Burqa 'confronting', says Tony Abbott.

[i-need-a-martini]

OMG!

And most of the country thinks this numbskull is suitable PM material??

And if that isn't bad enough when asked about Mr Kings proposed radical new policing system in which criminal suspects (only suspects mibnd you. Which i think means all Muslims in Mr Kings world)  would be injected with satellite trackable micro chips shot from a "high powered sniper rifle" his response was:

"I'm just not going to get into the micro-detail of policing," Mr Abbott said.

Micro detail? That is policing? How about "I'm not going to comment on what is obviously a ridiculous statement by King"? That would have been a more appropriate response Mr Abbott.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/burqa-confronting-says-tony-abbott-as-h...

[*elizabeths-mum*]

While you were letting it all hang out, I was covering up (slip slop slap) almost with religious fervour yet I'm the one who ended up with melanoma. There is no justice in the world!

[the_bob_delusion]

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

I didn't say it had anything to do with religion bob. I said it had everything to do with culture.

But you hit the nail on the head when you say there is no evolutionary reason. But then again there is evolutonary reason to wear clothes at all but somehow we havemanaged to make that part of a global culture.

But as my friends across the road say, they feel naked in public without their covers. That is part of their culture. It's how they grew up. It's what their mothers and grandmothers wore. It's what they are used to.

By the same token, I grew up on a beach in Cronulla. My culture (defined within my italian culture) was to spend every waking moment in a bikini. It's what my friends wore and what my neighbours wore. I wore my bikini to the local shops. I wore it around the house. I wore it to do the gardening. And yet, many on CS would find this offensive also and I imagine confronting if they were not used to seeing a woman going about her everyday business in a bikini.

It's all about perception.

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Being au naturale has been part of human evolution. Humans do not interact by covering our faces. Are you saying because the culture is based on subjugating women by making them cover their faces it should be continued. You're argumentative skills are going down the gurgler. Would I allow people to cut off the clitoris of their daughter because it's part of their culture. Hell no. 

[i-need-a-martini]

Yikes! It is funny isn't it? I didn't even use sunscreen until about 15 years ago - before that I just used to smother myself with coconut oil...

[*elizabeths-mum*]

Some people are made to be sun worshippers and others just aren't. 🙂

[i-need-a-martini]

I can't comment on any woman that wears a burqa because I don't know any women who do.

But a muslim womans choice to wear a hijab is as much their choice as it is for a middle aged woman to retire her bikini or her stillettos.

If being au naturale is part of our evolution then why do we wear clothes at all?

And if you seriously believe that women do not cover their faces, consider make-up. Consider how women talk about "feeling naked" or "not being able to leave the house" without wearing make-up. No one forces them to do so. The same language is used for women who cover their hair or their bodies.

Or what about Jewish women who cover their hair. Why do they do it? Do their husbands force them or is it simply a part of their culture borne from religion?

Now on saying all of that, some men probably do expect their women to dress a certain way. My brother hates it when his wife doesn't wear make-up. My husband tells me he wants me to wear my hair long and curly. The husband across the road would be very upset if his wife didn't cover up. But forced? In most circumstances, I doubt it.

[the_bob_delusion]

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

I can't comment on any woman that wears a burqa because I don't know any women who do.

But a muslim womans choice to wear a hijab is as much their choice as it is for a middle aged woman to retire her bikini or her stillettos.

If being au naturale is part of our evolution then why do we wear clothes at all?

And if you seriously believe that women do not cover their faces, consider make-up. Consider how women talk about "feeling naked" or "not being able to leave the house" without wearing make-up. No one forces them to do so. The same language is used for women who cover their hair or their bodies.

Or what about Jewish women who cover their hair. Why do they do it? Do their husbands force them or is it simply a part of their culture borne from religion?

Now on saying all of that, some men probably do expect their women to dress a certain way. My brother hates it when his wife doesn't wear make-up. My husband tells me he wants me to wear my hair long and curly. The husband across the road would be very upset if his wife didn't cover up. But forced? In most circumstances, I doubt it.

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Pay attention this time. I'm referring to covering our whole face to interact with one another in a friendly manner. It doesn't happen anywhere in our evolutinary history.  Are you comparing wearing make up to covering the entire face???? 

THere's not one single argument to justify wearing a full covering. 

I can see naturlist being able to justify not wearing anything. 

[**meep**]

well, i'll be......I'm agreeing with Bob.  

[i-need-a-martini]

Read my first line bob. I can't justify covering an entire face in a burqa because it is alien to me but I don't think it is confronting because I know what is underneath.

But so few cultures in the world require their women to wear a burqa. Sure, when the Taliban went crazy in Afghanistan they made it law, But no longer. But they made lots of stupid things law in the name of a misguided interpretation of the Koran. And actually very few arab speaking countries have regions that wear the burqa - it is more likely to be remote regions in south and central asian cultures. So I find it interesting that most people equate the burqa with arab nations.

But to suggest that the Koran doesn' ask women to cover up is nonsense. It does. There is a section that talks about dressing modestly (for both sexes), another talks about women drawing their robes around them, and yet another talks how a womans beauty should only be viewed by the men that are close to her.

The bible also talks about what christian women are allowed to show or not and specfically says that women should cover their head and not just in church.

Are we forced to? No. Are there certain factions of the religion that do? Yes. Mennonites and bretherans spring to mind. Is there any logical reason to wear a scarf given that most christians gave it away many generations ago? No. Would their husbands have a sezure if their women and daughters didn't waer a scarf? Yes I think so. It's all relative.

[para-sights]

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@**freethinker_bob** wrote:

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Pay attention this time. I'm referring to covering our whole face to interact with one another in a friendly manner. It doesn't happen anywhere in our evolutinary history.  Are you comparing wearing make up to covering the entire face???? 

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Isn't it happening now, we can't see ANYONE on here that we are interacting with LOL

[**meep**]

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

Read my first line bob. I can't justify covering an entire face in a burqa because it is alien to me but I don't think it is confronting because I know what is underneath.

But so few cultures in the world require their women to wear a burqa. Sure, when the Taliban went crazy in Afghanistan they made it law, But no longer. But they made lots of stupid things law in the name of a misguided interpretation of the Koran. And actually very few arab speaking countries have regions that wear the burqa - it is more likely to be remote regions in south and central asian cultures. So I find it interesting that most people equate the burqa with arab nations.

But to suggest that the Koran doesn' ask women to cover up is nonsense. It does. There is a section that talks about dressing modestly (for both sexes), another talks about women drawing their robes around them, and yet another talks how a womans beauty should only be viewed by the men that are close to her.

The bible also talks about what christian women are allowed to show or not and specfically says that women should cover their head and not just in church.

Are we forced to? No. Are there certain factions of the religion that do? Yes. Mennonites and bretherans spring to mind. Is there any logical reason to wear a scarf given that most christians gave it away many generations ago? No. Would their husbands have a sezure if their women and daughters didn't waer a scarf? Yes I think so. It's all relative.

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But Martini, as Bob and a few others pointed out, its about human interaction.  How is a scarf, a wig or make up going to impede it?