Why burkas should be banned
Two outraged young Muslim women have written to say how shocked they are by my saying the burka should be banned.
Both make the point that it protects a woman's modesty and dignity.
From whom? Men? The onus is on them to exercise self-control, not on us to shroud our bodies from head to toe and hide our faces to be appropriately dressed and maintain our modesty.
One woman asks: "How is wearing a burka repressive? In my opinion wearing the burka frees us as women from the hideous disclothing way women present themselves these days."
At least we have the freedom to express our personalities through the fashions we wear. What is repressive is forcing a woman to wear a burka, and how many men impose their will in this way?
Both singled out the wearing of tarty gear. But that is a matter of choice and no argument for going to the extreme of shrouding ourselves in a bed sheet.
One of the women, a college student said: "You talked about how the burka takes away the dignity of women. How is the baring of one's midriff and showing off tacky tattoos protecting one's dignity?"
And she went on to contrast "these tarty and clarty get-ups" with an elegantly dressed Muslim woman in a photograph.
Point taken, but mine is that no woman should be covering her face from public view.
I have no problem with any woman wearing a headscarf as both these women do – the covering of one's hair is not offensive in any way.
It is when the headscarf becomes the full veil with just a slit for the eyes.
In our culture, seeing only a pair of eyes is sinister. People in this country don't like it because it shrieks oppression.
Were I to go to a country where the culture is to cover up I would of course show respect. And that is why a third of Britons echo my view that the burka should be outlawed, while two-thirds want it banned in public places, such as airports.
Girls who hit the streets in pelmets that barely cover their modesty don't get my seal of approval because they have so little respect for themselves. But it doesn't follow to say she's "an easy target for a heckler."
However scantily dressed, a woman should be free to go out without the fear of being easy meat.
Shockingly, this week it was revealed that more than 56 per cent of women reckoned rape victims are the authors of their own misfortune.
They insisted that rape victims who are drunk or wear short skirts should be held partly responsible for the attack, according to the Wake Up To Rape report.
How disgraceful and diabolical that women in this country have such a low regard for their own sex. Little wonder one in 25 said they would do nothing, given their feeling of shame and lack of confidence that they will be believed.
No woman asks to be raped. And anyway the majority of rape victims know their attacker, contrary to the popular misconception that they are pounced on in a dark alley.
The fact is a woman should be able to go out in the nude if she wants – not that I would, or even encourage it – because it is for a man to control his lust.
Both women touch on society's fashion extremes, blaming the media for encouraging outrageous dressing and one citing Lady Gaga.
Well, in her bizarre pompadour wig and lace mask this week at the Brits she was as usual playing up to her extravagant, outlandish role as a performer.
That's OK if you're Gaga but not what we'd wear to go shopping in The Bridges. As for our society accepting nudism – I'd happily ban page 3 girls.
But to liken the burka to a nun's habit is ridiculous. One says: "Nuns of the Christian religion wear similar clothing, however no one seems to be harrassing them with derogatory comments."
Indeed no – we can see their faces, wimple or no wimple. Nor do I accept that forcing people not to wear a burka is "in real fact repressive."
It is intimidating, a passive insult and that is outrageous just as is non-integration in our community.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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