AUSSIES CHALLENGE ‘THE FULL BURQA’ BY WEARING KKK OUTFIT IN PUBLIC

21st Century Wire says…

It’s true. Political correctness kills intelligent debate.

It’s nothing new. Religious groups will often ask for special dispensation when it comes to civil regulations, but the politics of religion – especially as it pertains to Islam – has changed radically in the post 9/11 police state. It’s real political and legal dilema that even James T. Kirk couldn’t arbitrate over.

The old ‘when in Rome’ proverb isn’t a moral skeleton key either. It’s a little more complicated than that, just ask the French.

This is not an issue which can be brushed under the rug for political convenience, or political correctness sake. It must be discussed.

So here’s the challenge: the full Burqa vs. the KKK frock.

The hyper desire for ultimate security has pushed this debate to the Antipodean satirical fringes of performance art-cum-activism.

Some liberal progressives think the Burqa represents a ‘war on women’, and other liberals say keep the Burqa so as not to impinge upon minority rights in the west. Some conservatives will say ban the Burqa for fear of Islamic terrorism and a hidden bomb or gun, while other conservative libertarians say it’s OK on the grounds of religious freedom.

We cannot say what is right and what is wrong on this incredibly divisive issue, and this may seem a little extreme to some, but a trio from Down Under has created an unusual juxtaposition in order get a discussion going.

From RT.com…

A trio of activists wearing a KKK outfit, a burqa and a motorcycle helmet attempted to enter Australia’s parliament house in Canberra, challenging the idea of allowing women wearing face veils in public places.

When the three approached the security, the men wearing a helmet and a Ku Klux Klan hood were immediately asked to remove their headwear, but there was a moment of hesitation concerning the Muslim veil.

“One of the requirements of coming into parliament house is that the motorcycle helmet is going to have to come off, your headdress is going to have to come off and your burqa… your identity will be checked,” the security guard told the group, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The man in a KKK hood took it off only to reveal he had a burqa underneath.

“Bit of a loophole, eh?” he asked.

The three men who participated in the stunt – Sergio Redegalli, Nick Folkes and Victor Waterson – are members of protest movement ‘Faceless’, which is generally against the wearing of burqas or niqabs in public places across Australia.

Their Monday action comes in the wake of the Australian government initially ruling that women wearing face veils should be separated from the public in Parliament House, but later scrapping the decision.

The three later spoke to journalists to explain what they were campaigning for.

“It seems that you’re allowed to wear a full-faced covering into parliament if you’re a Muslim woman, but no other group is allowed to have that same privilege,” Sergio Redegalli, who wore the KKK outfit, told reporters, according to ABC.

“No one should be walking up the [parliamentary] forecourt or in [the] public domain hidden from sight,” he added.

The men explained they had nothing to do with the Ku Klux Klan, and were only using its paraphernalia to stress their point.

There are supporters of the burqa ban among ruling Coalition MPs – including Liberal senator Cory Bernardi, who has praised Faceless for the anti-burqa stunt, saying that it demonstrated “just how ridiculous it is to allow anyone wearing an identity concealing garment into parliament house.”

The Australian Christian Lobby’s Queensland director, Wendy Francis, has however criticized the group for staging a “hurtful” action.

“To identify [the KKK] with a Muslim woman is extremely confronting and hurtful,” she said, according to the Guardian.

Currently, women wearing a burqa or niqab are obliged to show their face to the security at the parliament house, but can continue to wear it once inside.