Burkas in Frankreich den Kampf an. Die Burkas seien ein Zeichen der Unterwerfung und Unterdrückung der Frau, sagte der französische Staatspräsident. Muslimische Frauen verdecken sich mit einer Burka nicht nur Körper und Haar, sondern auch Gesicht und Augen.

«Wir können nicht zulassen, dass es in unserem Land hinter einem Gitter gefangene Frauen gibt, die vom sozialen Leben ausgeschlossen und jeder Identität beraubt sind», sagte Sarkozy. Das Parlament solle die Burka auf französischem Staatsgebiet verbieten. «Das ist die beste Art vorzugehen.» Sarkozys Vorschlag kommt an einem Tag, an dem er noch am Morgen den Emir des Wüstenstaats Katar, Scheich Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani, empfangen hatte. >>> oku/sda | Montag, 22. Juni 2009

BBC: French Balls!

Since this was the first time in almost one and a half centuries that a French president had been allowed to address parliament, President Nicolas Sarkozy's speech was already on course to ruffle a few feathers.

The Greens and Communists refused to attend and the Socialists left early, claiming the venue for the address - the Chateau of Versailles, which was home to King Louis XIV - smacked of monarchy and a thirst for power.

But it was the French leader's attack on the burka that really caused a stir.

He expressed his strong distaste for the head-to-toe Islamic veil, calling it not a sign of religion but a sign of subservience.

"It will not be welcome on French soil," he said." We cannot accept, in our country, women imprisoned behind a mesh, cut off from society, deprived of all identity. That is not the French republic's idea of women's dignity."

President Sarkozy's comments have not come out of the blue.
They are in response to a call last week by a group of 65 cross-party MPs, led by the Communist Andre Gerin, who wants a parliamentary commission set up to investigate the spread of the burka in France.

They want to see whether such a spread is indicative of a radicalisation of Islam, whether women are being forced to cover themselves or are doing so voluntarily, and whether wearing the burka undermines French secularism.

Mr Gerin believes the burka "amounts to a breach of individual freedom on our national territory".

Because, if the mention of monarchy triggers warning bells in France, the mention of religion triggers much louder ones.

Ban in schools

The concept of secularism or "laicite" is sacred in France.

The separation of church and state is jealously guarded by everyone from school teachers to government ministers - and the constitution states the republic "does not recognise, subsidise or renumerate any religious body".

It underpinned the French Revolution, and has been a basic tenet of the country's progressive thought since the 18th century when French Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire, Diderot and Montesquieu regarded religion as divisive, benighted and intolerant.

It was this same concept that was invoked five years ago to ban conspicuous signs of religion - including Islamic headscarves - from schools.

That decision sparked controversy and debate across Europe, with critics claiming it stigmatised Muslims at a time when France needed to be stepping up its fight against rife discrimination in the job market, which had caused so many youths of Muslim origin to feel forgotten by French society.

This latest call for a potential ban of the burka has prompted the head of the French Council for the Muslim Religion to warn MPs they risk stigmatising Muslims again. Sarkozy Stirs French Burka Debate >>> By Emma Jane Kirby, BBC News, Paris | Monday, June 22, 2009

Image: Google Images
Italy to Ban the Burqah
MAIL ONLINE: Italy is set to become the next European country to ban the burka after a government report ruled in favour of the proposed legislation.

MPs from the anti-immigration Northern League party, a member of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s ruling right wing coalition, have presented the proposal in a bill.

It comes just weeks after France banned the wearing of burkas and other forms of face veils - a decision which prompted al Qaeda terrorists to vow revenge.

An Interior Ministry report now being considered by the Constitutional Affairs Commission says that if introduced the law should make clear burkas and other face coverings were being banned not for 'religious reasons but for security reasons.'

As part of their investigation the Interior Ministry heard from several leading Muslims on the use of the burka and several pointed out there was no mention of its use at all in the Koran.

Ejaz Ahmed, of the Italian Islam Committee said: 'The use of the burka and the niqab does not have its origins in the Koran - in fact it is not even mentioned in the Koran.

