France bans the burqa

A beautıful young woman in Urfa, originally uploaded by CharlesFred.

As France bans the wearing of the burka and niqab today, time for a small series showing the beauty of the Muslim woman.

These women here are all showing their faces, and this would be allowed in France under the new law. It is just that there are different traditions within Islam regarding women's dress.

Although it might be a bit arrogant or presumptuous of me, I think the main thrust of The Prophet's message is that men and women should dress modestly and I think we can see here, that modesty can certainly be achieved with an open face to the world.

Still, I think that one of the main points we can be proud of in the West is the freedom we allow people to behave and think the way they like, albeit with certain restrictions, aimed at protecting fellow citizens. I can't help but think that the new law n France is a spiteful one put in place by people with an intolerant, discriminatory attitude, looking tp divert attention from real problems by scapegoating a tiny minority.

OK, Turkey went even further when the nation was being born and is still more restrictive than most other European countries, but there was a different agenda then, one of secularising and modernising the whole country. Quite different to demonising and picking on a small minority in an otherwise free society.