Hello Akufu,
i really enjoy discussing this subject with you.
Taking away the Burqa's is certainly not the end of terrorrism or extremism, but the burqa is something for which we (the Dutch) did not sign up in the 50's and 60's. As I wrote earlier, it were mostly Turks and Maroccans (from mostly the poor areas of their countries) who came here after the W.W. II to do the "dirty" work that no Dutchmen wanted to do. They were a workforce and a smal minority. Problems only started when they did not return as expected, but stayed here (living of the state) and re-united with their families (mostly in the large cities) - all made possible by the left wing from that time. Many of them began to live in the same areas (often in the major cities) and from one thing came another and at a certain point some of these areas became almost ghetto's. That's propably the main reason why many of the first and second generation never integrated. There was no need for them to learn the language or being part of Dutch society. We are now living with the theird and fourth generation and islamic influence on our western world is growing and growing, with ever more Mosques and growing influence from (foreign) foundations pleeing for things as Sharia-law. As far as I know, burqa's weren't here when the first and second generation was still working in our factories and boatyards. The cry for Burqa's and resistance to the west (in Holland) has only begun a few years ago. Radical Imams from Saoedi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries are filling the heads of western Muslims with radical ideas, such as: "Western heathens are not worthy and people like Geert Wilders and Ayaan Hirsi Ali should be murdered" (strike Theo van Gogh from that list) and "When we are a majority we will be in charge and then Holland will be a muslim state - living under sharia law", etc. etc. Some of these "teachings" have been taped and/or have been passed on to the AIVD (Dutch security police). Undoubtedly those Imams had also much to say about women and their (new) position in live. Freedom of many Muslim women have been squashed and once again women are being supressed. Two houses from were a friend of ours lives, lives a Muslim woman and she has been ordered -by her husband- to weir a burqa and stay indoors and have no contact with anyone. Only a few years ago she was free to walk around in western clothes and live a western lifestyle. You can guess what made this change! I expect this is happening in thousands of homes (maybe tenths of thousands of homes in the whole of Europe).
If I look at Holland and the fact that respect for authority can hardly be found, because of the rebellious sixties and seventies, I don't think we will ever have a police state. That you can be searched and checked for ID, is a side effect from the fight against crime, handguns and only recently terrorrism.
See:
http://amsterdam.nl/aspx/download.aspx?file=/contents/pages/34516/notitieontwikkelingenpreventieffouilleren.pdf
See:
http://www.joost-eerdmans.nl/Initiatieven/illegaalwapenbezit.html
Random searches, according to me, should be subject to inspection by Human Rights-organisations, to insure the rights of those who are being searched/inspected. It is however neccessary and a price we all have to pay and the file above proofs that Dutch people in general don't have a problem with it. I realise that in America this would never be possible (maybe even shocking), because many Americans (i have the impression) are already against the state and government.
In America (using 25% of all oil in the world, of which 70% for their slurping cars) the car is as holy as the right to own a gun and in that same line....the influence of the state must be kept to a minimum as much as possible. I think Americans are much more afraid of a police state, so maybe your arguments apply more to the USA. I think the trust of the Dutch people in their government, is a lot stronger than that of many Americans in the American government. Especially now Bush (the oil-lover) is at the wheel.
Your are right that someone who wants to blow something up (for instance a plane) doesn't need a Burqa to do that. Still I would feel much saver if they would be banned from airports and large public places. Furthermore: Banning burqa's completely, would much more be a psychological milestone (to my opinion), that says "here and no further". "You must become more like us and not the other way around". "You chose a free society to live in, so if you can't deal with our liberties, acceptance of gays and freedom for all, than you should not be here!" In Holland - Muslims and foreigners are 1 to 1.5 million of a total of 16 million. In large cities they sometimes make up 25-50% of the inhabitants. In America I don't think it has yet come to those proportions. We as Europeans need to act now and burn left wing red tape to get to a ban on Burqa's.
Furthermore, don't you find it strange that a man (me) fights for a ban on Burqa's and what they represent (female opression from birth) and that you (as a woman) rather fight for keeping them, because the cost of banning burqa's would MAYBE make female integration and emancipation harder???
I say: FEMALE INTEGRATION AND EMANCIPATION IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH BURQA'S!!!!!!
Banning Burqa's and what they stand for, is just one more step for feminism to make. And in an ideal world, I wish it would reach as far as the Middle East.