Banning the burkini is misogynist

There seem to be more non Muslims on this thread than Muslims, who disagree with you... You seem to basically be one of two people who actually support this ban

Absolutely nothing, if it's a nudist beach.

There's a general social consensus that being nude in public isn't acceptable, because nudity is invariably sexualised. There are cultures where women usually go topless, and this isn't seen as an issue because their breasts aren't viewed as sexual within that cultural framework. A woman going topless in London would attract stares, comments, and very possibly harassment. It's contextual.

You can argue that all clothing customs are socially constructed, and you'd be right, but it's fairly irrelevant to the topic. I think anyone claiming to be offended because someone covers *more* skin than is usual in their culture is being disingenuous.

Well, I don't think they are being disingenous at all when it comes to the burqa, niqab, or "burqini". The fact that you think that makes me assime that you have difficulty thinking beyond our cultural framework.

I find the wearing of these Islamic garbs far more offensive than someone being nude. As a human being myself, I don't find the human body offensive, but I am rather offended by people who think it is, and clothes like the burqini exist in part to cover the body because of the idea that it is offensive. It also tells me that the woman wearing it has been frightened by her religion into wearing it, as it is clearly not particularly practical compared to a standard swimsuit. I dislike the idea that an ideology frightens women into covering their body, and thinking of their body as offensive, by threatening them with eternal damnation. That's pretty messed up. Some women may feel pressured to wear certain things by our culture, but it's certainly rare for them to wear things out of fear of an eternity of torture. So yes, there are two reasons I'm offended by the burkini: it suggests that the human body is offensive or shameful, and it is reeks of subjugation.

Next I'd like to take you up on that "objectification" comment. Maybe if we saw more people naked, we would actually become more used to the body and think of it more than merely an explicit sex object. We always will be physically attracted to other people, and that's a good thing. It's not good though when you get to the point where a flash of flesh is enough to drive men crazy with sexual excitement, and unfortunately in countries where women cover themselves from head to toe this is exactly what can happen, thus why we have had young, repressed men from Islamic countries going crazy and assaulting women in Germany and Sweden. To those men, any display of flesh means "screw me". Not a great situation.

Moreover, is there another item of clothing that reduces a woman's body to merely a sex toy more than the burqa? Think of it this way: the burqa basically exists to hide the body to stop men from getting exicited by seeing it.

Here are two really common metaphors that I always see Muslims use in defense of veiling.

Firstly: "If you leave a sweet unwrapped, why should you be surprised when flies collect on it?"

This is m thinking of the female body as a consumable commodity.

Secondly: "The burqa isn't sexist. If you have a precious jewel, do you go around flashing it to everyone, or do you keep it safe, away from prying eyes? This is how we view our women"

This is reducing women to a purchasable object which you keep simply to look at.

The burqa basically says that a woman's body is an explicit, sordid, sexual object that should be hidden, rather like a dirty magazing being put on the top shelf. Additionally, there is no society that is more utterly obsessed with sex than societies such as Saudi Arabia's. Sure, they are obsessed with repressing it, but they are obsessed none the less, and it probably shapes their society more than anything else.

I am curious what you 2 think of full-body Burkas and their implications as a possible security risk? Should they be allowed?

So your argument essentially is: this is bad but theres worse things that are happening out there therefore we should allow this to happen?

Well, I was shocked by the stupidity of the writer of the article linked in the OP. Then I saw the comments; it was good to see that they unanimously find that this article is terrible.

"Islam's misogyny is conclusively proven by the fact that Muslim males don't wear the hijab, niqab, burqa and burkini. QED."

"Women are burning burkas in the Syrian town that was liberated today but the mental midget who wrote this column thinks A) that they are a choice that women freely make and B) that they are a religious requirement (they are not, they are entirely cultural and anyone who argues otherwise is either ignorant of the facts or is a liar who is trying to advance an agenda under the guise of religion)? Is she really that stupid? And yes, that was a rhetorical question."

"What a mind boggling load of crap. These are not religious, they are purely cultural. Women do not wear them to feel safe from sexual gazes, they wear them because they are forced, coerced, or brainwashed into doing so. That the writer of this column cannot see that they are misogynistic, and claims that banning them is misogynistic, demonstrates only that she is a complete and utter idiot who is either brainwashed herself or simply has her head so far up her own backside that she cannot think rationally."

Feels good.

Yes. There is worse that needs to be dealt with fist then we can deal with the small issue that this is

Don't you agree?

You made your entire argument based upon your views of the burka. The burka is not the same as the burkini...

Well, I was shocked by the stupidity of the writer of the article linked in the OP. Then I saw the comments; it was good to see that they unanimously find that this article is terrible.

"Islam's misogyny is conclusively proven by the fact that Muslim males don't wear the hijab, niqab, burqa and burkini. QED."

"Women are burning burkas in the Syrian town that was liberated today but the mental midget who wrote this column thinks A) that they are a choice that women freely make and B) that they are a religious requirement (they are not, they are entirely cultural and anyone who argues otherwise is either ignorant of the facts or is a liar who is trying to advance an agenda under the guise of religion)? Is she really that stupid? And yes, that was a rhetorical question."

"What a mind boggling load of crap. These are not religious, they are purely cultural. Women do not wear them to feel safe from sexual gazes, they wear them because they are forced, coerced, or brainwashed into doing so. That the writer of this column cannot see that they are misogynistic, and claims that banning them is misogynistic, demonstrates only that she is a complete and utter idiot who is either brainwashed herself or simply has her head so far up her own backside that she cannot think rationally."

Feels good.

The risk isn't the burka, personally I think they should be allowed like you can wear a balaclava in public but we should protect the police who could be put in a position of suspecting someone of being a danger or of having committed a criminal offence and include having to remove it if asked by police for similar reasons as the balaclava wearer. so they can do their jobs without facing the prospect of losing it for following the rules, it has to be 1 rule for all or no rule at all so no religious exceptions to any law.

@Brahmin of Booty


Yes, if there is a ban on the Burka then there needs to be consistency in the form of a ban of clothes that fully disguise the body.

I agree with this in spirit, but it fails to fully extend the freedom it should to citizens. Neither the Burqa nor balaclavas are inherently dangerous and thus should not be regulated by the state.

It's as if the key issue is personal choice...

I agree with this in spirit, but it fails to fully extend the freedom it should to citizens. Neither the Burqa nor balaclavas are inherently dangerous and thus should not be regulated by the state.

Yes. There is worse that needs to be dealt with fist then we can deal with the small issue that this is

Don't you agree?

The risk isn't the burka, personally I think they should be allowed like you can wear a balaclava in public but we should protect the police who could be put in a position of suspecting someone of being a danger or of having committed a criminal offence and include having to remove it if asked by police for similar reasons as the balaclava wearer. so they can do their jobs without facing the prospect of losing it for following the rules, it has to be 1 rule for all or no rule at all so no religious exceptions to any law.