Muslim group questions denial of visa over head scarf

AP ^ | 05/07/04 | AP

[Pikamax]

Muslim group questions denial of visa over head scarf

HOUSTON (AP) - The Houston office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations challenged France's denial of a visa to a Bangladeshi Muslim woman because she refused to remove her head scarf to have her photograph taken.

On Monday the woman reported that she was unable to attend a business conference in Paris over the weekend because the French Consulate in Houston wouldn't let her wear her Islamic head scarf in her visa photograph.

"This policy would in effect ban any Muslim woman who wears Islamic attire from entering France for any reason,'' Najat Elsayed, spokeswoman for the Houston chapter of the council, said Thursday.

Veronique Lhemenn, spokeswoman for the French Consulate in Houston, said French law forbids any attire from obscuring the view of a person in a photograph for a visa.

The law applies to all visa applicants of any religion, she said.

France recently banned religious apparel, including Muslim head scarves, from being worn in its public schools, a controversial decision that the French government said was aimed at safeguarding the country's secularism. - AP

[goodnesswins]

Move somewhere else then. End of story.

[FormerACLUmember]

CAIR = A truly evil Enemy Within = Al Queda attacking us via our own legal system.

[sheik yerbouty]

"Council on Arab International Raptors".

[Howlin]

"This policy would in effect ban any Muslim woman who wears Islamic attire from entering France for any reason,''

Um, isn't that the plan?

[McGavin999]

Looks like the french have discovered they're in deep doo doo and are trying their best to get out of it.

[epigone73]

Hear! Hear!

The Frogs might be on to something, just wish they wouldn't dump their rejects here, that's all.

[TheDon]

"This policy would in effect ban any Muslim woman who wears Islamic attire from entering France for any reason,'' Najat Elsayed.

I'm sure Muslim women are glad to make such a sacrifice for their beliefs, they've made so many, more significant, sacrifices already.

LOL! It's quite humorous that Muslims think they can have a picture taken without showing their faces.

[gubamyster]

ping

[FITZ]

We're actually falling behind the French on some issues. If push comes to shove --- and the muslims are faced with taking off their headgear or staying back in their poverty-stricken islamic paradises, they'll go for the money and take off the headgear.

[FITZ]

Bangladeshi Muslim

What good have the muslims done in India and why should we want to bring them to our countries --- let her stay in Bangladesh which her people took from the Hindus and ruined.

[LadyDoc]

The law applies to all visa applicants of any religion, she said.

So Mother Angelica wouldn't get a visa either...

[Gritty]

Maybe the French have finally discovered that surrender isn't always the best option with Muslims?

[Katya]

I'm curious, when a non-muslim woman visits a strict muslim country, isn't she forced to cover up?

[zook]

A couple of bumper sticker ideas:

"Head Scarves are for Wussies"

"Real Women Don't Wear Head Scarves"

[waxhaw]

Your response is again the sort which has become all too typical on this forum. I think of them as bolshevik rantings. Read the following slowly so it sinks in. Saddam is not and was never a threat to the United States. Al Queda would not be a threat to the United States were our "leaders" to cut off our foreign entanglement with Israel. Al Queda has stated this is why it has declared jihad against America. Now read the following very carefully as well: we have lost the war in Iraq. Enterprises launched on lies rarely succeed and there have been some monumental lies emerging from Washington since 9/11 (curious how Bush kept stalling and stalling the 9/11 commission, you'd think he would want all the truth out there, wouldn you?). Now since I have other things I need to do I'm logging out. But please mark my words - we have lost the war in Iraq. I hope our "leaders" show enough integrity to admit it and get our troops out of there before summer else the slaughter is going to be horrible. I do not wish for American troops to die fighting another nation's war.

[gubamyster]

Your response is again the sort which has become all too typical on this forum. I think of them as bolshevik rantings. Read the following slowly so it sinks in.

Try reading this slowly. Your response is incoherent. All I did was ping the article to my list. So maybe you are directing your response to the wrong person. Maybe you should read very carefully.

[waxhaw]

I apologize gubamyster. I thought I was sending a response to "shutupandtakeit". No harm intended and I hope you accept my apology.

[SandRat]

Yes!!!!