Date: 05 May 2010
COURTESY: THE PIONEER. //////////////////// May 5, 2010 /////////////// Ban the burqa in India too/////////////// BK Verma///////////// This refers to the editorial, “Belgium’s bold step” (May 3). Indeed, Belgium’s initiative towards banning the antediluvian symbol of a perverse social order that is the burqa is laudatory. Coming after the Swiss ban on construction of minarets, the so-called bayonets of Islam, the unanimous vote of Belgian lower House Parliament is a right step in the direction of preserving democratic and social values, human dignity and freedom of individual. There is no good reason for an immigrant to a country to refuse to integrate with the civil society of that country. /////////// Of the two reasons given for the decision, the one relating to security is equally valid. Indeed, the burqa presents a significant impediment to security checks. A few examples culled from the Internet would be illustrative. A news report in Jordan has revealed that during the past two years 50 people have committed 170 crimes wearing the Islamic veil. This comes to roughly one incident every four days, prompting Jordanians to call for restrictions on wearing the full veil. In the UK Jewelry stores have been targeted in the West Midlands, Glasgow and Oxfordshire by thieves clad in the Islamic veil. ///////////////// The Taliban’s reliance on burqa-clad suicide bombers in Afghanistan is well known. On two occasions authorities foiled would-be suicide bombers before they could carry out their nefarious designs — a Russian Muslim male with 500 kilogram of explosives in an automobile in Paktia Province, and an Afghan woman hiding a bomb under her burqa in Jalalabad. The latter proves that violent intentions are hidden by the burqa and become apparent only after an attack begins. A Taliban commander, Haji Yakub, was killed in a burqa as he tried to escape from a house in Ghazni Province while under attack from American forces. ///////////// It is high time that we do away with the burqa in all democratic countries, including India. The practice not only goes against basic human rights but also presents a significant security risk. Do we need any more reasons? The sooner we implement such a ban the better. 000000000