NZ police union wants ban on burqa-wearing drivers

Maybe do what the Saudis do. Ban Muslim women from driving. Muslims can't complain - look at Saudi Arabia. NZ cops can't complain - no veiled drivers as a result.

Everyone's happy

Thank God some coppers have common sense. Even if the burqa-wearer is a woman, I'm sure the damned things impair the wearer's peripheral vision.

Ban these muslim women from driving as they do in Saudi? Oh the shame, then we would be like them and we wouldn't want that now would we? How about just banning the burka, that sounds like a plan.

More than one could ever want to know about varieties of covering in Islam:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sartorial_hijab

Which begs the question: Which variety of burqa? I'm assuming it's the one in the more general sense that has an opening for the eyes. Otherwise, the possibilities bring to mind the image of Ray Charles driving the bus in his cameo in Spy Hard.

there should be mass celebrations if this happens...

Burkas, hijabs, chadors and every other covering for muslim women should be banned outside muslim countries. Just because their "psuedo men" have a problem with women being uncovered, we as a civilized people don't need them, as our men can control themselves. This includes driving and not driving.

It is so much in our culture to show the face that it is embedded in our very language.
Must show my face at the office do.
Face the music. (haram of couse)
Face the music and dance. (haram with knobs on)
Ashamed to show her face. The phrase I always think of when I see a full face veil.
Face up to responsibility.

I'm no linguist, zwei bier bitte is about my limit, but do other languages have similar phrases?

I refer you to the excellent program recently air'd on PBS "Burquas and Beliefs"

It documeents the everyday life of woman in Afghanistan 3 years after the War and invloves a Western woman Living with a more moderate Muslim family.

In one incident, the western woman purchases a Burqa and then goes shopping with her Afghan female friend.

At first the burqua is tolerable to wear but within a short space of time the western woman loses her equilibrium and breaks down to the point of crying.

The program shows just how far woman have come in the 3 years, I fear it will be many more years before we see the death of the burqua as it is used by the men to control and define the honour of the woman.

As a compromise, why don't the women in a Burqua have a little periscope thingy attached and they can swivel it round to improve their vision?

Alternatively, have a male passenger who can see properly and he directs the woman on when to brake, turn, avoid collisions etc.

In any case, if an accident does happen, it is simply the will of Allah and so better vision would have made no difference.

Thanks for the good laugh Celsius!

Ah, interesting wikipedia page, Shinolite.

Though no photo was available for the chador (ubiquitous in Iran), my favorite line describing it was: 'Does not have slits for the hands and is held shut with the hands, teeth...'

No comment.

There's an urban legend I heard in London's east end, that three men had robbed a local bank, dressed in burqas, thus completely concealing their identities. As usual precise details could not be supplied, but i'm surprised that it hasn't been done yet.

'Does not have slits for the hands and is held shut with the hands, teeth...'

I always notice that even with hijab: the women seem to spend their entire lives fussing with the damned thing, because it keeps slipping off their hair. Keeping their hands busy trying to adjust their covering of course further disables them from participation in economic activity.

Of course western women sometimes disable themselves with ridiculously tight clothes and high heels. Major difference: in islam, you don't have a choice!

I just don't think that asking for an UNMASKED SOCIETY is such a bad thing............

"...under Islamic culture."
New Zealand is an Islamic culture?