Religious Persecution is wrong, unless it's against Muslims.

In the standard pattern of the human race, the sensational actions of the minority generates broad ignorance and intolerance of the whole. No more so than in the spread of anti-Muslim legislation throughout the Western world.

France, Spain, Italy, and Belgium have all made legal steps to ban the use of the Muslim burqa, the facial veil worn by women. It is a prominent element of both Arabic and Islamic culture, and it offers many excuses to what adds up to simple intolerance and ignorance.

Some say it is a violation of Women's rights, but seem to forget the fact that making them illegal makes it impossible for women who DO want to wear the burqa to wear them. So in reality, they are just trading one kind of persecution for another. Thus, it is a simple rhetorical veil (get it?) that hides the prejudice and ignorance behind the motivation.

Others claim it is a potential security danger, that the veils, especially the full-body variety, could be used to hide weapons or explosives. An equally flawed argument, because a coat, duster, or trench coat, can hide dangerous materials with equal ease. The persecution comes from a simple "forgetting" of this fact. Also, the idea that Muslim women cannot be searched is equally idiotic; all you need is a private room and a female security officer, two things any security checkpoint can easily provide.

The Swiss have taken it one step further by disallowing the building of minarets on Islamic mosques.

Traditionally, five of these come out of a Mosque, each representing the Five Pillars of Islam: Faith, Prayer, Alms, Fasting, and Pilgrimage.

The Swiss claim the minarets somehow encourage Muslim extremism. This claim shows extraordinary ignorance as none of the pillars represent anything relating to violence.

And the political advertisements throughout Switzerland speak for themselves:

So minarets are akin to nuclear warheads? Huh.

Oh, Muslims are black sheep? Huh.

What is somewhat amusing is that many Islamic extremists cite religious persecution as the cause for their violent reprisals, so adding pointless laws such as these sounds like a great way to become the target of more attacks. The Swiss do not want safety, the just want to persecute the source of their irrational fears.

Finally, what would any discussion of persecution be without an example from the United States of America?

Apparently, people do not want mosques built near them.

The quotation of one typical American idiot goes as follows:

"Wouldn’t you agree that every terrorist, past and present, has come out of a mosque?” asked one woman who stood up Wednesday night during a civic association meeting on Staten Island to address representatives of a group that wants to convert a Roman Catholic convent into a mosque in the Midland Beach neighborhood. "

Ah, yes. Good ole' American logic.

Based on that statement:

Wouldn't you agree that every pedophile priest, past and present, has come out of a seminary?

Wouldn't you agree that every corrupt cop, past and present, has come out of Police Academy?

Wouldn't you agree that every American serial killer, past and present, has come out of an American Elementary school?

Wouldn't you agree that every American soldier guilty of war crimes, past and present, has come out of boot camp?

EDIT: A new argument against a Muslim community center in downtown NY: "It's a landmark site as a result of the attacks!"

Except the building where the Mosque is going was a defunct department store. Yes. Nothing says America like failed capitalism.