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Half of Europeans oppose headscarf, support crucifix in classrooms

By on April 29, 2010 in Loon Politics, Loon Radio

hijab-ban1

(hat tip: Islamophobia-watch)

Nowadays, racists and bigots usually come up with justifications to cover up their racism and bigotry, to give cover to it and to package it in something nicer.  Bans on the Muslim headscarf (hijab) were no doubt a reflection of deep-seated Islamophobia, yet we heard politicians claiming that the bans were not targeting Muslims.  Rather, we were told, it is a reflection of Europe’s secularism, and would apply equally to religious gear of all faiths.

A recent poll, however, says otherwise: over fifty percent of Europeans favored banning the hijab from schools, but were meanwhile perfectly fine with (and in fact supported) the placement of crucifixes in classrooms.  To us Yankees, that seems downright backwards.  The hijab is something the individual chooses to wear, not the state–and therefore does not at all impinge on secularism.  Meanwhile, the crucifix is placed in the public school classroom, thereby breaching separation of church and state.

Belgium and France lead the pack when it comes to hijabophobia, and France even seems to be considering a law banning hijab in public altogether.  Secularism my ass (forgive my French).

50% of Europeans opposed to Islamic veil in schools: Study

MADRID – Just over half of Europeans surveyed opposed allowing Islamic headscarves in schools but backed the presence of crucifixes in classrooms, according to a Spanish study obtained by AFP Wednesday…

Opposition to the veil was highest in Bulgaria with 84.3 per cent against and France with 68.7 per cent opposed and it was lowest in Poland with only 25.6 per cent against followed by Denmark with 28.1 per cent opposed.

By contrast 54.4 per cent of those polled were in favour of classrooms displaying crucifixes.

In Spain and Italy, two nations with a strong Roman Catholic tradition, support for the use of crucifixes in classrooms stood at 69.9 per cent and 49.3 per cent respectively.

Support for the use of crucifixes in classrooms shot up to 77 per cent in Britain and 78.8 per cent in Denmark.

The issue of the use of Islamic headscarves has been thrust into the spotlight once again in Europe due to controversial moves by France and Belgium to ban Muslim full face veils.

Last week France announced it would seek a law to ban Muslim residents and visitors from wearing a burqa or a niqab in public, while Belgium was poised to pass a similar ban until its ruling coalition collapsed on Thursday…

source

Apparently, many European Christians don’t like this headscarf thing too much, but love the crucifix.  I’m pretty sure that’s a bit strange considering that the man who they believe died on the crucifix was born to this woman here:

mary

If the Virgin Mary was alive today, Europeans would say to her: you have to take that heathen headscarf off!  You can keep the crucifix, though.

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    • George Carty

      @Durendal:

      “As to the painting of the Virgin Mary it is important to understand that the Virgin Mary as well as Jesus Christ are often depicted as European royalty.”

      That isn’t actually a rebuttal — if you’re right then female European royals must have dressed “hijabi” style — in other words this manner of dress was viewed as something worthy of respect…

    • nat

      @ Ferret

      “I thought headscarfs were to discourage Muslims from getting bad thoughts about the opposite gender.”

      Te reasons for hijab are multidimensional. Some have to do with gender relations, others carry transcendental meaning. Muslim women pray with their hijabs on, in the privacy of their homes, even when they are all alone. In that context, the hijab has nothing to do with the ‘male gaze’, and everything to do with piety and religious practice.

    • Asma-bint-Marwan

      Erratum: the militias of Kamal Ataturk went everywhere,on the streets, from Istanbul to Anatolia, and stripped the veils off the faces of the women. By the way, I know that, after what you call “moderation”, neither this post, nor the precedent one will be published. The contrary would be surprising! Anyway,I made my point.Please, learn democracy and respect for the opinions of those who do not share your credo.That would be the beginning for your arabo-ultranationalist and essentially anti-jews party disguised in cult ( in order to seize the Kaaba), to become a real religion. Regards

    • Asma-bint-Marwan

      It is not about headscarfs, but about women completely masked, just like gangsters preparing a hold-up, in public places.If you were working at the shalter of a bank, and saw such vampire silhouettes coming in, would not you call the police? Muslims did not invent the veils.Before The Virgin Mary, whose holy name you should keep out of your propaganda,the antique greek, roman,yemeni,indian,ethiopian(the list will be too long) women used to wear veils, as a protection against dust or sunburns, or just because they found it feminine.In preislamic Arabia too!But they were not forced into it.The problem with the muslim veil,is that even if a woman claims that she is wearing it voluntarily (Taqqiya!), there is always a man behind such a choice: a big brother, an uncle, a father, a husband, even a fiancé, liberal while courting, but jealous after the first kiss. In France and other european countries, there have always been laws which prohibit to go on the streets or in public offices with a mask or any kind of “travestissement”,out of the period of carnaval.Unless one has been invited to a masked ball!They apply to men and women. It would not be necessary to create new law if muslims were not using the head scarf as a political mean. In arabic french colonies too, some women wore scarfs and veils, but they were peasants,illiterate, or…militants carrying bombs under their “safsaris” in order to let them explode in front of the cafés. We know how it ended, especially in Algeria. Besides, Kamal Ata Turk,alias Mustapha Kamal, the father of the turkish modern nation, used to send militia men through the streets of Ankara,to strip the veils from the faces of the women. There a film documentations about that. Ask the turks.In Syria, last week,the parliament just voted a law against the Hidjab. So, stop acting as if you did not know what the whole fuzz and buzz around the hijab are about.For muslims,alas, everything that is not forbidden,can become compulsory. That is why all the people who cherish freedom have to react firmly against them. You want to conquer the world by all means, as you always did. Not the hearts, but the fear of the people!

  • Danios

    Ferret:

    Muslim boys will often wear a cap, and girls the headscarf during mosque observance. Furthermore, according to orthodox Islamic belief, a Muslim female–no matter what age–should wear the headscarf when performing her five daily prayers. The intention here would be to be modest in order to promote a state of piety in front of God.

    In the picture above, the answer is simpler: she is attending a rally protesting the headscarf ban.

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