Should any government have the right to tell people what they can wear?

[purposefulinsanity]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18112006/325/dutch-ban-wearing-burqa-public.html

The Dutch government has just banned the wearing of burqa in public, as an 'anti-terrorism' measure, does any potential risk jusitfy infringing people's personal and religious freedom like that?

[QuirkyCarla]

WTF I thought the netherlands was liberal...

[steven210677]

can you walk down the street in your country but naked?

[purposefulinsanity]

can you walk down the street in your country but naked?

How is that in anyway the same as people wanting to cover their bodies for religious reasons?

[steven210677]

Freedom. Why do people not complain about people not being allowed to go about naked? Sometimes as well if you go to work you must where a shirt and tie. Maybe EVERYBODY should be allowed to where what they want. what do you think?

[purposefulinsanity]

I kinda think that comparing religious dress to having the right to go round with your tits out cheapens the issue.  Besides as someone from Yorkshire its usually too cold for that (and I'd presume it is down south too).

By wanting to cover their bodies they are not infringing on anyone's personal rights, but being able to wonder round naked would be imo.

[drewtheyellow]

Well, the laws about people not walking around butt naked is simply a matter of societal preference, as there are groups that are offended by nudity. It has very little to do with trying to oppress any one particular group and more to do with the fact that it is medically proven that people go blind from seeing ugly old fat naked guys. If people do want to be naked in public though, there are communities to serve that purpose, such as nudist colonies. As well, there are in many cases nude beaches where people can let everything hang.

The reason why the banning of the burqa is wrong though, in my opinion, is that it is not as justifiable from societal preference as a burqa is not even what people consider offensive clothing and banning them does not improve security so much as antagonizing a group of people and attacking their religion, as I have never heard of a person weaponize their face.

So, in short, anti-nudity laws: somewhat totalitarian but to some extent we need easily enforceable laws to keep uggos from letting it all hang free, anti-burqa laws: totalitarian and designed to oppress people based upon religion.

[Callaway]

Under certain circumstances, the government should have the right to tell people what not to wear, but this burqa ban goes too far.

For example, if someone wants a driver's license or another sort of identification like a passport, then they need to show their face for the photo, or else anyone else with the same burqa or niqab could use it and it would be completely meaningless as a form of identification. 

My daughter and I were shopping a few years ago and we saw a woman whose face except for her eyes was covered with a hijab.  My daughter, who I think was six or seven and did not know how to be quiet, started asking me why the lady's face was covered and very loudly said, "What's wrong with her face?"  The woman was very kind and uncovered her face to show my daughter that there was nothing wrong with it, it was her religious custom to wear a veil to show respect because she was a Muslim.  Starting then, my daughter has wanted to become a Muslim so she too could cover her face with a veil.  When I told her I did not want to become a Muslim because Muslim men can have four wives and in some muslim countries, women are not allowed to drive a car, she thought that would be really cool to have a husband with three other wives.

[Scrapheap]

The only justifyable reason I see for this is for purposes of identification. What if someone (muslim or not) runs around in a burka commiting crimes?? how do you id this person??

If I started my own religion that says I have to wear a ski mask in public, is it OK for me to wear it into a bank??

[QuirkyCarla]

Starting then, my daughter has wanted to become a Muslim so she too could cover her face with a veil.  When I told her I did not want to become a Muslim because Muslim men can have four wives and in some muslim countries, women are not allowed to drive a car, she thought that would be really cool to have a husband with three other wives.

[Nomaken]

Rights are an illusion, there is only what we can enforce and what we can't.

[odeon]

Freedom. Why do people not complain about people not being allowed to go about naked? Sometimes as well if you go to work you must where a shirt and tie. Maybe EVERYBODY should be allowed to where what they want. what do you think?

I notice that you're using capital letters. Is this temporary or have you seen the light?

[drewtheyellow]

The only justifyable reason I see for this is for purposes of identification. What if someone (muslim or not) runs around in a burka commiting crimes?? how do you id this person??

If I started my own religion that says I have to wear a ski mask in public, is it OK for me to wear it into a bank??

Well, perhaps I need to fresh up on terrorism statistics. Like, I know that the Netherlands has some worries about terrorism but they also tend to have problems with antagonizing their Islamic populations. The only thing I remember happening to them involving terror recently though is just one artist being killed due to some insensitive comics but I don't think that banning the burqa will do much else than lend to the feeling of oppression that might be felt by Muslim minorities. Some attempts to ID the person can be gained by looking at height and depending on burqa design, skin and eye color, however, I would prefer that such crimes happen first before a pre-emptive ban as a lot of government action can be justified by "what if". A ban to burqas based upon your ideas would also have to follow onto halloween masks as well and dammit, I wanna be a gremlin for halloween!!

Well, I'd say that'd be up to the bank. Banks are private areas and should be able to make their own rules for the head gear that can be worn there.

Rights are an illusion, there is only what we can enforce and what we can't.

Rights are not so much an illusion as they are principles that we would desire that authorities act upon. There can be no objective view saying that rights exist, however, we can easily state that as a society we should have these things enforced and try to keep from infringing upon them. Pretty much, rights are desirable because we want to have a basis for freedom, and because we want to have something definite to protect from infringement. Most rights are ultimately based upon general principles anyway where it follows that since this is good and should not be violated then these being derived from that are good as well.

[Litigious]

The only justifyable reason I see for this is for purposes of identification. What if someone (muslim or not) runs around in a burka commiting crimes?? how do you id this person??

If I started my own religion that says I have to wear a ski mask in public, is it OK for me to wear it into a bank??

 

The French have banned burqas, niqabs, hijabs etc in schools. 

[Scrapheap]

Well, I'd say that'd be up to the bank. Banks are private areas and should be able to make their own rules for the head gear that can be worn there.

If that's the case, why does the Arizona State Government ban people from bringing guns into banks if they are a private institution??