"I put it to you PECS, for consideration that you are apportioning accountability for action to the wrong people. You seem to think that it is the 'other's' the ones who don't wear the Burka and veil who should change their attitudes."
Excellent post Allygran and once again it's those who voice their concerns who have more or less been told THEY are in the wrong.
I want to speak face to face with people, as is the CULTURAL NORM IN THE UK. I object strongly to people walking round in a black disguise. As others have said, men too have taken to wearing head to foot robes. We should know who is in our midst.
Given the rise in terrorism and the use of CCTV to capture suspicious behaviour, we are also thwarting the efforts of those paid to protect us if we allow certain sections of society to move amongst us incognito. A person wearing a balaclava in a crowded place would be arrested yet we allow the Muslim practice of 'disguise'. A head to to covering IS a disguise. Once again it would seem that causing offence of any sort to the Muslim community seems to be a priority. It is a conversation that is needed and many more enlightened Muslims are prepared to have it. We cannot continue to shy away from it.
Many 'liberal' countries have banned the covering of faces ie: the wearing of the burka or niqab. Angela Merkel called for a ban in Germany saying ”Show your face. The full covering is not permissible and should be banned." It is now an offence to cover the face in France, Belgium, Austria, Netherlands, Switzerland, in parts of Spain, Italy and many African countries like Chad, Cameroon, the Congo and Niger after terrorist attacks and suicide bombings. There has NOT been a Muslim backlash, perhaps because :-
"The Koran enjoins all Muslims – whether male or female – to dress modestly and refrain from revealing “any parts of their bodies, except that which is necessary”.
"Beyond this general instruction, the holy book offers no specific guidance on female clothing. Its pages contain no mention of the burka or, for that matter, of the other varieties of dress that are now associated with Islam, including the hijab, or veil."
The burka has been adopted more and more because of Islamic fundamentalism, which is not something we should ignore.
"The burka is a reflection of culture rather than an accepted interpretation of Islam and it remains an alien imposition in large areas of the Muslim world."
"Since the rise of Boko Haram, it has also come to be seen as a security risk, hence the gradual spread of the ban through West Africa."
www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/burka-bans-the-countries-where-muslim-women-cant-wear-veils/
