Should the Burqa be banned in Australia

[redden whites]

I want Christian priests of all the demoninations in robes banned for security reasons too then please.Also if Jesus himself returns I demand his robes are banned also.I also demand fat people in baggy clothes or dressed in a Muumuu be banned from the local bank as well.Kids at the drive-in on Saturday night in dressing gowns are banned as well due to security reasons.

If we all live in such fear as I have read here the terrorists have won the battle years ago.I would also de-register the Boston Celtics from the NBA due to possible IRA ties in the past.

[White Line Fever]

I want Christian priests of all the demoninations in robes banned for security reasons too then please.Also if Jesus himself returns I demand his robes are banned also.I also demand fat people in baggy clothes or dressed in a Muumuu be banned from the local bank as well.Kids at the drive-in on Saturday night in dressing gowns are banned as well due to security reasons.

If we all live in such fear as I have read here the terrorists have won the battle years ago.I would also de-register the Boston Celtics from the NBA due to possible IRA ties in the past.

I believe the covering of the face is the main issue.

[redden whites]

I do not mind the head scarf but the full body thing actually scares me. Why because I cannot see their eyes or facial movement.

Bloody hell ,are you scared of Stevie Wonder, Joan Rivers and Sam Newman too.

[Psyber]

If someone can enter a bank in a Burqa I should be allowed to wear my motor cycle helmet if I choose.

[Strawb]

I do not mind the head scarf but the full body thing actually scares me. Why because I cannot see their eyes or facial movement.

Bloody hell ,are you scared of Stevie Wonder, Joan Rivers and Sam Newman too.

lol on that one but I feel it is disrespectful and I agree with Psyber why should we have to expose our faces in Banks and they have the right not to. You come to Australia and we have to bow down and accept your beliefs. Why not respect our way of life and see it from both sides of the coin. I do respect their belief with the head scarf not the Burqa.

[Mic]

Threads like this should be banned.

[Dirko]

Threads like this should be banned.

Why ?

[Mr66]

A more important question is should the mullet be banned ?

Nope..but you could stick a wall around Adelaide...

[fish]

I reckon beards are more of a priority for banning - far more robberies are committed by people with beards than by people with burqas.

[Il Duce]

Threads like this should be banned.

Why everyone is intilted to there opinon and thats the beatuy of living in this country we can have our own opinions and arguee the points with each other. Just sometimes people need to remember we should respect peoples opinion even if we do disagree with them.

[Q.]

I reckon beards are more of a priority for banning - far more robberies are committed by people with beards than by people with burqas.

[Pseudo]

I reckon beards are more of a priority for banning - far more robberies are committed by people with beards than by people with burqas.

Well I guess Ty Allen helped Glenelg steal a few games this year...

[prowling panther]

I say ban the Burka, and the people wearing them.

[RustyCage]

there more you oppress a people the more they fight back.

Nothing is more oppressive than not being allowed to go outside and show your face and having to be completely covered.

[Squawk]

I have spoken directly with Dr Such about his proposal, and in my view it is flawed. It has arisen because some people in motor rego are worried that faces are not visible when the burqua is worn. (Is there an ‘end of the world’ emoticon? If so, insert here). Having said that, Dr Such’s proposal does not focus on the dress of muslim women, it is intended to be generic and I suspect the media has only focussed on the divisive issue.

Whilst obscuring a person’s face is not ideal, it is not a big issue in the whole scheme of things.

If a person was to pose a muslim women by wearing a burqu/hijab as they robbed a bank, it would be more trouble than it was worth in all likelihood. Not only are burquas/hijabs a rare sight, imagine seeing one AND seeing the wearer running down the street and laying rubber in their (getaway) car? Complete attention grabber.
Most crims are dumb as. They wouldn’t even think of buying this, never mind know where to get one. And if they did want one, they’d be fish out of water in the place where they went to source it.
As others have mentioned, it’s very easy to disguise a face – make up, facial hair, hairstyles etc.
If you ban this, why not ban the hoodie? The baseball cap? These are often used to impede CCTV. Why do we have CCTV? To help clarify what happened and rule in or rule out what witnesses have suggested, as well as act as a deterrent to crime. How many crimes are committed by people wearing hoodies and baseball caps, versus people dressed in (or dressed up in) a burqua/hijab?
Why not ban the backpack? The overcoat? These can conceal weapons. I wont mention the shoe bomber or the underpants bomber.
Why not ban window tinting? Sunglasses? Hell, why not ban the parking of cars in the street lest it be packed with explosives.
People are jumping up and down because airport screening will soon enable scanning that is akin to naked assessment. We cant have that, but ban the burqua? Yeah, why not.
Finally, without a burqua you see a face but so what. Who is that person? Maybe we should all wear our own human numberplates on our foreheads so we can not only be recognised, but we can all be identified wherever we are, and whatever we are doing at the time.


