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European Salon de News, Discussion et Klatsch - 1 April | 94 comments (94 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: Europe (4.00 / 2)
BBC News - Belgian committee votes for full Islamic veil ban

A Belgian parliamentary committee has voted to ban face-covering Islamic veils from being worn in public.

The home affairs committee voted unanimously to endorse the move, which must be approved by parliament for it to become law.

Such a vote could be held within weeks, correspondents say, meaning that Belgium could become the first European country to implement a ban.

France is also considering restricting face-covering veils.

There are several types of headscarves and veils for Muslim women - those that cover the face being the niqab and the burka.



Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Wed Mar 31st, 2010 at 01:39:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]
kind of law that is passed by a fearful society (4.00 / 4)
FT.com / Europe - Belgium set to ban full Islamic veil

The ban is partly grounded on security concerns, demanding that all people must be identifiable by the authorities when in public.

But parliamentarians also explained the vote on grounds of "fundamental democratic principles and the dignity of women", comparing the full veil to a "walking prison which is not adapted to Belgian values".

Such a ban may be defensible on security enforcement grounds.  Otherwise, it is the first step onto a slippery slope towards totalitarianism in which the state (1) decides what pieces of clothing symbolize, (2) decides whether those symbols are compatible with "state values", (3) outlaws any ideologically "incompatible" pieces of clothing, and (4) uses these laws to stigmatize, bully and incrementally ostracize targeted groups within society.

"We have sent a very strong signal to Islamists," said Denis Ducarme, a centre-right member of parliament.


The point is not to be right, but to get to right.
by marco on Thu Apr 1st, 2010 at 02:12:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: kind of law that is passed by a fearful (none / 0)
And the practical effect of such a ban will be to drive these women off the streets.

I find it absurd in the extreme that these morons are claiming to uphold "the dignity of women" by pushing them even deeper into their oppressive culture of origin.

But of course this is only about fear and ethnic/cultural purity.

The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman

by dvx (dvx.clt ät gmail dotcom) on Thu Apr 1st, 2010 at 03:39:12 AM EST
[ Parent ]

European Salon de News, Discussion et Klatsch - 1 April | 94 comments (94 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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