French president: Burkas not welcome here
PARIS, France (CNN) — French President Nicolas Sarkozy condemned the wearing of burkas on Monday, saying the traditional Muslim garment that covers women from head to toe was a “sign of subservience” and was not “welcome in France.”
Women wearing burkas walk in Kabul, Afghanistan, on June 17.
In a speech before a joint session of parliament, Sarkozy said, “The problem of the burka is not a religious problem. This is an issue of a woman’s freedom and dignity. This is not a religious symbol. It is a sign of subservience; it is a sign of lowering. I want to say solemnly, the burka is not welcome in France.”
Sarkozy’s statement comes as debate rages in France about Muslim women wearing the covering, with some French lawmakers calling for a ban on them.
“We cannot accept in our country women trapped behind a fence, cut off from social life, deprived of any identity. This is not the idea that we have of a woman’s dignity,” the president said.
He urged parliament to further debate the issue.
Source and update
Desertpeace 
Archie said,
June 23, 2009 at 18:39
“The problem of the burka is not a religious problem. This is an issue of a woman’s freedom and dignity. This is not a religious symbol. It is a sign of subservience; it is a sign of lowering. I want to say solemnly, the burka is not welcome in France.”
Uhhh. Not even if women so choose?
Miguel Grande said,
June 23, 2009 at 18:48
I thnk its an issue of modesty. My wife doesn’t want to answer the front door or go out in public without a couple hours of prep work and make up. I think she would be happy to throw on a burka and go to the convenience store.
robertsgt40 said,
June 23, 2009 at 18:50
How would Sarkozy know what a burka is a symbel of? He’s Jewish. I guess it’s time to pass a new talmudic law.
Sam said,
June 23, 2009 at 18:58
Mr. Sarkozi,
Is showing ones flesh for all to see, naked butts, boobs, appearing in porn movies/ pictures ELEVATES a Woman? If not than Why not ban them too and unwelcome them.
Iain Yuile said,
June 23, 2009 at 19:10
Actually this is the one and undoubdtedly the only time i will ever agree
with this particular Zionist.
Frank Fredenburg said,
June 23, 2009 at 20:03
They say how dumb Americans are! How dumb must the French be, that they voted a Mossad agent to be their President? He is just trying to stir the pot and create trouble between the Muslims and French. He is being a good little Israeli saboteur!
Ben said,
June 23, 2009 at 23:23
Sarkozy deplored that the veil was against women’s dignity. Really ??! His new wife has been posing naked showing her ass worldwide… that’s dignity Zarkozy can be proud of…
rashid said,
June 24, 2009 at 02:03
If you believe in Freedom, if you defend freedom then you must accept that people will choose to say things and do things that you may not approve of or agree with. The question is not whether a burka is a correct form of publc garment; the question is does a woman have the right to choose what she wants to wear. So may argue that many women are coerced to wear burkas, that maybe so but the evidence must be presented on an individual basis and not as a generalization. I do not like burkas but I know many women who prefer to where them. An earlier commentator was correct, Sarkozy and the cult of zionist murders are just looking for new areas to sow public dissension and controversy. Let ignore the new world order and worry about burkas, gay marriage and abortion.
daniyal said,
June 24, 2009 at 02:45
Afghanistan is an ancient culture. Before Islam most of thier values were borrowed from the ‘then
super power’ and cultural front runner: China. In china the daughters other women of nobility were
kept away from cheap prying eye. They were transported from one place to another in special howras
that were curtained off from the man on the street. He was too low to set eyes upon them.
This custom was rampant in the big houses of Afghanistan. Slaves and servants on the other hand were
allowed to roam uncovered. Over time naturally most women would rather be seen as
‘khanzadis’noble-women rather than be associated with slave girls but then not every one could afford
howra’s and men to carry them around so these women -who were naturally the majority-came up with the
burqa- known among the Pashtuns as bughra-In these so called tents they can go where ever they want
without being idntified.
This burqa is native to the afghan women and the Pashtuns in Pakistan even though arabs who
introduced islam to this area encouraged long scarves which only required to cover the hair and body.
To the afghan women the burqa is the difference between a well respected women and a cheap street
women.
It is laughable to suggest that the Talibaan invented the burqa-though they imposed it rigidly but in
Kandahar women still wear it even though the Talibaan are long gone. (Western media claim that women
still wear it becuase they are afraid of the Talibaan but the truth is no one is afraid of the
talibaan inside the big cities-if they were then how come the video shop owners and cassette sellers
aren’t afraid!Truth is the burqa is a cultural ting to the Afghan women and most didn’t even notice
its imposition as a burden.
