 Internationally acclaimed award winning Bangladeshi journalist, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury and his film production company recently announced a project [named Learning Through Entertainment], under which seven movies will be made on Sharia law, Jihad, Burqa, Stoning, Beheading, Polygamy and Child Marriage in Muslim nations. Filming of BLACK, a movie under this project will begin in December 2010. Meanwhile, script and screenplay for this has already been completed. Commenting on the first movie of the Learning Through Entertainment project, public relations department of Vibgyor Films said, the short synopsis of this film is: “Shantigram is a remote village in Bangladesh. Thirty-five years back, there was religious harmony in the area, where people from various religious beliefs were living in peace. But, for past decades, Islamism and activities of Islamists became gradually prominent in the entire village. Clergies in the mosques and madrassas became increasingly influential in the locality, thus imposing Sharia law, which ultimately turned into nightmare for the villagers. Muslim men are encouraged by the clergies in having more than one wife, as Islam allows polygamy. Under such situation, wives of the Muslim men ultimately turned into mere slaves, thus taking part domestic works as well helping the husband in agro production. When a wife became physically ill, the husband showed unwillingness in sending her to nearby hospital for treatment, as the man considers hospitals as evil, as male and female doctors work their without burqa. Whipping and other form of severe physical torture of men and women on various charges gradually become regular in the village, which is applied by local ‘Sharia Committee’ formed by clergies and Islamic fanatics. In Bangladeshi rural areas, male and female Bauls, [who are a group of mystic minstrels from Bengal. Bauls constitute both a syncretic religious sect and a musical tradition. Bauls are a very heterogeneous group, with many different subsects, but their membership mainly consists of Vaishnava Hindus and Sufi Muslims. They can often be identified by their distinctive clothes and musical instruments], enjoyed a loving status for centuries, while they are known to be people promoting religious harmony and tolerance. But, with the rise of Islamist groups, Sharia appliers and Muslim fanatics, Bauls are declared infidels in the locality, thus pushing their lives into misery. Bauls, who live on entertaining people through Sufi songs thus receiving donations and charities, are denied any help by the local influential Muslim leaders and clergies. They are given ultimatum either to become Muslim to leave the area. This though generates anger and severe reaction in the minds of Bauls, they are unable to speak out fearing harsh actions by the Islamists and Mullahs. In the meantime, several Islamist NGOs become extremely active in the village, while mostly they target Hindu, Christian, Buddhist and non-Muslim families. In the name of offering loans of financial help, young boys and girls in those non-Muslim families are regularly abducted for forceful conversion into Islam. Gradually the village sees systematic eliminations of religious minorities. BLACK is a film, which shows the current situation in rural Bangladesh [which actually is very similar with villages in other Muslim nations], where Sharia law is forcefully imposed on people while systematic elimination of religious minorities continue. Hidden tears of Muslim women under the imposed Islamic veils are clearly shown in this film. This film is against Sharia, Islamism, religious intolerance, hate speech and repression of women under Sharia law. This film is aimed at creating massive awareness in the people in Muslim nations in standing against Islamism and Sharia, thus voicing for reform in Islam, Koran and Islamic codes. BLACK is the first film of the planned series of seven movies. Each of the movies is aimed at ultimately projecting problems inside Islam and Sharia law in a very bold manner. Initial language of BLACK is Bangla, while it will be dubbed in various languages in future. There are around 300 million Bangla speaking population in Bangladesh and India only. Our initial target group is this 300 million people. Later, with dubbing in other languages as well as using sub-titles in English, French, Hindi, Urdu etc, we shall reach a few hundred millions of people in the entire Muslim country and the world.” Shoaib Choudhury has earlier directed a Bangla film named Shongshoy and is currently working on another feature film named Leelakhela. Shongshoy is based on the story of high-profile dowry in Muslim societies as well repression of women after marriage. This film has already drawn attention of Bangladeshi cine critics. Vibgyor Films has requested broadcast companies in India, Middle East, United Kingdom, European Union, United States, Australia and Canada to contact for broadcasting this film on various TV channels as well as copyright for selling DVDs. Total length of Shongshoy is 90 minutes. Leelakhela is based on the theme of confronting militant Islam, Jihad and social evils in the societies. This film will be ready for release in 2011. Vibgyor Films will sign a Bollywood female actor in Leelakhela. Choudhury’s films are not made for mere entertainment. But, each of his films contain very specific and bold message for the society.
 The face-covering burqa and niqab veils worn by some Muslim women have no place in Denmark, Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen says, adding his government was considering restricting them. Rasmussen stopped short, however, of calling for a ban on the veils, noting "legal and other limits". "The government's position is clear: the burqa and the niqab have no place in Danish society.
