Australian PM orders parliamentary burka ban rethink

[webfact]

Australian PM orders parliamentary burka ban rethink

CANBERRA: -- Australian PM Tony Abbott has urged the Speaker of parliament to reverse plans to ban women who cover their faces from sitting in the main public galleries.

"Common sense should prevail" when it comes to deciding on public access to parliament, he told Australian media.

Officials in parliament announced the measures, aimed at improving security, on Thursday.

The new rules would have required women wearing coverings to sit in a glassed-off area of the public galleries.

The proposed measure has been widely criticised as a potential breach of Australian anti-discrimination laws. One critic labelled it as "religious apartheid".

The plans would have affected Muslim women wearing niqabs, full-length garments where only the eyes are visible, and burkas, where no part of the face can be seen.

Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29472599


-- BBC 2014-10-03

[hard124get]

How many women in Australia wear burquas ? Just another fear-mongering no-news item. Many Catholic nuns wore full face habits for years in Australia.

[bdenner]

Abbott and the idiots he has under him are so far behind in the opinion polls he needs a few women, in disguise, to boost his lot! Who gives a stuff about security issues when it comes to popularity?

[wwest5829]

How many women in Australia wear burquas ? Just another fear-mongering no-news item. Many Catholic nuns wore full face habits for years in Australia.

As a student of history, I would be very interested in seeing a photo of these full face coverings of Nuns in Australia as I have no recollection of ever having seen them in my study. Mind, not questioning, just wanting to learn. Can you post at least one photo of this?

[prakhonchai nick]

Burquas should be banned in all the Western World when they pose security issues.. That would include in my view all places where people gather, banks, shops, restaurants and all public transport. No doubt many more places. When a crime is committed, witnesses are usually able to give a description of the criminal. What information can you provide when the suspect is adorned in a burqua.

Let the wearers remember whose country it is...and then consider abiding by that countries rules!

.

[Kerryd]

Yeah, same here. I've been living/working in Afghanistan for 10+ years and have seen all manner of muslim headgear (from scarves to full blown burquas with mesh screens covering the eyes), but I've never seen a nun (of any christian denomination) with a fully covered face.

And there are probably quite a few muslims in Australia wearing full face coverings, and some probably are women even. I say that with a condescending look on my face as the military here continuously find men trying to sneak through check points dressed as women (especially if it appears that there are no female soldiers at the checkpoint at that time).

[TPI]

How many women in Australia wear burquas ? Just another fear-mongering no-news item. Many Catholic nuns wore full face habits for years in Australia.

As a student of history, I would be very interested in seeing a photo of these full face coverings of Nuns in Australia as I have no recollection of ever having seen them in my study. Mind, not questioning, just wanting to learn. Can you post at least one photo of this?

I've been around Oz for a great many years.....never saw 'full face' covering! What's the big deal anyway, it's supposed to be a "cultural" thing not a religious thing so why not ban them like full face helmets?

[harrry]

I like the way he thinks he can order the Speaker. The Speaker is in charge of this and as an Independent officer she cannot be directed. Of course because she came from his party she will likely take note of him which is totally wrong.

[Carl64]

If a western lady wears skimpy or sexy clothing in a Muslim country they will either get arrested or stoned to death!

[konying]

Put a big cross around your neck or female wear a singlet in any Arab country and see what happens.

It's about time West stops being " politically correct"

They made a choice to migrate to Western world , then dress and act like it's acceptable in the West.

If you want to live by your own ways, then stay in your country or move to another with the same values

[ezzra]

How many women in Australia wear burquas ? Just another fear-mongering no-news item. Many Catholic nuns wore full face habits for years in Australia.

Here's where the problem lie, no nun is ever known to strap an explosive belt to her self

and blow it in a crowded place just because someone told her that Allah said so, Nuns

don't do that...

now if the burquas were a face/head cover for ANY OTHER RELIGION in the world, there

will not be a problem at all, is just that burquas wearing people are strongly associated

with a religion that see nothing wrong and have no qualm in blowing other people to bits

( or behead them ) even though those people done nothing to deserve it...

[ezzra]

How many women in Australia wear burquas ? Just another fear-mongering no-news item. Many Catholic nuns wore full face habits for years in Australia.

As a student of history, I would be very interested in seeing a photo of these full face coverings of Nuns in Australia as I have no recollection of ever having seen them in my study. Mind, not questioning, just wanting to learn. Can you post at least one photo of this?

I've been around Oz for a great many years.....never saw 'full face' covering! What's the big deal anyway, it's supposed to be a "cultural" thing not a religious thing so why not ban them like full face helmets?

I have news for you... if you go to oz now you will see that full face helmets are not allowed

in public places, banks and government installations, you cant walk around with a full face

helmet in Australia without people to be suspicious of you...

[NoBrainer]

If they can wear thier full face covers in parliament, then I can wear my Guy Fawkes Anonymous mask as well then.

[opalred]

i am oz and was a muslim the men are sick to make there wives wear them

the men will go swimming on the beach in underpants the women have to sit in hot sun covered in black how hot would that be

and need to cover up so no one sees marks from what you guess

[tezzainthailand]

I like the way he thinks he can order the Speaker. The Speaker is in charge of this and as an Independent officer she cannot be directed. Of course because she came from his party she will likely take note of him which is totally wrong.

