Stop this insane hypocrisy now

I understand they were planning a trip to France, but still...

A five-year-old girl's passport application was rejected because her photograph showed her bare shoulders.

Hannah Edwards's mother, Jane, was told that the exposed skin might be considered offensive in a Muslim country.

Seriously, WTF is this now?

I personally don't give a f-ck whether I offend Muslim countries or Muslims themselves by simply living in my so-far, rather free country. Welcome to civilization: we don't put garbage bags on women. If some people are "offended" by that, that's too bad. I won't force them to watch me walk in the streets of my "corrupted" western country with bare shoulders. And I won't visit their countries either. That seems fair enough. But the guy, whatever his origin, religion or race, who will force me to cover my shoulders if I don't want to isn't born yet.

The other day, I had the opportunity to take some funny pictures. Next to the entrance of one of our big department stores, Le Printemps, boulevard Haussmann, next to the "Fashion" building of the store actually, was standing what appeared to be a woman, in a complete Muslim woman attire: black nikab and burka.

With a bright violet hand bag.

I had the time to take one, two pictures. After all, this is Paris, France, supposedly the most beautiful visited city in the world, or so Parisians would like to believe. This is les grands magasins, I took a picture of the building, a woman is in the corner of the picture. What's the big deal?

What do you do when you're in a touristic place and you realize you might be on someone's picture and you'd rather not? As far as I'm concerned, I leave.

The woman started to frantically wave at me, indicating I should not -- could not? -- take pictures.

She started walking. I had the time to take one more picture (this is, btw, a small digital camera, not a big professional one). She passed in front of me, looked at me and I asked her "what's the problem". But she simply left.

I don't really mind if she wants to wear this all her life. It's her life after all. Well, or maybe her father's or husband's. As long as I am not "strongly encouraged" not to offense her by being different, or worse, "compelled" -- as it might one day happen -- by socialist bureaucrats to do the same.

There are many young women wearing a hijab in Paris. Some wear it with tight, very tight jeans. I found it funny.

Check the third picture.

Like the good little pro-American infidel girl that I am, I like high heels -- although not with garbage bags. But these ought to be at least 5-inch high platform shoes. Is this really reasonable? Or has the poor girl been corrupted by our rotten way of life?

Seriously, isn't this insane? I've heard of women being paid in France to wear hijabs in the streets. I don't know whether it's true, but this kind of situation makes you wonder.

I don't get it. How can we be so afraid of offending Muslims to the point of denying a little girl a passport because of bare shoulders? Isn't this insanely obsene? A five-year-old girl with bare shoulders could offend anyone?

How can the West capitulate to the demands of people who take advantage of our way of life, of our technology, of our very liberty... against us? How can some people simply offer our heads to their swords? I don't get it. Really. I don't. It just pisses me off like you have no idea.

On my French passport, I have a picture of myself wearing a red, white and blue t-shirt. Yes, the American flag, bright and clear. And it was accepted, thank God. And if it offends anyone, well, that's too bad, because on top of that, it's my only ID. And I do hope it might offend a couple of people. It'd then be well deserved.

Posted by Carine at August 14, 2006 10:35 PM