On Thu Nov 30 02:05:02 PST 2006, Sachin Phadte wrote: Incidentally, a friend of mine is in France on a short term IT assignment, nothing big. He said that he has not heard anything about the French Socialist Party candidate making a statement about banning the saree. He thinks that the report is a little suspect, because it would otherwise have made a big news in France.
RESPONSE: A few years ago, the French banned all religious symbols in state-run schools. There were several protests of all kinds. In the ensuing melee that is French debate, a few Sikh students were ordered to remove their turbans in order to attend school. They refused. The hungama resulted in them being banned from the school and subsequently deported. I don't know where they went to. I did see an interview of them on television. They spoke in 'pur français'. The behaviour of Dutch politicians in recent times is even more bizarre. Possibly the most liberal country in Europe, the policies put forth and enacted by Verdonk conflict with the cannabis cafes and the proclivities in the De Wallen district of Amsterdam. I'm certain Minister Verdonk knows her Dutch history well enough and sees the similarities between an Islamic Abaya and the Dutch tabbert in Delft. I wonder if there is a substantial saree-wearing populace in the Netherlands to warrant the need to introduce such bizarre legislation. What next, the cloggies can't wear their clogs outside of their gardens? I'm reminded of the Ivy League-educated Edward Said's book, Orientalism. So little has changed in the world in subsequent generations. Some prejudices and biases just cannot be trumped. Best - Bosco Toronto, CA ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Goanet supports BMX, the alumni network of Britto's, St Mary's and Xavier's -- three prominent institutions in Mapusa, Goa. Events scheduled from Dec 16 to 21, 2006 For more details visit http://www.bmxgoa.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------
