Dutch to ban Burka?
Author
Discussion

AlexH

Original Poster:

2,505 posts

314 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
quotequote all
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-1823334,00.html

Controversial for sure...but good or bad?

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

285 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
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Whatever next..?

Caps....?

BliarOut

72,863 posts

269 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
quotequote all
Or hoodies

Here here, I'm all in favour of integration, and wearing traditional Indian dress often serves to antagonise. Keep the posh frocks for special occasions

swilly

9,699 posts

304 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
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Intriguing.

You will never please everyone all of the time.

Society has gone beyond promoting tolerance of others, to defending the rights of the minority, whichever that may be, to the detriment of the majority.

Is this a simple rebalancing? Banning a garment not because it oppresses the minority wearer but because it implicitly oppresses and gives a two finger salute to the majority.

JagLover

46,789 posts

265 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
quotequote all
Interesting that they seem to want to ban it in certain areas on public security grounds.

My own view that a ban is justified where it prevents integration and is on government property. Therefore I back a ban on public employees and school children wearing it.

But a ban on the scale mooted is going too far.

baskey

14,291 posts

256 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
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anonymous said:
[redacted]


my how i laughed!

Oi_Oi_Savaloy

2,315 posts

290 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
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LOL Bedford Rascal!

timmy30

9,325 posts

257 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
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"Mrs Verdonk gave warning that the “time of cosy tea-drinking” with Muslim groups had passed and that natives and immigrants should have the courage to be critical of each other. She recently cancelled a meeting with Muslim leaders who refused to shake her hand because she was a woman."

Good for her.

AlexH

Original Poster:

2,505 posts

314 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
quotequote all
timmy30 said:
"Mrs Verdonk gave warning that the “time of cosy tea-drinking” with Muslim groups had passed and that natives and immigrants should have the courage to be critical of each other. She recently cancelled a meeting with Muslim leaders who refused to shake her hand because she was a woman."

Good for her.


I liked that bit particularly.

t1grm

4,657 posts

314 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
quotequote all
Interesting to see this footnote at the end of the article:

The Times said:
How the Netherlands has become less liberal:



• Immigrants must pass an exam on Dutch language and culture before being allowed to move to the Netherlands. That does not apply to immigrants from US, Canada, Australia, Japan and other EU states.
• Legal immigrants already there must take a Dutch language course at their own expense.
• Immigrants guilty of any minor crime, such as shoplifting, during their first three years in the country can be deported.
• People can bring in a husband or wife only once they are 24 years old, and do not depend on welfare benefits. The measures are aimed at curbing international arranged marriages.
• 26,000 illegal immigrants are being deported, some of whom have been in the country for ten years and have established families.
• Clampdown on foreign imams working in mosques. They must show their appreciation of Dutch values.
• Increase in sentences for a range of crimes, and introduction of “zero tolerance” policing to cities such as Rotterdam.
• Tightening of rules on cannabis-selling coffee-shops and zero-tolerance approach to infringements. About half the coffee shops in Amsterdam have closed.
• The Netherlands is still liberal in some ways, however. In 2001, the country became the first in the world to legalise gay marriages. The Netherlands still has liberal rules on euthanasia, recently extending it to severely handicapped babies and children.


How is this being less liberal? These all seem like eminently sensible measures that any country protecting it’s won culture and integrity.

JagLover

46,789 posts

265 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
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The Dutch have implmented some common sense policies on immigration recently.

To take two examples from the article

Immigrants guilty of any minor crime, such as shoplifting, during their first three years in the country can be deported.

People can bring in a husband or wife only once they are 24 years old, and do not depend on welfare benefits. The measures are aimed at curbing international arranged marriages.

JagLover

46,789 posts

265 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
quotequote all
t1grm said:
Interesting to see this footnote at the end of the article:


The Times said:
How the Netherlands has become less liberal:

• Immigrants must pass an exam on Dutch language and culture before being allowed to move to the Netherlands. That does not apply to immigrants from US, Canada, Australia, Japan and other EU states.
• Legal immigrants already there must take a Dutch language course at their own expense.
• Immigrants guilty of any minor crime, such as shoplifting, during their first three years in the country can be deported.
• People can bring in a husband or wife only once they are 24 years old, and do not depend on welfare benefits. The measures are aimed at curbing international arranged marriages.
• 26,000 illegal immigrants are being deported, some of whom have been in the country for ten years and have established families.
• Clampdown on foreign imams working in mosques. They must show their appreciation of Dutch values.
• Increase in sentences for a range of crimes, and introduction of “zero tolerance” policing to cities such as Rotterdam.
• Tightening of rules on cannabis-selling coffee-shops and zero-tolerance approach to infringements. About half the coffee shops in Amsterdam have closed.
• The Netherlands is still liberal in some ways, however. In 2001, the country became the first in the world to legalise gay marriages. The Netherlands still has liberal rules on euthanasia, recently extending it to severely handicapped babies and children.



How is this being less liberal? These all seem like eminently sensible measures that any country protecting it’s won culture and integrity.


I personally do not think it illiberal to protect society from criminals, so I would agree with you that the increase in sentences is not illiberal.

However the tightening of cannabis laws is illiberal and some might interpret some of the anti-immigration measures in that way as well.

Plotloss

67,280 posts

300 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
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The coffee shops have closed as an indirect result of the change in the law. I dont believe its a direct move to make one of the most forward thinking societies on the planet less liberal, per se.

alexkp

16,484 posts

274 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
quotequote all
I thought this pasage was particularly interesting - who is this MEP? Is she British? Who is she representing?

"Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP, on the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee, who has been active in opposing bans on the hijab, or scarf, said that there were no arguments for banning the burka. “If there is a genuine belief that someone under a burka is a terrorist, then you invoke stop-and-search laws on the grounds of reasonable suspicion.” "

I think the last part shows how ludicrous this is - how do the police know if they need to stop and search a person if they are wearing a Burka? Surely that is the whole point - anyone could be under there...including a male. I respect the ights of the individual to wear whatever they like in their own homes, but when in public there need to be certain general rules for health and safety purposes.

Marki

15,763 posts

300 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
quotequote all
Just goes to show you if the Dutch who are so tollerent of so many things are the first Europeans to rebel against PC gives us all hope

JagLover

46,789 posts

265 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
quotequote all
Marki said:
Just goes to show you if the Dutch who are so tollerent of so many things are the first Europeans to rebel against PC gives us all hope




But the two are linked, the Dutch are starting to realise that preserving their tolerant society requires some tough choices.

ge2

298 posts

279 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
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I can understand them being banned in schools and the like, but I think this is taking it a step too far.

All it's going to do is stir up trouble and for what gain?

I'm just sick of anything and everything being banned to solve a problem that's probably not even there in the first place.

r988

7,496 posts

259 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
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It will be interesting to see if this makes the Netherlands rate on the 'terrorist hitlist' now. If nothing happens to them a few more countries might follow.

Sounds like a reasonable enough move though, Western women travelling to some some middle eastern countries have to wear a hijab or whatever they are called so its only fair to reverse it here. If they don't like our 'decadant' western society then feck off.

planetdave

9,922 posts

283 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]


I presume the red dye is to make a 'bindi' (several other names apply - it originates from the groom cutting his thumb on his sword as a show of manliness). It couldn't be seen inside a burka...which also would not be worn by a hindu (who sport 'bindis'.


It's easy to poke fun at other cultures, isn't it kids?

BliarOut

72,863 posts

269 months

Thursday 13th October 2005
quotequote all
planetdave said:

It's easy to poke fun at other cultures, isn't it kids?