It is very difficult, because a lot of Muslim women actually want to wear the burqa – but I would argue that it is only because they are societally conditioned to want to do so. In the short term, that means that a lot of women in France are going to be denied the right to dress how they’d like, but in the long-term I think it’s going to mean that Muslims will assimilate into French society much more succesfully and that the cultural opression of women which is so often associated with Islam is going to be less prevalent in France than elsewhere.

France is really taking some concrete steps in making a stand against some vital parts of the Islamic culture & in a way it seems warranted from the French viewpoint as well.

That’s the big question and my answer is yes it does but I’m willing to listen to other arguments as I have to except that the communciation sources in the UK are biased. Take the latest Pat Robertson outburst, if they had been a British based Muslim our press would have had a field day.

“Then again, all the Muslim I met were really good people, …”

I wish I could say the same. Some of the ones that I’ve met were far from it but this seems to be more releated to the cultural background than being a Muslim in itself.

Probably Islam was so successful in keeping people backwards because is very pervasive (ie, “pray five times per day” etc…)
The huge commitment required means that nobody that has spent his life in rituals will readily accept that s/he wasted her entire life.
Disbelief is made too much of a frightening option.

Then again, all the Muslim I met were really good people, not especially bothered by religion (both drunk alcohol, but one didn’t eat pork meat).

Would you say that the Pope isn’t a devout Christian?