Belgium Bans People Wearing Burqas in Public
This is very bad.
I am so happy that I live in the USA where the pursuit of one’s religious belief is supposed to be accepted. I acknowledge that even in the US, it is not always easy to pursue one’s beliefs. I also acknowledge that there is still bigotry and racism, but in general, we are much more free than most places in the world.
Shame on the Belgium Parliament for passing this bill.
From FOXNews:
Belgium is set to become the first ever country in Europe to ban the burqa being worn in public places.
The vote in Parliament for a nationwide ban on Islamic clothes or veils that do not allow the wearer to be fully identified was almost unanimous.
The full-face niqab and burqa worn by some Muslim women are not a mandatory requirements of Islam, but a personal choice.
People found flouting the new law could be given a fine of more than $30 or even be faced with a week in jail.
Vice president of the Muslim Executive of Belgium, Isabelle Praile, warned that the new law could be the start of a slippery slope.
“Today it’s the full-face veil, tomorrow the veil, the day after it will be Sikh turbans and then perhaps it will be mini-skirts.”
She went on to say that “the wearing of a full-face veil is part of the individual freedoms” protected by Belgian, European and international rights laws.
One Reply to “Belgium Bans People Wearing Burqas in Public”
The irony of your statement is that most intolerant bigots and racists are highly religious people. I just unfriended a conservative Christian friend on Facebook when he and his friends started posting harsh homophobic slurs against Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.