Chris Cooley down rep muslim been
Hardly. I'm against all attempts to exclude people on the basis of ethnicity, social status or gender from access to a public life -- and purdah certainly qualifies amply.
I am no respecter of "cultural difference" when fundamental rights are abrogated. Thus, I oppose female genital mutilation, a practice common in some muslim and christian communities, and would not hesitate to support the removal of a child from a setting where that was likely to occur, or even a distinct possibility.
On the other hand, the burkah and other forms of religious dress, while undesirable in my view, fall within the rights of discretion of parents of those who are minors. In my view, state intervention where there is not clear evidence of imminent serious harm is excessive and counter-productive. One cannot abrogate rights of religion and deny something such as this, so on balance, the practice must be tolerated.
Communities take their symbols very seriously, and if the secular state sets itself up as the enemy, as it has done in France, then the result will surely be a prolongation of the very instruments of reaction as a symbol of resistance to violation of religious freedom. Children are, by and large, by definition, to young to declare their willingness to spurn their parents' instruction and direction. We must let them come to their own view, in an environment that welcomes them into the secular world and allows them to contrast their life experience, with that of others.
Erect too high a threshhold for entry to this world, and many won't take it as early as we would like.
Fran