They symbolise a view of women and humanity that we totally oppose and that we want to combat in Danish society," Rasmussen told reporters on Tuesday. Denmark is "an open, democratic society where we look at the person to whom we are talking, whether it's in a classroom or on the job," he said. "That is why we don't want to see this garment in Danish society," he added. He said his centre-right government was "discussing ways of limiting the wearing" of the veils without violating the Scandinavian country's constitution. The prime minister's comments came a day after the publication of a report which showed that use of the burqa was "extremely rare" in Denmark, though no figures were given, and that the niqab was worn by "between 100 and 200" women. The report was commissioned by the social affairs ministry and written by researchers at the University of Copenhagen. It follows a heated debate on the burqa that has divided the two-party coalition government since the summer amid pressure from its key parliamentary ally the far-right Danish People's Party. Some 100,000 Muslim women live in Denmark, representing about 1.9 per cent of Denmark's total population of 5.5 million. Some 0.15 per cent of the Muslim women wear the niqab, according to the report. Denmark has had tense relations with the Muslim world following the publishing in 2005 of cartoons depicting Islam's Prophet Mohammed that were considered blasphemous and insulting by much of the Islamic world. It triggered violent protests in Muslim countries. SMH 
 A Massachusetts college has modified a controversial security policy after criticism it infringed on the religious rights of students, a school official said Friday. The policy originally banned any head covering that obscured the student's face while engaged in student activities. The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences e-mailed students about the initial changes this week, saying, "Any head covering that obscures a student's face may not be worn, either on campus or at clinical sites, except when required for medical reasons." School officials said the policy was intended to ensure that all students would be identifiable "for reasons of safety and security." But on Thursday, the policy was changed to include an exception "for medical and/or religious reasons." The original policy had prompted questions and concerns among Muslim students and organizations, particularly because it meant Muslim women at the college could no longer wear the niqab, or face veil. The college -- with campuses in Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts, as well as Manchester, New Hampshire -- stated that the initial modification was "based on a constructive dialogue with our extended community, and an intensive review of safety and security measures with advisors." College spokesman Michael Ratty said, "We will achieve our objective of campus security while allowing for a medical and/or religious accommodation. As always, our primary concern is the security and safety of all our students, faculty and staff." Ratty stressed that Muslims were involved in the original policy decision saying, "Prior to implementation, the college discussed it with several officials within the Muslim community." Muslim students had mixed reactions to the original ban. Aisha Bajwa, president of the Muslim Students Association at the college, called the unmodified policy "unjustified and unconstitutional." Bajwa, who does not wear the niqab, said that having to wear student IDs at all times keeps students safe. Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, thinks the policy targeted Muslim students and filed a third-party complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Writing to the commission, the Council invoked Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employers from discriminating based on religion. Hooper acknowledged that the college's policy focuses on students but said it will inevitably target Muslim employees in the future. After the complaint, George Humphrey, the vice president for College Relations, e-mailed Hooper, announcing the new policy. "We have reviewed our ID policy and made an accommodation for religious reasons," the e-mail said. "Thank you for your input on this matter." Hooper then stated, "We are pleased that the religious rights of all students and staff will now be protected. This is a victory for religious freedom and tolerance." Ratty said, "The complaint was not the sole reason for the reversal but rather an ongoing discussion this week with our community." Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum, supported the original policy. Though Pipes acknowledged the larger cultural debate, he said the college is focusing on security. "I have documented dozens and dozens of cases about criminality and terrorism that have been abetted by burqas and niqabs," he said. "It is sensible to ban these, and there are a number of these bans in institutions such as banks or jewelry stores." With increasing concern about terrorist attacks, religious practices will have to be weighed against security, Pipes said. "In Turkey, the hijab has been banned from government offices, so this is not something that is just an American concern," he added. CNN
 This is very smart. Yes indeed. Because Muslims will not want to pay this fine. Collecting these fines will be interesting to watch as well. There will be social unrest for sure BUT, if given a choice, Muslims will migrate elsewhere. They like easy pickins. They will choose to go to dhimmified infidel countries like the UK that quiver in fear of their Muslim population and acquiesce to their every demand. Good on Sarkozy but his enthusiasm for the Euromed project (and the resulting tsunami of Muslim immigrants) is uh ..... puzzling. France imposes £700 fine for wearing burkhas in the street Women who wear burkhas in public face a fine of £700 under new laws being drafted in France. (Metro UK hat tip Steven Gash) The penalty will be doubled for men who force wives or other female relatives to dress in the Islamic veils. The proposal aims to protect the ‘dignity’ and ‘security’ of women, said Jean-Francois Cope, president of the ruling Union for Popular Movement party. The fine will apply to ‘all people on the public street whose face is entirely covered’ and also include people in public buildings, he added. French president Nicolas Sarkozy has said before that the veils are ‘not welcome’ in secular countries such as France because they intimidate and alienate non-Muslim people. He also described them as ‘a sign of subservience and debasement that imprison women’. However, Mr Cope conceded that a complete ban on burkhas in France faced legal obstacles, including a possible challenge before the European Court of Human Rights on the grounds that it would limit religious freedom. France has more than 5 million Muslims – the highest number of any European country – and in 2004 passed a law forbidding veils and other religious symbols in schools. However, a recent police report said only about 400 women in the country dress in Muslim veils. They are worn widely in countries such as Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia but not in north African nations, where many of France’s Muslim immigrants are originally from. A draft law on the proposal to ban the veils in public is due to go before France’s National Assembly. With thanks to Atlas
 And the UN passes the “Defamation of Religions” Resolution. I was just about to shut my computer down when I realized that there are two breaking news items that I just have to share with you. First, according to NBC and ABC journalist Mark Schone, “Zawahiri’s Wife Releases Statement, Tells Women They Can Be Suicide Bombers.” What’s this? The twisted triumph of feminism, Islamist-style?
