Ban the Burqa

The conspicuous presence of the burqa, a distinctive religious garment that unashamedly proclaims a particular religious position in the public square, has provoked an interesting response in the Western world. Many want to ban it.

The move to ban the Burqa seems to me to be an admission by the Western world that we have no answer to the Muslim religion. The wearing of the burqa is a direct challenge on our 'Western, liberal, Christian, democracy', a statement saying that we don't think it's all it's cracked up to be. A response that says 'ban it' seems to be saying, 'we have no better answer.'

If we truly believed that we have a wonderful and compelling way of life in the West [liberty and justice for all] then what have we got to fear? After a time here the Burqa wearing people's will be convinced to join us. I understand there are at least some going the other way joining the Muslim religion from the Western world-view.

This debate seems to unmask the reality that a secularised West has nothing compelling to offer, no good news, once the sales are over [except perhaps as a safe haven to practice their religion]. So instead, 'we must force them to be like us', or get them out of sight so we don't have to be confronted with our own society's spiritual poverty.

I think this is a timely challenge to our Western culture to rediscover and take seriously the compelling good news that created our society, otherwise our society will be quite rightly 'consumed' by another that knows who it is.

It is also a timely challenge to the church to reconnect with the compelling good news of the gospel, and not be afraid to proclaim, and be it, in the public square.