French President Sarkozy slams Islamic dress. Calls these women slaves.

"The burka is not a sign of religion; it is a sign of subservience," "It will not be welcome on the territory of the French republic."

Sarkozy damned the way Islamic women wear a Burqa in a major policy speech at a special session of parliament. He went as far as to denounce it as a form of slavery.

"We cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity," Sarkozy said. "That is not the idea that the French republic has of women's dignity.

This is a directly opposite to Obamas Don't tell Muslim women how to dress announcement in France a few weeks ago.

It is "important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practising religion as they see fit for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear"

I dislike the Burqa, however I understand their cultural and religious beliefs for doing so. That said, Obama tells us not to tell them what to wear, but aren't Islamic women being told what to wear anyway?

There is politicking in Sarkozy's statement I suspect, more than standing up for women's rights in France.

Sarkozy said he was in favour of holding an inquiry sought by some French politicians into whether Muslim women who cover themselves fully in public undermine French secularism and women's rights.

France has about 5 million Muslims, though its unknown how many women wear the Burqa
In 2004 they outlawed the wearing of headscarves in schools and public office.

Is this the French exercising their long held beliefs in liberty for their citizens, at the expense of freedom of religion and expression?
Hmmm
source
news.ninemsn.com.au...






[edit on 22-6-2009 by zazzafrazz]

Oh God... this doesn't look good in times like now.

While im sure alot of woman are pressured by families into wearing them.I also think a larger majority are quite happy wearing them and choose to by themselves...hardly slavery.But to not admit there is a problem when it comes to woman choosing for themselves and not by peer pressure would be wrong,but to omit the fact a large percentage of woman choose on their own would also be wrong.In any case i can't stand Sarkozy the sleazeball.

Sarkozy has a point, the women in Islamic religions are seen as property, not people.

Maybe he's just worried he'll see his streets full of burkas in the future so he's getting rid of them now while it's not too difficult. It's understandable. Good for him.

Maybe it's time I moved to France.

Best thing I've heard of from France.

I guess Obama's people had a little 'talk' with Sarkozy for slamming Obama earlier.

After a few bruises I guess Sarkozy finally flip-flopped on this issue.

Trying to prod Iran I suppose, to stoke the fire in the name of the war on terror.

reply to post by star in a jar


I think its quite the opposite
His rhetoric is the opposite to Obamas stance.
Possibly a combined stab at Islam and Obama as it comes out quite soon after the US presidents speech.

I went to HS with a Muslim girl and she always wore this. She was no different than the rest of us really. She went to games and hung out with us but she always had it on. She did tell us she didnt like it and wanted to dress like everyone else but she wasnt allowed to. She said that her family, mostly the men, thought that women who showed their skin were promiscuous and such. She said they looked down upon those who didnt wear them and she didnt want to get into trouble and be looked down upon or thought of as a disgrace by her family. She said it was a big deal for those who didnt wear them.
IMO if a woman doesnt want to wear them then they should be allowed and without ridicule. I kind of felt bad for my friend because she liked it because it was part of who she was but she also wanted to fit in and have her own identity. I dont think we should be able to tell anyone what to wear. If they want to wear them let them and if not let them as well. I do not like how many woman feel threatened if they choose not to wear them....I remember watching a documentary recently on a lady who went into a muslim area and wore the burka and did interviews with a family. Some women in the family wore them and some didnt and those that didnt were thought of in a negative light. That I dont like. Ok hope that all made sense.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Government should not be interfering in what people wear no matter what the justification.

There are probably a lot of women who hate wearing burqas, and a lot that quite like it, for various reasons. Everyone is different, and that's what socialist politicians seem to consistently fail to grasp - which is why they end up inventing stupid rules and regulations to control peoples' behaviour.

Incidentally here's another thread on this topic

reply to post by mattpryor


Agreed,i bet most of these people who support this wouldn't like the government telling *them* what to wear...but when its muslims i guess its okay.

he called them slaves, cos that's what they are! thats what everyone with religious beliefs is.

religion = slavery

I think it is all about liberties of religion that was previously given that is causing all this stir...

Being born and raised in Montreal, I frankly cannot recall seeing any muslim women wearing the burka. Before I left the city, last stroll downtown what I mostly saw was young muslim women wearing the hidjab, dressed trendy, carrying Ipods, cellphones or the latest electronic gadgets.

Note than in Quebec, muslims have all the freedom of religion they can wish for unless it interferes with everyone else day to day life. No, schools and universities do not forbid them their daily prayers in their establishments but will not tolerate them washing their feet in bathroom sinks before their prayer for it is deemed unsanitary. No one forbade them from asking for an extra bath sink in public bathrooms for it is after all just an extra bit of plumbing but as far as washing feet in bathroom sinks, they can pray all they want but at the same time, they do not have the right to gross out other people because of their religion. There is no schools or educational establishment to my knowledge that will accommodate muslims with Halal meat. They wish to eat halal because of their religion, there are plenty of Halal butchery in Montreal. They can bring their own lunch but the system will not bend over to accommodate muslims on their religious dietary needs.

Think it is all about learning about different customs and cultures and integration. If ghettos are allowed to form where most of the time, even the police do not dare enter, this is when all control is lost, meaning, allowing a group, culture, to reproduce/import their way of living and imposing it upon others by remaining secluded themselves, nothing can be learned and there is no integration possible.

As for the french president, he is way out of line. There is a "muslim" problem over there as he so blatantly put it because France was too liberal with accommodations to begin with. When someone immigrate to your country, they have to be made aware that they are indeed leaving their own country for another one and cannot expect to have the same laws, liberties and customs that they are used to. They should be encouraged to blend in and integrate and not seek ghettos where they will find what they are accustomed to. And if any immigrants feels oppressed, stripped of their liberties, outraged that a welcoming country will not accommodate them the way they feel that they should be accommodated, at the risk of sounding racist, they can find another welcoming country or go back where they came from.

Sharia courts never flew in Canada because Canada already have their own Judiciary system in place. When you immigrate to a country, you must be willing to accept the laws that are already in place and not push to create your own cultural laws.

Same goes for the ones of muslim faith in France. If the wearing of the burka is made illegal, either take it or denounce it as the beginning of a totalitarian regime but either way, the muslims who emigrated to France did so on their own free will, no one forced them to move there and by making a choice to leave their own country of origin, they are now bound by new laws. It is on them to integrate to their new country and not the other way around.

There is no Utopian society or country to this day. When you find a heaven where you will not be whipped for looking at another men, where you will not have your hand cut off because you steal or vote for the candidate of your choice, where you will not be taken by force in the middle of the night by any guerrilla/army to "serve", where you can have your own political views and opinions without fear of being shot/tortured/killed for your ideology, then be grateful for having found such a place and even more grateful for being accepted as one of their own citizens.

Hey . . . this is a good thread, but I want to point out that I posted this story about a week ago. Maybe because the title isn't as sensational some people missed it.

I invite you to visit my thread at:

Above Top Secret

yeah!! France has a real man as a leader! I don't know which one to crush on Sarkozy or Putin they're both hot!

[edit on 2-7-2009 by JulieMills]

I find this hard to believe. A Frenchman with a spine. Now that is a conspiracy theory.

I do think that it's time for the nations of Europe to evaluate their immigration policies and make sure that the people coming to their countries want to be citizens of those countries because they value that society, not so that they can breed a majority in 50 years and take over the country.