Tuesday, January 12, 2010

French PM wants to ban the burqa

French PM Francois Fillon wants to ban the full Islamic veil through legislation. As there are existing laws on individual rights, his wish may not be a simple one. One cannot insist on his right to be different and at the same time for everyone else to treat him as if he is not. As long as differences between two people exist, one must accept that some friction is inevitable. The question is how big the "friction" is.

If I migrate to Congo and then choose to behave differently, dress differently, and insist on my right to do so, what reaction do I expect to get from the locals? In my opinion, if a person chooses to create differences between himself and others around him, he will most likely get some negative reaction, whether he is of the same race or not. Any ethnic group that wants to minimize the real or perceived threat of racial/cultural/religious discrimination should also work at eliminating the differences.

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