Facts

There are no muslim women incarcerated in SA, and a very small number of muslim men. Many muslim men who are incarcerated, are muslim converts after they have been incarcerated.
There have been no actual or attempted suicide bombings in Australia, nor am I aware of any crimes committed in Australia where the burqua has been deliberately used for the purposes of disguise. Is anyone else aware of this occurring?
The only country that I am aware of where burquas/hijabs have been used to pursue an act of violence, is Israel. Anyone able to suggest otherwise? Israel is a different world altogether to our world here.
Banks are rarely robbed these days. If they are, is it typically in a country location where security upgrades have not been undertaken. I don’t recall a Motor rego ever being held up, and these days BOTH have security guards present.
How many muslim women have you seen in Adelaide or SA, wearing a burqua/hijab? There aren’t very many at all.
Most witnesses are unable to provide an accurate picture of the circumstances they saw. You could ask say 5 people “what did they look like” and you would get a height and weight differential of say 10%; some say they had one lot of clothes on and others say no, the colours were different; some say aged 20, others say aged 40; and that’s before you ask them to describe the car or provide a numberplate! The face is just one very small part of a much bigger picture of events.


This proposal has not been thought out properly at all. It has not been discussed with law enforcement. It has not been discussed with Multicultural Affairs people, non-government or not-for-profit organisations. And incredibly, it has not been discussed with the muslim community to the best of my knowledge to date. No dialogue with any stakeholders = big problems and polarised views.

Someone should do a risk assessment of the scenario of a person (muslim or not) using a burqua as a tool of trade in the commission of a crime. I can think of plenty of other risks and threats to safety and security that warrant legislated attention before this matter does. Need I mention The Australian newspaper allegedly printing a story and distributing the newspapers announcing terrorism raids and arrests BEFORE police had conducted the raids, despite pleas from law enforcement to hold off on the story until they had done their job to the point where they were ready to take overt action? (see http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s2853028.htm or http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/04/14/the-murky-legal-battle-behind-the-ozs-terror-raids-scoop/ These circumstances are far more serious security issues for the Australian community than whether a woman wears a burqua to pop in to motor rego to pay her govt bill, IMHO.

[Il Duce]

there more you oppress a people the more they fight back.

Nothing is more oppressive than not being allowed to go outside and show your face and having to be completely covered.

To us that maybe the case, to them its normal and apart of life its not up to us to tell them if its right or wrong to do that and if they wish to wear it than so be it.

[Magpiespower]

Ed Hardy... T-Shirts.

Must be getting old.

Had no idea about this until I saw my niece's boyfriend wearing one.

Bogan couture.

[Choccies]

I reckon beards are more of a priority for banning - far more robberies are committed by people with beards than by people with burqas.

If we're working on that theory then Wu Tang, Dada and Everlast hoodies should be banend too....

[tipper]

I have spoken directly with Dr Such about his proposal, and in my view it is flawed. It has arisen because some people in motor rego are worried that faces are not visible when the burqua is worn. (Is there an ‘end of the world’ emoticon? If so, insert here). Having said that, Dr Such’s proposal does not focus on the dress of muslim women, it is intended to be generic and I suspect the media has only focussed on the divisive issue.

Whilst obscuring a person’s face is not ideal, it is not a big issue in the whole scheme of things.

