Caption: Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen asks Austrian women to wear headscarves out of solidarity with Muslims
Federal presidential election 29 September 2022 16:24
Van der Bellen: "Will have to ask all women to wear a head scarf-out of solidarity".
"Beloved Austria", "Austria with all my heart" is written on the ad posters of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, with which he campaigns nationwide for his reelection. But how much credibility are his messages? Can we trust a federal president and really elect him as head of state if he asks women to wear a head scarf out of solidarity with Muslims.
"Not just Muslims, every woman can wear a head scarf"
Many, perhaps, have already forgotten, but when Alexander Van der Bellen was hardly in office, he said verbatim on the ORF-Broadcast, "Report":
"It is the right of a woman to dress however she wishes, that is my opinion on this. Incidentally, not just Muslim women, every woman can wear a head scarf. And if it continues with this Islamophobia actually spreading, the day will come when we will have to ask all women to wear a head scarf. All in solidarity with those who do it for religious reasons."
Why doesn't Van der Bellen wear a head scarf?
When the federal president made this statement, he had been in office almost one hundred days. In social media, there was a lot going around because of the call for solidarity. Die Presse pointed out a few critics.
"Does anyone know if (Van der Bellen wanted to make a joke?" Peter Bussjaeger, Professor of Federalism at the University of Innsbruck, subsequently asked. Manfred Juraczka, former club chairman of the Austrian Peoples' Party in Vienna, likewise used the statement for critique via Kurznachrictendienst (Headline Service). "So much for the election claim that hashtag vdB (Van der Bellen) is a man of the middle." Another user also immediately made another suggestion to the head of state: "Mr Van der Bellen, why don't you set a good example and wear a head scarf?"
Even though I disagree with much of what you write, you're 100% on-track with this one.
ReplyDeleteThis kind of performative nonsense is all too prevalent among liberals who are so privileged that they have never had to fear anything over what they chose to wear (or not wear).
What's crazy is that not all Muslim women wear headscarves. I've known several who were believers but never chose to wear one, and thankfully nobody in their family forced it upon them.
This is definitely a huge slap in the face to the women in Iran.
Support a Muslim's right to wear a headscarf if you see somebody harassing her by speaking up for her. Otherwise, it's a conversation for Muslims to have among themselves.
I can assure you that if I saw a Muslim woman being harassed or assaulted over her headscarf, I will be right there to protect her and her right to wear it. I have always condemned any harassment of Muslims. Coming from a law enforcement background my instinct is always to come to the aid of someone in trouble. I don't walk away even at my advanced age.
ReplyDeleteAs for your last sentence, I disagree. WE have laws protecting people in this country and everyone here has the same rights.
So if a Muslim is gay and that meets with opposition within the Muslim community, is it a conversation between Muslims if harm comes to him?
Is it a conversation between Muslims if a Muslim woman wants to live a Westernized life style, go out with non-Muslim boys etc, and her father or brother kill her?
Do we ignore forced child marriages in our country if it involves Muslims? Do we turn our backs on female genital mutilation in our country? (I realize that nort only Muslims practice this in some parts of the world. My point is that we should not allow practices like that to be accepted in our country because it involves religious or tribal custom.
Every Muslim woman in this country enjoys the same constitutional rights as all other women. The same goes for gays. They deserve the same protection. Unfortunately the feminist lobby and gay lobby essentially ignore this because of their political correctness.
I hope I have not given you the impression that I consider all Muslims to be practicing the above.
"The conversation" that I was referring to was merely whether Muslim women should wear headscarves as a symbol of their faith. I agree with the rest of what you said. They should be bound to the same laws and have the same freedoms as everyone else.
ReplyDelete