BAN THE BURKHA

It seems that every time i pick up a newspaper this little issue seems to wriggle itself into the newspaper. The biggest argument is that it is anti social and these women that wear it are hard to communicate with and the only reason they wear it is because [insert male relative here] is forcing them to. If these women are so head to communicate with how do these journalists find out why they wear the burkha? Ok so i understand that there is a possibility that some women may be forced into wearing one but you always have to remember that the people who wear a burkha are a minority within a minority and the women forced to wear one are a minority within a minority within a minority. I hear a lot of people using feminism as a point of argument against the burkha saying that it turns women into second class citizens etc. But wouldn’t it be more demeaning for a woman to be told what she can and cannot wear. As someone so eloquently put it in response to ukip's proposed ban on the burkha in order to liberate a woman you will tell her how she can and cannot dress and in order to free her you will jail her for having the freedom to choose what she wants to wear. I hear this argument about burkhas being intimidating etc for me this seems like a very childish argument however i do believe that they may be some people who are easily intimidated by small things but the vast majority of people who use this argument make no effort to learn more about this issue and all they know about the burkha comes from reading the daily tabloids who can't exactly be called today's fountain of unbiased information. The funniest thing for me is the fact that pre 9/11 no one seemed to care about the burkha or any other Muslim issue the burkha was not seen as Muslim patriarchal oppression but rather as a woman's devotion to god much like how a nun's habit is seen. So before we start getting all angry and lynching burkha clad women in the street we have to ask ourselves is this what western freedom means? dress like us or else. If so then what is the difference between us and the Taliban or any other religious fundamentalist around the world. Our freedoms come from the fact that we are willing to understand the needs and actions of each other and through our actions of understanding can we truly bring about the peaceful harmonious world that so many people have dreamed of. No matter how different something may seem from the norm you have to remember that it’s not always done to go against the tide of society but sometimes it might just be done for a higher purpose

Ps. could people stop saying they can wear one when i can wear a mini skirt in Saudi Arabia. Europe is a continent of free democracies. Saudi Arabia is a monarchy ruled by a single ruling family the citizens have no say in who makes their laws whereas we do. Comparisons should be made between two similar systems not two systems fundamentally different.

The Lost Symbol? more like lost hope

I recently finished reading the lost symbol by Dan brown. I felt like i was reading the Da Vinci code all over again not because it was a real page turner but because it was exactly the same story the only difference Prof Langdon had new companions and they were talking about a different cult this time. After seeing reviews i had pretty high hopes for this book but it seems he peaked when the Da Vinci code was made into a movie. The more i read it the more i felt that i was reading a Hollywood movie script rather than some mystery thriller. in the whole book i found one single twist and even then it didn't feel like some almighty revelation it was more like a mini "oh" moment. as well as reading this i also read angels and demons which i seem to have the same problem with it seems like your reading a high school homework which the class has copied from each other but changed slightly to avoid being caught out. this is what his books are starting to feel like each one has the same undertones about some forgotten brotherhood/sisterhood/Jesus fan club etc and poor prof Langdon has to crack some series of codes with a female sidekick in order to save a friend this sentence is a brief but very accurate overview of three of Dan Browns books. But to come back to the lost symbol the hype definitely was not met by the book. I know some people may like it but all in all i felt it was a rather poor money making exercise from the guy who gave us the Da Vinci code.