While much attention is being paid to European countries considering banning the burka, which allows only the eyes of Muslim women to be seen, an Arab country is barring its teachers from wearing them.
Some groups in Europe consider banning the burka to be an assault on women's rights.
When confronted with the indisputable fact that some women wear them under pressure from their husbands, these groups reply that some women want to wear them. The idea is that this is their own way of interpreting the Koran.
The Syrian government sees it differently. First, they deny, as have many other Islamic scholars, that the Koran requires that they be worn.
The government also said wearing them while working for the government, as teachers, violates the country's desire to remain secular and not sectarian.
The Al Arabiya website, reported Tuesday that Damascus had fired 1,200 teachers for wearing burkas in their classrooms.
"Education in Syrian schools follows an objective, secular methodology and this is undermined by wearing the face veil," said Education Minister Ali Saad. He said other ministers would also be requiring that women stop wearing burkas to their jobs or risk dismissal.
Another website also reported on the firings.
The Syrian feminist website "Syrian Women Observatory," supported the decision. It said the face veil is a return to the Middle Ages and is a sign of extremism.
"Eliminating women's identity through covering their faces has nothing to do with religion, whether Islam or Christianity or any other faith," the website said.
This is not the first time the issue of whether women's rights should exempt them from laws in the West. Police found that women who reported spousal abuse ultimately would refuse to press charges.
In some areas in the U.S., laws were passed requiring that an arrest be made any time police responded to a report of domestic abuse.
There have been reports of women being harmed, even killed, in North America at least partly because they refused to wear burkas.
They are called honor killings. The United Nations Population Fund estimates there may be as many as 5,000 such deaths annually.
In Europe the face veil is also considered a security risk and an impediment for drivers who wear them.
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Islamists had better tighten the screws before things really get out of hand.
No official source has confirmed this piece of news yet
I noticed none of them demand further proof that in the 7th Century some guy overnight rode a magic horse ( that's 1300km) ....from Arabia to Jerusalem. LOL.....
In this case it is a positive development-- a rarity in Syria.
http://www.muslimwestfacts.com/mwf/103465/Saudi-Arabia-Majorities-Support-Womens-Rights.aspx
Oh yes, Muslim immigrant communities given opportunity to be free in the West immediately eliminated their religiously based oppression of women...
Yes, yes, the Sharia laws, burqas, child marriages, honor crimes, female genital mutilation... all gone..... (sarcasm full on)..
700 BC? Who are you to cite 2700 year old Greek philosophers as guides for the Muslim world?
Why dont yo first fix the problems in America and show the Arabic countries that you are better and worthy of being followed. Like ending sexual violence. And ending prostitution. And ending divorce. And child abuse and child molestation. And show how American males can live in peace and harmony with females.
When you do that, then start speaking.
Societies that foster equality of rights for women are correct to criticize societies that do not. The Arab national religion, Islam, defines equality in a way that is clearly unacceptable in much of the world. Live with it.
what is banned in Syria?
the burqa is mentioned, yet Syrian women don't wear burqas
is it niqab (facial covering)that is banned?
is hijab (head scarf to cover the hair?
is it the veil? (what is a veil?)
First, if the Europeans and Americans hadn't made such a fuss over these veils, does anyone seriously think that the US government wouldn't be condemning this action as an attack on women's rights.
Secondly, it is the position of the 'ban the Burka' supporters that all, or almost all women would reject them, if they were free to choose, but given the number who have been charged/dismissed, it seems the opposite is true.
Thirdly, 'honour killings' is a term that is applied to domestic violence by whichever group of immigrants is presently considered 'other'. (When I was young, it was used exclusively to describe domestic violence by Italians, and other 'Mediteranians')
BTW, when Egypt imposed a specific ban (and there is a world of difference between specific bans, and the more general public display ones that are being considered), a group of the women involved sued their government for the right to wear them.
Which begs the question, why would these women, who also want to see equality for women, do that, seeing as most Westerners see Sharia as oppressive of women?
Maybe because the women who are most familiar with what Sharia ACTUALLY is see it as something different.
Some reading material for you Jan:
http://www.muslimwestfacts.com/mwf/26686/What-Muslim-Women-Want-12132006.aspx
http://www.muslimwestfacts.com/mwf/105520/What-Muslim-Women-Want-excerpt-from-Who-Speaks-Islam.aspx
(Mulimwestfacts is a Gallup/Coexist Foundation joint venture)
Ask yourself who is likely to have a clearer view of Sharia, those who see it warts and all, or those who only see the warts?
Given that context, it is not surprising that those in power in Muslim-majority countries would be worried about their future and want to curb the growing fundamentalism.
What the article didnt mention was the presence of perhaps a million Iraqi refugees and 1000s of foreign fighters who supported the Iraqi insurgency. Syria is too poor to support the Iraqi refugee presence and they are not willing to return to Iraq due to its current state.
One of the few positives for the Syrian regime is its recent peace treaty with Turkey. Syria recently arrested 400 PKK supporters which is sure to make relations with Turkey amicable. Otherwise Syria is a poor country with a static economy.
But for the regime to be toppled it would require some independent unpredictable event. For Turkey, the groundbreaking event was teh Izmir earthquake of 1999. The secular dominated regime and military failed miserably in the search, rescue, and rebuilding, as well as was corrupt. This gave the AKP the path for political power.
The Syrian regime will not simply be toppled from popular discontent.There needs to be a catalyst. A war with Israel might do it, or an earthquake.