[MD] What is the intellectual argument about Islamic veil wearing?

[pholden at davtv.com]

Hi All:

Noted in today's NYTimes:

 NIJMEGEN, the Netherlands, Nov. 17 — Five days before a national election here, the
center-right government announced Friday that it planned to introduce legislation to
ban burqas and similar garments in public places, saying the full-body garb worn by a
small number of Muslim women in the Netherlands posed a grave security threat.

The Netherlands has been considering such a move for months, in reaction to the burqa
and other articles of clothing that hide the wearer’s face. The government has raised
the fear that a terrorist might wear such a garment to move beyond security checks
and carry out an attack.

The Dutch discussion is part of a European debate about how far governments can go in
legislating what people — specifically Muslim women and girls — can and cannot wear.

Last month, Britain’s former foreign secretary, Jack Straw, raised a commotion when
he urged Muslim women to remove full facial veils when talking to him, saying the
veil was “such a visible statement of separation and of difference” that it
jeopardized British social harmony. Prime Minister Tony Blair subsequently backed Mr.
Straw.

Best,
Platt


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