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Switzerland: Ticino Region Approves Ban on Wearing Burqas in Public

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Opto

Banned
I am sure that's a comforting thought for women forced to a religious dress code in public.

Of course, they can always choose not to wear them.

Sometimes at risk of their lives, but hey, it's a choice.

I believe they are referring to more secular societies where the liberty religious expression is allowed.
 

Dryk

Member
Like someone said, there should be sources of help if there's abuse or being forced to wear anything, but banning an article of clothing sounds like the kind of oppression people don't want to happen
Pretty much. If you think that someone is being coerced or otherwise manipulated into doing an (otherwise harmless) activity or expressing themselves in a certain way the correct approach is to give them the tools they need to escape from situation or make an informed decision. Forcing them to change is not the answer.
 

Chichikov

Member
Burqas are at most a symptom of oppression. Yeah, we should work to eradicate that oppression, but banning burqas will not achieve that, at all, you'll mostly antagonize the people you're trying to help and along the way create a rather terrible precedent that the government can tell you what you're allowed to wear.

It's a terrible policy.
 
I am sure that's a comforting thought for women forced to a religious dress code in public.

Of course, they can always choose not to wear them.

Sometimes at risk of their lives, but hey, it's a choice.

I won't deny that in extremist countries like Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan it's not a choice. But there are lots of Muslim countries where it is like: Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, U.A.E, Oman, Bosnia and I'm sure I'm missing some but there are plenty of examples

But those extremist countries don't represent all Muslim countries or the views of all Muslims
 

Divvy

Canadians burned my passport
I don't think it's brainwashing, I think it's a straight up violent imposition. I remember a man getting hysterical and kicking his wife in the back at Algiers airport because his wife (wearing a burqa) had joined the queue that had a male guard for pat downs at a security check. Unsurprisingly, nobody batted an eye seeing that woman abused.

If people want to live under third world rules then they should stay there. When in Rome do as romans do. My hat's off to Switzerland.

And how would banning burqas fix that kind of patriarchy? WIll banning the burqa eliminate misogyny and abuse within that household? Or will it just hide it so you don't have to see it? Is this ban to make you feel better or for that woman?
 

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
Maybe it's because I live in Indonesia where many women wear Hijabs and even Burqas (not too many though, mostly Hijabs) out of their own volition--hell, it's even viewed as something that is to be proud of and people sure respect the decision by the women to wear them--it's always amusing to see people talking about "rescuing" or "liberating" the women or how they are "brainwashed" into wearing them as if these women are always brain-dead robots who can't move a feet forward without anyone else telling them how and can't make a decision on themselves whether they like to wear a piece of clothing or not.

It's not that I don't realize the existence of the truly hardcore adherents, but the jarring discrepancy between many healthy, happy, beautiful, independent women wearing hijabs in here that I know--hell, many of them are more successful than many men I know in life and business--and the narrative that they are just drones that are doing what they're doing because they are being unthinking drones being "forced" to do it and that they must be "rescued" or "liberated" at all cost is sometimes just really... weird.
 
i'm against the Burqa but banning it could lead to the men simply putting their women into some kind of house arrest since i doubt they'd just let them go out without it just because the law dictates it

While the Burqa is a clear symbol of the anti-women culture in some Muslim territories i'd rather look to help the women who are forced to wear it instead of further alienating them. And i know that's easier said then done.

I don't know whether banning it is good or not.

Great first post. I would still prefer to see it banned though because (in australia anyways) no one else is allowed to walk around (especially in banks etc) with their face covered.
 

Chichikov

Member
Should we ban the kippah too
Hasidic Jewish women are banned from showing any hair (some are forced to shave their head) wearing pants and other delightful things.
I'm not saying every person who want to ban burqas is an islamophobe, but I think without islamophobia those things would've got no real traction.
 

Arkeband

Banned
ive seen ladies wear it with my own eyes and even asked them why they do it and it's a religious choice they make. Some wear just a veil while others cover themselves up more, some not at all.

