Monday, June 22, 2009

European Democracy: Liberty for Everyone Who We Agree With

Look at Nicolas Sarkozy, and his genuine concern for the freedom of Muslim Women. For God's sake, the man divorced his wife of years as soon as he became President and ran off with a model... Sounds like some real concern for the welfare of women.

How Europe despises Islam! It is all thinly veiled racism cloaked in the language of democracy. If a person wants to do outrageous things, destroy his family through alcohol and drugs, enter a "civil union" with a man, woman, or whatever, and show impunity to God Himself, that's all life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Its all okay, unless you are a Muslim.

God bless the USA for at least not being hypocrites about this issue.

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Taken from news.bbc.co.uk

Sarkozy speaks out against burka
French President Nicolas Sarkozy
Mr Sarkozy was speaking at a special session of parliament in Versailles

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has spoken out strongly against the wearing of the burka by Muslim women in France.

In a major policy speech, he said the burka - a garment covering women from head to toe - reduced them to servitude and undermined their dignity.

Mr Sarkozy also gave his backing to the establishment of a parliamentary commission to look at whether to ban the wearing of burkas in public.

In 2004, France banned the Islamic headscarves in its state schools.

'Not welcome'

"We cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity," Mr Sarkozy told a special session of parliament in Versailles.


To raise the subject like this, via a parliamentary committee, is a way of stigmatising Islam and the Muslims of France
Mohammed Moussaoui, French Council for the Muslim Religion

Sarkozy stirs debate

"That is not the idea that the French republic has of women's dignity.

"The burka is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience. It will not be welcome on the territory of the French republic," the French president said.

But he stressed that France "must not fight the wrong battle", saying that "the Muslim religion must be respected as much as other religions" in the country.

A group of a cross-party lawmakers is already calling for a special inquiry into whether Muslim women who wear the burka is undermining French secularism, the BBC's Emma Jane Kirby in Paris says.

The lawmakers also want to examine whether women who wear the veil are doing so voluntarily or are being forced to cover themselves, our correspondent says.

Mr Sarkozy's speech was the first a French president has made to parliament since the 19th century - made possible by a constitutional amendment he introduced last year.

Later on Monday, Mr Sarkozy was expected to meet the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifah al-Thani.


Find out about different styles of Muslim headscarf

In graphics

In 2004, France banned the Islamic headscarf and other conspicuous religious symbols from public schools, triggering heated debate in the country and abroad.

Members of the French government have been divided over the issue.

The immigration minister, Eric Besson, has said a full ban will only "create tensions" while the junior minister for human rights, Rama Yade, said she would accept a ban if it was aimed at protecting women forced to wear the burka.

France's official Muslim council has criticised the debate.

"To raise the subject like this, via a parliamentary committee, is a way of stigmatising Islam and the Muslims of France," said Mohammed Moussaoui, head of the French Council for the Muslim Religion.

France is home to about five million Muslims.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Europe has “thinly veiled racism” cloaked in the language of democracy? Remember, Europeans are taught to respect Muslims, not make fun of women who wear hijab and tolerate “The religion of Peace”. As Muslims migrate to Europe, USA and Canada. However, no non Muslim can go to Saudi Arabia , Iran or most Muslim countries and practice any other religion, be agnostic or atheist. Isn’t it funny how Western Civilization is based upon Objectivism and Islam is based on Subjectivism. At least in the West there is democracy, freedom and gender equality? This is of course why 88% of Arab youth in a recent poll would like to immigrate out of their countries to the west (according to CNN).



Remember, Western culture has given the world so much: Nobel Prize winners in Science, Literature, Economics and Peace. It is the culture that gave the world the novel; the music of Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert; and the paintings of Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Rembrandt does not need lessons from societies whose idea of heaven, peopled with 72 female virgins, and resembles a cosmic brothel. Nor does the West need lectures on the superior virtue of societies in which women are kept in subjection under Sharia, endure genital mutilation, are stoned to death for alleged adultery, and are married off against their will at the age of nine; societies that deny the rights of supposedly lower castes; societies that execute homosexuals and apostates. Man, if we had Shariah law like Iran where Women are killed for not wearing Hijab, 99% of the US female population would be wiped out. Who needs gender equality? The West has no use for sanctimonious homilies from societies that cannot provide clean drinking water or sewage systems, that make no provisions for the handicapped, and that leave 70 to 80 percent of their citizens illiterate.



Western colonization of nearby Muslim lands lasted 130 years, from the 1830s to the 1960s. Muslim colonization of nearby European lands lasted 1300 years, from the 600s to the mid-1960s. Yet, strangely, it is the Muslims…who are the most bitter about colonialism and the humiliations to which they have been subjected; and it is the Europeans who harbor the shame and the guilt. It should be the other way around.


Sarkozy does have some good points, as he recently told women at a mosque that Muslim women can be empowered to become writers, actresses, Olympic athletes, and serve in the military.


Remember, Europe and the West really do not despise “Islam”, after all they do allow people like you to live here. But sadly many countries that practice the beloved “religion of peace” would behead any non Muslim infidel as soon as they set foot on Allah's land.

Gharib! said...

Thank you for reading. I would appreciate it if you didn't post anonymously, so that I can at least view your blog and find out a little more about the point of view you are coming from.

There seems to be misunderstanding at many levels. You seem to see Iran and Saudi Arabia as states that are somehow representative of Islam. I find that extremely problematic. There quite a few other misconceptions you seem to have about Islam that I glean from your post. It seems like it will be a long task to work out all those misunderstandings.

