France has first 'burka rage' incident

[Amelia]

France has first 'burka rage' incident

A 60-year-old lawyer ripped a Muslim woman's Islamic veil off in a row in a clothing shop in what police say is France's first case of "burka rage".

Peter Allen, Paris

18 May 2010

The astonishing scene unfolded during a weekend shopping trip after the woman lawyer took offence at the attire of a fellow shopper resulting in argument during which the pair came to blows before being arrested.

It came as racial tensions grow in the country as it prepares to introduce a total ban on burkas and other forms of religious dress which cover the face.

A 26-year-old Muslim convert was walking through the store in Trignac, near Nantes, in the western Loire-Atlantique region, when she overhead the woman lawyer making "snide remarks about her black burka". A police officer close to the case said: "The lawyer said she was not happy seeing a fellow shopper wearing a veil and wanted the ban introduced as soon as possible."

At one point the lawyer, who was out with her daughter, is said to have likened the Muslim woman to Belphegor, a horror demon character well known to French TV viewers. Belphegor is said to haunt the Louvre museum in Paris and frequently covers up his hideous features using a mask.

An argument started before the older woman is said to have ripped the other woman's veil off. As they came to blows, the lawyer's daughter joined in.

"The shop manager and the husband of the Muslim woman moved to break up the fighting," the officer said. All three were arrested and taken to the local gendarmerie for questioning.

A spokesman for Trignac police said that two complaints had been received, with the Muslim woman accusing the lawyer of racial and religious assault. The latter, in turn, had accused her opponent of common assault.

The French parliament has adopted a formal motion declaring burkas and other forms of Islamic dress to be "an affront to the nation's values." Some have accused criminals, from terrorists to shoplifters, of wearing veils to disguise themselves.

A ban, which could be introduced as early as the autumn, would make France the second country after Belgium to outlaw the Islamic veil in public places.

But many have criticised the anti-burka lobby, which includes the French President Nicolas Sarkozy, for stigmatising Muslim housewives.

Many French woman from council estates are forced to wear the veils because of pressure from authoritarian husbands.

The promise of a ban has prompted warnings of racial tensions in a country which is home to some five million Muslims – one of the religion's largest communities in Europe.

Mr Sarkozy's cabinet is to examine a draft bill which will impose one-year prison sentences and fines of up to £14,000 on men who force their wives to wear a burka.

Women themselves will face a smaller fine of just over £100 because they are "often victims with no choice in the matter", says the draft.

The law would create a new offence of "incitement to cover the face for reasons of gender".

And it would state: "No one may wear in public places clothes that are aimed at hiding the face."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew...e-incident.html

[Amelia]

Burkas should be banned as 'un-Australian', senator claims

An Australian senator has called the burka "un-Australian" and said it should be banned, sparking anger among the country's Muslim community.

By Bonnie Malkin in Sydney

07 May 2010

Cory Bernardi, a Liberal from South Australia, complained that the full Islamic veil was a "repressive domination of men over women" and established "different sets and expectations in society".

Writing on his blog following an armed robbery in Sydney by a man wearing a burka and sunglasses, he said: "It is un-Australian – and its symbolic barrier is far greater than the measure of cloth it is created from. For safety and for society, the burka needs to be banned."

Sen Bernardi complained that the veil was "emerging as the preferred disguise of bandits and n'er do wells" and that Muslims migrating to Australia must learn to adopt local values.

If men wearing motorcycle helmets had to remove them in banks and businesses, then the burka should be taken off too, he argued.

His comments come days after Belgium's lower house of parliament approved a draft law to ban wearing the full Islamic face veil in public. France, which has the largest Muslim population in Europe, is set to examine a similar draft bill this month, despite angry protests.

Tony Abbott, the leader of the opposition Liberal Party, stopped short of supporting a ban on burkas, but said that most Australians found the garment "confronting".

"I'd prefer it wasn't widely worn, but I'm not proposing to ban it," Mr Abbott said.

Kevin Rudd, the prime minister, has accused the Liberals of a cynical political stunt, while Muslim groups in Australia have condemned talk of a ban.

Muhammad Dahir from the Islamic Association of Australia said women should be free to choose to wear the burka if they wanted to.

"We don't want any politician to bring religion into the political arena. To me it's brings a lot of problems and tension to the community. [The majority of Muslims] are living peacefully, we don't have problems," he told the ABC.

"I'm very happy the Opposition Leader came forward and said he has no policy to ban burka and that's what leaders should do – condemn this kind of statement. We need to unite the community, not divide it."