'The burka has nothing to do with religion and was being worn even before Islam was founded - it was worn by the Romans, Byzantines and Persians and wearing it is not a religious obligation.

'There is no connection between the burka and the niqab with the Islamic religion - the burqa should be banned to respect women’s dignity and the safety of the public given that in Pakistan many suicide bombers have hidden devices under burkas.'

However others from the Islam Committee ruled that the burka was part of Muslim culture. Italy to become next European country to ban burka after government report recommends forbidding it in public >>> Nick Pisa | Thursday, October 07, 2010

Israeli Rabbis Clamp Down On Burka
THE TELEGRAPH: Israeli rabbis are to clamp down on the growing number of devout Jewish women wearing the burka by declaring the garment an item of sexual deviancy.

The move was prompted by the husbands of some burka-wearing women. Photo: The Telegraph
At the insistence of the husbands of some burka-wearing women, a leading rabbinical authority is to issue an edict declaring burka wearing a sexual fetish that is as promiscuous as wearing too little.

A small group of ultra-orthodox Jews in the town of Beit Shemesh chose to don the burka, usually associated with women in repressive Islamist regimes, three years ago in a bid to protect their modesty.

Since then, the habit has spread to five other Israeli towns causing alarm among ultra-orthodox religious leaders who once saw it as a relatively harmless eccentricity – even though the number of Jewish burka wearers is not thought to be more than a few hundred.

“There is a real danger that by exaggerating, you are doing the opposite of what is intended [resulting in] severe transgressions in sexual matters,” Shlomo Pappenheim, a member of the rabbinical authority preparing to make the edict, was quoted as saying. >>> Adrian Blomfield in Jerusalem | Friday, July 30, 2010

Jeremy Clarkson Outrages Viewers by Announcing on Top Gear He'd Seen Saucy Underwear Beneath Muslim Woman's Burka
MAIL ONLINE: Jeremy Clarkson has joined the debate on whether burkas should be permitted in Britain in his own inimitable style.

The outspoken presenter provoked a flurry of complaints after telling viewers of Top Gear on Sunday night that he had seen a Muslim woman wearing saucy underwear beneath her gown.

Clarkson had been discussing the best way to stop drivers being distracted by female pedestrians, along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May.

More than six million viewers had tuned in to watch the show, which featured guest appearances from Hollywood stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.

In front of the studio audience, he said: 'This is an important bit of news, I really want to bring this up. People imagine that the most dangerous time of the year to drive is November or perhaps February - dark nights, fog, ice.

'But we were talking about this the other day and we think the most dangerous time to drive a car is round about now. Sunny skies, light breezes, girls wearing short skirts, because the thing is, you can't not look. You can't physically not look.'

Hammond interjected, saying: 'You can physically not use your mobile phone and it's easy not to drive home when you've had 18 pints of lager. But when you're driving along and a girl walks past, you have to look. Actually, do you not think that here, there is actually a case for the burka? Because then the problem would go away.'

Clarkson then replied: 'No, no, no. Honestly, the burka doesn't work. I was in a cab in Piccadilly the other day when a woman in a full burka crossing the road in front of me tripped over the pavement, went head over heels and up it came, red g-string and stockings. I promise that happened. The taxi driver will back me up on that.'

Despite disbelief from his co-stars, Clarkson again insisted the incident took place.

By yesterday morning, seven viewers had already contacted the BBC to complain, while singer Lily Allen labelled the comment 'distasteful' on her Twitter site.

Another viewer wrote: 'Clarkson is too old for mini skirt jokes - burka story obscene - horrid.' >>> Simon Cable and Paul Revoir | Tuesday, July 27, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Jeremy Clarkson joins burka debate: Jeremy Clarkson has provoked a flurry of complaints after telling Top Gear viewers he saw a woman wearing a G-string and stockings beneath her burka. >>> Ben Leach | Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Council of Europe Votes Against Ban on Burka*
THE TELEGRAPH: MPs from 47 countries have unanimously voted against a general ban on the wearing of the burka in public.