Women have been suicide killers before. Palestinians have forced/manipulated women as well a men into killing themselves as a way to kill Israeli civilians; various Muslim groups in Iraq and Iran, as well as the Tamil Tigers have also forced/manipulated women to become suicide killers. Why is Al-Qaeda’s Zawahiri allowing one of his four (or more) wives to take such an active public role? And, why now? Omaima Hassan , Zawahiri’s wife, first reminds women that their primary role is that of bearing and breeding a jihadic fighter’s sons. She counsels women to support jihad by keeping the warrior’s secrets and his home, and by wearing hijab. She also disapproves of women going out without a male escort or guide. But then, in an unconfirmed report, she goes further. According to Schone: “Hassan also suggests that women can become suicide bombers, which she refers to as "martyrdom missions." This is certainly different from what her husband said in 2008, in a “two-hour recorded interview posted on a web site.” Zawahiri, who is believed to be in Pakistan, insisted “that Al Qaeda did not have women members, and that the role of women in jihad was limited to taking care of the children of fighters and maintaining their homes.” One conclusion: Watch out for suicide bombers wearing burqas. The second piece of breaking news concerns the vote just taken at the United Nations.
According to L. Bennett Graham, Legislative and International Programs Officer at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the “Defamation of Religions” resolution passed the General Assembly in New York earlier today. It did so “by a vote of 80 in favor, 61 against, and 42 abstentions. As a matter of comparison, last year’s General Assembly passed the resolution by a vote of 86 in favor, 53 against, and 42 abstentions (in other words, the difference in last year’s votes was 33, this year it was only 19).
In 2006, 111 countries were voting in favor of this resolution. So despite another loss, the momentum continues to go against this concept.” Schiff thanks his supporters and all those who are “taking a stand for the freedom of conscience, thought, and religion…Our combined hard work continues to pay off, and while the issue of ‘defamation of religions’ continues to threaten the entire concept of human rights, we are confident that civil society’s voice will be fundamental in defeating this flawed concept and will ultimately bring a better understanding of freedom around the world. There is still plenty of work to be done between now and March, when we expect the resolution to come up again before the Human Rights Council in Geneva.” Let me understand this. Al Qaeda wants burqa wearers, both male and female, to blow us all up but the UN does not want us to say that such killers have anything to do with Islam or Islamic jihad (or with anyone’s interpretation of Islam), lest we commit a thought crime. I say: Shout it from the rooftops, set it to music, add it to our textbooks, teach our children.
As has been said: Silence=Death. Phyllis Chesler
 Muslim men who force their wives to wear the full Islamic veil should not be granted French citizenship, Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said Thursday.
Wading into the debate over whether to ban the burqa, Alliot-Marie said the government would await the recommendations of a parliamentary panel considering possible legislation to bar Muslim women from wearing the full veil.
But the minister went on to say that "there are a certain number of basics on which we must stand firm."
"For instance, someone who would be seeking French citizenship and whose wife wears the full veil is someone who would not appear to be sharing the values of our country," she told LCI television.
"Therefore in a case like that one, we would reject his request," she said.
(more)
Source: Expatica (English)
Thanks to Islam in Europe
 Normally a branding consultancy waits for a brief before sharpening its pencils, but the Dubai office of GS Fitch decided to instigate its own project this summer.The result is a US$1 million (Dh3.6m) concept for a pair of sunglasses designed to replicate the burqa, but with a modern twist.
“We wanted to create a product that combines fashion with culture,” says Olivier Auroy, the managing director of GS Fitch in Dubai. The burqa was widely used by women from the Gulf in nomadic times. Not to be confused with the head-to-toe cover worn by women in Afghanistan, it covers the nose and forehead and is made of a piece of fabric dyed with indigo.
Aware that Ramadan would be slow for his business, Mr Auroy had his team come up with the design, branding, logo and website for a product that could be put into production instantly, assuming a GS Fitch fee of $1m is met. “I had always been fascinated by the burqa,” he explains in his funky office in Dubai Media City, which comes complete with a “playroom” full of Fatboy beanbags. “I wanted to create something for modern women in the Gulf that would reflect their culture.”
