Thursday, May 5, 2011

France - When the burqa criminalizes mask of Zorro

There was a time when Shazia Mirza, a British comedian of Pakistani origin and Muslim, played a character wearing a hijab. She no longer does. But she always has a good reply about the veil. "All my cousins in France wear the burqa. It's great. It allows them to share the same pass for the bus. "They can do more.

For France has tightened the screws. Nicolas Sarkozy and his friends, the burqa is not a joke. C ' is dangerous and illegal. Women who take the burqa and the niqab (face veil most commonly used) will not really be arrested on the spot by the police. But if they appear in a public space face hidden beneath a veil, anyone has the right to ask them to discover - or leave.

For police, it does not really control and search pedestrians. Only control and unmask. In case of refusal to cooperate on the part of the offender, it is advised citizens to alert police. The fine can go up to 150 euros. It only seems it not a bit Disrespectful? If yes, you have every reason to be worried.

Because it is a practice which tends to spread. The headscarf ban is already in force in Belgium and is under discussion in Canada, Denmark and Spain. In the Netherlands, it is likely that a similar law is adopted later this year or in 2012. It already exists de facto in Italy (where, since 1975, legislation against terrorism may not cover their faces) and the party of Silvio Berlusconi is preparing a new text more precise.

In 2010, a Tunisian woman was fined 500 euros for taking a walk in a burqa in the region of Piedmont, Italy. What a fuss for a piece of fabric! Defending Women's Rights is a ridiculous excuse for something that is very similar to racism. "Personally, claimed Ed Balls [British politician and Labour Party politician] when he was Secretary of State for Education, I would not belong to a religion that requires women and girls that they should wear veil.

But I would not be part of a society that tells people how they should dress when they walk in the street. "In France, the feminist movement Ni putes ni soumises (NSPS) claims that the new measure will be welcomed by women who have adopted the niqab against their will, at the instigation of their husbands.

Maybe. But they are more likely to brag that they have made their decision freely . "The French like the idea that everyone should get out of the mold and the mold must be perfect, said Chrystal Khedrouche, a French-born 36 year old convert to Islam, the BBC's Gavin Hewitt. J 'I chose not to wear the Islamic veil ...

so I do not force me to hide is to suppress my freedom. " Almost everywhere in Europe, opponents of the burqa are threatening public safety and recall the basic principle of trust. In reality, it is neither more nor less than a form of Islamophobia. In France, the measure seems impossible to implement, it appears carrier division and seems genuinely sorry.

The law itself is written in strange terms, beginning with its catchy title "law prohibiting the concealment of the face in public." Note the absence of any reference to Islam. If the French were not as loose - and were more candid about their intentions - they would have explicitly prohibited and as such the burqa and niqab, instead of banning a false withholding "concealment of the face." Without doubt we must infer that it is now illegal in France to attend a costume party dressed as Zorro or Catwoman.

For if there is a rule for a class of people covering the face, it should certainly apply to all those whose features are not immediately visible. No *? If the French are doing this, hopefully they do it correctly. Le Figaro wondered whether already wearing a balaclava in a public place is not in principle contrary to law.

Disastrous for the black run in Val d'Isere. In addition, some invasive beards they likely do not seem very suspicious? In this case, what if you earn your living by playing Santa Claus to the New Gallery? That kind of consideration that shows the law in all its absurdity. This is not a public safety issue, or even misguided attempt to free oppressed women.

It is a law designed to pander to xenophobic sentiments, and especially in France, to compete with the National Front in its field. In France, an estimated less than 2,000 the number of women draping themselves in a niqab. Nevertheless, the authorities have printed 100,000 posters and 400,000 leaflets crossed a particularly arrogant slogan: "The Republic will live openly." It is a communications operation that has nothing to do with Sailing and aims only to exacerbate nationalism of the French.

Will meet she successful? Nothing is less certain. To believe Jean-Francois Cope, the secretary general of the UMP, Sarkozy's party, 74 % of the population supports the law. But if you look at the comments on news sites online, the country is divided. Certainly, there are many who say they favor the ban.

As one commentator wrote: "We are in France. We must respect French law. "But just as many voices raised against a measure that violates" the fundamental principle of French liberty. " * Exactly! Because freedom is allowing others to live their lives, even if you disagree with their fashion choices.

Whatever it is, those planning a holiday in the Alps should be very careful about what they will put in their suitcase.

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