Here in the UK, we generally pride ourselves on being a tolerant nation, but sometimes of late we've been pushed a little hard with too many immigrants bringing our infrastructure to it's knees so I personally would hope that in the UK, we would react to this situation in the same way as France ...although I suspect not, and we'd allow this woman a full passport .. What are your views?...would your country react the same as France, or would you hope they would react differently.. Why has the refusal of France to grant a passport to an Algerian woman who declined to shake the hand of a state official at her citizenship ceremony because of her “religious beliefs” made the BBC website? Picked up by other news’ outlets, including the New York Times, it’s not unreasonable to infer that the subtext is: there go the French again, discriminating against Muslims. If it’s not the burka or the burkini, it’s a handshake. But why would any western country welcome a woman who shuns one of its oldest and most courteous customs? If she finds shaking hands with a man beyond the pale, one is entitled to suspect she may not look too favourably on gays and Jews. Anti-Semitism is now so profound in France that on Sunday 250 well-known figures, including Nicolas Sarkozy and Manuel Valls, signed a letter warning that the country’s Jews are victims of “ethnic purging” at the hands of “radical Islamists”. Government posters are a common sight in France, reminding all citizens that it is against French law to cover one’s face in public. They say: ‘La République se vit à visage découvert’ [The Republic lives with its face uncovered]. Nonetheless, a small number of women continue to defy the law, such as the one in Toulouse who refused to show her face to police when asked last Sunday. She then insulted the police and was arrested, sparking three days of rioting by local youths. read the full article here https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/04/why-should-france-tolerate-islamic-intolerance/
I had not heard about this, @Holly Saunders . I imagine that this country would probably allow her to come here, just like you think would happen in the UK. This world seems to become more lawless every day, which is a paradox, because there are also more and more laws every day that people are supposed to obey. A good example of this is the one about the woman who refused to show her face to the police (disobeying the law) and when she was rightly arrested, there were three days of riots about it. We have the same kind of thing happening here, where a criminal is arrested and then there is rioting, even though the arrested person was breaking the law when arrested. And then the whole arrest is blamed as a racial incident, and not as a criminal one, which is what it was. To me, it seems like we have racial discrimination that needs to be changed, and isn’t; but then at the same time, we have things being called racist that are totally something else. And then we have all of the race-hatred being pushed by the controlled new media, which serves to keep all of the riots and fighting going on and on, and one has to wonder what the world is going to be like in the future.
It's difficult to predict but as things stand at the moment my guess is that a passport would not be refused in that case. The reason is that due to my country's way to hell and back, there's ,officially, been too much misconceived tolerance towards culture- or religion-related behaviour of Muslim-Immigrants. I'm saying "as things stand" because things may change as they always do, but right now I can't see the pendulum swinging back. Tolerance is always painful, as the origin of the word indicates: enduring and bearing. The question is where are the limits? These need to be negotiated in a public debate. Tolerance is not boundless. Indefinite tolerance is likely to end up in a war of all against all, as Hobbes said. Tolerance is no one-way street either. Whoever's been to Arab countries knows that people from other cultures whether visiting, living or working in those countries are naturally expected to do as the Romans do. There is no alternative. Foreigners have to adapt and are to follow local customs. Why is it then that some immigrants don't seem to do the same in our countries, which starts with a handshake as an old and courteous custom?
Considering the Windrush debacle, the Labour Party's anti-semitism woes and your home office's hostile environment policy... it would be no surprise that some portion of the UK media would attempt a deflection away from current woes by proclaiming some tyrannical behavior elsewhere.
Refusing to shake hands...I don't know about that one. I can see refusing to remove a face covering as a basis for refusal, but Japanese and Korean immigrants are also uncomfortable shaking hands. As has been mentioned, the tolerance is a one-way-street, as the Arab countries generally expect visitors, not to mention immigrants, to comply with there laws, rules and customs. It wasn't long ago that Saudi Arabia (of all places) criticized the U.S. for religious intolerance.
The social justice warriors in the U. S. would love her! I'm sorry but if you move to a country, you have to follow their laws. As my mother was an immigrant and her first language was not English, I have no problem with hearing a language spoken around me that I don't understand. It might bother some but it doesn't bother me a bit. In fact I kind of like hearing it. People can and should keep their customs at home if they wish. But I think we are getting some that say "take me here and accommodate everything I ask" I don't think it should work that way. After all who initiated wanting to immigrate?
I have no problem with people keeping their customs when they move to another country, providing that they are following customs that do not break any laws. If a police officer asks you to uncover your face, then a person needs to do that; but otherwise, just wearing clothes that you are used to wearing should be optional. We have a lot of Hispanic people who live in this area, and I really like seeing the women in their colorful outfits, and all of the little kiddies who are always dressed up nice and looking so cute. It is impressive when compared to how some of the non-Hispanic people dress themselves and their children.
I agree. In regards to Hispanic families many do dress very nice on the weekends or after church with the men often wearing a cowboy hat. I also like seeing East Indian women in their traditional dress. But their clothing is nice and looks comfortable and is not oppressive.
Since it's clear that this woman has no intention of assimilating, I think they are entirely correct in refusing her entry. Unfortunately, if that occurred in the United States, there would be some quick judge-shopping going on before some judge in Hawaii or San Francisco, or somewhere, would rule that she had to be admitted. A prospective immigrant burning our flag in the immigration office would be fine, except for perhaps a fire code violation.
Agree with all that's been said - if I emigrated to another country, I would expect to follow their rules This disregard by certain people really irks the country's residents - and rightly so