Earlier this week, Italian authorities fined a Muslim woman 500 euros (£430) for wearing a burka in public under anti-terrorism laws. The Tunisian woman was stopped on the street by police in the city of Novara, which is a stronghold of the anti-immigration Northern League.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew...tor-claims.html

[Amelia]

Muslim woman fined £430 for wearing burka in Italy

A Muslim woman in Italy has been fined 500 euros (£430) for wearing a burka in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.

Nick Squires in Rome

04 May 2010

The Tunisian immigrant, Amel Marmouri, 26, was fined by police in the city of Novara, in the northern Piedmont region.

The town council is controlled by the right-wing Northern League, which has pushed for much tougher immigration controls and at a national level forms part of Silvio Berlusconi's coalition government.

Mrs Marmouri was in a post office when police officers stopped her and issued her with the fine.

"As far as I know this is a first in Italy," said police officer Mauro Franzinelli.

Her husband, Ben Salah Braim, 36, said the family would struggle to pay the penalty.

He said his wife would continue to wear the full-length item of clothing because he did not want her to be seen by other men, but in future she would be forced to stay at home most of the time.

Novara introduced an ordinance in January that prohibits the wearing of burkas. The regulation invokes a 1975 anti-terrorism law, which prohibits people from wearing anything that obscures their faces and impedes identification.

The mayor of the town, Massimo Giordano, a member of the Northern League, said he had hoped that the new ordinance would have deterred Muslim women from wearing burkas and niqabs.

"But unfortunately it is apparently not yet clear to everyone that clothes preventing the wearer's identification can be tolerated at home but not in public places, in schools, on buses or in post offices," he said.

He said the new rule was introduced because it is "the only tool at our disposal to stop behaviour that makes the already difficult process of integration even harder".

Last week Belgium's lower house of parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of a bill banning clothes or veils that do not allow the wearer to be fully identified, including the niqab and burka.

The ban, which will not enter force for weeks, now has to be approved by the Senate.

In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy's government is drafting a bill that would make it illegal to wear the burka.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew...a-in-Italy.html

[Woody]

Amen

[SivartM]

What are they going to ban next? Sunglasses? Women should be allowed to wear headcoverings for religious reasons if they want to. These countries probably just want to keep out Muslims.

[Woody]

Quote:

These countries probably just want to keep out Muslims.

Not a bad reason if one wants to keep their limbs attached.

[Gregory Matthews]

This is a significant religious liberty issue.

I am not susggestinghow it may be resloved. But, my read of the news related to this issue is that France in not respecting the religious views of these people.

If France really wanted to protect their religious views, they might be able to work out a resolution.

[olger]

Quote:

These countries probably just want to keep out Muslims.

Not a bad reason if one wants to keep their limbs attached.

I gotta say it. AMEN .

[SivartM]

If France really wanted to protect their religious views, they might be able to work out a resolution.

That's what I was thinking... I doubt that many crimes are committed by people wearing burkas anyway. Most of them are, you know, Muslim women, who are generally not the type to go around robbing banks. :\

Considering Europe has a large population of Muslims, isn't it strange how almost all of them still have their limbs attached? Sorry, but comments like that are just racist.

[lazarus]

Are they going to ban these too? Same thing right? Would would some us agree with the banning of burkas but not this? Twisted values?

[Woody]

It is the stated purpose of Muslims to kill Americans and innocent Europeans. There was a cleric on the news yesterday spouting his hate and declaring war on all Americans.

I have yet to hear any Catholic nuns spouting such hate and warnings.

[Guest]

That's right Woody, and the Nun outfit doesn't cover their face.

....So in most cases, you can tell it's actually a woman who means you no harm.

[SivartM]

It is the stated purpose of Muslims to kill Americans and innocent Europeans. There was a cleric on the news yesterday spouting his hate and declaring war on all Americans.

I have yet to hear any Catholic nuns spouting such hate and warnings.

Then why aren't we all dead yet? There are more Muslims than Christians.

Have you ever met a Muslim? Did they try to kill you?

[lazarus]

It is the stated purpose of Muslims to kill Americans and innocent Europeans. There was a cleric on the news yesterday spouting his hate and declaring war on all Americans.

Are you kidding me woody? Think before you post man. There was a cleric..........

[lazarus]

That's right Woody, and the Nun outfit doesn't cover their face.

....So in most cases, you can tell it's actually a woman who means you no harm.

So the problem with a burka is that you can't see her face?

