The Freedom Of Choice

Why do I even workout. Nicky "Flabman" Sarkozy and his smoking hot wife...currently in the Woody Allen movie, "Midnight In Paris", Carla "Hello, did I mention my name is Kriss, helllllooooo" Bruni.

Oh yes they did. After much controversy, and hopefully no retaliation, the French government has officially banned the full faced Islamic face veil (and don't ask me the differences between all of them, there are hella). Not only that, but peeps have been arrested already. The most vogue of modern prejudices, Islamophobia, has brought us a Qu'ran burning (w/lame fakey fake trial. audacious "g"), sessions in congress here and an international debate on freedom of speech and expression. Throw in politics at it's best/worst and then we have ourselves a genuine controversy.

The mock debate in France last week was as credible as (insert something not credible here ). The real reason for the debate was that "Nic", the French Prez, is running for reelection next year and his main opponent, The Blond, is kicking his butt on getting all of the weirdo, stupid head prejudiced, bigot voters, who just like us, they call The Right (imagine that sh*t).

Not all Muslims are terrorists. Islamophobia is xenophobia. The powers that be want us to fear what it is we do not know (or is at least foreign to us). Islamophobia is an umbrella term for immigration, freedom of speech and expression, freedom of religion, cultural identity. Why does an atheist even care, because their freedoms is my freedom, our freedom. It is the extremist positions that the world has to worry about, even extreme politics. If Pastor Terry "Stupid Head " Jones can have the freedom to burn the Qu'ran, then I/we can have the freedom to not believe. It's a two way street, for everyone.

The choice of no choice is no offer that is worthy of secular society. I do not agree with the full face veil, but if those women choose (and that is debatable) to wear it, then let them wear it. No one is saying that women must get abortions, but the freedom to choose (if needed) needs to be protected. If one groups freedom is compromised, then everyone's freedom is (potentially) compromised.

To me the current Islamophobia is reminiscent of Japanophobia of WWII. Their foreign culture inspired a national fear with the same ingredients: immigration, cultural identity, spies/terrorism, Americanization/global identity etc...So our government put them in pens and took their property. We are all in this together, whether you agree with the face veil or not.

* OK a little on freedom and religion. When the slaves were freed, there was credit given to Christianity for the salvation and eventual emancipation of the black peeps. God was given credit for prayers answered, which is ridiculous because it was God that put them in that position in the first place (once again god needs credit for doing good-that's not powerful). Women that wear the face veil and say it's choice...well, it makes you wonder. If they were born in a different region with a different religion, if they were not indoctrinated at a young age...then would they have made the same choice, would they give credit to the very thingy that oppresses them. I don't think so.

* Usa Today vid

* Al Jazeera Face Veil Ban

* Muslim Feminist, really. It is a counter intuitive term like Feminist GOP'er. conservative feminist.

* Last years post on the proposal to ban the veil.

* Also from last year, the same thingy, but in Belgium.