The Parliamentary Assembly of Europe's human rights watchdog, the Council of Europe, passed a resolution warning that if governments imposed such a ban they would be denying women ''who genuinely and freely desire to do so'' their right to cover their faces.

But while the Assembly opposed a general ban, it left the door open for targeted laws against the burka, pointing out that legal restrictions may be justified ''for security purposes, or where the public or professional functions of individuals require their religious neutrality, or that their face can be seen''.

The vote came in Strasbourg amid continuing controversy in France over efforts to introduce a general burka ban.

The Muslim Council of Britain has attacked President Nicolas Sarkozy as ''patronising and offensive'' after he declared: ''The burka is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience. We cannot accept to have [sic] in our country [sic] women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity.'' >>> | Wednesday, June 23, 2010

*How stupid and short-sighted can these MPs be? Do they want women to be kept holed up as they are in Afghanistan? Do they want to turn men into sexy lechers who can no longer control their sexual urges when confronted by a beautiful woman with bare face and beautiful hair as is often the case in the Middle East? For that is what happens in societies in which it is de rigueur for women to be kept in purdah: Over time, men lose their ability to control themselves. They become socially inept.

Nicolas Sarkozy is absolutely right when he says that the full veil is not a religious symbol. The full veil stems from the desert where it was used by women in the better-off classes to segregate themselves from the poorer women who had to labour in the fields and in the great outdoors. In other words, it was a symbol of class as much as anything else. It was also a way for Saudi women to keep their skin as pale as possible. Take a trip to the desert Kingdom! You will find that women with an English rose complexion are as prized today as they ever were. Covering the face from the brutal rays of the desert sun was a way of keeping women from the upper classes as protected as possible.

As always with these things, its significance becomes blurred, and the custom takes on a life of its own.

The Koran calls for modesty. Whose version of modesty makes a woman a non-person? Whose version of modesty places women under the control of the males in the family? Whose version of modesty states that women should be kept in purdah?

The MPs who have voted against a ban have voted for restrictions on the human rights of women, and against feminism and liberation. Moreover, this decision sends out the wrong signal: Basically, it tells Muslims that they don’t have to integrate into our societies, for truly no integration can take place where women are enveloped in such ridiculous cloth.

This is the West. They have chosen to come here to live. We have welcomed them. But they have rejected our customs. It is not, I repeat NOT, our custom to keep women in purdah. If that’s what they want, they should go elsewhere. And the people who represent us in these councils and parliaments should have the courage to stand up for OUR WAY OF LIFE. Moreover, it should be remembered that there are many Muslim women who wear the full veil defiantly, as a way of flaunting their 'superiority', for that is how these people truly feel: superior. We should do all we can to stamp this out. – © Mark

Verbunden mit diesem Artikel:

DIE PRESSE: Europarat: Schweiz soll Minarett-Verbot aufheben >>> APA/dpa | Mittwoch, 23. Juni 2010

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Vollverschleierung: Spanischer Senat votiert für Burka-Bann >>> kgp/dpa/AFP | Mittwoch, 23 Juni 2010

More related articles here and here

Frankreich will Männer für Burka büssen: Justizministerium teilt Details des geplanten Verbots mit
NZZ ONLINE: Nachdem in Belgien das Burka-Verbot vom Parlament beschlossen wurde, sind auch Details des geplanten französischen Gesetzes bekannt geworden. Demnach soll es vor allem harte Strafen für Männer geben, welche ihre Frauen zum Tragen des Schleiers zwingen.

Das in Frankreich geplante Verbot von muslimischen Ganzkörperschleiern soll mit harten Strafandrohungen kombiniert werden. Männer, die Frauen zum Tragen von Burka oder Niqab zwingen, müssen bis zu ein Jahr Haft und eine Geldstrafe von 15'000 Euro fürchten.

