Sarkozy: "Burqas not welcome in France"

Many Conservatives are touting Sarkozy's willingness to proclaim that the practice of wearing the Mulim burqa by Islamic women is a "sign of the debasement of women, and is not welcome in France." Sarkozy, in a recent speech, detailed his support for a ban that some critics are claiming could stigmatize Muslims in France.

President Nicolas Sarkozy specifically said, "In our country, we cannot accept that women be prisoners behind a screen, cut off from all social life, deprived of all identity. The burqa is not a religious sign, it's a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement—I want to say it solemnly, it will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic."

I fully understand that the burqa is a badge of slavery in Islam, and that the rights of women are severely suppressed in that ideology. The burqa sets women apart, demeaning them, and relegating women to the existence of a half-human. I get it.

Sarkozy is right in everything he said, except the part about how the government should ban the burqa.

Think about it. Isn't that just like a socialist, wishing to control your life, behavior, and even what you wear?

Yes, I know, compared to the near-Marxists of France's past, Sarkozy is pretty conservative - but he is still farther to the left than the American Democratic Party (though not by much, and he is definitely not to the left of Obama).

Despite the political agenda of Islam, the Muslim religion is still, no matter our feelings to the contrary, labeled as a religion. So, how is it that government should be able to dictate to a person what they can wear? Of course we need to remain within the bounds of law and reason - after all, we don't want a bunch of nudists crying out that nudity is their religious right.

If government can tell a Muslim she can't wear a burka, how long before government declares that Jews can't wear a Kippah (skull cap)? Should we then allow government to disallow the wearing of a crucifix around someone's neck (in some public schools that is already the case)?

The women of Islam are suppressed. I agree fully. But if they are going to shed their burqas, it must be them to do so, not government.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

By Douglas V. Gibbs

Sarkozy says burqas are 'not welcome' in France - Breitbart