an Additional Reason

Submitted by Ron Thompson (United States), Feb 21, 2013 at 15:09

While agreeing with all of Dr Pipes' comments, I would add an additional reason to ban or criticize all full-cover Muslim coverings. Although I doubt that Muslims are very susceptible to any shaming behavior, I would have all policemen or business employees charged with demanding visible identity checks taught and informed that these coverings mean the wearers care nothing for the fact that hundreds of millions of women in Muslim-majority countries, and in most Muslim communities everywhere, are not free to choose whether or not to wear these morbid identity-denying garments.

Maybe the United States has to tolerate these badges of servitude (although I would prefer the US to follow France's ban of them in public), but I see no reason anyone has to respect them – their meaning is far too profound and negative to deserve any respect.

In fact I dislike seeing head scarves for the same reason – they too reflect one of the many tyrannies of Islam, including physically and sometimes fatally, that hundreds of millions of women are absolutely unfree to be themselves in matters of clothing, but must wear a drab and dour costume proclaiming their lifelong inferiority and submission to men.

Nothing is more ridiculous in today's news than a story about women appointed to some council in Saudia Arabia, accompanied by a picture of solid black ghosts, most without a shred of individuality or identity to them, and all of them encased in funereal black.

Some 'breakthrough' for women!

Ron Thompson

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".