http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wor...colas_sarkozy_bans_women_from_wearing_bu.html Well I think a ban is kind of extreme and with the 200 dollar fee and all but seriously these women should not be forced to wear the burkas. I have always seen this as somewhat of a derogatory piece of clothing. Sure the women might also hold it sacred but then they were kind of brainwashed by their fathers and mothers into thinking that. I know its a religious thing but come on we're in the 21st century and i still see shit like this on college educated students. Their might be some sacred story behind it and all that but unless they required it for life support its just another symbol of a leash, at least in my eyes.
Some people wear crucifixes, stars of Davids, or other symbolic religious yokes. Some will perform gestures or utter well practiced phrases. In medical parlance, such can be construed as obsessive compulsive disorder, where the person who believes it then must adhere to it for emotional succor. When such like minded individuals congregate, we often reference them as cults, religions, or mass psychosis, depending on one's interpretive point of view. College educated students btw, can be some of the most wacko people on the planet. They generally had just a little bit of knowledge beforehand, and then was introduced to something they considered epiphanous. They therefore think that they now know better than anyone else. That's why campuses are the traditional hotbeds of political discontent, as it literally becomes Dissatisfaction Central. If one looks at how the 60's hippie culture developed and then followed up with its adherents into later life, one generally finds their youthful ardor replaced by attitudes and traits that they themselves had railed against in early life (I speak from personal experience too). As for the Burka (var. burqa); it may be consider religious dress like the habits or vestments worn by other religions. However, given the total anonymity that such clothing provides, IMHO, it is within a state's right to ensure order and protection of its citizens by proscribing such attire. Some would argue that it denies one segment of society total religious freedom. However, there is nothing in any state practice (whether by law or custom) that ever confers rights of religion being greater than or above the needs of the state. Ie, sovereign rights will alway trump religious rights. The only places perhaps, where this may be narrowly debated is in religious states like Israel, Iran or the Vatican. However, experience has shown that even in those extreme religion locales, the needs of the state routinely overrides the needs of the religion. In secular states, religion, especially a minority one, will almost always remain secondary insofar as sovereign administration.
Well the people who wear crucifix etc. are usually influenced by their parents as well, but i don't know, i see the burka as an article of clothing for the islamic men to "control" their woman. I'm pretty much open to religious beliefs and all that but usually the religious "laws" allow for some equal footing for both sexes from what I've heard (obviously I don't know all the rules for each of the other religions). My opinion still stand as it is though. Burka = bad no matter for the countries interests or religious purposes. And yea I was hasty jumping on the conclusion that a college student are supposed to be "smarter" than the general population or is supposed to think more rationally than others. I guess i'm a total hypocrite for saying that too. -rolleyesI can say i'm not a tool for religious nonsense, but then others would say that i'm a tool for renegades and those damned atheists. I guess i'm just a cocky bastard sometimes. Oh btw so ralph you were a hippie?
The Burka in Islamic cultures isn't any more onerous than say, the social expectation of labeling a women with a her husband's surname in other cultural practices. Moreover, if one wanted to explore even greater gender restrictive customs, then perhaps one can investigate the customs that prevent some Muslim women from even appearing in public unless she's escorted by a male family member. She cannot invoke ownership for even the most personal of issues, like making a doctor's appointment, without a male relative speaking on her behalf. But this control over women is not new to man's experience, nor is it exclusive to Islamic culture. Since outlawed, one of the most egregious was the expectations of suttee (also sati), where grieving Hindu women were expected to immolate themselves on a deceased husband's funeral pyre. This was socially reinforced, ie both families will disown her if she fails to do so, leaving a woman literally without recourse; the only option left for her to accept would be her expected act of ritual suicide. Woman's suffrage too, was argued and hard fought even in enlightened civilized cultures like the United States. We may not realize it with politicians like Sarah Palin in the news every other day, but just over a century ago, a woman could neither vote nor was she considered trustworthy enough to sit on a jury. Personally, I dislike the burka as a clothing item because I think it hideously tasteless fashion; I also likewise agree that it is materially symptomatic and expressive of gender inequality. But insofar as an issue to pursue, I would be much more upset about things like human trafficking and female circumcision. It's a matter of degrees and impact. The burka debate I would not even bother with except that it offers unique public safety concerns. Hence, I would vote to ban it for the security issue alone, regardless of my feelings about gender relations. And yes, I had my hippie do down my shoulders prompting my dad to question just how many daughters he really had, LOL...
