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| Southeast Asia |
| Return The Favour |
| 2004-01-19 |
| About 200 Indonesian Muslims yesterday picketed the French Embassy in Jakarta to protest a decision to ban headscarves at state schools. The protesters urged the French government to revoke the ruling, arguing that wearing headscarves for Muslim women is a religious obligation and not merely a cultural expression. The protesters, mostly women wearing headscarves, chanted âAllah-u- Akbar (God is greatest).â One of their posters read,â jilbab (veil) is compulsory, not embellishment,â while another read âsecularism oppresses Muslim women.â The protest was organized by Hizb-ut-Tahrir, an international Islamic movement. The group is gaining popularity in Indonesia. The protesters said Muslims helped free King Francis I who was detained by the Spaniards during the battle of Pavia in 1525. Yeah and this the thanks we get âWill France return the Muslim favor by revoking the law banning Muslim women from wearing headscarves?â the group said in an open letter to French President Jacques Chirac. Hizb-ut-Tahrir said its global leadership had delivered the letter to Chirac last week outlining its stand on the ban. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #12 just for the record - I'm not opposed to women who wish to wear the head scarf. I'm just saying it is a highly visible, emotional symbol. I may be wrong, but I think that we will all be surprised at just how volatile the and emotional the headscarf issue will become; for both sides. |
| Posted by: B 2004-1-20 9:47:55 AM |
| #11 Muslims freed King Francis? I thought he got himself loose by cutting a deal with the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, and then in typical French govt. fashion, promptly reneged. |
| Posted by: DaveMac 2004-1-19 8:20:16 PM |
| #10 What's funny is France wants to ban large crosses as well. Has anyone seen a person wearing a huge cross around their neck. So that isn't such a big deal, however for the jews and muslims this is an issue since it's part of their religion. Wearing a cross isn't mandatory. |
| Posted by: Cheddarhead 2004-1-19 7:51:07 PM |
| #9 I'll add my two cents worth...I live in Southern California and prior to 9-11 there were lots of muslim headscarves in our residential community which were very inoffensive and the muslim's behavior was very quiet and subdued. I didn't mind this in the least. But soon after 9-11 a muslim couple went marching arrogantly by our house with the woman wearing a black strappy thing around her whole neck and head wrapped like a mummy and her whole body covered in black. I tell you, her head looked like a black pinhead sticking off of a stick attached to her shoulders. It was utterly gross and offensive and antagonistic, so be careful of the scarves you may be imagining in your minds, the farther a muslim country gets from Arabia I guess, the scarves they wear get lighter and prettier, but some coverings are truly meant to antagonize. So while I don't like the French and their secular revolution, I think they may be dealing with some truly distressing situations in the schools that we may not be knowledgeable enough of here in the U.S. |
| Posted by: cat 2004-1-19 6:13:49 PM |
| #8 "as an American woman, I can understand how this issue of the headscarves will become volatile." Because fashion trumps common sense for american women too? |
| Posted by: flash91 2004-1-19 5:55:21 PM |
| #7 Dead French kings are of little interest to the Fifth Republic, I would imagine. And bringing up the last time Islam tried to take over the world is a definite faux pas... |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-1-19 4:02:04 PM |
| #6 I am less offended by a headscarf than I am by a girl who wants to wear a tube top to school or a boy who wants to let the waisteline of his jeans droop to the vicinity of his knees. Realistically, I am no more against the headscarf than I am against children who choose to wear Amish garb to school. That said, I am disgusted with the Islamic saps who buy-in to any farce that the Arab-centrists perpetrate upon the,. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-1-19 3:08:40 PM |
| #5 Remember the rationalization of covering the face: men can't control themselves, or shouldn't be expected to, and so women can't even show their faces. The whole concept insults everyone, it treats everyone as little more than an animal. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-1-19 1:24:40 PM |
| #4 anon, It's that whole submission thing thats bug'n ya, is'nt it? That's got some calling you a racist and that you should apologise. That would be a very tolerant thing to do. The head scarfs make me want to barf, I'm sorry choke down, too. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-1-19 12:45:45 PM |
| #3 as an American woman, I can understand how this issue of the headscarves will become volatile. Let me just say that I am a very tolerant individual who celebrates the rich diversity of our country and I have no problem with their desire to wear headscarves to express their religion or culture. The other day, I noticed a very beautiful Sudanese woman in front of me in line. Yet, though she seemed a wonderful person, nice, intelligent, friendly, I had to choke down some resentment at the headscarft. The emotion surprised me. But there it was. I just think that the headscarf is an easily visible symbol of a highly emotional issue. Women have achieved so much, and yet it symbolizes all that the Muslims hope to take away from us. I think this issue will be far more explosive than any of us expect. |
| Posted by: anon 2004-1-19 11:30:46 AM |
| #2 First, do you remember when the Taleban prohibited all education for girls? Second, do you remember any Moslems protesting against that? |
| Posted by: Mike Sylwester 2004-1-19 10:38:49 AM |
| #1 ....âsecularism oppresses Muslim women.â Secularism oppresses? Secularism oppresses? WTF? Whoever wrote that sign should move to Saudi Arabia so she can fully enjoy the 'freedoms' of Wahhabi Islam. |
| Posted by: Gasse Katze 2004-1-19 8:37:21 AM |