If a person was to pose a muslim women by wearing a burqu/hijab as they robbed a bank, it would be more trouble than it was worth in all likelihood. Not only are burquas/hijabs a rare sight, imagine seeing one AND seeing the wearer running down the street and laying rubber in their (getaway) car? Complete attention grabber.
Most crims are dumb as. They wouldn’t even think of buying this, never mind know where to get one. And if they did want one, they’d be fish out of water in the place where they went to source it.
As others have mentioned, it’s very easy to disguise a face – make up, facial hair, hairstyles etc.
If you ban this, why not ban the hoodie? The baseball cap? These are often used to impede CCTV. Why do we have CCTV? To help clarify what happened and rule in or rule out what witnesses have suggested, as well as act as a deterrent to crime. How many crimes are committed by people wearing hoodies and baseball caps, versus people dressed in (or dressed up in) a burqua/hijab?
Why not ban the backpack? The overcoat? These can conceal weapons. I wont mention the shoe bomber or the underpants bomber.
Why not ban window tinting? Sunglasses? Hell, why not ban the parking of cars in the street lest it be packed with explosives.
People are jumping up and down because airport screening will soon enable scanning that is akin to naked assessment. We cant have that, but ban the burqua? Yeah, why not.
Finally, without a burqua you see a face but so what. Who is that person? Maybe we should all wear our own human numberplates on our foreheads so we can not only be recognised, but we can all be identified wherever we are, and whatever we are doing at the time.


Facts

There are no muslim women incarcerated in SA, and a very small number of muslim men. Many muslim men who are incarcerated, are muslim converts after they have been incarcerated.
There have been no actual or attempted suicide bombings in Australia, nor am I aware of any crimes committed in Australia where the burqua has been deliberately used for the purposes of disguise. Is anyone else aware of this occurring?
The only country that I am aware of where burquas/hijabs have been used to pursue an act of violence, is Israel. Anyone able to suggest otherwise? Israel is a different world altogether to our world here.
Banks are rarely robbed these days. If they are, is it typically in a country location where security upgrades have not been undertaken. I don’t recall a Motor rego ever being held up, and these days BOTH have security guards present.
How many muslim women have you seen in Adelaide or SA, wearing a burqua/hijab? There aren’t very many at all.
Most witnesses are unable to provide an accurate picture of the circumstances they saw. You could ask say 5 people “what did they look like” and you would get a height and weight differential of say 10%; some say they had one lot of clothes on and others say no, the colours were different; some say aged 20, others say aged 40; and that’s before you ask them to describe the car or provide a numberplate! The face is just one very small part of a much bigger picture of events.


This proposal has not been thought out properly at all. It has not been discussed with law enforcement. It has not been discussed with Multicultural Affairs people, non-government or not-for-profit organisations. And incredibly, it has not been discussed with the muslim community to the best of my knowledge to date. No dialogue with any stakeholders = big problems and polarised views.

Someone should do a risk assessment of the scenario of a person (muslim or not) using a burqua as a tool of trade in the commission of a crime. I can think of plenty of other risks and threats to safety and security that warrant legislated attention before this matter does. Need I mention The Australian newspaper allegedly printing a story and distributing the newspapers announcing terrorism raids and arrests BEFORE police had conducted the raids, despite pleas from law enforcement to hold off on the story until they had done their job to the point where they were ready to take overt action? (see http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s2853028.htm or http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/04/14/the-murky-legal-battle-behind-the-ozs-terror-raids-scoop/ These circumstances are far more serious security issues for the Australian community than whether a woman wears a burqua to pop in to motor rego to pay her govt bill, IMHO.

Good points. just so you know, the only motor rego office to be held up was Tranmere years ago. And rego offices do not have security guards, but that is beside the point.

I think the concerns raised by rego dept was that when someone applies for a licence and they wear a burqa they cannot be asked to remove it for the photo. it could be anyone under it at the time of issue of the licence, and any one under it if they were pulled over by the police while driving. i don think it is just for when someone comes into pay the registration on their car.

Not that i am saying they should be banned by the way, i was just trying ot add some clarification.

[Psyber]

I reckon beards are more of a priority for banning - far more robberies are committed by people with beards than by people with burqas.

Having worn a beard since 1968, and never having robbed anything but maybe, hypothetically, and allegedly, the ATO, I take exception to that.