Burqa Ban, What Do You Think?

As mentioned in previous posts, France has banned Islamic women from wearing the burqa. A lot of controversy is surrounding this law and many people are questioning its intentions. Is this a national security issue or an infringement on religious rights? Does this law suppress the rights of Islam OR the rights of women? I asked some female students at Penn State what they think.

Terrorists Target France and Burqa Ban

Here is a link to an interesting article and video. Anything that has bin Laden targeting anything is something that I would read. This article explains how, apparently, bin Laden reached out to France last Wednesday, threatening and justifying an attack on the country because of the burqa ban it implemented. The audio, which was verified as bin Laden speaking, is the first of its kind to target France individually.

This is just one example of how the burqa ban decision has impacted people all over the world. If bin Laden is listening, there has to be a lot more people with negative opinions on this matter as well.

In France, burqa ban leads to terrorist threats

Recent legislation in France has banned the burqa, a garment that covers the entire body and is worn by some Islamic women. This law has been very controversial from the beginning but the issue seems to have gotten worse. France has been very firm about keeping the ban a law, but this law may soon threaten the safety of the entire nation. Lately, al-Queda leader Osama bin Laden threatened in a video to kill French citizens for revenge on France’s law.

Church and State Collide in French Schools

I stumbled upon this article on nytimes.com and was surprised by what I read. As we've been learning, France has controversial and strict rules against Islamic headscarves and veils. The country has been ridiculed by many people for its strict religious laws. Yet, in this article, we see a diverse French school-- full of Muslims, Catholics and other religions-- joined and worshipping together in a new, state-appointed school. It's an interesting mix of church and state, which in France, let alone in any country anymore, surprised me. The fact that they have a new, state-funded Catholic school with state appointed teachers isn't something we see often. Just sayin'.