China has just banned the burqa in its biggest Muslim city

[Recursion]

http://qz.com/324805/china-has-just-banned-the-burqa-in-its-biggest-muslim-city/

Chinese authorities have banned women in the capital city of Xinjiang—an autonomous western region where Muslims account for almost half of the population—from wearing burqas in public, according to a brief article on a government-run website, Tianshan News. Local legislators for Urumqi proposed the ban in December, and now the regional legislature has approved it.

It’s not clear when the ban will go into effect. State media said only that it will be implemented after being modified to meet comments proposed in a meeting over the weekend.

What is clear, though, is that moves like these are likely to further alienate an already disenchanted minority group—the Uighurs, who feel their culture and economy is being overrun by Han Chinese. Ever since a group of Uighur Muslims went on a killing spree in a train station in Kunming last March, Chinese officials have ratcheted up restrictions on a group they see as potential extremists. Xinjiang officials later banned students and civil servants from fasting for Ramadan, and authorities in the Xinjiang city of Karamy barred anyone wearing burqas, niqabs, hijabs or simply “large beards” from taking public buses.

Despite—or as a result of—these measures, attacks and clashes involving Uighurs have only increased. Today, police in Shule county, near Kashgar, shot dead six attackers who were allegedly trying to detonate a series of explosives. Militants attacked police, residents, and officials in Shache county in August, leaving almost 100 dead.

As I've always said, the only proper answer to the oppression of women is for a different group of men to say what they can and cannot wear.

[uponit7771]

1. First they came for the Muslims......

[randome]

2. Well, women have virtually no power to make these changes so...

[hr][font color="blue"][center]All things in moderation, including moderation.[/center][/font][hr]

[Recursion]

3. So take away even more power from them? (nt)

[randome]

4. I don't know of a perfect answer.

But who banned burning crosses? African-Americans? Who banned the Swastika? Jews? The burqa is a symbol, too.

I still say the Eastern and Western hemispheres are merging and conflict is inevitable for some time to come. Eventually there will be a homogenization of cultures but it won't happen if we foolishly think everything is fine so long as we don't do anything.

Banning the burqa may not be a perfect solution -or even a good one- but things need to change.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"If you're bored then you're boring." -Harvey Danger[/center][/font][hr]