Where are you taking this discussion to ? When did I make this a d*ck measuring contest between what the 'West allows and what we allow' ? What has the number of mosques in Israel or the number of synagogues in Pakistan got to do with one's personal choice to teach 'x,y,z' values to their children, to dress as they see fit and define 'modesty' and 'immodesty' as they see it fit !
Well, you quoted that Europe demands assimilation. So, I compared the situation of Europe to that of a few Islamic countries to illustrate that Europe is far more welcoming for foreign cultures compared to most Islamic countries.
My only contention was that 'why should the Western perspective on what is modest and what isn't ?, 'what is normal and what isn't ?' should be the barometer that everyone else should be measured by ? How is wrapping your head with a 'scarf' for a Muslim any more in contravention with the values of 'freedom and human rights' that the West espouses as its own, as it is for a Non-Muslim to do the same thing ? What is inherently 'abusive' of teaching your kid to wear a headscarf ? Why is 'that piece of clothing' anymore offensive to their delicate sensibilities as a pair of shorts would be to mine ? What doesn't the same 'State' cry 'immodesty' when the same parents were to ask their children to wear skimpy dresses ? And why does this stop at the 'head-scarf' of all things....surely those 'ringlets' that the Orthodox Jews keep, the un-cut hair that the Sikh Children keep or the 'right to have your children circumsized' in accordance with one's belief, are as intrusive for the first two and quite a bit more intrusive for the last ?
'why should the Western perspective on what is modest and what isn't ?, 'what is normal and what isn't ?' should be the barometer that everyone else should be measured by
Well, we are all here to give our respective perspectives in a debate. Maybe in your perspective a woman is modest if she wears headscarf and I somewhat agree with that. Perhaps my perspective is more "western" than yours. However, my contention is that there is a certain limit to what can be allowed and what cannot. And as I explained in my earlier post, the headscarf, when gains prominence, may induce a "piety divide", differentiating women on their headscarf preferences. Thus, the actual personality of those people will be overlooked and other woman who don't want to wear headscarf will be pressurized to do so.
Were we arguing on, say, a country like France, I could bring up many other reasons why headscarf should be banned but I am analyzing in
context of Turkey - a secular nation as envisioned by it's founding father however, composed of an Islamic majority.
Besides where does the 'right of the parent's' to raise their kids as per their belief systems end and 'its being forced upon them begins' ? Why is it that the buck always stops at the 'Muslim Headscarf' and not at a 'bikini' ? Why can't one argue that whilst taking your children to the beach whilst wearing a 'skimpy swimsuit' one is teaching promiscuity ? Why is it that one always argues that just because you've taught your kid that 'covering your head' with a scarf is a good thing, that you're imposing your beliefs or them or are violating their fundamental rights whereas one doesn't argue that asking your kid to wear clothes to begin with is a ludicrous, unnatural thing to begin with, as a Nudist would argue ? What is that threshold on which a said amount of 'cloth' is alright but cross it and it becomes 'transgression against the highest human ideals of freedom and liberty' ? And what kind of a precedent does this really set ?
'Why is that that right doesn't extend the other way around ?' Why is it that 'peer-pressure' to give up the hijab, to go from a said dress to another, a said hair-cut to another etc., not considered equally intrusive and hence socially unacceptable ? Why is that such exceptions are made in the case of the 'Headscarf' and the 'Headscarf' alone ?
And besides your assertion that 'its the voters who decide that' raises another question : Where does the democratic right of the People to set standards of propriety transgress the same 'freedom of choice' that the society proclaims as fundamental to their polity ? If it starts at the 'headscarf' then where does it end ? What kind of a precedent does it set for the future ?
Of course you can argue like that. I would agree with you that nudity, more accurately termed "indecent exposure" (as termed by US legislative system) should be banned in public places.
Actually, you can
never go for complete "freedom". Everything would be anarchy if that were so. The dilemma is to
minimize constraints to liberty while at the same time, ensuring that the society is not harmed as a result of one's "free" actions. Society would be harmed would people be allowed to freely roam around naked in public because sexuality would be unrestrained. Society would be potentially harmed as a result of the Headscarf culture gaining prominence, as I explained before. This is the problem with headscarf, as is the problem with nudity.
If there was a legislation saying that anyone who doesn't wear a headscarf will be penalized...I'd call that imperialism and I'd appose that vociferously as well. If, however, the export of the idea that the 'headscarf' is a good thing or it looks good on you, is 'imperialism' then what would one call all the 'suits and ties', the 'shirts and pants', the 'p-caps and t-shirts' as ?
It is not just exporting the idea "headscarf is a good thing/looks good'. If that were so there wouldn't be any problem. Many Muslims don't think that way. They think if you are a girl and don't wear headscarf, you are less pious than a girl who wears a headscarf. Similarly, if you are a girl wearing headscarf, you are automatically pious regardless of what you really may be. People with a more extremist mindset think if you don't wear headscarf, you may be heading for hell. They judge people based on appearances rather than personality.
This would deviate the topic somewhat but: Now as to why I used the term "imperialism", the culture of headscarf and veil was prominent as public dresses in pre-Islamic Arabia. Islam did not add anything to this at all but in fact, liberalized this culture so that it suits all sorts of culture over the world. In short, only mandated that "general modesty in attire according to individual perspective" be practiced, chest be covered, garments be "lengthened" according to individual perspective and lax dress code with family members.
Now what we have across the Islamic world is this Arab culture being falsely propagated as an Islamic requirement. When we see someone tagging an image in facebook warning "sisters" to not show any hair because her hair would burn in hell if she does (or something similar), it just shows how much this Arab culture has succeeded in influencing gullible Muslims in the name of Islam. Thus the term "Arab cultural imperialism in the garb of Islam".
You may not agree with the term because there are different religious interpretations but that would require a religious debate to make my point which is not permitted here.