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Hour 2 - Burqa. Religious Tradition or Oppressive to Women?
When it comes to Muslim women wearing Burqas throughout the world, do you feel that it is part of who they are and important to their religious traditions, or is it degrading, oppressive and takes away from who they are? If you are struggling to continue debate, refer to the link below
Just because some women burqas doesn't mean it's tradition. There are probably more women who don't want the burqa than there are women who are faithful to god and want to wear a burqa.
They should be able to wear the burqas if they want. But having every woman wear the burqa is oppressive. If woman want to wear the burqa they should. Not every woman should be forced to wear it though
I agree with you Noah. They should totally be able to wear it because its part of their religion, respecting god, traditon, etc. There are several different reasons why women have the right to wear a burqa.
I agree that if women are practicing there religion, they should not be questioned. To add to dani's, why are only Islamic people getting questioned and not other religion?
Right. But if it is part of there religion and people are extremist, then they would wear one. That would be like taking away going to church on Sunday if you a Christian.
their god told them to be modest, not to be completely covered. Their god wanted them to be able to express themselves, but not to show too much skin. Forcing people to wear the burqa is actually going against the karan because it talks about just being modest not being covered to the extent of no one knowing who you are
It pretty much is thier choice to wear them. Because like on the video we watched, they talked about how thier not being forced to wear one, they have the choice to wear what they want
but not many of them wear it... if it was that important to them a lot more women from that culture would wear it. And why would you want to wear it if you can barely see, and look like something you see in a scary movie.
I think burqas are not oppressive because if they are apart of the religon, and in the koran...they should be able to wear what ever they want with out anyone questioning them about what they wear.
I agree. Women can still be modest without burquas- they can wear loose clothing that doesn't show off their bodies. They can wear hajibs or burqas when they feel ready.
i agree in the video people say that if they didnt feel comfortable wearing a burqa they just wore modest, loose fitting clothes. that way people dont judge them like if they were wearing a burqa. also people shouldnt judge people just by what they are wearing!
I agree, i dont think that France should have banned the burqa, cause women can wear them if want,its just like if the U.S.A banned sweatshirts, cause to man people wore them and our country startred looking the same. Women have rights and can choosed to wear burqas if the want, but not by force!!
I agree that wearing a burqa is not oppresive becasue it is in the koran. And if there was something in your own religon that you had to do and you were religous you wouldnt want people questioning your beliefs.
For some women the burqa isn't oppressive but forcing every women to wear a burqa IS oppressive. Especially if they aren't religious. Not every woman is religious
I think that ladies from the Islamic religion should have the choice to wear it if thet tgibj that they want to. But my opinion is that that they should wear them because what they belive in is that their god told them that they should wear a burqa, at least a Hi-Jab.
I think that if women want to wear headscarves or burqas, that is their choice. They can still express themselves with different styles and colors of cloth- not all burqas are colorless. They can wear burqas or hajibs when they're ready to, and what doesn't make sense is: if they're already wearing burqas and hajibs, why make laws to enforce it?
yeah if you changed the color of the burqa and got to choose what color you wanted then nobody can complain because they get the color they want and still get to keep their religeous beliefs.
Having the burqas be different colors might make individualism, but the women are still completely covered. The karan says to be modest which mean showing skin just not too much
They had to make laws to wear it because many women wore headscarves, not burqas! An Islamic woman, Sharisa Rehman, who was forced to wear a burqa when the Taliban was in rule said, "I was bound like a prisoner."
I disagree, we are talking about the burqa, not the hijab. Burqas cover your ENTIRE body and dont come in differnent styles and colors. i agree though if girls want to were the hijab, then so.b. it. But being forced to wear a burqua is opressive and it might what the women call modisty...but when every women looks the same? then whats the point?
it is ok with me for them to wear hijabs and stuff like that but a burqa is waaayyyy to extreme. imagine me coming to school in one of those everyone would be afraid of me. And if i was a women in Afghanistan i wouldnt want that to happen to me everyday
so if a woman chooses to wear the burka as part of the religion and their choice then why would we want to stop them. it is like if you do somthing special for your religion and then the government said you cant do that any more would would probably be pretty mad.
If their religion says to be covered then they should, but if they don't want to wear it then they shouldn't have to. The burqa doesn't hurt anyone. It's sad that people want to ban the burqa. It's should be their chose to wear the burqa and practice their religion,or not wear the burqa and practice their religion. This is a FREE COUNTRY! No one should be forced, or forced not to wear a burqa!