A handful of western minded women might have been inconvenienced by it but most are quite at home in
it. It is shaped to completely disguise any clues as to what kind of women is behind it. Islamic
veil though allows for the hands, face and feet to be uncovered and is not so strict.
A lot of education would be required by Sarkozi to see the burqa as he sees it-because as they see it
the western women is a poor exploited miserable creature-who has no father brother husband or son to
protect her from this indignity.
The worst that could happen to an afghan women is being left without a male caretaker. Because that
would undoubtly bring them out on the streets the most demeaning thing for her.
This culture does not allow many women to be left to fend for themselves as their always is someone
to take responsibility for her-if not her husband then her son, brother-in-law or father-law, if not
that then father or brother, uncle or cousin if not that then some far related realtive.
But the war against the soviets left hundreds of thousands dead-big percent of them men-as Pashtun
men would never expose their women to the dangers. Villagers making desperate stands against the
mighty red army isn’t unheard of while their wives and children escaped to some hide-out it isn’t
even considered heroic-he had to do it to protect his womenfolk and children.
True, Afghan women are not the ones spoiling the view in Paris, it is the most orthodox women from
the arab world. Here too this full veil is a recent development. Local arab veil vary but most allow
for eyes to be seen and the ones with full veils were mostly thin veils which only blurred teh facial
features a bit. In my opinion this extreme veil is in defiance to the west’s policies in the ME.
clockwerk said,
June 24, 2009 at 02:57
Don’t b a servant to God. Be a servant to the nation!
Tariq Abideen said,
June 24, 2009 at 08:30
I am from India. yeras ago a young college girl in New Delhi one day put up a black burqa while traveling in public bus. The girl was hindu, a non-muslim. She donned this burqa to prevent men rubbing through her body while making way for themselves.
Sarkozy doesn’t understand what Burqa is about. He’s a regular Islam-hater.
Cyber Cohen said,
June 24, 2009 at 10:53
That Sarkozy is a twit; he is the first sitting French President to address the French Parliament since the 19th century. French workers call strikes every few weeks, the economy (along with the global one) isn’t doing too well, and what does he decide is talk about? The burkha. Perhaps he wants all women to walk around in the buff, like his wife? At Berlusconi had the deceny to do his stuff within confined walls…
Anyways, read the following article:
http://www.blatherskite.com/index.php/2009/06/serge-calls-sarkozy-a-burkha-ponoatowski-nicolas-sarkozy-carla-muslims-shoes-box-gordon-brown/
philip travers said,
June 24, 2009 at 12:39
Interesting!
scott said,
June 24, 2009 at 13:40
Whether a burka is a good thing or not, if a person wants to wear one then they should have that choice!
CrazyComposer said,
June 24, 2009 at 15:28
While this is an obvious example of racism, xenophobia, and outright ignorance regarding culture v. religion there is one issue that Sarkozy could have brought up (had he been more clever, intelligent, and had he thought the issue through before making his idiotic comment), but he did not and, therefore, he has missed the opportunity to legitimize (in as far as that is possible) this move. What would that issue have been? Simple: security – when wearing the full burkha it is not possible (or extremely difficult) to verify the identity of an individual with photo-id, making security at things like airports much more difficult to enforce with any level of confidence. Of course, when women wearing the burkhas pass through passport control they are (normally – and as far as I know) required to (discreetly) reveal their faces in order to confirm their identities, that does not necessarily afford the person checking enough of an opportunity to make a proper verification, particularly if the person making the check is at all self-conscious about being overly ‘politically correct’ in dealing with someone from another culture (and, even more importantly, if it is male making the check who may encounter further difficulties as a result of ‘issues’).
In many states in the United States it is illegal to walk around wearing a mask – wearing anything that conceals your identity – on any other day but the 31st of October. The reasons for this should be obvious – it is to prevent crime (though crime still exists) and the concealment of identity in the commission thereof. The wearing of a burkha, by definition, conceals a woman’s identity – or a man’s if a man happens to don one in an effort to conceal their identity.
Unfortunately, these were not issues voiced by Le President, he simply chose to open his mouth and allow the essence of his spirit spew forth – and it was not a good thing. I do not agree with the above reasons, I merely propose them as the possible rationale that could be used by the extreme right (the Republicans in America) to subjugate a population that does things differently than the mainstream.
Food for thought … without the calories.
CC
David said,
June 24, 2009 at 23:59
He has no respect for women and their beliefs. He should just shut up and worry more about his whore of a wife.