The sunglasses, with gold rims reminiscent of the burqa, also bear a striking resemblance to a pair of skiing goggles.
“I think this is the first time that a design company has instigated such a project,” says Mr Auroy, pointing to a feature on the website www.bq.ae where you can upload a photograph of yourself and see what you look like in the glasses. While critics might say he is making a spectacle of himself, Mr Auroy says the concept has been well received, with interest from a member of the Royal Family and a local manufacturer.
The company has also designed the interiors of a shop where the sunglasses would be sold and produced a small film that can be viewed on YouTube.
If this venture proves to be a success, GS Fitch in Dubai has plans to roll out similar concepts on a regular basis. Other designs for the drawing board include a modern take on the abaya and an Arab car.“It will be a four-wheel drive with a typically Arab design, full of curves,” Mr Auroy says. “My team is very excited about it.”
The National
 KARACHI, Pakistan — Some women strode the catwalk in vicious spiked bracelets and body armor.
Others had their heads covered, burqa-style, but with shoulders — and tattoos — exposed. Male models wore long, Islamic robes as well as shorts and sequined T-shirts. As surging militant violence grabs headlines around the world, Pakistan's top designers and models are taking part in the country's first-ever fashion week. While the mix of couture and ready-to-wear fashions would not have been out of place in Milan or New York, many designers made reference to the turmoil, reflecting the contradictions and tensions coursing through this society. The four-day event, which was postponed twice due to security fears and amid unease at hosting such a gathering during an army offensive in the northwest, is aimed at showing the world there is more to Pakistan than violence and at helping boost an industry that employs hundreds of thousands of people, organizers said. Many of the models, designers and well-heeled fashionistas packing out each night said the gathering was a symbolic blow to the Taliban and their vision of society, where women are largely confined to the house and must wear a sack-like covering known as a burqa. "This is our gesture of defiance to the Taliban," said Ayesha Tammy Haq, the CEO of Fashion Pakistan Week. "There is a terrible problem of militancy and political upheaval ... but that doesn't mean that the country shuts down. That doesn't mean that business comes to a halt." Read more here,,,, Source: FoxNews
 France is to adopt a series of measures to 'reaffirm pride' in the country and combat Islamic fundamentalism.They include everybody receiving lessons in the nation's Christian history and children singing the national anthem.Using words which infuriated ethnic minority groups and Socialist opponents, immigration minister Eric Besson also said he wanted 'foreigners to speak better French'. He called for all recent arrivals to be monitored by 'Republican godfathers', charged with helping immigrants to integrate better. His proposed measures contrast sharply with the situation in Britain where 'citizenship education' centres on multicultural diversity. M Besson, who was born in the former French protectorate of Morocco, suggested a debate on national identity' entitled 'What does it mean to be French?' He also reignited the debate about face and body-covering Muslim veils, saying they should definitely be banned.Making clear that radical Islam was a threat, Mr Besson said: 'In France, the nation and the republic remain the strongest ramparts against ... fundamentalist tendencies. France is diversity, and France is unity.' Mr Besson defended a decision to send illegal Afghan immigrants - all of them Muslim - back to Kabul on charter flights organised in conjunction with the British government last week, saying there would be many more. More than 21,000 people have been deported from France this year - with 27,000 the ultimate target, said Mr Besson. He also reignited the debate about face and body-covering Muslim veils, saying they should definitely be banned. 'For me, there should be no burqas on the street,' said Mr Besson. 'The burqa is against national values - an affront to women's rights and equality.' Explaining the apparent shift to the extreme right by President Nicolas Sarkozy's government, Mr Besson evoked the legacy of Jean Marie Le Pen's anti-immigration National Front party, which is struggling massively with huge debts and low electoral support. Mr Besson said: 'We should never have abandoned to the National Front a number of values which are part of the Republic's heritage. I think that the political death of the National Front would be the best news for all of us.'( more) Source: Daily Mail (English), h/t Weasel Zippers
 Switzerland's biggest city, Zurich, has allowed the use of a controversial poster which urges a ban on the building of minarets in the country. The poster shows a woman dressed in a burka in front of black minarets standing on a Swiss flag. But Zurich city council said campaign posters were protected by free speech. The advert is being used by the far-right Swiss People's Party (SVP) ahead of next month's referendum on whether to ban the building of new minarets. The Swiss Federal Commission Against Racism said earlier this week that the poster was "tantamount to the denigration and defamation of the peaceful Swiss Muslim population". Some media reports have said the minarets resemble missiles. Zurich city council said on Thursday that although it disapproved of the "negative and dangerous" poster, it had to be accepted as part of political free speech ahead of the 29 November national referendum. The city followed the examples of Geneva, Lucerne and Winterthur, who earlier also gave the green light to the use of the SVP's advert. But a number of Swiss cities - including Basel, Lausanne and Fribourg - have banned the advert in public spaces. Meanwhile, an opinion poll on Thursday showed that 51% of those questioned would reject the proposed ban. Nearly 35% of the respondents supported the ban, according to the poll in the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper. Switzerland is home to some 300,000 Muslims, who make up about 4% of the population. It has hundreds of mosques, but only a handful of them have minarets. Plans to build more minarets prompted the campaign for a ban. Source: BBC
