From the AP (June 22, 2009) at Newsmax.com. “PARIS — President Nicolas Sarkozy lashed out Monday at the practice of wearing the Muslim burqa, insisting the full-body religious gown is a sign of the “debasement” of women and that it won’t be welcome in France.
The French leader expressed support for a recent call by dozens of legislators to create a parliamentary commission to study a small but growing trend of wearing the full-body garment in France.
In the first presidential address in 136 years to a joint session of France’s two houses of parliament, Sarkozy laid out his support for a ban even before the panel has been approved — braving critics who fear the issue is a marginal one and could stigmatize Muslims in France.”
Will the French enact a law banning the body bag dress? Stigmatize Muslims? That’s a joke. The pressure will be on in the Muslim community against women who don’t want to wear the Halloween costume.
”France enacted a law in 2004 banning the Islamic headscarf and other conspicuous religious symbols from public schools, sparking fierce debate at home and abroad. France has Western Europe’s largest Muslim population, an estimated 5 million people.” Muslims are 25% of the French under the age of 25. That means in another 25 years they will be well over 50% of the youth -if birth rates stay the same.
This is a first step to require more assimilation of the Muslims into the 21st Century civilization and culture that is France. It’s important because menacingly, a “French Muslim group warned against studying the burqa.”
Who will overplay their hand first? Muslims in riots? Or, French police if they go beyond just ticketing the women wearing burqas.
If Sarkozy has another two and half years in office, how long before this commission can report out and the parliament make a law? Will the EU strike down the law?
Hope the French are up for what they are getting into now. Hope they understand the urgency of their actions – as well as the immediacy. And, where it can go from here.
