Text 7509, 41 rader
Skriven 2010-05-03 11:33:48 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
   Kommentar till text 7494 av Dale Shipp (1:261/1466.0)
Ärende: Belgium
===============
Dale Shipp wrote to Robert Bashe on Sunday May 02 2010 at 22:43:

DS> I would say that passing a law prohibiting people from wearing
DS> religiously mandated clothing is not showing tolerance for the customs
DS> of immigrants. But that is what Belgium has recently done, and France
DS> is close to doing.

I agree, but think such "intolerance" is not only justified, but needed to
preserve the culture of the countries to which immigrants come. Nobody is
forced to immigrate to another country, where the customs and laws are
different and perhaps radically divergent from those with which one is familiar
- but if one _does_ emigrate, one must accept that the dominant culture is that
of the new country, not of the old, and must adapt to that. If one finds that
unpalatable or impossible, one can simply stay where one is and not emigrate.

What do you think would happen if I were to claim that my religion prohibits me
from covering my penis in public, and therefore went around town with an open
zipper with my penis hanging out?

That may seem an extreme example, but the burkah is too. It belongs where it
came from: in rigidly islamic societies. Not in modern Europe, and not in the
USA. Head scarves are a middle road - on windy days, you see those on
non-muslims as well as muslims - but naturally not indoors.

But anyone who knowingly, intentionaly and visibly distances himself or herself
from the population of the country of residence cannot claim to identify
him/herself with that country, and is certainly not "assimilated" - which is in
the interest of the country, if not necessarily in the interest of the
individual (who, again, is not forced to live where he or she feels
uncomfortable with the local customs and laws).

Again, what people do in their own homes - assuming no criminal behavior - is
their business. But what they do in public is not exclusively their affair -
it's also the business of the country they live in and its inhabitants.

Tolerance is good, but too much tolerance is cultural suicide.

Cheers, Bob

--- GoldED+/W32 1.1.5-0613
 * Origin: Jabberwocky System - 02363-56073 ISDN/V34 (2:2448/44)