Well said.

Women wearing the burqa do not have to justify to everyone else that they have 'rational' reasons for wearing it.

If they are wearing it because they are being forced or threatened into it, the appropriate remedy is should be directed against the use of force or threats, not the wearing of the burqa.

And the use of force or threats is already illegal. What the burqa-banners propose is to *extend* coercion, not reduce it.

I've been boycotting these interminable silly debates about the burqa, but Dr Bargaric encapsulates my thoughts on the matter so succinctly that I'll break my self-imposed rule:

<< At this stage, the bigger threat to our social cohesion is not the burqa, but the calls to ditch it. Once the overblown sensitivities of others start constituting a basis for curtailing our freedoms, liberty in many forms will be lost. >>

Strange times indeed. This week I've agreed with not only Mirko Pargaric and Peter Hume, but also Chris Berg from the IPA. What's going on?

So, Mirko, give us the benefit of your brilliant intellect. What erudite test would you use to identify those women who "freely" choose to wear the burqa and those who wear it under threat of violence? Having identified those wearing it out of fear of violence, how would you protect them from it?

"Only ban the burqa if it is not worn freely" - how do we know if it is or isn't worn freely? isn't that the point of the burqa, that you don't approach the wearer as the burqa withdraws them from society - it's like wearing your house/front door (closed) around with you

I see cj is up to his usual tricks "I've been boycotting these interminable silly debates about the burqa"

how noble of you cj .. oh .. hang on, first post on Monday this week

"It appears that in its haste to publish this flame-bait, OLO's usual editorial standards have been applied. Dear oh dear.
Posted by CJ Morgan, Tuesday, 24 August 2010 8:57:25 AM"

dear oh dear indeed .. self imposed boycott for what .. 3 days .. ? Or are we using some new definition here? Have there been any other discussion on the burqa in that time?

You martyr you!

What a load of tripe from both the author and CJ Morgan.

The burqa is one of the symbols of a very oppressive and extreme ideology called Islam that has had 1300 years to refine its manipulation of societies that it has either, conquered outright, or infiltrated, to progressively convert everyone to their own medieval mindset.

Founded by an illiterate deviant, and murderous thug called Mohammmed it has only survived because it was written down mainly in the old jewish language of Aramaic,( how ironic is that) and now comprises a whole series of verses that have no coherency.

Recent analysis of the verses in the trilogy shows clearly that at least 50% of them are to do with warfare, violence and manipulation against the Kaffirs and Jews ..that you and me.

...the burqa, apart from being offensive towards to all other people in a civilised society like Australia, is just a continuation of what the Koran in general, and the local imams exhort them to do.

If these people are so psychologically inadeqaute/deranged that they need to wear a Bin Liner over their heads, and not be able to communicate in an open and frank manner,as everyone else does by revealing all the visual cues that normal people communciate with... then what are they doing in this country in the first place.

Dont answer that, its the multi cult b/s so loved by politicians and lawyers in this country...the same multi/culti b/s that is slowly destroying Europe ..and the UK in particular.

A confused article, with a confusing proposal.

"The stock-in-trade reasons that are given for banning the burqa are demonstrably flawed and are often no more thinly veiled anti-Muslim rants."

Yup.

"Still we might be better off banning the burqa. Not because it is necessary for the community. Rather, the women inside them might need our liberation"

Oh. Really? Banning the burqa is somehow going to "liberate" the wearer? Would it not more likely condemn the wearer to a life indoors, if indeed she is being oppressed into wearing it?

"If their choice turns out to be fully free and informed, society has no basis for imposing its whims on their dress code."

Naturally. But that begs the question why "society" should be allowed to meddle with the minutiae of its members' lives in the first place.

"It is only once we find the answers to such issues that we can make a sensible and informed judgment about whether we should ban or restrict the burqa"

Not really. You are either in favour of individual freedom of choice, or you are not.

Stopping burqa-wearers in the street and asking them "were you forced to wear this garment" is not the answer either. How would you evaluate an answer "no", from someone walking three paces behind their husband?

Continuing to protect Australia's reputation as a tolerant, easy-going nation that values freedom above all else, will eventually solve the problem. Without it even needing to be a problem in the first place.

At least the article featured no bank robbers.