Exactly. It is a free country. People should make their own decisions and not let their husbands choose for them. It's freedom not oppression. Or it could be the other way around where they really want to wear a burqa but they can't.
I agree with you Kaili. it is a part of there religion...just like people who are christian who go to church every sunday, what if that got taken away just like the burqas?
I agree with you Kaili. The burqa is not a threat to anyone, it is just a symbol of someone practicing their religion. It's their choice to wear a burqa, hijab or chador, when they feel ready to wear one. It's just a piece of clothing.
I think that wearing a burqa is a religous symbol. But i think the women should have a choice if they want to wear one. And if the women are religous and they don't feel comfterabe wearing a burqa they shoudl still wear modest clothes like it says to do in the quarran
If women decide they want to wear a burka, they should be allowed to wear it. However if they don't want to wear it, or they are being forced to wear it, they shouldn't have to wear it. So what im saying is they should be given the freedom and choice to wear or not wear it.
Women should have the right to follow their religious traditions anywhere because if they believe they should where it, then they have the right to where it. This is america people!
I totally agree with you Isaac! They do have the right to wear one. They actually have the right to wear anything they feel that they want to wear. It is really a part of their tradition and have the right to wear it.
Burqas should be allowed throughout the world, but if their husbands force them to wear it then it should be banned in that specific country. It's religious tradition for women to dress modestly, but is shouldn't be too extreme. Hajibs are a bit better than burqas because they don't cover the whole entire body. Therfore, burqas should and shouldn't be allowed based on what they think and believe.
Women should be able to keep the Burqas because, its there choice. its there way of getting closer to God. they shouldn't be forced to wear it. Its there choice, not yours, so dont worry if you see someone wearing a Burqa. There not a terrist, thats their religon, thats their choice.
I agree with Noah, because the stereotype between Islamic clothing and terrorism is a very false one. Their clothing is just their way of getting closer to God in their religion.
women have grown so use to wearing burkas that its normal to them to be just wearing them every where. people should respect their religeon because thats what they like wearing and what they believe in. even in the video yesterday the women even said they wanted to wear them and that they werent being forced to wear them.
Actually, there was only one woman in the video saying that. One Islamic nurse who was forced to wear the burqa says she "had two jobs, treating the patient and managing the burqa."
The burqa is part of their religous laws and they have the right to belive in what they want to belive. To them it is God's word. Nobody should have the right to tell them not to and nobody has the right to arrest them like in France.
I agree with Katherine, because being arrested over a piece of clothing is definitely unfair. If they want to wear a burqa, that is just their way of practicing their religion- it is not oppressive in any way at all.
If it is their choice to wear the burga they should be able to. They have the right to religion, so there for, why can't women in France choose to wear the burqa?
ya, because it is not like the burka is a thing that is bad to society or anything like that the burka should be a thing that if woman choose to wear it why should we stop them. and why did france ban the burka now why not earlier if it is so bad.
in a way it almost seems like france doesnt want the islmaic people in their country because if they truely did care about their countries people their would respect their religous choices.
i agree because people decide to wear them. yeah maybe not everybody wants to wear them but a lot of people do though. i dont think france and western countries should ban them like you said
Yea like if they are ugly or fat that shouldn't matter of course. It's their decision if they want to or not want to wear it. Their appearance should never ever matter.
I agree...appearance shouldn't matter, and if you really want to see someones face because you want to know what your friends looks like, yeah it is weird but don't question religion!
I think that women should beable to wear whatever they want and have no one make fun of or think they are going to do something bad. Some people wear hijabs for respect.
Hijabs are respectful, but some are forced into burqas and it makes them feel like a big clumsy mess, falling down, running into things. Shahi Regum, an Islamic woman, says, "When the Taliban required women to wear burqas, that's when we started falling down and running into lamp posts. Even climbing steps was dangerous."
then make ajustments to them make the eye hole bigger if some of them dont want to wear thats there problem dont ruin it for the people that do want to wear it.
I believe that it really doesnt matter that people wear a burqa, because again, it is part of thier religion, and they have the right to wear what ever they want.
I know that some women in the middle east are being forced to wear this and Im not saying thats ok, but women in france that are not being forced to wear them should be able to wear the burqa if they choose to. Especially if freedom of religion is in place like in France.
I agree. Forcing someone TO wear is not fair. But people in other countries such as France or the US should let people express their religon and beliefs. To them, religon is their life.
A burqa is basicaly part of an outift. If people ban it, they are pretty much banning part of womens clothes. Lots of women like to wear burqas, and lots of people like wearing T-Shirts. What if a country banned T-Shirts? I bet a lot of people would be very upset and try to take action.
