.... As Fautmeh Ardati told a Lakemba rally, burqa-wearers reject "the Western secular way of life, which robs a woman of her dignity, honour and respect, where she is considered little more than a commodity to be bought and sold".
Never mind the "go home then" response that such sentiments invite. That's childish, I expect, and - worse - predictable. More interesting is to unpick the garment's all-important symbology.
Is the burqa dignified? Does it show respect and sexual modesty? Is that what's really going on? Or is it the opposite? Does the burqa reduce a woman to concentrated essence of sex. [Sydney Morning Herald] Read more
