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French Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie presented a draft bill on Wednesday that would ban the wearing of a burqa in all public areas in France. This law is to “protect the dignity of a human being” because forcing anyone to “cover a part of their face or body demeans a woman’s rights”.
Uhm. Surely forcing someone to UNcover a part of their face or body is just as demeaning to their rights? Imagine how horrified you’d be if it became law that we should all wear miniskirts and bikini tops from now on. No jeans, please! How dare you cover your legs? No long hair please! Because then we can’t see your neck. No fringes! I want to see that forehead!
The right to make decisions and to have autonomy over one’s own body is one of the basic tenets of freedom. Taking away a person’s right of choice is one of the ultimate infractions on human rights.
Look at the abortion debate: people who are pro-choice aren’t rabid baby killers. They just support a woman’s right to choose what or what doesn’t happen in her body.
Just so we’re straight here – I have very little patience with both religion and culture. And I get that the Dutch and the French who live in mostly gender-equal societies are horrified by some of the practices of Islam. I also have many issues with patriarchal religions (and Islam in particular) but the point of a free society is to allow people to think differently to you.
In South Africa we are faced with these issues every day. A part of the African tradition is for women to have their breasts free. I wonder what Minister Alliot-Marie would say if we made her walk around topless in certain public places.
It is time for the West to wake up and get off their culturally superior high horse. These women wear the veil because it means something holy to them. It is their choice and their basic human right to believe what they want to believe. Denying them that right and making it Against The Law goes against everything free societies everywhere have been fighting for.
Liberty, Fraternity, Equality my ass.
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Do you think government should be allowed to control what people wear or don't wear?
Uhm. Surely forcing someone to UNcover a part of their face or body is just as demeaning to their rights? Imagine how horrified you’d be if it became law that we should all wear miniskirts and bikini tops from now on. No jeans, please! How dare you cover your legs? No long hair please! Because then we can’t see your neck. No fringes! I want to see that forehead!
The right to make decisions and to have autonomy over one’s own body is one of the basic tenets of freedom. Taking away a person’s right of choice is one of the ultimate infractions on human rights.
Look at the abortion debate: people who are pro-choice aren’t rabid baby killers. They just support a woman’s right to choose what or what doesn’t happen in her body.
Just so we’re straight here – I have very little patience with both religion and culture. And I get that the Dutch and the French who live in mostly gender-equal societies are horrified by some of the practices of Islam. I also have many issues with patriarchal religions (and Islam in particular) but the point of a free society is to allow people to think differently to you.
In South Africa we are faced with these issues every day. A part of the African tradition is for women to have their breasts free. I wonder what Minister Alliot-Marie would say if we made her walk around topless in certain public places.
It is time for the West to wake up and get off their culturally superior high horse. These women wear the veil because it means something holy to them. It is their choice and their basic human right to believe what they want to believe. Denying them that right and making it Against The Law goes against everything free societies everywhere have been fighting for.
Liberty, Fraternity, Equality my ass.
Follow me on Twitter, here
Do you think government should be allowed to control what people wear or don't wear?
