I know that bringing this up is going to raise eyebrows and provoke the occasional thoughtless accusation of racism, but I still think it is a topic worth discussing. Before I get started I want to see if we can get around the usual back and forth about Christianity being riddled with problems of its own. I understand the problems with pedophilia in the Catholic church, I acknowledge that Christian extremists like David Coresh and Jim Jones exist and have left suffering and deep questions in their wake. I understand all this, as I am sure you do, but would like to keep the focus on Islam at least for this thread. So if we could have logical discussion without someone proclaiming. “Oh yeah, well Christians did this or the Jews did that!”
The question I want to raise stems from a discussion I heard the other day in regard to Sharia law in Canada, but moreover the fact that women are being adorned in Burka’s. Now I understand religious freedom and if you want to bow down to a head of cabbage I believe that is your right, but as a Canadian I find the very symbol of the burka oppressive and extremely sexist.
The argument of course is that the woman wearing the burka is acceptant of the traditional garb and therefore I as a Canadian should accept this as a cultural issue and show some sensitivity. Problem is folks, I can’t. We live in a Country that claims to champion individual rights. So why does freedom of religion make oppression okay?
To my knowledge in the Islamic world a woman’s worth does not match that of a man. She can be punished for exposing a leg, murdered for having sex out of wedlock (including rape) Many women in the Islamic world are deprived education and the right to vote. While that might be okay over there I hardly want it imported here.
So what do you say folks, am I out of line thinking that Islam must modernize its thinking and should not be allowed to import oppression into our borders? I know the French took some real heat on this issue, but I’m interested in hearing what people think on both sides of this issue.
Cheers
M
The question I want to raise stems from a discussion I heard the other day in regard to Sharia law in Canada, but moreover the fact that women are being adorned in Burka’s. Now I understand religious freedom and if you want to bow down to a head of cabbage I believe that is your right, but as a Canadian I find the very symbol of the burka oppressive and extremely sexist.
The argument of course is that the woman wearing the burka is acceptant of the traditional garb and therefore I as a Canadian should accept this as a cultural issue and show some sensitivity. Problem is folks, I can’t. We live in a Country that claims to champion individual rights. So why does freedom of religion make oppression okay?
To my knowledge in the Islamic world a woman’s worth does not match that of a man. She can be punished for exposing a leg, murdered for having sex out of wedlock (including rape) Many women in the Islamic world are deprived education and the right to vote. While that might be okay over there I hardly want it imported here.
So what do you say folks, am I out of line thinking that Islam must modernize its thinking and should not be allowed to import oppression into our borders? I know the French took some real heat on this issue, but I’m interested in hearing what people think on both sides of this issue.
Cheers
M