Belgium Decides To Ban The Burkha In Public

Belgium Decides To Ban The Burkha In Public

Belgium Bans Burkhas In Public: Vote Almost Unaminous To Outlaw Muslim Veils In Public | World News | Sky News


Belgium is set to become the first ever country in Europe to ban the burkha being worn in public places.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/controversies/30241-belgium-decides-to-ban-burkha-public.html

Anyone wearing a burkha in Belgium could soon be fined or face a jail sentence

The vote in Parliamentfor a nationwide ban on Islamic clothes or veils that do not allow the wearer to be fully identified was almost unanimous.

The full-face niqab and burkha worn by some Muslim women are not a mandatory requirements of Islam, but a personal choice.

People found flouting the new law could be given a fine of 15-25 euros (£13-21) or even be faced with a week in jail.

Vice president of the Muslim Executive of Belgium, Isabelle Praile, warned that the new law could be the start of a slippery slope.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=30241

"Today it's the full-face veil, tomorrow the veil, the day after it will be Sikh turbans and then perhaps it will be mini-skirts."

She went on to say that "the wearing of a full-face veil is part of the individual freedoms" protected by Belgian, European and international rights laws.

Amnesty International also condemned the move saying: "A complete ban on the covering of the face would violate the rights to freedom of expression and religion of those women who wear the burkha or the niqab."

In France, president Nicholas Sarkozy has recently introduced a similar bill to ban the burkha - despite being advised that such a move could be unconstitutional.

The French law, which seems likely to get the go-ahead, will be decided on May 19.

The Belgium bill now goes to the senate for a 15-day period of review where any final objections can be heard, before being passed into law.

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As I see it one major difference between the burqa and our dastaar is the purpose. The burqa is designed to give the wearer complete anonymity, a sort of invisibility, while the Sikh turban is designed to make us stand out, make us even more visible. (Of course, one primary purpose of the turban is to protect the kes, but that is not relevant to this discussion.):happykaur:
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=30241

No one can hide behind a turban, while anyone - woman or man - can hide inside a burqa. I think this might be one practical reason to ban it. Pretending it has something to do with a woman's rights is just incorrect. Banning the burqa will simply increase the chance that she won't [be allowed to] venture out, leaving her more likely to be isolated and actually encourage domestic mistreatment.

We are, however, dealing with human beings and such logic is often lost on the unwashed masses of humanity who see the burqa and turban both as simply religious coverings and therefore equally offensive to the secular state. I'm afraid that this is the attitude we must contend with.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=30241

On balance, I think I must agree that this law is the cliche slippery slope and would to the detriment of the Sikh community, as well as to the Muslim women.

While the Burqa and the Turban serve two different purposes in two different faiths I think that anyone should be able to practice their religion openly as long as it does not infringe upon the rights of others.

On another note, this law starts a scary precedent toward criminalizing the practice of your religion. It's not too far fetched too say that Sikh turbans could be next...
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=30241
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=30241

You noticed something that I have been missing all along. Thanks.

All along I have been looking at this as denial or infringement of expression of religion. It is that. But it is also a brand new chapter because it is moving "toward criminalizing" practice of religion. YES!!!! Yes, and on top of everything else. I needed this shock of realization today. I have been too laid back!

I have a question.

Is Burqa mandatory in Islam?
Does Quran mandate women to wear a Burqa?

We know that Quran is full of do's and don'ts rules unlike the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=30241

Tejwant Singh

Based on my understanding, it is required by the Koran to dress modestly in public.

But, wearing a hijab or a burqa is not a religious requirement in Islam.

So, does this tradition of wearing a burqa breed repression or a freedom for a Muslim woman as it is not mandatory?
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=30241

Are the Muslim men responsible behind this repression and suppression rather than Islam itself?

here is an exerct from this website

Many argue that the hijab is used as an instrument to control women's sexuality. There exist extremely negative attitudes, for example, which consider women who do not cover their hair as somehow "unchaste". Women are also advised to wear the hijab for their own protection against sexual harassment. This is really a sort of justification for sexual harassment if you don't wear the veil. This sexist argument holds that men are not at all responsible for their actions (reminiscent of how when rape victims go to court what they were wearing when they were raped is often scrutinised as if what they wore could some-how justify being raped).
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=30241

The hijab is forced on women in many countries under the influence of Islam, either legally or under cultural and social pressure. In States where women have no civil rights whatsoever and are treated as subhuman, forcing women to wear the hijab or a much more extreme dress code is clearly used to subjugate and humiliate woman.

The women of RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan) state:

"We will never allow the fundamentalists to define and decree what women should or should not wear. They have no right to impose the veil upon us. As far as we are concerned, we will NOT wear the veil as far as security and social discretion allow us, for we regard rejection of the veil as a symbolic form of resistance and defiance of the fundamentalists. To wear, or not to wear, the Islamic veil is a completely personal issue and no one has the right to interfere with this decision or impose the veil upon us".
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=30241

So in short to answer your question, I think it is a misinterpretation of the Koran and the desire for Muslim men to gain control.

I find that the status of women in Islam is extremely low compared to the men in Islam...

If tomorrow someone says that patka is sign of oppression as majority of boys are forced to wear it and because of it they face harassment from other boys then what will sikhs do?