Frauen drohen beim Tragen eines Ganzkörperschleiers gemäss einem Gesetzesentwurf bis zu 150 Euro Strafe. Zusätzlich oder alternativ ist die Verpflichtung zu einem «staatsbürgerlichem Praktikum» angedacht. Bei ihm soll den Frauen vermittelt werden, warum in Frankreich das Verhüllen des Gesichts nicht erwünscht ist. >>> sda/afp | Freitag, 30. April 2010

Men Who Force Women to Wear Burka Would Face €15,000 Fine in France
THE TELEGRAPH: Anyone who forced a woman to wear a burka would face a fine of €15,000 (£13,000), according to leaked extracts of a proposed French law banning the face-covering Islamic veil.

While women caught wearing a burka or niqab would face a €150 penalty, President Nicolas Sarkozy would fine those making others wear them one hundred times that amount, and would sentence them to one year in prison.

"No-one may wear in public places clothes that are aimed at hiding the face," says the text of a new law that is to be presented to parliament in July, according to a copy seen by Le Figaro.

The law would create a new offence of "incitement to cover the face for reasons of gender," the centre-Right daily newspaper reported.

The extracts cited did not say whether the law would contain exemptions for people covering up their faces for popular non-religious purposes such as skiing, nor how these exceptions would be defined.

Legislators decided to impose a much smaller fine on women caught wearing the veil in public "because these women are often victims," one of the authors of the law told Le Figaro on condition of anonymity.

Women caught wearing the full veil could choose to attend a "citizenship course" instead of paying the fine, the paper said. >>> | Friday, April 30, 2010

Related links here and here and here and here

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

Al hamdu lillah! French MPs Vote in Favour of Banning Burka
THE TELEGRAPH: French MPs have passed a law banning Islamic face veils from public areas amid warnings it poses constitutional problems and risks being overturned in the courts.

On the eve of Bastille Day, marking the birth of France's staunchly secular republic, the vast majority of MPs in the country's National Assembly voted in favour of outlawing the burka and the niqab from French streets, making it the second European country after Belgium to clamp down.

The new law, passed by 335 votes to one, is expected to sail through the Senate in September and be in force by early next year after a six-month explanatory period.

However, it could yet be deemed unconstitutional by France's highest legal body, the Constitutional Council, which President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party has asked to rule on the matter, while it could also fall foul of European human rights legislation.

Under the new law, women who wear face-covering veils in all public places in France, including the street, face being fined 150-euro (£125) or ordered to follow citizenship classes, or both.

Husbands and fathers who force such veils on women and girls risk a year of prison and a 30,000-euro (£25,000) fine, with both penalties doubled if the victim is a minor. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Tuesday, July 13, 2010

La loi antiburqa adoptée sans opposition à l'Assemblée
Le premier ministre François Fillon, lors des questions au gouvernement, mardi à l'Assemblée nationale. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Un seul élu a voté contre le texte et vingt élus de gauche l'ont approuvé.

La loi antiburqa a franchi le cap de l'Assemblée nationale. Vingt députés de gauche (dont 14 socialistes, 4 radicaux de gauche, le communiste André Gerin et le chevènementiste Jacques Desallangre) ont voté mardi le projet de loi visant à interdire le port du voile intégral dans l'espace public. Michèle Alliot-Marie n'y est pas étrangère. La garde des sceaux a adressé de nombreux signes aux dirigeants socialistes.

Le texte a été adopté à une écrasante majorité (335 voix), seul un député non inscrit, Daniel Garrigue (villepiniste, ex-UMP), votant contre. Les villepinistes Marc Bernier, François Goulard, Jean-Pierre Grand et Marie-Anne Montchamp, eux, n'ont pas participé au vote.

Ce résultat est une victoire pour Jean-François Copé, le patron des députés UMP, ardent partisan de ce texte. La quasi-totalité de la droite (UMP et Nouveau Centre) a voté pour, de même que le président du MoDem François Bayrou, le souverainiste Nicolas Dupont-Aignan et les villiéristes Véronique Besse et Dominique Souchet. >>> Par Sophie Huet | Mardi 13 Juillet 2010

Frankreich: Burka-Verbot rückt näher
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die französische Nationalversammlung hat ein landesweites Verbot der Burka verabschiedet, der Senat muss aber noch zustimmen. Mit dem Gesetz will die Regierung das Tragen von Vollschleiern in der Öffentlichkeit komplett untersagen.

