Quote:I mean the particular, actual person and hi/her rights when confronted by a masked woman in a shop or office?
I am not aware of anything that might happen to their rights. Unless the burqa wearer punches them, or forcibly removes their hat.
Quote:What about the dignity of that person?
What about it? You are not forced to lose your dignity by embarassing yourself over the issue. That is your choice.
Quote:WHat about the interpretations of fce covering by that person?
Don't you think a more important question is, what will they have for dinner?
Quote:Why privilege the burqa wearer who has no claims rooted in this society and its custom or reasoning?
How many claims have you rooted?
Quote:I am not the only one who would be offended if I were adressed by a person who chooses to be covered when talking to me.
It is your right to get wound up over any triviality you choose. Let's hope no-one tries to take that right from you.
Quote:We teach our children to look at the person they are speaking to.
I actually find it easier to look a burqa clad woman in the eye as I am not distracted by any other bits. But that's just me.
Quote:In our society face has meaning and the covering of the face has different meanings, none of the ones you listed.
I asked you before what the particular meaning of a face and an arse is. You still haven't come up with it. I have given you a few genuine meanings. The best you have got is that you lose your dignity.
Quote:Muslims are supposed to fit in and follow the customs of the non-muslim places they find thmselves in. The burqa wearers in th west breach that standard as well.
If you are referring to islamic law, I suggest you let the Muslims interpret the details. If you are referring to our law or custom, you are wrong.
Quote:You are now thinking like Abu and all the useful idiots - it is either burqa or toplessnss.
Again you are wrong Soren. It is both. Or if you want to include your stuffy danish outfit, we can have all three.
Quote:The politeness of strangers is one of the essential elements of civilisation.
I have never met an impolite person in a burqa. They are usually far more polite than those in more 'normal' garb.
Quote:Just because your burqa is not torn from your face doesn't mean that people don't think that you are rude and obnoxious.
I prefer to judge people's politeness by how polite they actually are, not by whether they wear the same thing as me. It seems your comprehension of politeness is as bad as your understanding of freedom.
Quote:What is the necessity that requires them to still go ahead and generate such antagonism?
You have this backwards also Soren. It is you who creates the antagonism. There is nothing inherently antagonistic in a burqa. Only in the response of a small minority of unaustralian australians.
Quote:However I do take the point that it is a cultural element of Australian life that people take exception to blocking the face, especially the older generation. I saw the same attitude to wearing dark sunglasses when I was younger. Old fogies have a thing against it.
Old fogies have a thing about people being free to do anything different, whether it be music, art, TV, WWF etc.
Mellie:
Quote:Security is a major issue for me, I mean, why have closed circuit TV and cameras in public places (especially the CBD) if people aren't able to be identified?
So we should ban the burqa to assist big brother in tracking our movements? If it wasn't for this technology would your argument be moot?
Quote:I personally believe anything that interferes with peoples ability to both assimilate and or communicate effectively within our country is un-Australian, this and should be discouraged.
I notice you didn't say banned. Was that deliberate?
Quote:In fact, when I was at uni, we were taught to gage the level of their pain, anxiety in accordance with a chart, so there are also health reasons for why I find this sort of head-dress obstructive and non-beneficial in our western society also.
You want big brother to be able to diagnose them against their wish?
Quote:When you immigrate to a different part of the world with a different culture, it's up to those who immigrate to assimilate, not be like rude demanding guests and expect an existing people to change their rules, their values, their existing culture and way of life to suit yourself, as the individual who wishes to form part of another's PRE-EXISTING culture.
But these women are not asking us to change any of our values. We value freedom. They are reinforcing our values.
Soren:
Quote:How many would be an issue? Shipping teenage girls off to the 'old' country to be married? Is that OK? Female genital 'cutting'? Is that ok if it happens only in a few cases? Polygamy? It's only a handful of people. How many Trads and Hilalis do you need to have an 'issue'?
Soren I thought you had changed your mind and decided this was about the face. Have you changed it back again now? Interfering with these women is really about Muslim men?
Quote:Perhaps you are trying to prove that this university has become hopelessly female-dominated!?
I think he was complaining that it got over-run with coloured folk. Or maybe it's just a better camera.