Really? That's a joke right.

Whats the real reason for banning the burka

1. Too little flesh being shown

2. Can't tell if its a man who is really a terrorist

3. Xenophobia

4. Racism

5. Guilt

6. Can't stomach diversity

7. Fear that their own women will see virtue in modesty

It's wierd that people who believe in the Bible would have such a problem with the Burka.

[Guest]

MALE TERRORISTS DRESSED IN BOMB BURKAS SHOT DEAD IN AFGHANISTAN…….

More warnings for the West, do not allow burkas or niqabs to be worn on your streets. There’s a whole host of moral considerations for the banning of the burka and the niqab, but one outweighs them all, the use of these garment bags in criminal activity. KGS

Burka-clad bomb attackers shot dead in Lashkar Gahh

Afghan security forces have shot dead two militants who attacked a charity office in the southern city of Lashkar , officials say.

They say the two men, wearing burkas, were killed before they could detonate their explosives-laden vests.

A woman working for the International Relief and Development charity and a guard were injured in the attack.

Lashkar Gahh is near Marjah in Helmand province, the focus of a major Nato-led offensive against the Taliban.

Last Saturday, suicide bombers launched an assault on the city of Kandahar, in the neighbouring province, which left at least 35 people dead.

A Taliban spokesman said the attacks were in response to a planned major offensive by US and Nato forces against militants in the Kandahar province.

_______________________________________________________________

More Burka-Clad Crime: The Burka Terrorist

By Debbie Schlussel

On this site, I’ve detailed several cases of Muslim criminals, terrorist, and others using burkas and niqabs (full Muslim face veils) to try to elude law enforcement and cover up crimes. There’s the niqab cop-killer, the burka Hezbollah terrorist, and burka burka jewel thieves.

The latest burka-clad crime news is that Islamic terrorist and July 21 British bomber, Yassin Omar, fled London dressed as a woman in a burka. From Yahoo News UK:

Yassin Omar was captured on CCTV at Golders Green coach station in north London and at Birmingham coach station disguised in the traditional Muslim women’s dress.

He was picked up on the CCTV just a day after the attempted attacks, Woolwich Crown Court was told.

Burka Terrorist & London Bomber Yassin Omar

Prosecuting counsel Nigel Sweeney said: “CCTV shows him and his fiancee at Golders Green coach station and him at Birmingham coach station that evening disguised in the burka.”

He was eventually arrested at a house in Birmingham by armed police on Wednesday July 27.

And Muslims wonder why we object to the wearing of burkas and niqabs (full face veils) by witnesses in court, those wishing to cross our borders, and those taking driver’s license pictures.

Actually, they don’t wonder. They know. They just want this behavior to continue by their burka-costumed terrorist and criminal co-religionists. Or they’d be in the streets, protesting it.

Don’t hold your breath for that to ever happen.

[Guest]

No sane, free person would ever choose to wear a burka

By Licia Corbella, Calgary Herald, June 27, 2009

A while back I was asked to give a talk at my kids’ school about my December 2003 trip to Afghanistan.

As I waited to be introduced, I hid in an auditorium storage room wearing a burka I bought in that war-ravaged country, thinking I’d be out in a minute, maybe two. But the introduction took a lot longer than I had anticipated and by the time I came out to greet all those shining faces, I was very nearly hyperventilating from the oppression of it. I didn’t time my self-imposed confinement to the burka, but I probably wore the suffocating tent-like garment with mesh over my eyes for no more than 10 minutes. I told the kids I felt like I was buried alive.

I also told them that while in Afghanistan, I asked all of the many women I met there whether they liked wearing a burka. Not one said yes. In fact, they all said they hated it almost as much as they hated the Taliban.

It’s no wonder. The burka’s toll on these women was harsh. Many had lost most of their teeth and hair as a result of not having enough vitamin D, which comes from the sun. During the time of Taliban rule–from September 1996 to November 2001 –no portion of their skin, save their hands, was ever allowed to be exposed to sunlight. Think about the horror of that. The Taliban insisted that homes with women in them had to blacken their windows, lest a man pollute his delicate sensibilities by gazing upon the uncovered face of a woman behind the glass.

On Monday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy stated during the first presidential address to a joint session of France’s two legislative houses of Parliament in 136 years, that the burka was “not welcome” in France.

“We cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity,” said Sarkozy.

He’s right. Women in burkas don’t seem human. After just a short while in Afghanistan, women in their blue burkas seem like ghostly apparitions devoid of a face, individuality or humanity.

