Word: belgiums
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...journalist learned, this term, which has for the past decade symbolized women’s oppression by intolerant Islam, is a misnomer for the “integral veils” that are now being legally targeted in France, not to mention Belgium and Italy as well. Although pointed to by politicians as a dangerous new social problem, the practice is extremely rare. Even those who speak in favor of banning what the proposed law calls “public facial dissimulation” admit that the phenomenon is extremely marginal. Initial government intelligence reports named 367 documented cases...
Fear of Islamic culture is encapsulated also in the Europe-wide debate over the veil. President Nicolas Sarkozy of France has promised to push ahead with a ban on the full veil, and Belgium has become the first European nation to hold a successful vote on the subject. A concerted effort has been made to tie the debate over Islamic dress to women’s rights within Muslim society. Politicians repeatedly invoke the need to “liberate women,” while some left-wing members of parliament have gone so far as to label the burqa...
France’s cultural and legal struggle with the question of Muslim immigration arose again with French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s proposal to outlaw the wearing of the burqa in public places. His suggestion seems serious, since Belgium moved one step closer to passing a similar bill last Thursday, and comparable debates are occurring in Italy and the Netherlands. Supporters argue that the law would defend women’s freedom and help ensure safety on public transit. However, we oppose the bill soon-to-be under consideration in France as an unjust and unjustifiable measure...
...Friday morning, civil-aviation authorities in Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Finland, Norway and Sweden had closed all or parts of their airspaces. In France, officials shut down 24 airports, including Paris' Charles de Gaulle. In Germany, authorities closed 12 of the country's 16 airports, including Berlin, Frankfurt and Hamburg. Eurocontrol estimates that roughly half of the 600 transatlantic flights scheduled for Friday have been canceled. (See pictures of the world's most polluted places...
...Belgium, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands remain de facto nuclear powers Yes, that's right. The mighty Belgian air force is nuclear-armed. Although none of the four countries have their own nuclear weapons, there are an estimated 200 B-61 thermonuclear-gravity bombs scattered across their land. And under a NATO agreement that was struck during the Cold War, the bombs, which are owned by the U.S., can be transferred to the control of a host nation's air force in times of conflict. The NPR declares that these weapons "contribute to Alliance cohesion and provide reassurance to allies...