French vote to outlaw burka

[DJofSD]

French MPs today overwhelmingly voted to ban the burka after a senior minister described it as a ‘walking coffin’ and a ‘muzzle’.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1294418/France-MPs-burka-ban-ONE-votes-measure-act-walking-coffins.html

[46zilzal]

Left handed people or those overweight can't be far behind

[bigmack]

Left handed people or those overweight can't be far behind
Brain-dead first, which means you're doomed.

The Dutch have had this law for quite a spell.

[TJDave]

Left handed people or those overweight can't be far behind

Wearing 'garments of piety' should neither be prohibited or required.

The French got this half-right.

[Robert Goren]

I am with the French on this one.

[woodtoo]

Still a long way to go before this is law,I give it a 50/50 chance at best.

[cj's dad]

I am with the French on this one.

As soon as the going gets tough, the french will surrender !!

[Robert Goren]

As soon as the going gets tough, the french will surrender !! They are taking on Muslims, not the Germans. I am not sure it makes a difference, but it might.

[ElKabong]

even if it becomes law, they may not have the balls to enforce it.....20% of our bldg @ work is french, trust me on this one

[TJDave]

It would seem logical that if France were having a problem with Muslims it would be better to not make the more radical less visible. ;)

[boxcar]

Left handed people or those overweight can't be far behind

I'm Hoping that will Change and they'll place you ahead of such people in that line.

Boxcar

[Robert Goren]

The French have a problem with religion in public. It comes from abuses by the Catholic church before their revolution. I am pretty sure that the average Frenchman wouldn't care if every Muslim left the country.

[GaryG]

I am pretty sure that the average Frenchman wouldn't care if every Muslim left the country.They would offer to help pay the fares.

[TJDave]

The French have a problem with religion in public.

The French have a problem with public display of a specific religion. Had it been universal, they would have banned frocks, habits, the crucifix, yarmulkes, and turbans.

[JustRalph]

It would seem logical that if France were having a problem with Muslims it would be better to not make the more radical less visible. ;)

I don't think it's the women that they worry about being the most radical

[sandpit]

They would offer to help pay the fares.

If a fundraiser was somehow organized in the U.S. to pay all the Muslims way out of the country, I'd be willing to bet that there would be enough donated to fly them all out first class.

[BluegrassProf]

If a fundraiser was somehow organized in the U.S. to pay all the Muslims way out of the country, I'd be willing to bet that there would be enough donated to fly them all out first class.This reminds me of a short parable called The Space Traders by Derrick Bell, a commentary on the invasiveness of racism and of power dynamics in modern society (despite our claims of being a somehow wildly progressive, tolerant society...ha!)...I highly recommend looking it up. In very short, it's about a spaceship landing on an earth - in a United States specifically - of the future, and features the arrival of beings from another world that come bearing promises of cures for the ills of the nation (fiscal crises, environmental damage, etc.) in exchange for only one simple thing: every African American in the United States would leave with them to return to their home planet.

No mention is made of what the beings plan to do with these people; they must simply go, without force but without question, onboard the mighty alien ships and leave earth very likely forever. Bell goes through the piece detailing the processes behind the ultimate end, but unsurprisingly, the story concludes with millions of black Americans boarding the alien ships on their way towards the unknown, prompted on all sides by waves of well-armed American guards.

While this sounds like a somewhat absurd conclusion, take a moment to let the question really sink in: would we actually be willing to sacrifice a race - or, importantly, would we be able to sacrifice a race - in favor of the socioeconomic, political, and cultural powers that be, which is what this decision ultimately represents? Is Bell all that far off in his tale?

Though the author is talking about blacks in this case, replace the word "black" with "muslim," and the likely result is even clearer: would we go through the courts, through the court of public opinion, to send every muslim american in the country away into the void? Would we make that trade with the Space Traders? For me, there's absolutely no doubt in my mind: of course we would.

The question really becomes, who does that speak to more strongly: the muslim americans around the country, or everyone else? Just a thought...

Edit: Here's the Bell piece...it's longer than I remembered it to be, so if anyone's got sufficient interest, again, I highly recommend it (particularly if you're interested in a unique discussion of American jurisprudence):
http://whgbetc.com/the-space-traders.pdf

[Robert Goren]

One's religion is a choice, but the color of one's skin is not.

[Native Texan III]

Law a bit of a meaningless gesture that diverts attention from issues of real importance.
Muslims, mostly former immigrants, now number 5 million in France. The number of burqa wearers, however, is estimated by French police as numbering between 1,400 and 2,000.

[JustRalph]

One's religion is a choice, but the color of one's skin is not.

tell that to MJackson