At first, when my translators would tap me on the shoulder and suggest I “take a picture of that burka over there,” I would gently correct them by saying, “you mean, that WOMAN in the burka?” In a couple of days, however, I too was referring to them as simply burkas.

In France–where it’s already illegal to wear any conspicuous religious symbol in state schools including a head scarf–a parliamentary committee is studying the issue of whether or not to allow women to cover their faces for supposedly religious reasons. As Sarkozy said, the burka is “not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience.” The Muslim Canadian Congress agrees and urged Canada’s government to ban the burka.

“The decision to wear the burka is by no means a reflection of the genuine choices of Muslim women,” said MCC president, Sohail Raza in a news release. “The argument that Muslim women opt to wear the burka does not withstand scrutiny when considering the repressive nature of orthodox Muslim society in general.”

Reached at his Calgary home, Mahfooz Kanwar, Mount Royal College professor emeritus of sociology and criminology, says many well-meaning Canadians believe it is “tolerant” to allow Muslim women the “choice” of wearing the burka.

“There is no choice involved in this, and allowing it will lead to intolerance,” said Kanwar.

“Some people say banning the burka would be a slippery slope and would lead to the banning of wearing a scarf over your mouth in the winter while outside,” said Kanwar. “But the real slippery slope can be seen in some Islamist ghettos in Paris or in Denmark, where non-Muslim women are harassed for not covering their hair to the point where they have been forced to start doing so to prevent verbal and physical attacks by semi-literate Muslim men. That’s the real slippery slope.”

Kanwar, a Muslim who has written eight books, including one on the sociology of Islam, echoes Sarkozy’s comments. “The burka is not mandated by Islam or the Qur’an and is therefore not religious and protected under the Charter. In Canada, gender equality is one of our core values and faces are important identifying tools and should not be covered. Period,” added Kanwar, who is also a director with the MCC.

Many French politicians are on the side of a burka ban including some prominent Muslim politicians like Fadela Amara, France’s cities minister. Amara has called the burka “a coffin that kills individual liberties,” and a sign of the “political exploitation of Islam.”

Funny, but “coffin” was a word several women I met in Afghanistan used to describe their burka. Consider the words of Massooda, a 36-year-old widow, who looked more like 60 as a result of her harsh life. “I will never wear a burka again,” she said defiantly. “They will have to put me in a coffin before I walk around in one again.”

That’s choice. No sane, free person would ever “choose” the burka.

http://islamicterrorism.wordpress.com/category/burka/

[Guest]

US Troops Kill Taliban Commander In a Burqa

The Taliban leader tried to escape the scene in women’s clothing.

But, when he tried to kill US soldiers he was shot dead in his burqa.

US troops today killed a Taliban Commander clad in a burqa in Afghanistan.

FOX News reported, via LGF:

Gunbattles and airstrikes by NATO and Afghan troops killed 53 militants in Afghanistan, including a wanted Taliban commander who tried to hide from soldiers under a woman’s burqa, officials said Saturday.

The U.S. forces targeting the commander surrounded a house Friday in Ghazni province and ordered everyone inside to leave, a military statement said.

Six women and 12 children left the building, but while soldiers were questioning the women they discovered one was actually a man dressed in a burqa, the traditional all-encompassing dress that most Afghan women wear. The man, later identified as the targeted commander Haji Yakub, tried to attack the soldiers and was killed, the military said.

Yakub allegedly directed roadside bomb and suicide attacksagainst Afghanistan’s government and coalition forces in Ghazni, according to the statement. Three other militants were killed in the operation, it said.

Previously on Terrorists in Drag:

Red Mosque Leader Nabbed Fleeing in Burqa (Photo)

US Soldiers Arrest Terrorist Dressed as Pregnant Woman

3 Terrorists Busted in Hijabs With 500 KG of Explosives

Burka-Clad Suicide Bomber Kills 16 in Pakistan

Terrorist Bride Captured Near Baghdad On Way to Honeymoon

Burqa Bomber Kills 15 in Afghanistan

The Burka Bomber- He Wore Pink

http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2008/11/us-troops-kill-taliban-commander-in-a-burqa/

[Guest]

MALE TERRORISTS DRESSED IN BOMB BURKAS SHOT DEAD IN AFGHANISTAN.

More warnings for the West, do not allow burkas or niqabs to be worn on your streets. There’s a whole host of moral considerations for the banning of the burka and the niqab, but one outweighs them all, the use of these garment bags in criminal activity. KGS

Burka-clad bomb attackers shot dead in Lashkar Gahh

Afghan security forces have shot dead two militants who attacked a charity office in the southern city of Lashkar , officials say.

