What I find most disappointing are the other people on the beach who curse and shout at those women when the police arrive. I can understand a local council or government getting it wrong, but when you have the public joining in, it's ****ing appalling. I'll be honest, when I saw the shouting by the public I felt like "**** you France" despite the terrorist attacks if that's their society. I know I shouldn't but it seems to me they have NO interest in actually building a pluralist society where everyone is welcome and considered equal.
Having said that I also try to see things from the opposing view. IF a woman from France went to Saudi Arabi for example, she would have to dress according to their rules and regulations. Not sure that's enough of a reason to justify these restrictions in France though. The ruling classes in Saudi are ignorant bastards.
That's an interesting point actually. My initial reaction is that it's ridiculous to dictate what someone can or can't wear in any situation unless it is for security reasons such as no covered faces at public events or some other such restriction with at least an attempt at logical reasoning behind it.
But I've also always been of the opinion that you respect the traditions and expectations of any country you choose to visit or live in. I've been to several countries who have varying degrees of religious conservatism and different religious sites of importance around the world and always respected things like covering up, wearing or not wearing a particular piece of clothing or avoiding displays of affection etc... It's never been an issue I even questioned and in fact feel it made my experiences of those cultures more authentic. I feel good respecting people when I'm a guest to there country and society. If I felt strongly enough about a particular expectation I would not visit the country.
Is there a difference between that and the decision nations like France are making that it isn't for them socially acceptable to wear certain clothing? Or that people should act within certain parameters they set? Should those visiting and living within the country not respect these things the same way we would expect to do if the shoe was on the other foot?
Reversing the roles would seem to throw up some interesting questions, yet I cannot go beyond the feeling that it is wrong to persecute people in this way and we choose to respect the places we go to because we feel it's what's morally right to do, not because we agree with there own methods of persecution, or rather control or culture.
The perceived cultural actions of others should not justify a loss of our own social and moral identity. We choose to be respectful in the face of disagreement and we should choose to rise above tit for tat legislation that will only further alienate and divide sub-sections of our societies.
There are very real issues to face around the subject of integration and they shouldn't be tainted by fear driven policy making, political point scoring and rash or stupid decisions.