Die französische Nationalversammlung hat am Dienstag ein landesweites Verbot der Burka verabschiedet. Die Abgeordneten stimmten mit 336 zu einer Stimme für das Gesetz, das die Gesichtsverschleierung in der Öffentlichkeit verbietet.

Das Gesetz sieht ein Verbot jeglicher Art von Vermummung vor, etwa auch Gesichtsmasken bei Demonstrationen und nicht nur von muslimischen Frauen getragene Schleier wie die Burka oder den Nikab. Im September stimmt der Senat über das Gesetz ab, das kommendes Jahr in Kraft treten soll; auch der Verfassungsrat soll noch Stellung dazu beziehen. >>> Text: AFP,
Bildmaterial: Archiv, dpa | Dienstag, 13. Juli 2010

Vom Kopftuch bis zum Ganzkörperschleier

German Euro MP Koch-Mehrin Urges EU Burka Ban
BBC: A top German Euro MP has called for a Europe-wide ban on wearing the Islamic full-body veil, or burka, in public.

Silvana Koch-Mehrin, a member of the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), said the burka was "a massive attack on women's rights - it is a mobile prison".

Her party is in the German government with Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU).

Belgian MPs have voted to ban garments covering the face in public, including the burka and the Islamic niqab.

The ban would be the first such restriction in Europe if backed by Belgium's upper house.

In an article in the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, Ms Koch-Mehrin said wearing the burka "openly supports values that we do not share in Europe".

"I want the wearing of all forms of the burka to be banned in Germany too - and throughout Europe." Opposition to ban >>> | Monday, May 03, 2010

Related / Verbunden / Liens en relation avec l’article: here / hier / ici

Kommentar: Ein Gesetz kann das Burka-Paradox nicht lösen
WELT ONLINE: Kann man im Namen der Freiheit ein Gesetz erlassen, das die Freiheit beschneidet? Dieses Paradox schafft Frankreich mit dem geplanten Verbot von Burka oder Nikab in öffentlichen Einrichtungen. Ob es die Trägerinnen von Ganzkörperschleiern in Frankreich befreien oder noch stärker in die Isolation treiben wird, bleibt offen.

Bild: Welt Online
Die Kommission zum Ganzkörperschleier hat dem französischen Parlament empfohlen, eine „feierliche Resolution“ zu verabschieden, in der „das ganze Frankreich Nein sagt zum Ganzkörperschleier“. Ein Gesetz soll folgen, das die Verhüllung des Gesichts in öffentlichen Einrichtungen verbietet. Burka- oder Nikab-Trägerinnen werden dann künftig auf der Post nicht mehr bedient.

Damit bleibt die parteiübergreifend besetzte Kommission hinter den Forderungen einiger Vertreter der Regierungspartei UMP zurück, die sich für ein Verbot von Ganzkörperschleiern im gesamten öffentlichen Raum aussprechen.

Die Debatte wird munter weitergehen, denn wie ein Gesetz aussehen könnte, das anwendbar wäre, weiß niemand. Noch weniger, wie es sich auswirkt. Bringt es den betroffenen Frauen mehr Freiheit oder zwingt es sie in die völlige Isolation? >>> Von Sascha Lehnartz | Dienstag, 26. Januar 2010

Inquiry Condemns Burka as 'Un-French'
THE INDEPENDENT: Sarkozy calls for wearing of full-body veils to be banned in 'official' public places

The Islamic full-body veil should be banned from French public offices, hospitals, trains and buses, according to a parliamentary investigation which reported yesterday. In a bad-tempered final session, the committee of inquiry angered many members of President Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling centre-right party by rejecting their demands for an outright ban on the burka or niqab. After a muddled and heated six-month investigation, the committee decided that such a ban might be declared unconstitutional under French and European law.