I was born and raised in the Middle East, lived there for 18 years before migrating to the west please don't feed me this bullshit of brainwashing.

What's your opinion on nuns btw?
Before its ever a choice they make, it's a choice others made for them.

Have you ever heard the saying "Get thee to a nunnery?" Girls were sent off against their own volition. Nuns are also seriously oppressed.
 
Before its ever a choice they make, it's a choice others made for them.

I agree with you here.

BHave you ever heard the saying "Get thee to a nunnery?" Girls were sent off against their own volition. Nuns are also seriously oppressed.

I haven't but show me the western countries that are passing laws that specifically fine nuns for walking about in their religious garb in public, I honesty don't mean to be snarky, I'm legitimately asking if a nun would be fined 150 euros for her clothing

Look, all im saying is that if you're really trying to free these women from oppression is applying a new level oppression the right way?

So far the replies here lean more on plain bigotry than any legitimate intent to resolve oppression
 

pgtl_10

Member
I see people saying Muslims should respect Western values. Considering the invasions/bombing of countries for democracy, the creation of a Western colony in the Middle East, the division of the natives into countries as the Western powers see fit, and the support for dictatorships, it is amusing that Westerners can't take a woman going down the street wearing non-Western clothing minding her own business.

Can you imagine how Westerners would react if Muslims blatantly shove their values down Westerners throats the way Westerners have done to Muslims and the rest of the world for that matter?
 

Arkeband

Banned
I agree with you here.



I haven't but show me the western countries that are passing laws that specifically fine nuns for walking about in their religious garb in public, I honesty don't mean to be snarky, I'm legitimately asking if a nun would be fined 150 euros for her clothing

Look, all im saying is that if you're really trying to free these women from oppression is applying a new level oppression the right way?

So far the replies here lean more on plain bigotry than any legitimate intent to resolve oppression

I agree, I don't think the fine is the right way to go about it. I honestly don't know what the "solution" would be if there even is one.
 

pgtl_10

Member
if the heartland of Salafi Wahhabi isn't open to secular critique, then Western nations should not be obligated to accommodate customs from Salafi Wahhabi ideology

Justifying society's standards based on another society's standards sounds like a weak society.
 

Dryk

Member
Great first post. I would still prefer to see it banned though because (in australia anyways) no one else is allowed to walk around (especially in banks etc) with their face covered.
Covering your face in public is fine. But you need to remove your mask/helmet/morph suit/whatever in a secure area like a bank or if a police officer asks you. I don't have a problem with that but I also don't understand the need to extend that to a blanket ban. I also doubt that Australians would ever support an actual holistic ban of face coverings because we'd have to actually think it through and we'd soon realise that people of all walks of life cover their faces in public at some time or another. Hell last weekend a bunch of Reclaim Australia protestors were wearing masks and one of their stated aims is to ban the burqa.
 

patapuf

Member
So a bunch of old men dictate what women should wear via religion, and the solution to that is....to have a bunch of old men dictate what women can wear via law.

Just to clarify: this was decided by popular vote back in 2013. What happened this month was approving the bill/law that results from this vote.

This wasn't just a bunch of old men deciding.
 

rush777

Member
Ugh this thread......this is cut and dry racism!

Posts such as this should be banned, you add nothing to the discussion. I have trouble with this because I can't stand religion and it's effects on society but this will cause nothing but more hatred.

Even though some claim these bans are what prompt people to join ISIS, well, I say you were fucked in the head regardless of the ban.
 

Chariot

Member
Just to clarify: this was decided by popular vote back in 2013. What happened this month was approving the bill/law that results from this vote.

This wasn't just a bunch of old men deciding.
Yeah, the same popular vote that banned minaretts a few years back.

Isn't it absolutely disgusting telling women that they can't wear something no matter if they want to or not? You just decided for them that they are opressed, brainwashed and don't want to wear it.