So the one point I would like you to take away is this. I do live in the west (I was born in California), and consider myself to be an American with all that entails. In fact, I resent the attitude that some have (not accusing you...) that I somehow should be more thankful than the next guy, as I am some kind of foreigner leaching off of the system. None of us made America. All of us were blessed to be born in this great land, and all of us are equally entitled to its bounties, endebted to it, and ultimately have a responsibility to make it better.

My big beef is that in the USA where we have a truer and more honest freedom of religion, stuff like this kind of xenophobic and populist stunt Sarkozy is trying to pull in France wouldn't fly due to the blessing of our Constitution and our courts which uphold it. As vile and backwards as you may find Islam or the Shari'ah to be, there is at least some measure of honor in every people honestly and non-hypocritically living up to the ideals that they claim to uphold (which is why I find the Ottoman Empire, especially in its early and middle periods, or Muslim Spain to be a better exemplar of an Islamic society than say Iran or some of its Gulf-based neighboors, which are propped up by the US anyways, and is as cruel and unjust to Muslims as it is to non-Muslim).

In that sense I respect the USA for honestly and consistently upholding the full freedom of religion, and say shame on France for making "secularism" into a state religion and suppressing others in a manner most hypocritical. I also say shame on every Muslim country that doesn't honor its Muslim and non-Muslim citizens alike, as human beings that deserve to be treated as such.

hassan said...

True Muslim countries have many short comings. However, the French shouldn't claim to be Models of a Free Society with celebrated freedoms of the individual and then refuse that freedom to the very few French Muslim Women how choose to practice their religion as they see fit. It is OK for French women to walk barely naked in the streets or for the country to have miles of nude beaches, however, if a women were to cover herself, that is a NO NO? The sheer perversity of it just boggles the mind! As Muslims we may not be churning out Nobel price winners (they're also not responsible for introducing or using nuclear weapons or other WMD) but we can clearly see that the French simple don't like Muslims, perhaps they just can't stand it that Muslims have something that is materially worthless and yet brings them happiness in their poverty this happens that they've thought so hard to attain and yet these people have it without effort, somehow it seems this ticks them very much.

hassan said...

Some times I feel that perhaps the French are trying to shield their feminist women who are not finding happiness in their efforts from considering these oddly covered women and looking into why they do this and perhaps learning from them and maybe even to adopt their ways, perhaps the fact that many of them are french born scares them out of their wits. It also would make a good distraction from their economic woes.

Voyager said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Voyager said...

Secularism in Europe has a different construction based on their history... the renaissance largely seen as a backlash to religion and progression (although many monestaries boasted great scientists)... Hence, secularism in Europe greatly deals with
anti-religious symbolism and more being more fit with the 'secular norms'. Although the formation of nation states, sure caused the most sanguinary wars witnessed to mankind... Europe has also reached a stage of 'rational thought' where it is not rational to have children or upbring and sacrifice for offspring, which may give you no return? This is evident in decrease of birth rate and population to the extent some countries (Spain) are giving stipends for married couples to have children.

In the formation of the US, religious movements contributed to the social and economic foundation. Hence, secularism entails an acceptance of reglious diversity and values.

Anonymous said...

Iran and Saudi Arabia as states that are somehow representative of Islam? All of their Civil Codes, Constitutional Codes and Penal Codes are backed by the Quran and Hadith.

I will be blunt. Islam does not value life. It does not value love. It does not value progression or enlightenment. Whenever anyone talks about how Islam needs a Renaissance, they get shot down since its an "attempt for the west to injects its philosophy into the muslim world"


The only thing Islam values is the worship of a god. And not just any god, but a brutal war god who commands his children to kill one another. You often hear lukewarm and moderate Muslims saying that fundamentalists, Wahhabists and Islamists do not represent true Islam. They are lying. It is they who are not following true Islam.

Remember Islam is not a religion, its a religion, political doctrine and social idealogy all clumped together, or 3 in 1. Islam is Cultural Imperialism in the 21st century.

As afraid of Islam as the West is, the truth is Islam is much more afraid of the West and the changing 21st century world. It is out of fear that the radical cleric orders a fatwa against apostates and critics of the faith. It was out of fear that millions of imbeciles protested and spewed hatred at the Danish people, a non-Muslim people who were simply exercising their right to free speech in their own country.

It was fear that made a pathetic young thug butcher Theo Van Gogh for exercising his free speech rights in his own non-Muslim country. Any critique or truth seeking sojourn into what makes Islam tick is ferociously set upon by the Muslim world's mobs, because they are deathly afraid and insecure about the religion that they value more than the lives of their children.

Whenever anyone writes a book about reforming Islam, apostasy or criticizing Islam they got shot down for criticizing our beloved "religion of peace"

And in regards to your views about Israel and how the Palestinians are getting bombed by the US supported Israeli gov't, remember one thing: The Jews have built SECULAR universities, hospitals, libraries, educational and public instutions to help all Americans regardless of their religion.

Wake up, Islam does not value Secularism, Democracy and Universal Human rights regardless of religion.

There are only 12 million jews in the world and 1 billion muslims. How many hospitals, libraries, universities and colleges have muslims built in the USA? How many Nobel prizes have they won? How many Academy Awards and Emmys have muslims won?

The answer to all of these questions is ZERO! Thats right, ZERO, or NOTHING, and remember you can't get democracy without giving democracy. This is why the United States Gives Israel 7 billion dollars a year and Palestine nothing, since muslims don't share the same values.

Protest all you want. Israel is here to stay forever.