burkas should be illegal in the United States

RebuttalsRe: Segregation and Individualism Pro says that women are oppressed by having to wear the burqa. However "Those who say they are defending women's rights have it exactly backward: they are violating fundamental rights to free expression and religious freedom" [1]. My opponent claims to care for women's rights, yet he wants to take away women's right to dress how they please. Pro assumes that a certain type of dress can hinder a woman's freedom, yet on the contrary many Muslims feel empowered from wearing the burqa. They claim that they feel the burqa makes men respect them more; that they feel valued for more than their looks or bodies; that they are free from scrutiny; and they believe it promotes feminism. After all people have different ideas of what constitutes feminism. Either way, many Muslim women enjoy wearing the burqa and feel it is a privilege. They appreciate that it sets their identity apart, and that it is a beautiful and religious fashion statement [2]. Islam tells women to cover up their bodies to promote modesty. This is not intended to be oppressive, but protective of women. Modesty is considered to be sacred in the Islamic religion, and we have no reason to ban it the way we have no reason to ban revealing clothing in Western societies where it is popular to wear revealing clothing. "Islam allows women to work, seek knowledge, engage in business, testify in court, uphold the ties of kinship, visit the sick, and so on, but it has set limits in order to protect them and to prevent hooligans from harassing them" [3]. If a women chooses to wear the burqa because she appreciates the protection it affords, it is oppressive to ban her from wearing it - not from letting her wear it. Outlawing the burqa merely trades one form of compulsion (you must wear this) for another (you may not wear this). Pro writes, "Deliberately preventing an entire gender from participating in society as identifiable individuals is an assault on the democratic character of the state." And yet Pro is trying to deliberately prevent an entire gender from being able to dress how they please. Re: Civic ParticipationIt doesn't matter that countries with widespread burqa wearing have oppressive laws against women, because this resolution is specifically about the United States. We have different legal standards in this country because we are not a theocracy. Re: The Burka Covers Up AbuseBurqa bans violate the concept of mutual tolerance. We are a melting pot that values diversity. This means we must respect other people's cultures outside of overt aggression. Aggression and abuse is never to be tolerated, but Pro hasn't proven that women who wear burqas are abused - he merely suggests they might be. Women who wear sunglasses, long sleeved shirts and other articles of clothing to cover up their skin might also suffer abuse, but we don't make laws and ban certain clothing to assume that they do. Indeed the Quran makes a lot of disparaging comments against women, but so do the Bible and the Torah. The sacred books of Christians and Jews are equally abhorrent. The Bible (especially the Old Testament) promotes rape, slavery, genocide, incest, pedophilia and murder. Like the Quran, the Bible calls to slaughter infidels and also oppresses women. Deuteronomy 22:5 * 5. The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so [are] abomination unto the LORD thy God.Colossians 3:18 * 18. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.1 Timothy 2:9 - 15* 9. In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; 10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. 11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.Ephesians 5:22 - 25* 22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so [let] the wives [be] to their own husbands in every thing. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;"God places a dollar value on human life; with women worth less than men." (Leviticus 27:3-7)I could go on and on... But in the U.S. we assume that people do NOT follow their holy books literally. If they did, millions of Americans would have been killed per the Bible's commandments and strict rules. Yet we give people the freedom to interpret and practice their religion outside of overt aggression against others. Sharia Law is not the law of the land in the U.S. In fact the U.S. calls for a separation of church and state that does not permit the abuses described in various holy books. On sexual equality, women would be better protected by the enforcement of existing laws against domestic violence than by the enactment of new laws forcing them to dress in a way that may be against their will [4]. ArgumentsPresident Obama said, In the United States our basic attitude is that we’re not going to tell people what to wear" [5]. Women in the West tend to wear articles of clothing that can be deemed oppressive to women, such as high heels or bikinis if they so choose - even though many people do not approve of these styles. We do not ban articles of clothing because we have freedom of expression and free speech. Nazi sympathizers are free to walk around in "Heil Hitler" shirts, and racists can wear racist shirts. We do not stifle what other people can wear just because it makes some uncomfortable. Women can be required to lift their burqas in situations where security is questionable. Criminals could use ski masks or other articles of clothing if they want to conceal their faces or bodies. With most terrorist threats, women's clothing is not an issue or a factor. Women have rights over their own bodies, and that includes the right to clothe their bodies how they see fit. We cannot ignore the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. It guarantees freedom of religious expression, including speech, assembly, and practice. The Supreme Court has ruled that one way of expressing one's religion is to wear religious jewelry (pendants, rings, broaches, etc.). Another is to wear clothing (t-shirts, etc.) containing religious statements. Both are protected rights, in most cases [6]. Furthermore, Islam is not the only religion that calls for head dress and women covering up. Modesty is the foundation of Jewish values and is one of the fundamental underpinnings of the Jewish family. This is called tzniut [7]. Orthodox Jewish women have modest based dress that similarly calls for them to cover up, including head scarfs [8]. [1] http://www.washingtonpost.com...[2] http://www.telegraph.co.uk...[3] http://www.arabnews.com...[4] http://www.economist.com...[5] http://www.csmonitor.com...[6] http://www.religioustolerance.org...[7] http://unitedwithisrael.org...