The burka (and burkini) should be banned.

Unsurprisingly straw men left, right, and centre. I never said anything to do with terrorism yet you bring it up. Wearing the burqa out of free will means nothing when they have been taught that the female body is either unworthy or too special to be seen by men. If I teach a child that flagellation is a good thing, can we possibly say this child isn't being abused? Just because one thinks something, that does not mean it isn't the product of an oppressive ideology. The burqa prevents face to face conversation at the very least, and so its banning is in the interests of social cohesion and communication. There is already a law stopping you from showing your entire body walking down the streets, because it would contribute nothing to society to allow such a thing. Likewise men and women cannot walk down the street committing flagellation. Consequently I think a fair case can be made to likewise ban the wearing of clothing that implies an optimal society would be one in which half the population was never seen. You have the audacity to say that completely covering yourself shows that women aren't pieces of meat to be shared; believe it or not but in a western society women have the choice to be with whoever they wish, the partner consenting. You dare to say that they can only establish independence if they are not seen? What a dreadful thought. With the burkini, the options are not burkini or bikini. There are many forms of swimwear that do not show as much as a bikini, and it is dishonest to claim otherwise. I cannot avoid noticing your hypocrisy when saying I am oppressing by opposing the burqa, when you describe women who show their thighs as 'animals'. This is enormous cruelty, and to say the alternative to perhaps an oversexualised society (although with far fewer problems as overly conservative) is to completely hide women and so eradicate all sexual attraction is abominable. Men can control themselves without women having to be hidden. And women have the right to show themselves in spite of your accusations as to the will power of men. The Qu'ran does indeed say a number of awful things that are destructive in a tolerable society. However just because the Qu'ran says something, that is no reason to accommodate it in a progressive society. We have no desire to descend to the terrible state the world used to be in when the Qu'ran was a source of morality and wisdom. You say that 'This dating culture is so wrong', which I will agree is a little out of control. Society would be best suited to toning down the levels of promiscuity. However to bring up this point in a debate about the burqa is insane. Encouraging small levels of modesty in society is not achieved by completely hiding women in sacks. To answer your final question: Muslim women can wear whatever they want so long as it abides by the laws of the land. It is fundamentally counter productive in a morally good society to permit such obvious acts of self deprecation. The burqa and burkini are garments which send a very clear message to those around it. It says that men are utterly incapable of resisting that which resides beneath the potato sack. It dehumanises women, taking away their voices and faces making more like objects than any women in western society today. It treats sex and sexual attraction as a source of fear and corruption. This is nothing that society should be so eager to protect. Freedom must always have limits in order to preserve a good society. Imagine a society in which every women decided to wear a burqa. Is this a society that would have greater communication or happiness? Of course not. It would be a disaster for womens rights and welfare. Thus why should we permit such a horror in short supplies?