Ban The Burka?, a current issue in some EU countries

[grumpy]

For those who have never heard the term "burka", it refers to a veil covering the face, worn by muslim women in countries with muslim majorities aswell as many european states.
Belgium has recently banned the wearing of face coverings by law in public places and implemented a fine system for those caught wearing it. France,Italy and Spain are still considering future legislation on the topic
Is this justifiable, in your opinion, or a sign of intolerance?

[aussiemcgr]

Another example would be "goth culture", seen in a minority of teenagers today. Originated in medieval Scandinavia. They're not in medieval Scandinavia. Who cares.
As for Ed's and Aussie's point on the need for identification in banks / airports.... fair enough, that's true. But, there is obviously a simple way round it. Like in Qatar, where as soon as a burka-wearing woman enters such a place, a female staff member will ask to see her face and check it against her ID/passport. Even if European establishments didn't want to got such effort, why does the Belgian ban extend to all public places?

I want to point something out thats interesting about the airport security on this matter. In the US, because of the Freedom of Religion thing (which can allow you to do just about whatever you want btw), the women with burkas on are not required to remove them when they go through security. This is because on the Passports or IDs for them usually show the woman wearing the burka on the picture. The only thing the picture gives away is the eye color (because the eyes are usually revealed). This is a huge problem cause there is no definitive way to prove the identity and there is nothing that can be done by security or the custom people because that is the way their picture ID was done.

I know that usually, the only burkas I see around the US show the face but conceal the hair (like a hoodie or something) and I think that you arent even allowed to wear that when you enter a bank. I believe that if you enter a bank wearing a hat, the security people usually ask you to take it off, so I would assume they do the same here.


Also, sidenote, totally off-topic, but not really, just got an Internship with AirTran.