Burqas, Sarkozy, and where I am on this.

[smalll]

So anyway, as we have all heard by now, Sarkozy wants to ban the wearing of veils on the streets of France.

When the French banned them in the schools and in other public institutions, it was defensible. But banning them in general public display raises other issues. To be sure, there are many Muslim women who will claim and who have claimed that covering themselves is actually an empowering choice -- one that they make themselves. And there is at least a certain amount of truth and sincerity to that argument.

On the other hand, the reason MOST Muslim women in France and elsewhere cover themselves is because the MEN in their lives (husbands, fathers, brothers) FORCE them to. "Honor killings" I suppose are the underlying threat.

So in general, perhaps western nations should appropriately ban this generally patriarchal imposition. As I see it, if France (or America, or any other western power) had call to ban these things, say, half a century ago, or more, who could oppose it?

But today, when our young women are in spaghetti-strap tops, short shorts, and flip-flops, and half of them are festooned with tramp-stamps --

(Well, they have every right to be as such, and of course that look is really as much male-dictated as the burqa is, in a different way, in some Muslim societies) --

-- we can hardly complain!

To use a word unfavored around here, I'd like to see us be able to (ahem) triangulate between the two extremes.