Friday, November 17, 2006
Burqas
Western Europe is in an uproar over muslims and terrorists and burqas (burkas). When your peaceful streets are attacked, we, as Americans have also learned, it is far too easy to sell freedoms for security. Does the government of the Netherlands have the right to ban burqas? Right? I suppose any government can forbid anything it wants. But is it right to forbid it? Right?
Our day and age would have us believe there are not moral absolutes. And if you believe that then I suppose you would agree that a burqa would not be a problem, unless we fear guerrilas and terrorists to dress in them to hide their weapons. It is too much, then, to provide female security officers to check woman who feel is it morally appropriate to wear garments that cover their bodies. It is inefficient, I will grant.
It is inefficient to provide liberties to everyone, to the minorities, especially in a time when it is much easier to travel to different countries and make a dwelling among different cultures. It is also possible that, were we dwelling among their culture, they would not offer us the same liberties. And that will be used as a justification as well. Far be it for us to do what is right since there are others who do not. Or since others would take advantage of our doing right. If we even believe in "right." Or because it is them and not us this time.
It is easy to condemn Christianity because those who confessed to it claimed it as a reason to conduct an Inquisition and drive out Jews and Moors from Spain. Or because they claimed it as a reason to war against Muslims and Jews for "the Holy Land" in a crusade. There are those today who would claim Christianity as a reason to hate jews or muslims or blacks or homosexuals, but can I please profess that hate and war and torture are not Christian values in a Biblical sense. Though Christ teaches that we must pursue moral righteousness, the highest end of that righteousness is love. Please let us not pursue another crusade of religious intolerance in the name of Christianity, or of any religious or secular reason.
Freedom. Is not easy.
Our day and age would have us believe there are not moral absolutes. And if you believe that then I suppose you would agree that a burqa would not be a problem, unless we fear guerrilas and terrorists to dress in them to hide their weapons. It is too much, then, to provide female security officers to check woman who feel is it morally appropriate to wear garments that cover their bodies. It is inefficient, I will grant.
It is inefficient to provide liberties to everyone, to the minorities, especially in a time when it is much easier to travel to different countries and make a dwelling among different cultures. It is also possible that, were we dwelling among their culture, they would not offer us the same liberties. And that will be used as a justification as well. Far be it for us to do what is right since there are others who do not. Or since others would take advantage of our doing right. If we even believe in "right." Or because it is them and not us this time.
It is easy to condemn Christianity because those who confessed to it claimed it as a reason to conduct an Inquisition and drive out Jews and Moors from Spain. Or because they claimed it as a reason to war against Muslims and Jews for "the Holy Land" in a crusade. There are those today who would claim Christianity as a reason to hate jews or muslims or blacks or homosexuals, but can I please profess that hate and war and torture are not Christian values in a Biblical sense. Though Christ teaches that we must pursue moral righteousness, the highest end of that righteousness is love. Please let us not pursue another crusade of religious intolerance in the name of Christianity, or of any religious or secular reason.
Freedom. Is not easy.
# posted by Adam @ 5:22 PM 
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Interesting post, Adam. By way of extending the conversation, what action would you take in order to best ensure people's safety while at the same time being sensitive to their religious convictions? And to play devil's advocate, what is the proper course of action should someone's religious convictions ever deliberately infringe on the safety of others (as has happened in the past)?
On a completely different note, I found my copy of Crime & Punishment, and my roommate dug one up too, so we're good to go.
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On a completely different note, I found my copy of Crime & Punishment, and my roommate dug one up too, so we're good to go.
# posted by 
: 6:26 PM
: 6:26 PM << Home