 Actually it was a Canadian Muslim group -- a group that knows full well what these garments mean for the subjugation of women. But our enlightened multicultural Western governments know better, of course. "Muslim group urges gov't to ban burkas, niqabs in public," from The Canadian Press, October 7 TORONTO -- Middle Eastern garments designed to cover a woman's face are "medieval" and "misogynist" symbols of extremism with no basis in Islam, a Canadian Muslim lobby group said Wednesday as it urged Ottawa to ban the burka and the niqab. The Muslim Canadian Congress called on the federal government to prohibit the two garments in order to prevent women from covering their faces in public -- a practice the group said has no place in a society that supports gender equality. "To cover your face is to conceal your identity," congress spokeswoman Farzana Hassan said in a telephone interview, describing the issue as a matter of public safety, since concealing one's identity is a common practice for criminals. The tradition of Muslim women covering their faces in public is a tradition rooted more in Middle Eastern culture than in the Islamic faith, Hassan added. There is nothing in any of the primary Islamic religious texts, including the Qur'an, that requires women to cover their faces, she said -- not even in the controversial, ultra-conservative tenets of Sharia law. Considering the fact that women are in fact forbidden from wearing burkas in the grand mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest site, it hardly makes sense that the practice should be permitted in Canada, she said. "If a government claims to uphold equality between men and women, there is no reason for them to support a practice that marginalizes women."... Source: JihadWatch
 Facing the ban: A woman dressed in the burqa, or
full Islamic dress, with her face covered by a mask.
Italian MPs are considering a
bill banning the full garment.By Nick Pisa Italy today became the latest European government to announce it was considering introducing a law which would make wearing a burqa illegal. MPs from the anti-immigration Northern League party, a member of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's ruling right wing coalition, have presented the proposal in a bill. It comes just weeks after France also said that it was considering making the wearing of burqas by Muslim women illegal - a statement which prompted al Qaeda terrorists to vow revenge if it was banned. Italy has more than one million Muslims but it is rare to see women wearing the full burqa. There have been incidents, especially in northern cities such as Milan and Verona, where women wearing it have been asked to remove at least the face veil. Last month centre-right politician Daniela Santanche was involved in clashes with Muslims after she attended an end of Ramadan festival and urged women to remove their burqas. There has also been a backlash against the 'burkini', a bathing costume that is suitable for Islamic dress. Several Musilim women who have used swimming pools wearing burkinis in Italy have been asked to leave, with officials claiming the garments are 'unhygienic'. The Northern League's proposal aims at amending a 1975 law, introduced amid concern over domestic terrorism, which bans anyone wearing anything which makes their identification impossible. The only exceptions are for 'justified cause' - which until now has been interpreted to include religious reasons in court rulings against local bans on the burqa. The Northern League also has the backing of Berlusconi's People of Freedom party. The League's Roberto Cota said: 'We are not racist and we have nothing against Muslims but the law must be equal for everyone. Read more ...Source: Daily Mail
 Muslim scholars have questioned plans by the head of Egypt's most famous university to ban female students from veiling their faces on its premises and affiliated educational establishments. Shaikh Ali Abu al-Hasan, the former head of the Fatwa Council at the Islamic Studies Institute (ISI) in Cairo, said although it was not required by Islam for women to cover their faces, Al-Azhar University should allow women to chose what they want to wear. "No official has the right to order a young lady to remove a form of dress that was sanctioned by none other than Umar ibn al-Khattab, except for the purposes of identification for security reasons," he said. "The niqab [face veil] is not in contravention of the sharia or Egyptian law." Shaikh Safwat Hijazi, a scholar and preacher, said he would personally sue anyone who prevented his daughter or wife wearing full niqab from going about her daily life, including entering government offices. "Preventing a woman from wearing what she wants is a crime," Hijazi said. "Whoever says the niqab is a custom is not respectable." Husam Bahgat, of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, said the series of government decisions against the niqab are "arbitrary" and while designed to combat extremism, only end up being discriminatory against women. "[Veiled female students] are barred from government subsidised housing and nutrition because they are considered extremists," he said. But other Egyptian scholars, such as the ISI's Abd ul-Hamid al-Atrash, said there would be nothing wrong with such a ruling at a time when the anonymity afforded by the face veil was being abused by people intent on causing trouble. "There have even been instances of men entering [schools for girls] under cover. So there is no reason why a ruling that benefits the people and the nation cannot be issued", al-Atrash said. And Abd ul-Moati Bayumi, a scholar in an al-Azhar affiliated research centre, said most scholars would back Tantawi if he issued the order. "We all agree that niqab is not a religious requirement," Bayoumi said.
