Amnesty International says Europe is Racial

24 April 2012 Last updated at 12:33
Human rights group Amnesty International says Muslims who openly show their faith suffer widespread discrimination in Europe.

In a new report, the group urges Europe's governments to do more to challenge negative stereotypes and prejudices against Muslims.

In particular, it says Muslims face exclusion from jobs and education for wearing traditional forms of dress.

It also criticises the bans on Muslim women's veils passed in some states.

"Muslim women are being denied jobs and girls prevented from attending regular classes just because they wear traditional forms of dress, such as the headscarf. Men can be dismissed for wearing beards associated with Islam," the group's discrimination specialist Marco Perolini said.

"Rather than countering these prejudices, political parties and public officials are all too often pandering to them in their quest for votes."

'Freedom of expression'

The report highlights moves in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Spain to ban the full-face veils worn by some Muslim women, as well as the ban on minarets enacted in Switzerland in 2009.

It also criticises rules in many countries that forbid students from wearing the headscarf or other religious and traditional dress at school.

"Wearing religious and cultural symbols and dress is part of the right of freedom of expression. It is part of the right to freedom of religion or belief - and these rights must be enjoyed by all faiths equally," Mr Perolini said.

According to the rights group, bans on full-face veils cannot be justified by security concerns, except in certain circumstances such as security checks or high-risk areas.

While applauding the desire to stop women from being coerced into wearing traditional or religious dress, it says this should not be achieved by banning individual women from wearing certain items of clothing.

Amnesty International also accuses Belgium, France and the Netherlands of failing to implement properly laws banning discrimination in employment.

Its report says employers are being allowed to discriminate on the grounds that religious or cultural symbols will conflict with colleagues, customers or the company's image.

Citing statistics showing lower rates of employment among female immigrants from Muslim countries, the report says surveys of Muslim women suggest this is in part to blame on discrimination.

The report's recommendations include the creation of national anti-discrimination bodies and greater efforts to monitor discrimination on religious grounds.

What a load of rubbish! The full face veil is not even required by the Qur'An. Modesty is required, not walking around like a tent or like someone who has just tied up their camel, having come through a sand storm. The veil is brilliant face covering for anyone in desert regions, to protect the face, but I've never seen a sand storm in Birmingham or Leicester where the veil seems to be very popular.

AnnaEsse wrote:What a load of rubbish! The full face veil is not even required by the Qur'An. Modesty is required, not walking around like a tent or like someone who has just tied up their camel, having come through a sand storm. The veil is brilliant face covering for anyone in desert regions, to protect the face, but I've never seen a sand storm in Birmingham or Leicester where the veil seems to be very popular.

AnnaEsse, just over a generation ago many of us knew nothing about the Middle East, never mind how Muslim Women dressed. Now, within a second generation Muslims will be the dominant Religion and they will rule the World. France is aware of the problem and Sarkozy has taken action , Britain has no plans to weed out the illegals and those who do not attempt to learn the Language or integrate claim all the benefit going and free health care and I
do know what I am talking about because I worked for the NHS live in an Area where the indigenous population will soon be the minority.

it's not the religion, Catholics, Protestants, Jehovahs Witnesses. Baptists etc have lived together in harmony for many Generations, this Religion and
all it means is quite different, even America , home to so many Religions is feeling the effects of so many Arab Countries settling there.

It is rubbish. We had a teller in our local bank in a full face veil, and nobody would go to her counter to be served by her. People would rather stand in a big queue to wait for someone else, than hand over their bank details to someone who only had their eyes visible. She still works in the bank but she's got some sort of job "through the back" now, they had to take her off the front counter after several complaints. I know that one was from a neighbour of ours, who objected to having to remove his bike helmet when he went into the bank. He said he couldn't see the difference and tbh neither can I.

Apparently the Muslims in New York wanted their Driving Licence photo with their veil on.......the Mayor of New York drew the line at that. I wouldn't
mind if they learned the Language and integrated but they even have their own School now.

My Sister lives in an Area heavily populated with Muslims and her Neighbour has complained to the Council about the cooking smells permeating all
over the Road,

The only people discriminated against are the British themselves. Last year our friends were flying out from East Midlands to here, a muslim family were in front of them at security, the woman was wearing the head covering scarf, they didn't ask her to remove it. My friend was wearing a light silk scarf round her neck, she was told to remove it, when she asked why because the woman in front didn't have to remove her headscarf she was told very rudely that it was none of her business. I'd call that discrimination.

mara thon wrote:The only people discriminated against are the British themselves. Last year our friends were flying out from East Midlands to here, a muslim family were in front of them at security, the woman was wearing the head covering scarf, they didn't ask her to remove it. My friend was wearing a light silk scarf round her neck, she was told to remove it, when she asked why because the woman in front didn't have to remove her headscarf she was told very rudely that it was none of her business. I'd call that discrimination.

There is discrimination. There are places of work where Christians are risking the sack for wearing crosses, yet Muslim women can wear headscarves and Sikhs can wear turbans and all the other accoutrements, like the bangle and the dagger.

This image speaks louder than any words I could use.

What the soft-hearted, brainless liberals have done, is to make life very difficult for all the immigrants who have integrated, learned the language, are in work and pay their taxes. For that reason alone, immigration should have been curtailed.
I once - at least ten years ago- saw an interview with a West Indian woman complaining about the ceaseless immigration. Because the first and second generation immigrants are seen as spongers like the many fake asylum seekers.

