German state bans burqas, niqabs in schools

submitted by blackrainbow from dw.com

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[–]jkfinn 8 insightful - 7 fun8 insightful - 6 fun9 insightful - 7 fun -  (3 children)

Catholics have never been subject to dress bans, nor have various Protestant sects like the Amish, Shakers, and Quakers so why should Islamic persons, young or old. It just seems part of the long deep western prejudice toward Islam. I would definitely side with that wing of the Green Party that sees these bans as anti-Islam or racist in origin. (Dress traditions are not the same as those that involve physical mutilations, or those demanding the use of force to exact--there’s just no crying need to intervene with outright bans)

[–]immersang 38 insightful - 1 fun38 insightful - 0 fun39 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Catholics have never been subject to dress bans, nor have various Protestant sects like the Amish, Shakers, and Quakers

There are no Amish/Shakers/Quakers communities in Germany of a relevant size (or at all), so that's irrelevant for this decision. Don't mix this up with the situation in the US. Also, Catholics don't send their daughters to school covered from head to toe, so not sure why you would bring this up at all.

The ban is on burqas and niqabs, not on the "regular" hijab. The issue is with the face coverings. I find it worrying to say the least that someone would play the "Islamophobia" card in a radical feminist forum when it comes to a decision like this.

[–]jkfinn 2 insightful - 5 fun2 insightful - 4 fun3 insightful - 5 fun -  (1 child)

"Islamophobia" is a very modern term--and very false. Centuries of racism cannot be pathologized. And to focus on face covering when every kind of mask is being used and explored to fight a plague seems, at best, poor timing. Nuns and Amish farmers dress is what I had in mind, not Catholic school children. Both are criticized for being dangerous under some situations and unhealthy under others, but no one has ever suggested banning them. (Also, I'm not playing any card... I don't even know how to play cards, and as to this being a radical feminist forum so how dare I... anti-racism is very central to radical feminism and has been from day one)

[–]Marsupial 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Not oppressing women and girls is very central to radical feminism and has been from day one. Cultural relativism is not an excuse to oppress. There is nothing racist about protecting the rights of children. There is also a difference between burqa/niquab and the hijab. The hijab is more debatable since it's merely a hair covering, but the sole intention of the burqa/niqab is to make the girl/woman invisible and don't even show her face. It's an attempt to erase and dehumanize a person simply because of their sex. Nothing that the amish/catholic wear come close to the burqa/niqab. Burqa/niqabs are purely oppressional. There is absolutely no reason they should be accepted.