On 15 october 2006, David Davis wrote an article in the Daily Telegraph. The title of his article was “Do Muslims really want apartheid here?”. You can read the article here.
David Davis’ writing alarms me. Whatever happened to the Tory party that defends personal choice?
We should be supporting anyone who exercises personal choice. If a woman chooses to wear bikinis or veils, if Jews choose to wear skullcaps or hats, if a Sikh wants to wear turban, if a Christian wants to wear a cross, we should defend them as they are making conscious personal choice.
Mr Davis spoke of the need for integration and daily contacts. The teaching assistant in Leicester and the British Airways staff, despite donning religious symbols as part of their clothing, are both well integrated, or, at least, are integrating. Their jobs ensure the “daily contacts” Mr Davis so demands. Mr Davis’ argument about religious symbolism “creating apartheid” is weak at best, and xenophobic at worst.
In the printed newspaper, above David Davis’ article was this cartoon:
Is it not ironic that Mr Davis’ article was printed right underneath a cartoon satirizing “big government”?
Big government is not merely about legislations. Government becomes “big” when politicians interfere with what is private and personal to the citizens. Whatever next? A politically correct dress code for all citizens walking in public area in order to avoid offending others?
Daily Telegraph printed part of my comments here.
Filed under: Britain, Freedom & Liberty, Misc
Sigh! I don’t understand… In an earlier entry you criticised Meor Atiqurrahman and his friends for wanting to wear the serban in school. Yet now you are asserting the centrality of free personal choice.
What exactly is your position? Are you pro-free choice or opposed to it? Or do you believe that there are circumstances when freedom does not apply, and if so what are they?