Instead, a narrow majority of the 32 members accepted a compromise suggested by Mr Sarkozy and the Prime Minister, François Fillon. They called for a solemn, but unenforceable, parliamentary motion declaring the full-length veil – a marginal but growing phenomenon in France – to be "un-French". They said that this should be followed soon by a law forbidding people to cover their faces in "official" public spaces, from hospitals to post offices. >>> John Lichfield in Paris | Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Frankreich: Festnahmen im Vorfeld des Burka-Verbots
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Ab Montag ist in Frankreich das Tragen von Gesichtsschleiern in der Öffentlichkeit verboten. Das Verbot gilt für die muslimischen Schleier wie den Nikab und die Burka. In Paris hat die Polizei am Samstag während einer unbewilligten Demonstration gegen das Verbot über 60 Personen festgenommen, darunter auch 19 Frauen.

59 Personen seien festgenommen worden, als sie auf der Place de la Nation im Osten von Paris demonstrieren wollten. Zudem seien auch zwei Personen festgenommen worden, die von Grossbritannien nach Belgien reisen wollten, hiess es.

Die Kundgebung gegen das Verschleierungsverbot war von der Polizei am Freitag verboten worden, weil sie darin einen Aufruf zu Gewalt und Rassenhass sah. Dieser habe sich weniger auf die Kundgebung an sich, als vielmehr auf die Reden bezogen, hiess es.

In Frankreich sind ab Montag Gesichtsschleier verboten. Dies bezieht sich vor allem auf die muslimischen Schleier wie den Nikab, bei dem nur ein Schlitz für die Augen bleibt, oder den Ganzkörperschleier, die Burka. » | dpa/sda/muei | Sonntag, 10. April 2011

Frankreich beschliesst Burka-Verbot
Das französische Parlament hat ein landesweites Verbot der Burka verabschiedet. Die Abgeordneten stimmten mit 336 zu einer Stimme für das Gesetz, das die Gesichtsverschleierung aus der Öfffentlichkeit verbannt

CNN: French police arrest burqa ban protesters: Paris -- Police in Paris arrested dozens of people for trying to hold an unauthorized demonstration to protest a ban on the wearing of Islamic veils such as burqas, they said Sunday. » | Niki Cook, CNN | Sunday, April 10, 2011

«La burqa est un symbole de soumission»
20 MINUTES: Micheline Calmy-Rey est contre l'interdiction de la burqa, mais aussi contre la burqa.

La burqa, ce vêtement qui recouvre intégralement le corps, est un «symbole d'asservissement de la femme», affirme la ministre des affaires étrangères Micheline Calmy-Rey dans une interview à paraître lundi dans le «Blick».

Cela rend la conseillère fédérale «furieuse». La Suisse n'a pourtant pas de problème de burqa, car très peu de femmes en portent une. Les femmes vêtue d'une burqa se voient surtout dans les médias. >>> ats | Dimanche 16 Mai 2010

«Wir haben kein Burka Problem»
BLICK: BERN – Zum ersten Mal bezieht Aussenministerin Micheline Calmy-Rey im BLICK Stellung in der Burkadebatte.

BLICK: Was halten Sie vom Burkaverbot, das jetzt breit diskutiert wird?

Micheline Calmy-Rey: Ich bin gegen die Burka. Und ich bin gegen ein Burkaverbot.

Erklären Sie das bitte.

Ich bin gegen die Burka. Einmal sah ich bei einem Spaziergang in Genf einige Frauen mit Burka. Ich war wütend. Nicht auf die Frauen, sondern weil die Burka ein Symbol der Versklavung der Frau ist. >>> | Sonntag, 16. Mai 2010

Limited Burka Ban Approved by German Parliament

THE TELEGRAPH: Germany’s parliament has voted to approve a partial burka ban for judges, civil servants and soldiers carrying out their duties.

Under the ban, officials will also be able to require women wearing a burka or full-face veil to uncover their faces for the purposes of identification.

The new law falls short of calls from the Right in Germany for a French-style blanket ban on the burka in public places.

It also stops short of Angela Merkel’s call for a ban “wherever legally possible”.

