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.