Islam, whatever they say, is not a tolerant religion. Some will quote you the early suras, but the book tells you to take heed only of the later suras. Which tell muslims it is their duty to kill non believers.

I used to do free translations for Amnesty, no more!

AnnaEsse wrote:This image speaks louder than any words I could use.

That's Excellent AnnaEsse.

I know it's racial , not sure if I still have it....it's a joke showing a guy taking a Family photo of about 10 female relatives , all you can see are their eyes........very funny . ,

tigger wrote:What the soft-hearted, brainless liberals have done, is to make life very difficult for all the immigrants who have integrated, learned the language, are in work and pay their taxes. For that reason alone, immigration should have been curtailed.
I once - at least ten years ago- saw an interview with a West Indian woman complaining about the ceaseless immigration. Because the first and second generation immigrants are seen as spongers like the many fake asylum seekers.

Islam, whatever they say, is not a tolerant religion. Some will quote you the early suras, but the book tells you to take heed only of the later suras. Which tell muslims it is their duty to kill non believers.

I used to do free translations for Amnesty, no more!

Morning tigger, the NHS probably couldn't survive without Immigrants and there are many fine Doctors etc working in Hospitals and Practices. The
problem is, no one is checking out Immigrants who immediately enjoy all the benefits without making any contributions. This is true, across the Road
from me someone I know was telling me there are 14 immigrants living next door to her and is sure most are illegals . Our Borders are hopelessly inept
and being an Island Immigrants could be arriving from anywhere.

Who Knew there were Breasts Under that Burka?
by Noah Kristula-GreenApr 13, 2012 11:20 AM EDT











A particularly stunning piece of photography has recently come under attack in Canada from some offended parts of the Muslim world:



An art student who wears Muslim headdress is defending her right to freedom of expression after a photo she snapped was removed from public display at a British Columbia university.

The large black and white print depicts a woman in full Islamic scarf and cloak holding a flower-embossed bra while folding laundry.
...
Not long after it had been hung in the school hallway, she overheard a woman who also wears a head scarf saying she had peeled the artwork off the wall.
...
The 24-year-old photographer, who grew up in small town Northern B.C. and has been studying at the B.C. Interior institution for several years, said the reaction was unexpected.

"I found it really intrusive," she said of the unilateral move to censor her work.
...
Since the incident was made public, an education centre in Kamloops funded by the Saudi Arabian Embassy has gone public with its opposition as well, Graham said.



The photo (which you can see the full version of here) is certainly striking. Angelina Chapin notes in Huffington Post Canada that the photo invites a much more extensive discussion about the role that lingerie plays in the Muslim world:



Numbers usually work to calm down hysteria so here are a few: The market for underwear in Saudi Arabia, for example, was US$1 billion a year in 2010, according to Reem Assaad, a banker and financial analyst based in Jeddah. Last year, I wrote a story for Canadian Business magazine titled the "Undercover Economy," about lingerie in the Middle East. What I uncovered was that the industry is thriving there more than it is in North America.

You think Europe is sexy? A 2010 advertisement for Motexha, the Middle East's largest garment, textile, leather and fashion accessories trade event, boasts that the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia account for 77 per cent of Europe's total lingerie exports. At the time I wrote this article -- September 2011 -- La Senza had 44 stores in Saudia Arabia, and 52 others in the Middle East.



Perhaps the most fascinating point that Chapin makes is that in some parts of the Muslim world, the types of undergarments that would have been worn under that niqab would be much more sensational then what showed up in the photo:



Then there are other, darker reasons why women wear lingerie. In Syria, for example, it's common for a man to have multiple wives, and buying sexy undergarments is a way for a woman to gain his favour over the others. As a result, the lingerie markets in Syria (yes, these exist) have bras and panties that would make full-grown North American women blush. Think light-up Tweety Birds on the crotch, buttons you press to hear music, and a lot of feathers.

If they want to wear that head dress In there own home, who cares or go to the park etc, but to go into shops and be allowed to do so is wrong, I certainly wouldn't like to talk to a pair off eyes.


Plus, whatever happened to customer service with a smile.....

Panda wrote:

AnnaEsse wrote:This image speaks louder than any words I could use.

That's Excellent AnnaEsse.

I know it's racial , not sure if I still have it....it's a joke showing a guy taking a Family photo of about 10 female relatives , all you can see are their eyes........very funny . ,

I remember that one.

There was a joke from a comedian on Radio 4 a while back...

All those people saving the polar bear and who is saving the Muslims out in the Middle East? Right enough, a polar bear isn't likely to strap a bomb to itself and blow up buildings!

It's all the Politicians fault and the need for Oil, until then hardly anyone from the Middle East left their Country. Now they are living all over the World
and bringing their way of life with them instead of "do as the Romans do" attitude.

What's wrong with it, it's a tasteful picture. Or are we supposed to assume that muslima women a) don't wear bras or b) wash them?

Iris wrote:What's wrong with it, it's a tasteful picture. Or are we supposed to assume that muslima women a) don't wear bras or b) wash them?

Thanks Irias.... Iv'e tried AnnaEsse's instruction on how to include the pictures but still can't get the hang of it.