In a controversial legal step taken by the Dutch Parliament, the Cabinet has proposed to pass legislation that bans the traditional Muslim garments, the niqab and burqa, by 2013.

Communications Intern Noor Salahuddin discusses whether lawmakers around the world should have the right to decide what kind of religious dress, if any, should be allowed in public places.

"Far from a victory in the fight for women’s rights, France’s ban of the burqa, the head-to-toe covering worn by some Muslim women, is a red herring, a deflection, and a blow for free societies everywhere," writes Christina Abraham, CAIR-Chicago's Civil Rights Director.

Welcome to CAIR-Chicago's Opinion Corner, a new initiative designed to encourage an honest intellectual exchange of diverse perspectives on various subjects of interest to our constituents. In doing so, we hope to help provide balance to the public discourse on issues that often receive one-dimensional coverage in the public domain.

Monsieur Sarkozy, would you like to try this lovely Burka on for me? No?

Very well, that is your personal determination of course.

"I have gained immense respect for the French who stood in solidarity with their hero refusing to kick him when he was down. As the curtain closes, I can only add my voice to the grateful and forgiving French fans when I say, “Merci Zizou, le footballer eternel."

I was disappointed with the tone and context in the article “A Crucible for Secularism” (Page 1, June19) by Tom Hundley. The article attempts to illustrate the tensions between France’s policy of public secularism (laïcité) and rising concern among France’s clergy at the declining church attendance, juxtaposing the situation of Catholics with France’s sizable Muslim population. Unfortunately, French Muslims and Muslims in general were represented in a misleading and inaccurate manner.

In his article “Riots could happen in rest of Europe,” Tom Hundley writes in reference to the recent riots in France, “Most are Muslims, which may impede their integration into Western societies, but Islam itself did not appear to be an organizing or motivating element in the French riots” (Nov. 20). Yet, in the same article, he goes on to argue that the multiculturalism solution of many European countries has failed, citing the July 7th bombings and the murder of a Dutch filmmaker by a Muslim.

There is a tendency in today’s world to blame a person’s actions on his or her background without looking for the effect of outside forces beyond an individual’s control. This tendency is highlighted well in Monica Prasad’s column, “Once again, it’s the economy, stupide!” (Nov. 11).