Plus, as some people stated, he effects in Ftance show that this is a terrible idea. It drives women out and/or radicalise them by pushing them out of society, telling that they are not welcome.
 

patapuf

Member
Yeah, the same popular vote that banned minaretts a few years back.

Isn't it absolutely disgusting telling women that they can't wear something no matter if they want to or not? You just decided for them that they are opressed, brainwashed and don't want to wear it.

Plus, as some people stated, he effects in Ftance show that this is a terrible idea. It drives women out and/or radicalise them by pushing them out of society, telling that they are not welcome.

I'm not defending the result, I just wanted to point out that this wasn't just some old guys in the parliaments deciding things, it's the majority of the ticinesi population that doesn't want the burka to be worn.

Also i'd hesitate to draw too many paralels to France. There's a lot of factors at play there that simply aren't present in Switzerland, the radicalisation of their muslim population isn't a result of the Burka ban. Like it's ban in Ticino, that's just a symbol people point towards (though symbols are important of course). It definitly won't help the integration so many people clamor for, though.
 

KingSnake

The Birthday Skeleton
I think banning burqa is useless. But I understand why is this happening. It doesn't have to do with the liberation of oppressed women.

Burqa is practically perceived as a symbol of the most radicalized part of Islam. It comes in the same package with sharia law. It doesn't matter if it is voluntarily or forced, it is still the symbol of a radicalization. That's why people are against it.
 
Just in case you need a refresher on what's what.

By6gpdtCQAAa20-.jpg


I don't know about anti women but yeah I'm not seeing a helping side to this. Then again Muslims are meant to abide by the laws of the land.

Are there women wearing Burqas in Switzerland in the first place?

I live in Spain where there has to be a bigger Muslim population than in Switzerland and I only ever seen the Hijab and the Chador.
 
Are there women wearing Burqas in Switzerland in the first place?

I live in Spain where there has to be a bigger Muslim population than in Switzerland and I only ever seen the Hijab and the Chador.
It might have just been four or five but in such a conservative place they probably just freaked out!

France has ~4x Muslim population (4.7 million) of Spain (980K) and even that amounted to less than 2000 Burqa wearers.
 
I think banning burqa is useless. But I understand why is this happening. It doesn't have to do with the liberation of oppressed women.

Burqa is practically perceived as a symbol of the most radicalized part of Islam. It comes in the same package with sharia law. It doesn't matter if it is voluntarily or forced, it is still the symbol of a radicalization. That's why people are against it.

Exactly. Wearing a burqa by choice is tantamount to flying the Confederate flag. I really don't think any woman wearing a burqa by choice is going to be supportive of liberal democratic Western values, in fact the opposite, they are more than likely a supporter of violent radical Islam. There are plenty of women who willingly wear the burqa in the Islamic State.
 

Christopher

Member
An education piece to me as in googling things and may be wrong, however why would a book dictate that women have to wear this? It seems extremely oppressive...
 
An education piece to me as in googling things and may be wrong, however why would a book dictate that women have to wear this? It seems extremely oppressive...
What book dictates? Think the Bible does.

"Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head...If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head."

1 Corrinthians 11:3-6
 

keuja

Member
Whether the woman chooses to wear the burqa is irrelevant. It's not really about protecting women's rights, it's not about security.

The message here is that Islam extremism will not be tolerated. It's about visibly restricting the liberties of those radicalized people. And yes having a woman wearing the burqa is a sign of radicalism.

Switzerland (and France) politicians don't give a shit about the American version of free speech or freedom, they care about winning election, since a large majority of the voters is for such laws, and sending the signal that this small fringe of the Muslim population is not welcome in their country.
 
Okay, since WHEN is Bosnia seen as an "Muslim country"?

It is something that 90% of citizens in Bosnia would reject to say or condone.

I was thinking about the Muslim population there, like Lebanon - should have said that instead of Muslim country and Bosnian Muslims aren't so extremist that removing their heard scarfs would result in a death sentence

How about Saudi Arabia banning alcohol?
Do you blame the Saudis for implementing such a law or it's their country, they do how they please?

