Aussie muslims dismayed at Burqa ban in France

"Islam does not particularly say everyone has to wear the burqa or niqab, it talks about modest clothing.

"That does not in anyway belittle the status of women; it is purely out of their own choice, so for him to say those words denigrates the religion and the concept of freedom of choice."

Uh huh, that's why women in Saudi Arabia, Iran, under the taliban, al Shabaab, and other islamic dictatorships, who choose not to wear the burqa are stoned to death. Some choice. Brisbane

Australian Islamic leaders are dismayed at French President Nicolas Sarkozy's criticism of the burqa as a threat to "the equality and dignity of the female", saying his comments do not reflect the reality about the status of women in Islam.[...]

Jamila Hussain, a lecturer in Islamic Law at the University of Technology Sydney, said she believed the burqa and niqab were "inappropriate" in Western countries, but defended the decision of women who chose to wear them.

"I think Nicolas Sarkozy should get out a bit more and go and talk to ladies in minority communities, particularly those that wear the burqa, and ask them if they've been oppressed and forced to wear it," she said.

"It's a cultural assumption that's very common in Western countries, but for women who wear it in Western countries it's largely a matter of choice."

Yes, but for women in islamic countries it is not a matter of choice.