I have been the beneficiary of many a woman’s choice. I do respect their choices indeed, madam.

This is the net argument, isn’t it now? It is a battle of openness.

We are not talking about a lack. We are talking about present day, heightened, specific persecution. There is no parallel story here, no equivalent situation.

Nor is it the place for nuance more generally, but try I must.

You are suggesting that women wear burqas out of self-chosen modesty!!!???

Listen... there are many smart women in the world that accomplish great things. The women who believe that they should hide themselves from society and only let their husband see them are not those people. They are figures of perpetual oppression and you are supporting that objective with your argument.

I often do not wear pants. In fact, whenever possible I remove them. But to equate indecent exposure with an oppressive culture that demands women cover every inch of their body is to not understand the issue.

If what you suggest here was generally applicable to anything at all, the national conversation would be a gradeschool dance.

You are really trying to say that some women wear burqas ironically? That’s a new one. Like a Halloween costume? Can’t imagine that would be ok these days.

Hmmm interesting... a particular version of religion structurally persecutes women and other non-males and we should make sure this is allowed to continue because we want to avoid persecution?

It is not. The government needs to ban them entirely, like they did in France.

I’ve explained it nearly two times already in this thread. The women are not the ones really making the choices. The weight of historical and religious guilt coerces them to, not to mention their husbands’ demands.

Maybe a more measured approach then, like keeping them legal but removing the veil [no pun intended] of faux cultural understanding that protects them from extreme ridicule?

Say that again and I’ll make you put on your burqa!

Well, I went to Austin once and loved it, so I guess it’s one of those agree to disagree situations.

Except the women aren’t really choosing, if you examine the situation with even a spec of objectivity or curiosity.

That already happens, burqa or not. Honor killings are real. In fact, and let me tell you this story is a crazy one! In fact, there is just such a case going on right now in Pakistan, I believe. Their version of Kim K was just murdered by her brother in an “honor killing!” Can you believe it? If she wasn’t so…

Totally different and a very bad comparison. A burqa is meant to shame and differentiate women. Burqas are used to hide women from society. Headscarves and wigs, not so much. Yours is a false equivalence.

Except a burqa is more than a symbol. It actually shames women, whether those individual women realize that or not. It is pure discrimination and misogyny. No place for that in civilized society, though with all this Trump shit I guess what does that even mean right?

Burqas =/= Head Scarves !!! I cannot stress that point enough.