So if a segment of the population suddenly sees a problem with jeans, you would be in favor of outlawing jeans? That's a very powerful influence that the government seems to get to impact people's daily life.

I'm British. Practice whatever religious beliefs you want. But if the law says you can't wear a burka when you visit Tesco, you can't do it.
It is the same as me going to Saudi Arabia and wanting to drink alcohol. If I can't do it because it is against their laws, are they not singling out a specific cultural group in the same way. The Europeans who like a glass of wine with their meal have to leave the country in the same way you mention.

That's their choice, they can stay if they wish to observe the country's laws.

Luckily jeans seem a safe bet. Having your face hidden when in public does seem like it could cause more problems than wearing a pair of jeans.

Yes, for this reason, many would argue that Britain has a much more open society than Saudi Arabia. It's what sets Britain (and many other European countries) apart from countries like Saudi Arabia.
And does Britain really want to be like Saudi Arabia?? Because banning items of clothing that particular cultural groups require as part of their religious practices sounds dangerously close to it. Britain stands for a liberal, open and free society.

I understand your take on it bit I also understand that if somewhere bans something, that's their choice. I don't want to go down the route of comparing Britain to countries that chop off thieves hands or where Facebook is banned from the internet by the government...That's a major exaggeration in this context.

An interesting point here, but to put this issue in a wider context, it is not just the burka which has been banned in France.

As of 11 April 2011 the following law was passed in France: "Act prohibiting concealment of the face in public space"

It is worth pointing out that this covers any sort of head scarf (foulards, which are most definitely part of French culture), the burka, even balaclavas (the latter was included so that the authorities can see the faces of (often young) rioters or demonstrators). So, this law applies to all segments of the population, not just muslims.

Whilst it is not illegal to wear a balaclava in a London street, I'm sure the police would approach you quite quickly to make enquiries.

^Good point. Within the context of a riot, it makes sense. However, I doubt this law will have much effect in that context. If someone really wants to torch cars in a riot, they won't respect the "no facial concealment" law either lol.

What is worrying to me is that a Muslim woman wearing a Burka or Balaclava walking her kid to kindergarden can be stopped by police on the way and forced to remove it or be arrested, or whatever the procedure is. That's not really what you want a free society to look like in the long term.

If it's not linked to crime, then the only problem I see with it from reading the thread is the intimidation it supposedly causes. Not being part of our culture isn't really a good enough point to get something banned, otherwise you can't draw a line. Would you ban foreign foods because they're not British?

Onto intimidation, there are plenty of other thing's intimidating that wouldn't be banned (e.g. full face tattoo's, etc.). A burka being intimidating is purely down to ignorance and misguided media representation of it.

The burka is a covers the whole body, and many women find it liberating because they can't be judeged by men on their appearance.

If you're going to cause problems then you aren't going to follow this anyway. So all's it would do is prevent law-abiding citizens being able to have their freedom.

Beards are intimidating, also conceals your chin!

Petition time!!!!

I would be all for banning the burka in Australia , my point of view is its not to offend anyone , its a safety issue that faces should not be hidden for a number of reasons , you cant walk into public shopping centres with a motorbike helmet or balaclava on because your face is hidden and you cant be identified in the case of crime , so why should a group be allowed to cover up there faces , i don't care if its in there religion to do so , the way the world is going these days safety should and has to come first .
BAN THE BURKA

I would also like to point out , there are rules in place for reasons , look at funky pool an English only speaking site , yet it is available all over the world , its against the rules of this site to speak in a different language , i'm sure a lot of non English speaking people would be offended for being booted for speaking there native language , but the rule is in place so moderators can understand whats being written , no different to being able to identify someone in public places .

Edited at 00:00 Sat 22/09/12 (BST)

Good ruck Kid!Listen to dr shakamto!!

WMR'sO

The big difference here is that funkypool is privately owned, so the owner can do what he/she wants.
If you want to ban the burka in your home, that's fine too. Banning it in public is a whole new issue.

It's gonna get mighty cold in the winter when you can't wear a ski mask to protect yourself from the biting wind!!

To your other point- if I wear nice big sunglasses and pull my hat low, you won't be able to identify me either. If I grow a big fat beard, you won't be able to identify me either. Burka or not.

Depends where you grow the beard I guess Seb