The Trouble With Burqas

David Frum has an interesting post on whether a free society can ban the burqa. I think his answer is that it can and it should. He points out that, as much as some shrug and say "If they want to wear it, why not?", the demand is not a libertarian one:

And once the extremists have forced their own wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters into the garments of slavery, they can then turn to other women in the Muslim communities of Europe and ask: “What about you?”

And this is exactly what is happening and what has happened in schools and neighborhoods where extremist Muslims live.

He also notes:

Nor is the burqa a threat to women of Muslim background alone.

Already we hear complaints from Mulims in the West – and not only from violent extremists – about the “immodesty” of women here. Already there are apologists who suggest that perhaps we can learn from Islam not to objectify women sexually. Already there are officials hinting that social order would be assisted if women would follow a few simple precautions ….

Makes you wonder about that EU directive banning Bavarian barmaids' lowcut dresses to protect them from the... sun, yeah that's it, the sun.