[Venturer]

I see nothing offensive against banning wearing veils to hide identity.

We wouldnt let a Christian walk into a bank wearing a ski mask, why allow Muslims to do it.

[FreeSouthernAmerican]

Why can’t Sarkozy be our President?

[libertylover]

But for the United States and the rest of the free world, national security is the main, if not only, issue.

Wrong! Politcal Correctness is the main issue for Obama and most of the world. Under Bush, security was the main issue (but with some PC).

[BuffaloJack]

Thew only reason to wear a mask is so that someone can’t identify you while you commit a crime. Very few exceptions, and burkas don’t look like they would do too well on a ski slope.

[Quiller]

If you’re truly an advocate for women, at the very least you’d allow them to wear the clothes they want.

Simple answer here -- let women wear the burqa if they want to. Oh wait -- Islam DOESN'T CARE what women want. . . . if you’re truly an advocate for religious freedom, you’d never ban a traditional religious practice that doesn’t impinge on anyone else’s rights.

The problem with this pious statement is that the burqa is a religious practice which is based on denying that women have ANY rights.

[bmwcyle]

Sarkozy stands up for women more than any women’s group.

[R. Scott]

If you’re truly an advocate for women, at the very least you’d allow them to wear the clothes they want.
...
And if you’re truly an advocate for religious freedom, you’d never ban a traditional religious practice that doesn’t impinge on anyone else’s rights.

How many of the women actually want to wear the burqa, and how many are forced to wear it? How long did it take Afghani women to shed it - until they were beaten back into submission? Back when I was a cab driver I had a couple regular customers who were Muslim. The husbands trusted me to transport their wives because I was always respectful. I never looked directly at them or spoke to them when picking them up or bringing them home. By the time I delivered them to their destination they would have shed their burqa and be wearing American style clothes. I had a Muslim neighbor. The few times the wives were allowed outside the husband was always near and the wore the burqa. When he was at work they wore American style clothes and often talked to me in the back yard. Wearing a burqa was not their choice.
The burqa is not a religious practice but a cultural practice. The Koran does not require it, only calling for women to dress modestly. A full length dress with long sleeves and a scarf covering the hair is all that is required. This is all that’s required in many Muslim countries - the Burqa is an Arab custom, not a religious requirement.

[livius]

I think the author doesn’t get it on a number of levels.

For one thing, the practical effect of a burka is to hide the identity of the person wearing it. In Spain, it was once forbidden for men to wear capes with collars that they could turn up over their faces, for this same reason; people who could not be identified hid behind their capes to murder each other. This is certainly something we have seen often with Muslims and it is a legitimate concern.

In addition, forbidding the burka takes the pressure off the Muslim women who do not want to wear one. Throughout neighborhoods in France, women are being forced to wear the burka, and this is what Sarkozy wants to prevent.

[Mister Da]

I have no problem with a headscarf or modest dress. If kid’s parents make them dress that way, that’s their business, not mine. If an adult wants to dress that way, fine with me.

I do have a problem with covering the face! The author says “And in case there was any doubt, it has absolutely nothing to do with national security.” NONSENSE! Tell that to security at the airport.

Beyond security, it is offensive to me to have to interact with a person wearing a mask. I refuse to do so, & if forced to, I’ll get my own mask.

In WESTERN CULTURE, a mask signifies the wearer has something to hide, & is mostly associated with criminality. This isn’t ever gonna change, as it involves people’s personal safety. The more they are covered, the more they are looked upon with suspicion.

[Old Grumpy]

I like Sarkozy more and more with each speech he gives.

[hoosier hick]

Ms. Cupp manages to completely miss the point. I’m not convinced Sarkozy’s position is about “women’s rights”, although I suspect the writer would see things differently if the men in the White House ordered HER to wear a burqa.

The real point is to roll back the Muslim infringements on the rest of us. With one public statement Sarkozy has shifted the focus on the French imams from “what do we demand next” to “how do we defend the burqa.”

hh