The new legislation is mainly directed at public officials, and does not affect the right of private individuals to wear the burka in public. Read on and comment » | Justin Huggler in Berlin | Friday, April 28, 2017

Niederlande: Frauen mit Burka sollen Arbeitslosengeld verlieren
WELT ONLINE: In den Niederlanden sollen mit der Burka verschleierte Frauen das Recht auf finanzielle Unterstützung bei Arbeitslosigkeit verlieren. Einen entsprechenden Vorschlag unterbreitete der Amsterdamer Bürgermeister. Wer wegen der Burka keine Arbeit fände, solle keine Anspruch auf Arbeitslosenhilfe haben, so Job Cohen.

Verschleierten niederländischen Frauen könnte das Recht auf Arbeitslosengeld aberkannt werden. Bild: Welt Online
Verschleierte Frauen könnten in den Niederlanden das Recht auf Arbeitslosengeld verlieren. Dieser Vorschlag des sozialdemokratischen Amsterdamer Bürgermeisters Job Cohen finde breite parlamentarische Unterstützung, berichteten niederländische Medien.

Cohen hatte erklärt, Frauen, die im Berufsleben nicht auf den als Burka bekannten muslimischen Ganzkörperschleier verzichten mögen und daher keinen Job fänden, sollten keinen Anspruch auf Arbeitslosenhilfe haben.

„Das ist eine gute Idee“, sagte die Abgeordnete Mirjam Sterk von der christdemokratischen Regierungspartei CDA der Zeitung „De Telegraaf“. „Wer wegen des Burka-Tragens arbeitslos bleibt, darf von uns nicht subventioniert werden.“ Eine entsprechende Bestimmung müsse in die Arbeits- und Sozialgesetzgebung aufgenommen werden. >>> dpa/sk | Dienstag, 29. September 2009

Burkas Cast a Veil over Us All – So Ban Them

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Cultural values that oppress and diminish women have no place in our society

Am I a racist? That’s what I was called on Twitter this week. It happens every time I express my loathing for the burka and the niqab, both hideous shrouds that hide a woman’s face from the world and prevent her – and, therefore, her children – from playing a full part in society.

My accuser on Twitter, one Imran Bhaloo, said it was offensive and racist of me to call a burka a shroud. “You have no right to evaluate culture,” he said. “A burka is not better or worse than a short dress, especially when you’re wearing it to impress someone. At that point, it ceases to be a choice. So how free are you?”

Actually, Mr Bhaloo, I do have a right to “evaluate culture”, as you call it. Mercifully, this is a country in which critical thinking is permitted: if we believe a practice stinks, then we say so. For example, if the Daughter comes downstairs wearing a skirt shorter than a text message, I culturally evaluate it and tell her to get changed pronto.

You ask me how free am I? Well, I’m a lot freer than those poor girls, as young as 11, who attend the Madani Girls’ School in east London. The school, it was revealed yesterday, requires all pupils to wear a burka, or a full-face veil and a long black coat, outside the premises. According to the school’s website, the uniform rule “conforms to the Islamic Code of dressing and must be adhered to at all times”.

How free is an 11-year-old who only sees her city through a letterbox slit, and who is obliged to dress in a way that intimidates people, prevents any connection being made, and ends up stoking even more racist feeling? How free are the children at the Ayesha Siddiqa Girls’ School in west London, which, like other private Islamic schools, requires pupils to wear a burka or jilbab (headscarf)? The Ayesha Siddiqa school had an emergency Ofsted inspection earlier this year that raised concerns about the 120 girls’ “welfare, health and safety”. » | Allison Pearson | Wednesday, September 18, 2013

My comment:

Finally, Brits are coming to the conclusion that the Islamic veil / burqah / niqab / hijab should be banned. It's taken a long time. Many of us have been saying this for years; but we were shouted down by the thought police (and the MSM) for being too intolerant and un-pc. Interestingly, Brits had a go at the French too, for being intolerant of diversity when they banned the burqah. But now, it seems, they have been proved right. They were, of course, right all along.

The burqah has no place in a progressive society. Ban it! – © Mark

This comment appears here too.