Thought of the day

Stop making judgments about the things that don't matter. And you'll free yourself to focus on the things that do.

France to Fine Women Who Wear Burqas in Public

I heard about this on a topical debate show the other day [I was snowed in, couldn't go to work and indulged in some morning tele :-)] and just the sound of something like this actually becoming a part of France's legislation made me shudder and wonder how the women who choose to wear the niqaab would feel about this. The pro-legislators argument that these women who wear the niqab are not only discriminating others by choosing to cover their identity, but are also degrading themselves in the process; just smacks of pure hypocrisy and ignorance to me. If this piece (of crap) passes the National Assembly, I dread to think how the hostile atmosphere between the French Muslims and non Muslims will be exacerbated, surely it's nothing but another stick to beat us Muslims with. Why we can't just be left alone to get on with our lives, Lord knows. Anyway, more than the article itself, you may find the comments made at the end of the article, slightly more entertaining. Go "The Muslim" person! Click here to check it out.

Wearing a burqa in France may soon result in a fine. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

The French government is taking aggressive action against burqas -- the veils worn by Islamic women to obscure their faces.

In a decision destined to cause an uproar, the president of France's leading UMP Party has announced that he is drafting legislation that would fine those who wear a burqa on the street or in a public place, the Daily Mail reports.

Jean-Francois Copé, who is reportedly ready to file the draft in the National Assembly, suggested that fines be as much as 750 euros (approximately $1,073).

Copé said that the fines would also apply to anyone who covers their face in public as well as men who force their female family members to wear a burqa, according to the paper.

"Permanently masking one's face in public spaces is not an expression of individual liberty," Copé has reportedly said in the past.

"It's a negation of oneself, a negation of others, a negation of social life."

The move is just the last effort by the French government to ban the controversial veil. President Nicolas Sarkozy has previously stated that burqas were "not welcome" as they stand as a "sign of subservience and debasement that imprison women," the source adds.

As we previously covered, French immigration minister Eric Besson has also called for a burqa ban, deeming them "unacceptable."

Meanwhile, a parliamentary commission investigating the veil is reportedly due to publish its findings next month.

Though France is home to more than five million Muslims, cites the paper, a recent police report stated that only about 400 women there wore veils because the majority of the country's Muslim immigrants come from North Africa, where veils are less prominent.

Still, it remains to be seen what effect a proposed heavy fine will have on the country's Muslim community -- and whether such a fine violates France's rights to religious freedom.

Fashion Drool

What I found:

This little bargain gem caught my frugal eye down in Oxford St when the hubs and I took my younger sis and bro out in London. Cost me £19 for a smart woolly coat with a hawt design on the back panels. Paaaw!

What I want:

Oh how I LOVE this coat. Every single part of it. The colour, the back buttons, the belt....oh fabulous! Shame Victoria's Secret seems to be only located in America and not in the UK :-(

Hello 2010, Hello healthy eating!

Salaam world

Okay I know it's been quite some time since I last posted anything but before I carry on, New Year's Greetings to you all :-) Start of a new decade, era and also chapter for some of us and guess what, we're already 10 days into it!!!

Aside from stuffing my face with food (and then immediately regretting it, hehehee!) I've been super busy with the usual holiday things: shopping, spending time with the family, wasting time watching movies I wouldn't pay a penny for, amongst other laborious tasks such as marking coursework, plus sorting out the piles of mess inside my wardrobes!

I really should not allow myself to get into these time wasting clean up sessions but should instead sort it out as soon as I can, rather than have it all spill out of the wardrobe first, but what can I do, laziness is a nuisance(!) Which brings me quite nicely onto the topic of resolutions...

I've come across what I think is a fab guidebook to 2010 where a comprehensive list of resolutions may be found, it definitely is worth a peek folks. I've become so inspired in fact, that I may print them off, section by section and stick them around my study! In addition to trying to adhere to the guidelines found in the aforementioned booklet, I'm working on some of my own.

From a healthy eating perspective I have four simple rules that I want to bear in mind:

1. Eat more fruit and veg: fresh, canned, tinned, rotting #I want it all#
2. Drink lots of water: this is a big one for me, as I just cannot seem to drink enough. Maybe lugging around a pint of water in a placcy bottle will push me to do this...
3. Cut back on sugar: in/on foods/drinks. This is another big one for me as I have one of the worst sweeth tooths, like ever. I have the cavities to prove it *blush*
4. Cut back on the processed foods: frozen pizzas, take-away junk, biscuits, basically anything with additives and other B.A.D and harmful things injected into foods to preserve their shelf life.

The reason I want to follow these simple rules is actually quite a vain one. I want to go back to the body shape I had before I got married, circa 2007. Since then, I have managed to go from 8.5 stones to 9 stones and although this may sound pathetic, I want to go back to my normal size 8 clothes. Most of the stuff just about fits although it's a squeeze most of the time. I know that if I can go back to my old weight, not only will I feel good about maintaining the weight I naturally had done all my life (I weighed around 8.5 stones for a good 10 years or so!) but I will also save money by not having to buy new bigger clothes - DON'T LAUGH! :-P Hopefully I will lose a bit of weight before my Master's graduation before the middle of Feb! Eeehhh! Pressuuurre!

That's not to say by the way that I'm complacent with other aspects of my life: family, career, personal etc, but rather I am still mulling over these things to still figure it all out :-)

Anyway, for now, good bye my little friends...

Strawberries dipped in chocolate/sesame seeds. Yum.