John Passant has an article on his site that argues the banning of the Bikini since some want to ban the Burqa.John argues that the bikini is a symbol of female repression.

My solution is to have new form of dress which is a combination of the Burqa and the Bikini.The Burqini will be the great equaliser on Bondi Beach.You could be really ugly or an absolute stunner and none will ever know.A Burqa head dress and a Bikini bottom would have many advantages.

Those people who live on Burqini Atoll though,will have to take many precautions.They must under no circumstances find oil since the Western Govts will have to invade them and bring in a new form of de-mockracy.Weapons of mass seduction will also have to hidden away and they may have to resort to the full Burqa to prevent an invasion.

Weapons inspectors will be deployed at Bondi Beach with tape measures in hand just like the 1960's, to make sure everyone measures up.(In case to didn't know,bikinis in the 60's were measured at the sides by beach inspectors.Too narrow and you were asked to leave the beach.)

Now Aust being an egalitarian country will allow men to also wear the Burqinis.When robbing a bank,the teller can ask the thief," Is that a gun in your Burqini,or are you just glad to be here?" Weapons of mass seduction unfortunately will not make a bank part with it's money.Just ask Saddham.He had a $ billion in cash and no weapons but still got hung.Had he been wearing the Burqini,all would have been well.No one would have recognised him.

Now since we cannot see faces perhaps even people's eyes ,there will have to be a new form of recognition.We will have to recognise people by their navels.We could have navel prints,navel gazing or even navel watch,to make sure those weapons are well tucked away.Navel communication will mean a reversion to morse code and people will have to learn how to make their navels wink.

So do any of our OLO readers have suggestions for new uses of the Burqini?

I'd stop the medication if I were you Arjay.

>>Just ask Saddham.He had a $ billion in cash and no weapons but still got hung.Had he been wearing the Burqini,all would have been well<<

No, he would just have been well hung.

Burqini for women and the mankini for men (thank you BORAT).

A kinky couple could wear each others.

Just ban everything.

"we must stand firm against all the bans on Muslim clothing and say, “women themselves must decide their fate.” This puts us on the strongest ground to oppose racism, defend secularism and fight for women’s liberation." John Passant
http://enpassant.com.au/?p=4205

By this logic we should also defend secularism, oppose racism and fight for women's liberation by permitting Islamic women to be beaten by their husbands, if they believe in the Koranic injunctions to do so and accept that as their fate.

Peter Hume, "Just ban everything."

So true.

Well, the object of this post, was to make everyone laugh and have a dig at the oligarchs who want absolute power.

Pericles' little snipe at me going off my medication is really pathetic.To his credit he did pick my next line about Saddham.Had Saddham been really well hung,he would had all the weapons porn of the Israelis who have over 200 nukes and the means to deliver them.This is the total hypocracy of the Middle East.Israel against the non-proliferation treaty, has weapons that many other countries are not allowed to possess.Iran has yet to develop one nuke.Israel could wipe Iran,Lebanon and Syria from the map many times over.So why does Israel seek to invade Iran using the USA as it's pawn?

Just little note for Pericles.Professor Neils Harrit who with 8 other international researchers,did a peer reviewed paper on nano thermite, is coming to Sydney on the 17th July 2010.Perhaps he and some other scientists Pericles, can help you with your comprehension problem.
If you have any semblense of integrity and courage,be there.Mitchell Theatre Syd.Mechanical School of Arts ,280 Pitt St Sydney. 6.30 pm.

My object is to create awarness and it is up to all of you to make up your own minds.

I arjay do no see the thread as a problem.
And I do not see it as funny or strange.
But my views on it will bring me some bruises.
See we try too hard.
To be seen as politically correct, not xenophobic, not racist, not treading on the toes of other reildgions.
Freedom of speech.
Is it just words or do we think its worth fighting and even dieing for.
I think we should ban the burka.
I think it came about in one Arabic nomadic tribe, to keep sand out of the eyes and protect from the sun as much as anything.
Those who verbally flog me will not understand , not want to hear, my view all women are no ones property is firm.
Primitive, but firmly used devices to keep women as property are unAustalian.
As is much we are expected to except in the name of multi culturism.
NO! not saying I am anti migration, any nationality any creed but yes bringing any chains of control? unwanted.
A few wear the burka not for religious reasons but as an act of defiance, to western values.

Belly I've not heard muslims describe it in terms of ownership.

The comments I've heard have been along the lines of
- a cultural thing that some choose to do and others don't
- men can't control themselves and the coverings are there to reduce the temptation
- an statement of being different, either to clearly show that the wearer is muslim or sometimes an "up yours" to western values.

I suspect that for most it's a mix of the above and my subjective opinion is that it mostly seems to be younger women wearing them (based on the apparent age of male companions). I have to wonder if it's a phase for most and as they mature will most be a bit less extreme.

Personally I'd rather see them fade away but I don't want Australia to become the sort of place were people's clothing choices are more dictated than they already are. There should be a bigger focus on banning the showing of plumbers crack's, now that's generally an unpleasant sight and no matter how much they want it most plumbers should not wear a mankini anywhere in public.

R0bert

Belly ,agreed but this is an on going conflict with pericles and myself.That subject is now closed.If he persists in indulging in derision,then he has to expect to cop it also.

