Ok, so nobody would actually wear a burka in the US because the reaction would be so bad... but at the same time, there's no way in hell anyone would even think to try to make it illegal.
If your clothes aren't bothering anyone else, EXCEPT for the people who are discriminating against you in the first place, you should be able to wear whatever the hell you want.
And by banning burkas, you then 1) humiliate the women; 2) further alienate them and their families from the government and country to which they're supposed to be adjusting; and 3) taking the easy road of banning the most superficial result of their repression rather than addressing the causes of it.
And face it, not being able to see a tiny percentage of people's faces in a community isn't going to bring any of its functions down.
I agree that just prohibiting a burka is not the only way of banning extremism and repression. If some women feel so much alienated from their society they start adopting extremist signs, than the problem of alienation should be tackled as well... That's exactly what you're talking about, Elvo.
Besides, there's a huge difference between a burka and a veil, you know... wearing a veil is just an islamic, moderately religious way of dressing, while a burka clearly is an extremist, Taliban-enforced way. Why do you think a burka is only worn in Afghanistan and is hardly popular anywhere else in the Arab world? Two Belgian women ventured out to Afghanistan to interview women, and came back with quite brave stories of women dealing with the daily reality of such repression. Wearing a burka is not easy nor pleasant, anyone can figure that. The fact that now (very few!) islamic women in Belgium choose to wear a Burka, is in fact a reaction towards extremism in response to the confusion of losing their society and values in Belgium (again: why do you reckon there are perhaps 10 islamic women out of 200000 in Belgium wearing a burka?). As trust is based on seeing someone's face in our society, I actually believe we have the right to demand this from immigrants. This is by no means demanding to stop wearing a religious veil (in my opinion too, everyone can wear whatever they want, even in a classroom, even a veil, but not a burka)! When I'm in Oman, people demand I wear long trousers and a decent shirt anytime during Ramadan (yes, this is law-enforced!) and to visit people you respect, otherwise they'd feel offended or ridiculized. Although I can assure you I'd prefer to wear shorts in a 40°C climate, I believe they have the right to demand this from me and I totally respect that...
I don't believe in total "integration". Diverse groups can peacefully live together, maintaining their own way of living (diversity) in most things. But I do believe some minor adaptions are needed, basically to gain trust. And I do believe these can be demanded by rules, and especially when they are clear signs of extremism. Again, there's a difference between banning a burka and thus protecting trust in our society (or at least attempting to do so), and banning a veil and thus humiliating islamic women. And yes, connecting to a whole different discussion, I do believe it is possible to draw a line between religious and extremist signs.
On the other hand, don't you say enough when you point out that in the US no such rules are needed, because people just don't dare to go out in public wearing a burka? Think about it... Isn't that the shade of Guantanamo on the US? There's no need to make anything illegal to lock people away, is there...
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If your clothes aren't bothering anyone else, EXCEPT for the people who are discriminating against you in the first place, you should be able to wear whatever the hell you want.
Anyway, what happened to diversity? Or should everyone dress the same? ... Oh wait, they already do.
And by banning burkas, you then 1) humiliate the women; 2) further alienate them and their families from the government and country to which they're supposed to be adjusting; and 3) taking the easy road of banning the most superficial result of their repression rather than addressing the causes of it.
And face it, not being able to see a tiny percentage of people's faces in a community isn't going to bring any of its functions down.
I agree that just prohibiting a burka is not the only way of banning extremism and repression. If some women feel so much alienated from their society they start adopting extremist signs, than the problem of alienation should be tackled as well... That's exactly what you're talking about, Elvo.
Besides, there's a huge difference between a burka and a veil, you know... wearing a veil is just an islamic, moderately religious way of dressing, while a burka clearly is an extremist, Taliban-enforced way. Why do you think a burka is only worn in Afghanistan and is hardly popular anywhere else in the Arab world? Two Belgian women ventured out to Afghanistan to interview women, and came back with quite brave stories of women dealing with the daily reality of such repression. Wearing a burka is not easy nor pleasant, anyone can figure that. The fact that now (very few!) islamic women in Belgium choose to wear a Burka, is in fact a reaction towards extremism in response to the confusion of losing their society and values in Belgium (again: why do you reckon there are perhaps 10 islamic women out of 200000 in Belgium wearing a burka?). As trust is based on seeing someone's face in our society, I actually believe we have the right to demand this from immigrants. This is by no means demanding to stop wearing a religious veil (in my opinion too, everyone can wear whatever they want, even in a classroom, even a veil, but not a burka)! When I'm in Oman, people demand I wear long trousers and a decent shirt anytime during Ramadan (yes, this is law-enforced!) and to visit people you respect, otherwise they'd feel offended or ridiculized. Although I can assure you I'd prefer to wear shorts in a 40°C climate, I believe they have the right to demand this from me and I totally respect that...
I don't believe in total "integration". Diverse groups can peacefully live together, maintaining their own way of living (diversity) in most things. But I do believe some minor adaptions are needed, basically to gain trust. And I do believe these can be demanded by rules, and especially when they are clear signs of extremism. Again, there's a difference between banning a burka and thus protecting trust in our society (or at least attempting to do so), and banning a veil and thus humiliating islamic women.
And yes, connecting to a whole different discussion, I do believe it is possible to draw a line between religious and extremist signs.
On the other hand, don't you say enough when you point out that in the US no such rules are needed, because people just don't dare to go out in public wearing a burka? Think about it... Isn't that the shade of Guantanamo on the US? There's no need to make anything illegal to lock people away, is there...
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