"Taliban forces women to wear the niqab ... . The phenomena is spreading" and it has to be confronted. "The time has come." Read more here,,,, Source: Al Jazeera English
 A celebration of Eid ul-Fitr in Milan (Italy) ended up in clashes between Muslims and extreme-right anti-burka protesters.
Politician Daniela Santanchè, of a neo-fascist party, was injured.
Former parliament member Santanchè, a figurehead for years of the feminist movement within the extreme right in Italy, had called on her supporters to come and protesters against the burka during a large celebration of Eid ul-Fitr in the capital of Lombardy.
A group of Santanchè supporters tried to prevent burka wearing women from entering the hall and clashes ensured, according to the Italian media.
Santanchè says she was thrown down. According to spokespeople of the Muslim community, Santanchè threw herself on the ground.
Doctors in a hospital in Milan confirmed she was lightly injured.
Hijab (The Headscarf)—Yes; The Burqa—No
Pajamas Media 15 September 2009 Banning the burqa in the West might be one way to ban Islamist fundamentalism and the barbaric subordination of girls and women in certain immigrant communities. For this reason, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and French Minister Fadela Amara have again called for this ban. Earlier today, French immigration Minister, Eric Besson, called the burqa “debased.” I would hope that the French take their argument further. In the past, they have mainly cited security concerns: Burqa wearing women might be “racially” attacked or burqa wearers themselves might be terrorists or criminals who are planning to attack or rob civilians. I would hope that the French also argue for such a ban on women’s rights/human rights grounds, as I have already proposed. Thus, clothing which completely covers the face and head in a way which muffles speech, hearing, and vision, which limits or prevents all human communication and identification, and which, in effect, functions like an isolation chamber is, by definition, a violation of human rights. None of this applies to hijab, the Islamic headscarf, which has already been banned in France in school and which is the subject of protest and controversy across Europe.
With all due respect for the good intentions of the French, perhaps Western governments should not automatically or necessarily ban hijab for women; the matter is tricky and complicated for girls as we have seen, as city after city across Europe has discovered. Indeed, this is a complex and challenging matter. Today, in Holland, in the very country that is putting the sober and very brave parliamentarian,Geert Wilders on trial for exercising his political free speech—another bright Dutch light, Trouw historian Tineke Bennema has called on “women who were born in the Netherlands to voluntarily put on a headscarf ‘out of solidarity’ with the hijab wearers.” You know, like the Danes allegedly once wore the yellow Jewish star. Read All here: http://europenews.dk/en/node/26287
 Her voice trembling with emotion, the leader of an advocacy group for Muslim women and girls urged a French parliamentary panel on Wednesday to press for laws that would ban the wearing of Islamic body- and face-covering veils. Sihem Habchi appeared as the first witness before a newly created parliamentary group studying Islamic clothing such as burqas and niqabs - part of France's effort to integrate its growing Muslim population while preserving its heritage and secular roots. The panel, chaired by a Communist Party lawmaker, will hold months of hearings before issuing a report, likely by January. It has no power to draft laws but could recommend legislation restricting or banning women from wearing head-to-toe Islamic robes that mask facial features in public. The panel was announced in June, a day after President Nicolas Sarkozy all but prejudged the debate, saying that the robes make "prisoners" out of women and won't ever be welcome in France. A ban could spur a backlash. A 2004 law in France banned wearing Muslim headscarves at public schools, along with Jewish kippot and large Christian crosses. That law sparked fierce debate both at home and abroad. Habchi spoke passionately of her family roots in the former French colony of mostly Muslim Algeria, and how France needs to do more to protect women and root out feelings of segregation. "The survival of many young women depends on" new laws to protect them, she said. "They get around with their ghetto on their backs." She said such full-body veils contribute to "the separation of populations." Habchi heads Ni Putes, Ni Soumises - Not Prostitutes, Not Submissive - an outspoken group fighting to improve the lot of Muslim women and girls in poor areas. The group's founder Fadela Amara, now the government's urban affairs minister, supports a ban on full-body veils. The parliamentary panel is also to hear from supporters of the veils, though the list of witnesses has not yet been completed, the panel said. Some Muslim leaders interpret the Quran to require women to wear a headscarf, niqab or burqa in the presence of a man who is not their husband or close relative. France is home to Western Europe's largest population of Muslims, estimated at about 5 million. A marginal but growing group of French women wear veils that either cloak the entire body or cover everything but the eyes. Le Figaro newspaper, citing a confidential Interior Ministry report on Islam, reported Wednesday that it estimates no more than 2,000 women in France wear the niqab or burqa. A ministry spokeswoman contacted by The Associated Press for comment declined comment. Source: JPost Sihem Habchi
Latest recipient of The MASH Award
 by Daniel Greenfield More than 5000 women are victims of honor killings each year. Most of those women are Muslim, and while most of them are killed in Muslim countries-- more and more of them are being killed in Europe, Canada and America.
