Something that he only hinted on from the bully pulpit was that making Burqa illegal is to protect the rights of Muslim women so they are not forced to wearing enclosing garments among other things. However, this law could be really counterproductive for a number of reasons.
One, Muslims in France are already an underclass that does not really take part in French society at any level worth the name. The deputies in parliament who are so much against this "instrument of oppression" are pushing the BIG RED nativist populism button it seems. Shades of Mr. Fortuyn, one suspects. Why would you want to create tensions with them over this rather marginal issue. Does France have nothing else to think about? What about the banlieus and the desperation bred there? What about jobs and opportunities for all.
Two, we Muslims tend to play on the backfoot a lot. We get defensive about polio shots so this is a bit thick for us thick-bearded-mumbling-mullahs. The "liberals"( read :sane) among us are a bit taken aback that all this ranting and raving and not one woman in sight. Particularly, because we think that it is a woman's right to wear or not wear what she wants. The government has no business ruling on burqas or miniskirts. Sometimes, I feel that the Ayatollahs and the rabid liberal elite of Europe are in cahoots.
Three, now the issues goes beyond the oppression of innocent girls and becomes a larger one in context of whether Muslims and other wierdos like us, can carry remnants of our cultures, such as they are into this hallowed hedgegrow country. What is the real price of integration into general Fench society. We get the cheese, sort of, do we have to appreciate all type of wine too? Tomorrow, will non-drinking Muslims will be banned from state offices?
Sometimes, one despairs of it all... What is the point of getting along with monocultural bullies? Let's just let it go as the rantings of yet another politician....
