I’m not opposed to the wearing of full-face veils as I once was. Although I feel that women that wear these ‘cloth bags’ as Sam Harris refers to them are being severely oppressed by their male counterparts, I figure that if they are meek enough and/or indoctrinated to the point where they actually defend the use of these costumes then the hell with them, let them continue to be stepped on by their husbands, who are nothing more than religious freaks.
In terms of security, I don’t see the point of banning full-face veils. If one of these women is strapped with explosives and blows herself up, who cares who she was. Anyhow, they can conceal weapons or explosives underneath their garments even if their faces aren’t covered. Plus, I would imagine that all government buildings have metal detectors and people are scanned before entering; that’s how it is in the United States.
The one thing that I am vehemently opposed to is Muslims challenging laws against burqas, or anything else for that matter, in foreign countries. People in Islamic countries are forced to follow their traditions and customs or else… In Saudi Arabia, a man was just sentenced to three months in prison PLUS 90 lashes for kissing a woman in a mall! This is how radical and backward Islamic societies are. So, the bottom line is, if Muslims don’t like the laws they need to abide by in foreign countries, then they can go back to their country of origin and live as the rest of the barbarians do. TGO
Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press
MADRID (AFP) – Barcelona plans to be the first large city in Spain to ban the use of the full-face Islamic veil in public buildings, its mayor announced Monday.
Jordi Hereu said he will sign a decree which will apply in all public spaces such as the city hall and municipal covered markets and creches.
“It should not be possible that someone enters into a place without being identified,” the Socialist mayor said.
He said the measure is not aimed at “any particular religious group” and would also apply to people wearing crash helmets and balaclavas.
Two other towns in the northeastern region of Catalonia, Lerida and El Venrell, have recently imposed bans on the use of the Islamic veil in public buildings.
Two more, Tarragona and Gerona, are considering similar measures, as is Coin in the southern region of Andalucia.
Spain’s conservative opposition Popular Party has said it plans to present a proposal in Catalonia’s regional parliament to ban the full-face veil in public places throughout the region.
Authorities in 11 mosques in Catalonia have vowed to challenge the bans in Spain’s Constitutional Court.
Immigration from Muslim countries has grown dramatically in Spain since the 1990s, with Catalonia in particular being home to a large community of Pakistani origin.
There are now about one million Muslims among Spain’s population of 47 million.
Last month, lawmakers in Belgium approved a draft law to ban the wearing of the Muslim full-face veil in public places, including streets — creating a controversial first for Europe, although it is still subject to a senate vote.
Debate is raging in France as well, where the cabinet has approved a draft law to ban the Muslim full-face veil from public spaces, opening the way for the text to go before parliament in July.