A 2007 study by Dr. Amin Muhammad and Dr. Sujay Patel in Canada's Memorial Hospital observed that honor killing spreads when those whose who practice it emigrate to Western countries. Honor killings however are only the final act in the drama of a Muslim woman's life. Before that she is expected to walk behind a man, to be a second class citizen, to cover herself as much as possible in order to deflect male desire and to take the blame for the sexual intentions that men have toward her.
She knows that if she fails to deflect male desire, she may suffer a variety of penalties from imprisonment to death. In countries like Saudi Arabia or Iran, those penalties are imposed by courts. In countries like Afghanistan or Pakistan, they are imposed by rough tribal justice. In the West, where there is no Islamic court system or tribal courts, they are imposed by the family.
The burka, the chador, the hijab or any of the other covering garments are assigned to Muslim women to "protect" them from men, and to protect men from them. These garments are meant to cover their "Awrah", which in Arabic means nakedness, fault or defect. While for a Muslim man "Awrah" is only the swimsuit region, a Muslim woman is entirely "Awrah".
Al-Qadhi Ibn-Al-Arabi Maliki states: “And all of a woman is ‘awrah; her body, her voice, and it is not permissible for her to uncover that unless out of necessity, or need such as witnessing in court, or a disease that is affecting her body…” [Ahkam Al Quran 3/1579]
Imam Al-Qurtubi stated went even further stating; “It is forbidden for a woman to speak when non-related men are present and it is forbidden for men to hear the voice of a non-mahram woman as long as there is no need for that.”
What that means is that all of a woman is "a zone of shame" and obscene. Even the sound of her voice is a form of "nakedness" or "lewdness". Various Muslim authorities claim that this applies to even a woman's fingernails and eyes. A woman who fails to dress this way is behaving obscenely and is open to being assaulted, as the Koranic verse which orders Muslim women to cover themselves makes clear.
H/T: Gramfan
 Lorsqu’on a annoncé il y a deux mois que les hommes n’auraient plus le droit de travailler dans les boutiques pour femmes, certains ont exprimé des craintes quant à la sécurité des femmes sans gardiens de sexe masculin. Mais peu de gens auraient pu prévoir que cette mesure entraînerait une vague de crimes par des travestis.
Lundi, les policiers ont arrêté sept Afghans qu’ils accusent de porter des abayas pour dévaliser des magasins. Les hommes ont ciblé les boutiques employant uniquement du personnel féminin, a dit un officier de police. Les abayas offrent le double avantage de permettre aux hommes d’entrer dans des boutiques réservées aux femmes et de masquer leur identité afin de rendre leur arrestation plus difficile.
Lire la suite...Source: The National (Traduction d'extraits par Poste de veille)
August 31st, 2009 8:10 am - Phyllis Chesler
The Burqa: Ultimate Feminist Choice?
Naomi Wolf Discovers That Shrouds Are Sexy Women in chadors are really feminist ninja warriors. Rather than allow themselves to be gawked at by male strangers, they choose to defeat the “male gaze” by hiding from it in plain view.
But don’t you worry: Beneath that chador, abaya, burqa, or veil, there is a sexy courtesan wearing “Victoria Secret, elegant fashion, and skin care lotion,” just waiting for her husband to come home for a night of wild and sensuous marital lovemaking.
Obviously, these are not my ideas. I am quoting from a piece by Naomi Wolf that appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald a few days ago. Yes, Wolf is the bubbly, feminist author who once advised Vice President Al “The Climate” Gore on what colors he should wear while campaigning and who is or was friendly with Gore’s daughter. Full disclosure: I have casually known Wolf and her parents for more than a quarter-century.
Wolf recently traveled to Morocco, Jordan, and Eygpt, where she found the women “as interested in allure, seduction, and pleasure as women anywhere in the world.” Whew! What a relief. She writes:
“Many Muslim women I spoke with did not feel at all subjugated by the chador or the headscarf. On the contrary, they felt liberated from what they experienced as the intrusive, commodifying, basely sexualizing Western gaze. … Many women said something like this: …’how tiring it can be to be on display all the time. When I wear my headscarf or chador, people relate to me as an individual, not an object; I feel respected.’ This may not be expressed in a traditional Western feminist set of images, but it is a recognizably Western feminist set of feelings.”
Really? If so, I’m the Queen of England.