Have you seen the speaker? I wish someone would cover her face or better still, her mouth.

[cocopops]

It's a tough one. On the one hand, if you're a woman who has lived her entire life with the burqa, being asked to remove it in front of a crowd of strangers is probably excruciating. Akin to asking a Baptist minister to walk down main street with no pants on.

On the other hand, it seems that there are few things more horrible than telling a 13 year old girl she must now spend the majority of her life trapped in a cloth bag or else be thrown into a pit of fire for all eternity. If that's not child abuse, I don't know what is. Should certainly not be allowed. As a start, I would fully support a law to ban the burqa for anyone under 20 years of age.

I have much less of a problem with the hijab. I don't like what it represents, or the rather chauvinist message it conveys, but at least those who wear it can participate in society and interact with other human beings.

Edited October 3, 2014 by cocopops

[Maroon Watcher]

" Ban them and be Damned" Why should they degrade women this way - why do we alow it.

Our country does not allow the degrading of women - why do we have to surrender to foreign rules.

If they want to live in our country - let them abide by our rules - If they don't want to follow our traditions, culture and beliefs

tell them, to er... take a hike. Shut the door

Have a referendum - and sink their boat, before it capsizes us all!

[Daniel Boon]

Mary Mackillop, Australian canonized nun, only some of face showing

[cocopops]

" Ban them and be Damned" Why should they degrade women this way - why do we alow it.

Our country does not allow the degrading of women - why do we have to surrender to foreign rules.

If they want to live in our country - let them abide by our rules - If they don't want to follow our traditions, culture and beliefs

tell them, to er... take a hike. Shut the door

Have a referendum - and sink their boat, before it capsizes us all!

It's an issue whatever country they live in. And it's not really an issue of "traditions, culture and beliefs" either. Compelling someone to wear something like a burqa, a garment specifically designed to strip away the wearer's identity and ability to interact with other human beings, whether directly, by using peer pressure, or by threatening them with dire punishment to be visited following death, is a terrible form of psychological abuse. Worthy of even less respect than "cultural traditions" like apartheid.

Those that call themselves feminists should be ashamed of the way they have abandoned Muslim women, presumably through fear of being accused of "intolerance". It is a great pity that too many progressives think the world is coming to an end because only 30% of CEOs are female but they scream islamaphobia whenever anyone points out that in large parts of the Islamic world women are still treated as chattel...

Edited October 3, 2014 by cocopops

[cooked]

Go to a public office in Switzerland requiring services that mean an ID check be made, and refusing to remove the face mask (or whatever it's called) results in refusal. Seems like common sense to me.

[Franko666]

How many women in Australia wear burquas ? Just another fear-mongering no-news item. Many Catholic nuns wore full face habits for years in Australia.

This is a stupid comment, nuns show their faces the last time I looked, in fact many dress western nowadays. In addition a nun serves god not an idiot Muslim man, just wake up.

[catweazle]

And the world tumbles back into stone age....

No tolerance for people who hate-pray intolerance!

[Thaiready]

How many women in Australia wear burquas ? Just another fear-mongering no-news item. Many Catholic nuns wore full face habits for years in Australia.

As a student of history, I would be very interested in seeing a photo of these full face coverings of Nuns in Australia as I have no recollection of ever having seen them in my study. Mind, not questioning, just wanting to learn. Can you post at least one photo of this?

+1

[catweazle]

Forcing women to run about dressed like a penguin all day is as cruel as forcing them to walk about completely naked all the time. The latter would give us infidels some pleasure though Let's hope the Quran will be revised some day... I strongly suggest school girl outfits

[Time Traveller]

Australia is strange. Muslims make up like 3% or 5% of the population. Now everything the government does requires the permission of the muslim community

Is the Prime Minister a muslim? What country in the world let's the 3% decide how the rest of the country must live? Can't they just say NO ?

[Thaiready]

Put a big cross around your neck or female wear a singlet in any Arab country and see what happens.

It's about time West stops being " politically correct"

They made a choice to migrate to Western world , then dress and act like it's acceptable in the West.

If you want to live by your own ways, then stay in your country or move to another with the same values

Damn right

[opalred]

my god how old are you to have seen full faced habits you have to be at least 108yrs old or lived with

head up a.se but will be nice i did see them when i was child

[Franko666]

How many women in Australia wear burquas ? Just another fear-mongering no-news item. Many Catholic nuns wore full face habits for years in Australia.

As a student of history, I would be very interested in seeing a photo of these full face coverings of Nuns in Australia as I have no recollection of ever having seen them in my study. Mind, not questioning, just wanting to learn. Can you post at least one photo of this?

How come students are so dumb nowadays, surely they learn how to use Google. Or are they are so lazy they can't get of their arse. God help us all.

[Franko666]

How come western women can't dress as they wish in your Muslim countries but you want to dress like Muslims man slave in our countries. Sorry you don't like the idea of a ban, just go and take your mates with you, you are not welcome.

[opalred]

i was a muslim can you tell a devouted muslim man there is more to just washing feet praying behind each other and men that donnt wear underpants can be a nightmare and i understand why have to cover nose