Sarkozy Makes a Fashion Statement

Let's see what kind of righteous rage this stirs up:

President Nicolas Sarkozy lashed out Monday at the practice of wearing the Muslim burqa, insisting the full-body religious gown is a sign of the "debasement" of women and that it won't be welcome in France.

The French leader expressed support for a recent call by dozens of legislators to create a parliamentary commission to study a small but growing trend of wearing the full-body garment in France.

In the first presidential address in 136 years to a joint session of France's two houses of parliament, Sarkozy laid out his support for a ban even before the panel has been approved—braving critics who fear the issue is a marginal one and could stigmatize Muslims in France.

"In our country, we cannot accept that women be prisoners behind a screen, cut off from all social life, deprived of all identity," Sarkozy said to extended applause in a speech at the Chateau of Versailles southwest of Paris.

"The burqa is not a religious sign, it's a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement—I want to say it solemnly," he said. "It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic."

In France, the terms "burqa" and "niqab" often are used interchangeably. The former refers to a full-body covering worn largely in Afghanistan with only a mesh screen over the eyes, whereas the latter is a full-body veil, often in black, with slits for the eyes.

There's a variety of acceptable dress for Muslim women, depending on their sect and how closely they cling to their 7th century roots. I don't know that I've ever seen a women in full burqa in Orange County, but I am seeing more and more of the other varieties of Muslim women's wear.

The other night we went to Costco and there I saw a Muslim women serving food samples to shoppers. What made it more interesting was the food she was serving was pork tenderloins. I thought that was pretty much a straight ticket to hell for Muslims to have any contact with pork.
Maybe she was on infidel condemnation duty, making sure the rest of us don't make it to paradise.