The voluntary wearing of the burqa in the West demonstrates just how foolish it is to believe that it is exclusively the men who have a stake in maintaining these traditions.

Cornflower
Point taken but is the wearing of the burqua in the West always voluntary? Many women, when moving into a new culture may still be forced to wear the traditional dress based on cultural expectations or her husband's directive.

In some cultures the status of women is very different from what we assume in the West. Many who work in the DV, rape crisis and law enforcement arenas are now dealing with many cultural differences as well including identifying the need for better cross-cultural training.

http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/settle/empowering_refugees/_pdf/21-training-for-police.pdf

One quote from the paper:

"The Sudanese women now understand
that within Aussie culture they are on an
equal footing with the men. That has caused
some really major issues with some of the
Sudanese men."

http://www.miceastmelb.com.au/documents/SouthernSudaneseCrossCulturalTrainingReport.pdf

These traditions may take more than one generation to see positive change (from a Western viewpoint) and more freedom for those new immigrant women.

It is interesting.Many of Arabic or Muslim head wear,were probably born out of necessity.In the desert with raging winds and cutting sand,this head wear protected them.So the burqa evolved into a cultural norm and this problably suited the men as a tool of control as well as adding some degree of mystery to their relationships.

I feel sorry for the Muslims.They have been wrongfully demonised on many fronts.There are just few lunatics who ruin their image.There are also Christian and Jewish lunatics but we tend to ignore them.

We have to separate religion from spirituality.All religions are totalitarian in nature and people should be allowed to choose what they believe.Corportatism is the religion of making money with the least imput for maximum gain.Eventually it is self destructive since as we are experiencing now,we are sacrificing real production for the creation of money.

So should people be allowed to wear the burqa? I don't like the concept,but it is not on my list of top priorities.There are bigger fish to fry.

Belly, we are on a match here.

I have absolutely mo desire to be politically correct, & if I am racist, so be it. I have no interest in adjusting my hard won beliefs, & attitudes to fit in with some self appointed arbitrator of such thing. I just don't reccognise anyone as having that authority.

I have found the people of some tribes in PNG for example are quite unpleasant people, & some are nice. Is that racist.

I have found the French in Noumea quite unpleasant, if you don't speak french. But then, why should they welcome me, just because I chose to fill the water & fuel tanks of my yacht in their port? Is this racist, & if so, who is being racist, & who cares?

You only have to listen to the names of football players in our various codes to know we accept new folk, however, if they want to kick sand in my face, they can expect it back, with interest.

Multiculturalism is rubbish, designed only to buy a few votes, & I for one, won't accept it.

What is it to be then, are many or most Muslim women wearing the burqa in the West through choice or not?

From the interviews in the media and from articles (including OLO) I don't think I have ever seen any evidence presented that Muslim women in Australia are wearing the burqa or the veil through anything but their own choice. That was the backbone of the support for women to be able to wear the burqa in this country - that they wanted to do it.

What you appear to be saying is that whenever we are confronted by a women wearing a burqa in Australia there is good cause to be concerned she is being compelled to do it.

Or is force very much the exception not the rule and if reported, the police could sort it in a trice?

My last post was directed to pelican. Name omitted, sorry.

Cornflower
I was not arguing that all women wearing a hajib or a burqua are being compelled to wear it. I am saying that they might be, we are not to know as casual observers. Naturally there will also be many women who choose to wear it out of tradition, habit or religious beliefs.

Personally, I couldn't care less how someone dresses and hope they return the courtesy.

Fine and I was saying just how foolish it is to believe that it is exclusively the men who have a stake in maintaining these traditions.

Hasbeen you highlight a fact about Australians.
You and I from different sides of the tracks can still agree on some things.
And while you are filling your yacht I am planning what second hand 4x4 I will buy on my final pay day.
But lets look deeper into multi culturism.
Mums mum had 13 kids, her husband wed twice, he had two family's and both had ? 13 kids.
His daughters mum and a sister had? 13 and in mums case 16,8 lived to grow up.
I the oldest left home to work very very young.
And learned more from my fellow workers from Italy Greece. Malta, Germany,
Scottish, English, and a lot more.
Yes at times we head butted, in the 1960,s young Italians thought my peace sign to young women was a salute about Mussolini?
But fitted in, each gave ground each respected.
I liked that form of multi culturism.
Still know many and am proud to go to festivals.
WHY must my concerns about a minority forcing its view on me be seen as wrong.
Burka? how did any one get from my posts the idea that I thought every wearer of one was forced to wear it by a man.
How did every one ignore my point some young women wear it as an act of defiance? to my country and its values?
WHY do we, every side of Australian politics and society need to hide our views that idiots from within OUR community not Muslim say we should not offend that minority with things such as Christmas and not be offended if women dress like, well you can not say that, if I say it my post will be removed, in the name of multiculturalism/PC any rubbish you wish to call it.

No came back to say what such a way of dressing reminds me of, looks like.
Just knew I risked a time out on the naughty boys bench, not rude, not sexist not racist not anti Muslim.
But remember those cartoons?
This new Multi culturism, this protector of a religion not a race, says in capital letters Belly you must not say what you think.
In a country that laughs at its self we must not even smile if a bed sheet walks past in the street.

Different races in a country will work if everyone is made to speak a common language.Labor has gone overboard in trying to accommodate all languages.There should be intensive language courses for new immigrants who are not fluent in English.