To the editor:
Re: “Women on my mind,” Oct. 30.
I am not in the habit of commenting — or providing my opinions — on matters I read about in either national or local newspapers. However, I thought I would pass comment on Fiona Hughes’ recent column
- Narinjan Mand. I agree completely with your comments.
- Women drivers in Saudi Arabia. Agree wholeheartedly with your comments.
- Quebec’s charter of values. I am a “pragmatist” as in atheist. Atheist, as defined by Wikipedia, “is in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Most inclusively, atheism is simply the absence of belief that any deities exist.” Accordingly, I fully endorse a secular government that wishes to “ban public employees from wearing obvious religious symbols.” The critical word here is “obvious.” Unfortunately, wearing a head scarf is difficult to attribute to it being a religious symbol. Therefore I would have to exclude it from Quebec’s charter of values. Much too difficult to police.
- Wearing a burka. Correct — it screams oppression.
- You dislike young girls in sexualized clothing. Agreed wholeheartedly! I had the very unfortunate experience of seeing a bunch of girls (13/14?) at the Arbutus Safeway on a school lunch break earlier this year wearing the very skimpiest and tightest of shorts and T-shirts. Frankly, it almost made me want to become a militant Muslim and make the girls wear burkas! Why is this mode of dress allowed in public schools? It is as abhorrent in my book as any “obvious religious symbol.” Are the parents of these children that ignorant of what is appropriate for their children to wear to school?
Tom Needham,
Vancouver