Now that Wolf is no longer the doe-eyed ingenue of yesteryear, she sees the advantage of not being on view at all times. A Westerner, “playing” Muslim-dress up, Wolf claims that hiding in plain view gave her “a novel sense of calm and serenity. I felt, yes, in certain ways, free.” In addition, Wolf believes that the marital sex is hotter when women “cover” and reveal their faces and bodies only to their husbands.
Marabel Morgan lives! In the mid-1970s, Morgan advised wives to greet their husbands at the door wearing sexy clothing and/or transparent saran wrap with only themselves underneath. Her book, Total Woman, sold more than ten million copies. According to Morgan, a Christian, “It’s only when a woman surrenders her life to her husband, reveres and worships him and is willing to serve him, that she becomes really beautiful to him.”
Well, what can I say? Here’s a few things.
Most Muslim girls and women are not given a choice about wearing the chador, burqa, abaya, niqab, jilbab, or hijab (headscarf), and those who resist are beaten, threatened with death, arrested, caned or lashed, jailed, or honor murdered by their own families. Is Wolfe thoroughly unfamiliar with the news coming out of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan on these very subjects? Has she forgotten the tragic, fiery deaths of those schoolgirls in Saudi Arabia who, in trying to flee their burning schoolhouse, were improperly veiled and who were beaten back by the all-powerful Saudi Morality Police? Most Muslim girls and women are impoverished and wear rags, not expensive Western clothing beneath their coverings. Only the pampered, super-controlled, often isolated, and uber-materialistic daughters of wealth, mainly in the Gulf states, but also among the ruling classes in the Islamic world, match Wolf’s portrait of well kept courtesan-wives.
Being veiled and obedient does not save a Muslim girl or woman from being incested, battered, stalked, gang-raped, or maritally raped nor does it stop her husband from taking multiple wives and girlfriends or from frequenting brothels. A fully “covered” girl-child, anywhere between the ages of 10-15, may still be forced into an arranged marriage, perhaps with her first cousin, perhaps with a man old enough to be her grandfather, and she is not allowed to leave him, not even if he beats her black and blue every single day.
Wolf claims that she donned a “shalwar kameez and a headscarf” for a trip to the bazaar. I suggest that Wolf understand that the shalwar kameez and headscarf that she playfully wore in Morocco are not the problem.
I wonder how Wolf would feel if she’d donned a burqa, chador (full body bags) or niqab (face mask) for that same trip; how well she would do in an isolation chamber that effectively blocked her five senses and made it difficult, if not impossible, for her to communicate with others?
And, by the way, the eerie effect, ultimately, of shrouded women is that they become invisible. They cease to exist. They are literally ghosts.
Wolf presents the West as anti-woman because it treats women as sex objects. Am I happy about pornography and prostitution in the West? Hell no and, unlike Wolf, I’ve fought against them–but to portray these vices as a “Western” evil, and one that the Islamic world opposes, is sheer madness.
It is well known that the Arabs and Muslims kept and still keep sex slaves–they are very involved in the global trafficking in girls and women and frequent prostitutes on every continent. You will find pornography magazines in every princely tent–those for boys as well as for girls. I am told that the Saudis fly in fresh planeloads of Parisian prostitutes every week. Perhaps they veil them before they conduct their all-night and all-day orgies. Or, perhaps they view them as natural, “infidel” prey.
Let me suggest that Wolf read a book that is coming out in September, written by a Christian-American woman, Mary Laurel Ross, whose American Air Force husband trained the Saudi Air Force. It is called Veiled Honor and is a timely, comprehensive, “nuanced” (Wolf calls for “nuance” in our understanding of “female freedom”) account of her approximately fifteen year sojourn in Saudi Arabia. I would also suggest that Wolf read the works of Ayaan Hirsi Ali (Infidel) and Nonie Darwish (Cruel and Usual Punishment) for starters.
Then again, I suspect that Wolf is not necessarily looking for any “nuanced” truths about “female freedom” but is, rather, fishing for Saudi gold and positioning herself within the Democratic Party. After all, what she has written in this brief article supports President Obama’s position vis a vis the Muslim world. Source: http://pajamasmedia.com/phyllischesler/2009/08/31/the-burqa-the-ultimate-feminist-choice/
 Danish politician Nader Khader says that "If anybody in the world should apologize to the rest of the world, it's Saudi Arabia.
They should apologize for oppressing their women.
They should apologize that women can only inherit half the portion of a brother.
They should apologize that women can't get a driver's license.
They should apologize that you can't build churches in synagogues in the country."
Khader adds that Saudi Arabia should also apologize for women having to wear a burka.
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Copyright Muslims Against Sharia 2008. All rights reserved.
E-mail: info AT ReformIslam.org
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Internationally acclaimed award winning Bangladeshi journalist, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury and his film production company recently announced a project [named Learning Through Entertainment], under which seven movies will be made on Sharia law, Jihad, Burqa, Stoning, Beheading, Polygamy and Child Marriage in Muslim nations.
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