I blame the Saudis, they ban alcohol because they themselves don't drink the stuff out of religious beliefs . They have a minority of westerners and it shouldn't be illegal for them or anyone who doesn't identify with Islam to drink alcohol.

Saudi Arabia is backwards as fuck, and I say this as a Muslim, you couldn't pay me to live there EVER.
 
afaik Belgium, The Netherlands and France have a similar law that prohibits the wearing of a burqa. It's the most visible symbol of islam fundamentalism and women who wear one could never hope to integrate into western society.
 

Trokil

Banned
Whenever this comes up this is all I see

Problem: Men telling women what to wear
Solution: Men telling women what to wear

There are two huge problems with this.

First: In Switzerland women can also vote

Second: Both this ban and the minaret ban were won in Switzerland because women voted more for the bans than man. They did very detailed analysis about voting in those cases in both time, the women in Switzerland supported this, especially feminist groups.

"Integrate or you're not welcome" is pure xenophobia.

I would not ban a burka and I also was against the ban of minarets. But there is a level, what Bill Maher calls stupid ideas, which are just not compatible with our society. I am very left, but even for me, it is, if you want to life here, you will have to accept our values or get out.

The apprentice of my barber 16 year old happy, nice girl someday just did not show up for work anymore. Parents told him, well she got sick and died. Few weeks later police showed up, asked him a few questions and he found out she killed herself, because her parents wanted her to marry somebody against her own will. If you try that now in Switzerland you will get thrown out, the daughter can stay, we will offer her refuge, but her father and sometimes also the mother will leave. I know cases like this and at some point our values are more important than the values of other cultures, especially if you want to stay in our country.

At a certain point you do have to integrate. So you will have to accept, that your daughter will make her own decisions and she has the same rights as you. That your wife can work and vote and even leave you, if you she thinks it is the right thing to do. If you can not accept that, you still want to be the master of your house, well maybe Switzerland is the wrong place for you. There is no middle ground on this issue. If you want to stay in Switzerland you will have to accept that, even people walking around in Bikinis in the summer or other things you don’t like. And that’s not our fault and we also are not going to change that, so at this point, there is no alternative, either accept it or well search a country more in line with your values.

And I am also against the idea, that we have to accept every stupid idea from any culture. If we think, that a stupid idea is against our culture, like covering your whole face and we want to outlaw that, it is our right to do so.
 
There are two huge problems with this.

First: In Switzerland women can also vote

Second: Both this ban and the minaret ban where won in Switzerland because women voted more for the bans than man. They did very detailed analysis about voting in those cases in both time, the women in Switzerland supported this, especially feminist groups.



I would not ban a burka and I also was against the ban of minarets. But there is a level, what Bill Maher calls stupid ideas, which are just not compatible with our society. I am very left, but even for me, it is, if you want to life here, you will have to accept our values or get out.

The apprentice of my barber 16 year old happy, nice girl someday just did not show up for work anymore. Parents told him, well she got sick and died. Few weeks later police showed up, asked him a few questions and he found out she killed herself, because her parents wanted her to marry somebody against her own will. If you try that now in Switzerland you will get thrown out, the daughter can stay, we will offer her refuge, but her father and sometimes also the mother will leave. I know cases like this and at some point our values are more important than the values of other cultures, especially if you want to stay in our country.

At a certain point you do have to integrate. So you will have to accept, that your daughter will make her own decisions and she has the same rights as you. That your wife can work and vote and even leave you, if you she thinks it is the right thing to do. If you can not accept that, you still want to be the master of your house, well maybe Switzerland is the wrong place for you. There is no middle ground on this issue. If you want to stay in Switzerland you will have to accept that, even people walking around in Bikinis in the summer or other things you don’t like. And that’s not our fault and we also are not going to change that, so at this point, there is no alternative, either accept it or well search a country more in line with your values.