To ban a piece of clothing from people isn't right! It's their religion if they feel so faithful to their religion to wear one then they should. To ban something because you don't like it is just wrong we don't go around banning shoes, hats, dresses, etc. They should have a choose to wear a burqa or not!
i think that people everywhere should have the freedom of what they wear. I mean, people who are a different religion than you, why don't people rip off their clothes? why terrorize women who where burqas?
No one is really being forced to wear a burqa... They have a choice weather to wear it or not. If they didnt want to wear it, they wouldn't. It just proves that they arent being forced to wear it.
It is just a piece of clothing and it is because of a religion. It's a woman's choice if they want to wear it or not. And if they do wear it what is the problem it didn't do anything to use.
Why should people look at the burqa as a offensive piece of clothing? Like kalee said, its a free country and we have the freedom of choice in what we wear. If people banned your favorite thing to wear, How would you feel?
Who says your face is the "real you". That's pretty shallow. Someone's face isn't their personality. Talk to them. That's their personalitly. If they believe they need to be covered, that should never be outlawed.
Woman in burqas shouldn't be judged differently than woman without burqas, like thinking their a terroist, or for buying something at a store that their making a bomb! People in burqas are just the same and should be treated the same, and should be respected the same, and should be allowed to wear anything just like other woman do!
If you eliminate the burqa then some women would be very mad and start an uprising or something like that. The other women would be happy and wouldn't do anything about it. It would go both ways no one can get their choice. There's always going to be that one unhappy person in the world.
People around the world should have there oun choice to wear whatever they want. To walk into a mall or something and have someone say that your going to set off a bomb is really sad.
many american citizens accept people and defend them from people who say mean comments that are just judging people. like in the video yesterday the women said that someone asked her if her husband abbuses her. second of all someone said that she was a terrorist because of her burqa. thats not fair because your not giving them a chance to show that the burqa is just their clothing that they wear. the women lives in america where it is free and she still stays with her culture and wears the burqa.
If every country ends up banning all burqas, one day somone will stand up and say "why did they ban the burqas?" If your not wearing anything and your Islamic, your pretty much like dissobeying your god because he told you to wear somthing and your not.
It is unfair in the Middle East that women are being forced. In the end, that IS their religon. They love their God and that's what their holy book says that they need to "dress modestly". The Koran is out dated, but so is the Bible. That's even older.
Even though they are somewhat being forced to wear them in Afganistan, they arent being forced to wear them in America. So technically they have a choice.
i believe that if someone or people want to ban the Burqa dont let them its their belive to wear it, to get closer to God. If you say got your ps3 or X-box taken away would you stand for that? i think not!!
Woman are put down in the Bible too and that's most of your guys' religon. Why can you say that that religon is crazy when yours says that women have to "obey their husband". Woman wearing burqa's are following ancient text.
How come their religion is being questioned about what they wear and how they look? In catholic religion we have nuns that wear different clothing why should muslims be questioned?
not only should women be able to wear burqas because they want to or not or because of religious beliefs, but also because it might tell a little bit more about themselves
Women should have the right to wear what they want not what the president or whatever wants them to wear...what they want to wear should be up to them.
Sometimes I wish everyone was blind. You can really judge people for who they are then. People are saying that burqas are "creepy". That person could be really nice but if you think that they're "creepy" you could be missing out. You're judging to quickly.
The burka is no joke. It is effectively a mobile tent that covers the whole body and prevents normal interpersonal relations. If some women are being bullied or forced into wearing it and other, more extremist women are demanding the right to wear it then who is right? (Found this on a website)
According to the Qur'an, the burqa is considered to be "modest" clothing. Woman who live in Islamic counties' and wear the burqa rarely gather unwanted attention. Relationships in the Islamic religion are arranged marriages, where the parents pick. Studies show that in Afghanistan 0.01% of Afghans have AIDs or HIVs, and the average woman in Afghanistan has 5-6 children. These facts show that not many woman in Afganistan get sexually abused, and that men and woman do not commit adultury. In the Qur'an it says to respect eachothers bodies, because it is holy. Many women who wear the burqa feel as if they are accomplishing Allah's orders, most woman feel that the burqa is a large part of expressing their faith.
but they can do their religous beliefs in something like a hijab, not a burqa. A burqa just totally like hides you, like you aren't even a real person.
