- I clearly started that while I do not consider the burqa necessary in Islam, there is no shortage of Muslim people who do.
- I do not seek to force my interpretation of religion onto those people, and in a free society, they should be allowed to personally practice their religion as they see fit.
- How a Muslim woman (or any woman for that matter) chooses to dress herself is her business and her business only. Why does it concern you if a Muslim woman opts to veil herself?
- The moves to ban the veil are coming from right-wing, xenophobic politicians who make no secret of their contempt for Muslim immigrants. This new wave of legislation is clearly an attempt to target Muslim immigrants in particular, and Muslims (regardless of what they believe about the burqa’s place in Islam) are right to see this as an attack on their basic rights - I’m sorry if you’re to obtuse to realize that.
To put it another way - wearing a bindi is not a religious requirement for Hindu women (as far as I know). Yet, if France were to ban bindis outright, claiming that they were against French values, I’m fairly certain that you and other Hindus would (rightly) see this as an attempt to target Hindu immigrants, and would complain accordingly.
I don’t agree with Islamic states curbing the rights of minorities either. However, at least those Islamic states are being internally consistent, and openly proclaim the fact that they are Islamist theocracies. France and friends want to continue to proclaim themselves secular democracies while openly curtailing religious freedoms.