Fair points and I agree with the integration aspects. Although I think if you're living in a democracy there needs to be some discussion on how to speed up integration as opposed to forcing it upon individuals.

I don't agree with the burqa but I think if you want to reduce its presence a more nuanced tactic should be adopted. Banning it because it doesn't fit in is a knee jerk reaction and quiet frankly xenophobic which could only embolden women to adopt it further - it's the type of reaction I would expect from extremist countries like Saudi Arabia, they ban a ton of shit but it hasn't stopped the people from engaging in those activities

Showing women that they have a choice allows the prospect of critical thinking and self reflection to blossom. it also is a start to implanting the seeds of democracy in to a culture that is used to dictatorship style governing
 

keuja

Member
"Integrate or you're not welcome" is pure xenophobia.

Nope you're wrong.
"you're not welcome (whatever you do)" is pure xenophobia.
"integrate (to varying degrees) or you're not welcome " is pretty much the model of immigration in the western world and everywhere else.
 

patapuf

Member
Fair points and I agree with the integration aspects. Although I think if you're living in a democracy there needs to be some discussion on how to speed up integration as opposed to forcing it upon individuals.

I don't agree with the burqa but I think if you want to reduce its presence a more nuanced tactic should be adopted. Banning it because it doesn't fit in is a knee jerk reaction and quiet frankly xenophobic which could only embolden women to adopt it further - it's the type of reaction I would expect from extremist countries like Saudi Arabia, they ban a ton of shit but it hasn't stopped the people from engaging in those activities

Showing women that they have a choice allows the prospect of critical thinking and self reflection to blossom. it also is a start to implanting the seeds of democracy in to a culture that is used to dictatorship style governing


YOu are not wrong but reaching women that often don't work and are otherwise also isolated by their families ( an thus afraid to interact iwth others in the first place) is very challenging.
 
YOu are not wrong but reaching women that often don't work and are otherwise also isolated by their families is very challenging.

oh yea, it's quiet challenging, as another poster said who knows what the true solution is but as evidence in France has shown bans have little to no effect.

I have lots of faith in European countries though, I've always seen them as the most forward and progressive thinking people and I'm sure they'll find a way to deal with the current immigration/integration issues - fear has found its way into their minds but I trust them to see their way through
 

Chola

Banned
I don't get the hate towards Burqas.
Everybody in this world are influenced by their culture and are oppressed in some ways.
some women in the west have argued why men are allowed to go topless. The entire world can be criticized for hypocrisy. I know its on a entirely different level but still its hypocrisy.
 

Pluto

Member
Banning the Burqa is a good thing! It's a symbol of oppression and radical islam, it has no place in a secular society and it should not be tolerated.

And about those women who won't be able to leave the house without a burqa? They usually can if they want to! If they want to but can't because of their husbands abusive behavior that's a problem but the solution cannot be to allow the use of the burqa, that in itself is abuse if the women wears it against her will.
If a woman wants to wear a burqa she's free to live somewhere else, no one's stopping them from leaving.
 

ElFly

Member
I won't deny that in extremist countries like Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan it's not a choice. But there are lots of Muslim countries where it is like: Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, U.A.E, Oman, Bosnia and I'm sure I'm missing some but there are plenty of examples

But those extremist countries don't represent all Muslim countries or the views of all Muslims

Who the fuck spoke of all muslims. Not all muslims women wear burqas all the time in public.

It is a worrying symptom of oppression, and while it should not be banned, it is disgusting to just brush it off as "oh it's just a choice".
 

Chariot

Member
Who the fuck spoke of all muslims. Not all muslims women wear burqas all the time in public.

It is a worrying symptom of oppression, and while it should not be banned, it is disgusting to just brush it off as "oh it's just a choice".
I agree. Just banning isn't helping anyone. Education and easily accessible and free help for women with abusive husbands are the way to go. But apparently quite some here are in favour of solving the problem by putting it somewhere we can't see it.
 
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