Not every woman should have to wear a burqa. If a woman is faithful to God and feels like it is her duty of faith, she should be able to wear a burqa. If a woman doesn't feel like it's her duty to wear a burqa, she shouldn't be forced to wear one.
Yes trent I am neutral. It is not fair for women to be forced to wear the burqa if they don't want to wear the burqa they shouldn't. But if women want to wear the burqa they should. It's there choice to wear it not other peoples choices.
i agree!!! I for sure wouldn't want to wear something like that everyday its just silly! I would feel like a prisoner. And it would take away from the individual who is wearing it.
I do think it is wrong to be forced to wear them, like the tabilan is making women do, but i also think people should b able to wear them if they choose.
I agree that women shouldn't be forced to wear them, but if some countries want to force the women of the country to wear them because it is apart of there religion and if it says in there holy book like the koran, then they should because thats how God wanted the religion to be.
The countries are forcing the woman to wear burqas because they want woman to wear modest clothes. There are ways to make women wear modest clothes without forcing them to cover all of their skin. Women should be able to show their faces in public
Women shouldn't be forced to wear a burqa because it is their choice. People like the Taliban shouldn't force them to wear burqas because it makes many women feel like prisoners.
I agree Charlie, they should be able to show who they are and be them selfs, without having to be hidden behind a burqua. Cause you cant even tell who it is, let alone show their personality.
some women do wear the burqa, and i get that. But barely any of them do... so that means many of them don't like to wear them. Plus they look scary and you don't know who that heck they are.
I agree with Lauren, because if you were friends with someone that you never knew what they looked like, you'd be a little creeped out. The burqa hides who you are, and no one ever knows the real you.
If you were truely friends with some one you wouldn't care how they look like. So it doesn't matter if they wear a burqa, hijab, chador, or any other type of clothing.
yes!! if we had to wear something like that here in the united states i wouldn't even know who half of the girls in the school were. And the person who is wearing it can't really express themselves.
women shouldn't be treated this way because the taliban are not nice and they don't like non-muslim people so they ABUSE them. How would that make a change?
I believe Burqas are opressive to woman because it covers up who they really are. In most places women are forced by their husbands.Wearing a burqa is a choice for some woman, but why should woman have to keep to themselves? If woman believe they need to dress modestly, they can still cover themselves without a burqa. The burqa I think covers too much,and hides who the person is.
Exactly, a lot of woman are being forced to. I think that ladies being forced to are being made fun of. Because like here in the US we have womans rights, and there many woman are forced to wear these burqas.
i think that wearing a burqa shouldnt be looked at in a way that is oppressive to women and it definitly should not be banned in countrys like france. since in most ladys have the choice of what they want to wear on anything else, why should this be different? what if they banned wearing a sweatshirt and that was your favorite thing to wear?
I think Burquas are opressive to women. In place young girls and women are being forced to wear burquas, by their husbands. And others say that it is thire choice and that they want to wear them because it shows who they are and shows thier personality. But how can they show who they really are if the burquas only come in 3 main colors, black, white and blue? to me they just all look the same, they should be able to express thier self though clothes just like we do!!
Women can pick the type/color of a burqa if they want. Maybe blue is the "Style" to go with over there. It might be a whats "In Style" so people go with that color.
Well then, the women are saying that it shows how are, and how am i suppose to know what you like if you just following the crowd and wear what everyone eles it, i disagree with it being a "In Style" color! cause not everyone is the same!!
I feel that the burqa takes away from the induvidual who is wearing it, because you can't really even tell who is wearing it cause you can't even see their face. And i get wearing a hijab because its religious to them, but burquas are like way over the top. Like what if your religion made you wear something like that? You probably wouldn't even know what your friends even really look like.
I agree with Charlie, because if they are forced to wear the Burqa, then you are pretty much being pushed around. The people in Afghanistan are just forcing woman to cover up and don't show people who they really are.
but what if your religion made you wear something as rediculous as that? would you wear it? and why dont they wear the hijab so you can actually see who they are?
really because i just looked that up and if they leave the country and move somewhere they can move to america and then they have freedom in some counrties.
Some people might not be able to afford to move out of the country. They could have a nice job, family, house, and love the country. Would you want to leave the U.S?
I agree because this is way beyond a chador of head scarf, it is so extreme you can't even tell who you are talking to! Nobody should be forced to hide their identity like a criminal.
but it said in the video charlie yesterday that people want to wear it in respect because thats their religous belief. in the video yesterday it wasnt that people didnt want to wear the burqa actually people were mad that they were taking it away
Well yeah, but most of the women, almost all aren't being forced to wear the buqa its their choice and if its their choice they should be able to wear it, not to mention this is part of their religion and France has the freedom of religion. As far as I can tell its not really freedom if they are forced not wear it.
