Burka

Australia is contemplating a new law. More precisely, the state of New South Wales is reviewing a new law concerning the wearing of burkas in public. The police in New South Wales are asking for the power of law to compel women in burkas to remove their veils so that the officers can identify them. Now, of course, there are civil liberties groups involved. This is not without precedent. Both France and Belgium have passed laws that deal with this subject. In fact, France and Belgium’s laws are stricter than that proposed in Australia. I stand behind the state’s right to enforce a law and to write new ones when the need arises.

Any person who has traveled abroad knows that there are many different cultures and different laws that are specific to the land and the culture. The law of the land must be obeyed, no matter where you are. In particular, if you are in Muslim countries. So then why is it that a county should make exceptions to certain groups merely because they are from different cultures. The answer is; they shouldn’t. If a woman of any ethnicity or religion in any country wore a burka and that country had a law against the wearing of a burka the woman would have to abide by the law too. I would not think that any country would change its laws or choose not to enforce them just because the person breaking the law was a foreigner or an immigrant. I believe that immigrant should assimilate to their new land, not the other way around. They should learn the new culture and the new laws and become a true citizen. And in the case of Muslims, let’s say we listen to them in our land; will we be going to public stonings of women? Will we allow the beating of a woman? Will we further allow men to have a harem?  I believe that some Muslims are too arrogant and ignorant to see that western countries are more evolved than the Muslim countries that want to enforce Muslim law.

A man beating his wives

These two women were accused of prostitution.

The women were executed for that accusation.

I think Theodore Roosevelt said it best for our country:

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

This is the mindset that all immigrants should adopt when in a new land. 

Hugo