POLL - (Not Religion or Politics) Facebook?

Dear Friends;  unfortunately, the last Poll added to this Blog appears to indicate a reluctance to discuss either religion or politics.  Sadly, asking Friends if they Like (To use Facebook terms) any particular subject, using little detail, seems to cause a misunderstanding.

Way back, in the age of dragons (it seems) I explained that it is my view that every subject can not escape being associated with either religion or politics.  Thus, my last Poll not only mentioned "religion" but also implied politics.  Wow, wash your keyboards!

Therefore, now, I must struggle with an explanation.  Obviously, it is not sufficient to state that everything relates to these two taboo subjects, but sustained discussion needs some controversy.  Permit me to give some examples:

• Inoffensive Question 1 - Should Pets Be Allowed Within The Home?  Do we not create laws that require dogs to be licensed, and laws banning the possession of wild animals?  Could that be discussed without becoming political?
• Inoffensive Question 2 - Is Yoga And Meditation Useful For Health?  Will someone mention the spiritual aspects of these two innocuous pastimes, and introduce religious comments?

I wonder if it is probable that some of you prefer to keep your controversial views to yourselves.  To that, I can only remind you, once again, that you may make comments anonymously (Concealed from everyone, including myself). 

Please look at the right sidebar for the new POLL ... and, also, comment below, if you wish.

Religion 1 - The Burqa

Just the word alone attracts much attention. Discussion related to the Burqa, is not only a religious issue but also becomes a political issue (Just to name two).

It is my experience that many people do not understand the definition of a burqa. It is, simply, an outer garment worn by women in some Islamic traditions to cover their bodies in public places. Confusion exists in the use of words such as, hijab and niqab. These are individual parts of the burqa — the hijab being a head covering, and the niqab being a face covering (or veil).

I can see little reason to be offended by a woman wearing a burqa that does not have the niqab. In fact, some European women, in the summer, may wear a Indian sari as an evening dress, even though they have no knowledge of Islam. The sari being little more than a burqa with the hijab and niqab removed.

It is interesting to note that all women are asked to cover their heads with a scarf, as a matter of respect, when entering churches and cathedrals. Yet, ironically, some of those women, would still be critical of Muslims wearing a simple burqa.

The wearing of a niqab in public is the most controversial aspect of this discussion because a liberal interpretation of the Koran fails to convince most people that God (Allah) commanded that women must be completely covered. In addition, it is recorded that Mohammed said that both women and men should “dress and behave modestly in public.” This is a tradition that happened long before Islam, and should be interpreted according to today’s normal behaviour.

I read that a Muslim cleric had stated that women must wear a niqab because when a man looks at a woman’s body he looks, first, at her face. This is ridiculous because all things being equal, in other words, when a man has the opportunity to look at a woman’s naked body, the face is not the initial attraction.

Therefore, it is not surprising that countries are beginning to seriously consider banning the niqab (France has already done so) with arguments against being made by men and women indoctrinated by unfortunately biassed, and bigoted, interpretations of the Koran.

Discussion related to health matters or assimilation into other societies would be something to include at another time.