The ban in France was a bad idea. There are still women living there who are faithful to god and want to wear the burqa. The government shouldn't outlaw the burqa just because some people don't like them. France's government should give the option of wearing the burqa
I think the burqa covers up who you are, and it doesn't show the real you. I think the Hijab shows your religion enough, and you aren't forced to wear them. They only cover the hair, and they are still part of the religion, but it also shows your face, and you can wear what you want on your body. you have a choice of what you want to wear.
What I'm saying is that woman all over in the world are mostly being forced to wear them. France banned the burqa because it is oppressive to woman. It covers up who the person really is. If a woman was hidden under clothing her whole life would be creepy. If you met the person when they weren't wearing the burqa, you'd probably not know who they were. Just think, what if you had a friend that wore a burqa, and she finally was free to wear what she wanted, then you found out what she really looked like, would you be a little freaked out when you finally saw her face?
A burqa covers up who you are. If a normal person like me or you was to wear a bright colored shirt, it reflects who you are. It tells people you are out going, or want to stick out in a crowd. But with a burqa, you are covered up and you don't know who the woman is.
no the burqa only covers your looks it dosent cover who you really are which is your personallity your view on life you cant say it covers who you are when its only your looks.
In places like Afganistan, where women are being forced to wear burqas, they shouldnt be. Women are people to! and it would be different if they had different colors and designs, like they do in hijabs. But if women feel its right and that they want to wear burqas, then let them. but forcing them is wrong. women say its for their religion and its who they are. well how do i know what you are like if i cant even see you. and that all you girls look the same.
Wait, ok in afghanistan women are being forced to wear it, but in France they are not allowed to. How do you explain this? You can't say they have to in afghan and can't in france they should still be able to in france even if they are being forced in Afghanistan.
Yes! i totally agree, as i said before, France shouldnt have banned the burqa, its just like as if the U.S.A banned the sweatshirt because its becoming to popular and everyone is wearing them. but its a choice we made, and these women now not being able to wear burqas and follow their religion as they choose...I never said that they shouldnt be able to wear one Caleb, i just said they should be forced!!
I think they are banning it in france because to many people that are not wearing the burqa's think that the people that are wearing the burqa's think they are terrorists and thats why they are banning it in afghan to
My explanation: France doesn't allow the women to wear burqas because they think the law in Afghanistan that forces women to wear burqas makes it oppressive for French women have to wear one.
I'm right along with you jamie I agree that women should wear that because I think its a little bit wrong for the men to force the women to wear burqa's but I think the women should get to choose what they wear
ya in some countries they are being forced to because it is because of the men but in a lot of countries they arnt being forced to they are not allowed to and why becuse they all look equal and they choose to wear it just like you choose to wear the clothes you wear.
but there are multicolored burkas with designs i just looked it up and if you dont believe me go onto bing images and type in "are bukas colorful". so all woman do not always look the same yes some people have the same burka. but you are saying somthing like anyone who has areopostale clothes are all the same.
Well when i looked it up on bing, it came up in mainly black! thier were few blue and white ones, i scrolled on and on and not once did any other color show up!
Ok, there are multicolored burqas. But have you seen the pictures of women who are forced into burqas? They are wearing black burqas. Do you really think that people forced into them have a choice in what color it is? These women are getting beaten up! They don't choose what color their forced outfit is! That would be like a jail keeper saying to a prisoner, "Now what color do you want your handcuffs to be?"
Your comparing these women to criminals? I don't think they deserve to be compared to murderers, thiefs, and mollesters. They should have the same rights as anyone else instead of getting rid of the burqa why don't we get rid of the real problem, the Taliban?
A hajib would be the better way to go or even a chador because burqas cover your whole body. Modesty is about covering your chest and not wearing short shorts and stuff like that. A burqa is too extreme. You're covering your entire body which is too much. That is too modest and you're covering parts of your body that don't need to be covered.
Modesty is not just about covering your chest, its about not showing your body in ways it can be disturbing to other. and these women are being hidden behind thier clothing!
But that is the person's opinion you shouldn't get any say in what that person wants to wear especially if they have the right to religion and this is a part of their religion.
A burqa is just like a blanket which closes you in as a chador and somewhat a hajib doesn't close you in that much. In the Koran, it doesn't say that you should wear a burqa. It says that you should dress modestly. You will be able to see in a hajib and a chador too.