Religion is always sticky and controversial. It is the cause of wars, strikes, and many different various conflicts. With any event in life that takes place individuals usually follow the simplest social contract: You have freedom as long as that freedom does not infringe upon another individual's freedom.
France of all places should acknowledge this. And Muslims who reside in the country should be given the liberty to wear what they want due to the plain fact that what they wear does not infringe upon anyone's liberty. Just because a Burka (burga) is worn and covers all of the body does not mean the woman wearing it is imprisoned. Most do it for religious purposes. To make someone choose between breaking the law, and following religious practices because of clothing is absurd.
[Sarkozy] said: "In our country, we cannot accept that women be prisoners behind a screen, cut off from all social life, deprived of all identity." (source)As most know, this is not true. Many Muslim women in France have jobs, families, and enjoy everyday daily activities. Although we may not agree with everything about their custom and religion, we must continue to respect it as long as it, again, is not infringing upon anyone else's liberties.
[Sarkozy then] added: "The burka is not a religious sign, it's a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement. I want to say it solemnly - it will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic."(source)
Again, it is wrong to force someone to adjust their peaceful way of living and following their beliefs just because you think that their clothes are a prison.
The same way in which I think Mormons are ridiculous, I would never approve of someone trying to disband them and outlaw the way they dressed.
As long as they do not infringe on anyone else's liberty, let them dress how they please, even though it may seem absurd to others.
You're absolutely right. Of course Muslims should be able to wear whatever they want! If they want to wear a Burka, let them, and if they don't want to, let them do that too. It's as simple as that! Why is it that these people can't understand that? Sheesh! :P
ReplyDeleteI totally agree; but it's also a matter of tolerance; nowadays, people want to restrict certain religions as much as possible; so how do they do that? They ban customs/traditions, etc. Of course it's wrong, but who wants to be the unfortunate one to tell Sarkozy this?
ReplyDeleteSuperStizzle
I guess this is just a case of not having the whole info.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that comes to my mind when I see a woman in a Burka is that she's being mis-treated and oppressed, and doesn't have many rights... A misconception, I'm sure, and that's what French people think too.
On the other hand, the muslims have immigrated to France. And most of them are French citizens. Doesn't that mean that you have to respect the rules of that country?