They say the two men, wearing burkas, were killed before they could detonate their explosives-laden vests.

A woman working for the International Relief and Development charity and a guard were injured in the attack.

Lashkar Gahh is near Marjah in Helmand province, the focus of a major Nato-led offensive against the Taliban.

Last Saturday, suicide bombers launched an assault on the city of Kandahar, in the neighbouring province, which left at least 35 people dead.

A Taliban spokesman said the attacks were in response to a planned major offensive by US and Nato forces against militants in the Kandahar province.

_______________________________________________________________

More Burka-Clad Crime: The Burka Terrorist

By Debbie Schlussel

On this site, I've detailed several cases of Muslim criminals, terrorist, and others using burkas and niqabs (full Muslim face veils) to try to elude law enforcement and cover up crimes. There's the niqab cop-killer, the burka Hezbollah terrorist, and burka burka jewel thieves.

The latest burka-clad crime news is that Islamic terrorist and July 21 British bomber, Yassin Omar, fled London dressed as a woman in a burka. From Yahoo News UK:

Yassin Omar was captured on CCTV at Golders Green coach station in north London and at Birmingham coach station disguised in the traditional Muslim women's dress.

He was picked up on the CCTV just a day after the attempted attacks, Woolwich Crown Court was told.

Burka Terrorist & London Bomber Yassin Omar

Prosecuting counsel Nigel Sweeney said: CCTV shows him and his fiancee at Golders Green coach station and him at Birmingham coach station that evening disguised in the burka.

He was eventually arrested at a house in Birmingham by armed police on Wednesday July 27.

And Muslims wonder why we object to the wearing of burkas and niqabs (full face veils) by witnesses in court, those wishing to cross our borders, and those taking driver's license pictures.

Actually, they don't wonder. They know. They just want this behavior to continue by their burka-costumed terrorist and criminal co-religionists. Or they'd be in the streets, protesting it.

Don't hold your breath for that to ever happen.

http://www.debbieschlussel.com/2886/more-burka-clad-crime-the-burka-terrorist/

[Woody]

Hey Richard ... so far no one has posted pictures of nuns being terrorists. Well ... perhaps they are just slow or having a difficult time coming up with one.

And btw ... Muslim is not a 'race'. Muslim "is an adherent of the religion of Islam" So if you are opposed to Muslims ... you are opposed to a religion and not a race.

For example. If you are opposed to Catholics ... you are opposed to a religion and not a race. So, the term racist could not be applied.

[lazarus]

So......would yu'all ban the KKK hood too? Hasn't that been used over the years to perpetuate terrorism in America?

[Gregory Matthews]

So......would yu'all ban the KKK hood too? Hasn't that been used over the years to perpetuate terrorism in America?

The burka is used by a recognized sect of a recognized religion--Islam.

The comparison of the burka to the KKK hood elevates the KKK to that of a recognized (letigimate) religon. I am offended by that.

[Woody]

Originally Posted By: lazarus

So......would yu'all ban the KKK hood too? Hasn't that been used over the years to perpetuate terrorism in America?

The burka is used by a recognized sect of a recognized religion--Islam.

The comparison of the burka to the KKK hood elevates the KKK to that of a recognized (letigimate) religon. I am offended by that.

TU

[olger]

So......would yu'all ban the KKK hood too? Hasn't that been used over the years to perpetuate terrorism in America?

Unnecessary attempt to compare two incomparables.

g

[lazarus]

Originally Posted By: lazarus

So......would yu'all ban the KKK hood too? Hasn't that been used over the years to perpetuate terrorism in America?

The burka is used by a recognized sect of a recognized religion--Islam.

The comparison of the burka to the KKK hood elevates the KKK to that of a recognized (letigimate) religon. I am offended by that.

Well, I'm sorry your are offended but doesn't really elevate the KKK hood at all. It was simply to highlight a spurious argument.

Since the argument is that we should ban the burka because it covers the face then why no call for banning the KKK hood. The simple reason is that the real reason for banning the burka is not about the covering of the face and preventing terrorism.

"The problem of the burka is not a religious problem. This is an issue of a woman's freedom and dignity. This is not a religious symbol. It is a sign of subservience; it is a sign of lowering. I want to say solemnly, the burka is not welcome in France," Sarkozy told lawmakers.

Woody, Do you agree with Sakozy here?