//most of the women i deal with who wear them say they do it out of their own free choice. //
Surely that should be rephrased to read 'all of the women I deal with'. Those who don't do it of their own free choice wouldn't be allowed to speak to you - but why bother to speak up for their rights? Out of sight, out of mind - literally!
//People can hide bombs under anything, but in case you hadn't noticed, airport security has ways round that cunning dodge!//
Yes, people can hide bombs in all sorts of places, but if their faces are visible they can be identified. Now there's a cunning dodge for airport security to latch onto!
// I don't like burqas, neither does my Moslem wife//
Unless you're Muslim yourself, I very much doubt that your wife comes from a strictly religious family because she wouldn't have been allowed to marry you.
//I'm afraid I am going to have to say the word: "Islamophobia"//
Ah, yes, that old cherry. I was waiting for someone to resort to that. Odd isn't it? When someone actually cares about the mistreatment other people are subjected to, they themselves become the target of abuse. What a strange world.
//in effect banning it would cause the women who are being oppressed to become even further oppressed//
We've already done this bit, but I don't mind repeating what I said. Firstly, by saying it would cause women to become even further repressed, you are championing the aggressor instead of the victim. In effect you are condoning the actions of the bully. Secondly, Muslim men aren't going to do women's work outside the home for long, and emancipation has to begin somewhere. If it begins with the removal of the burqa from our society then hopefully the next generation of Muslim women in this country will not only be able integrate - but eventually they will also be free to seek, and to receive, the dental or medical treatment they require, which is something the men in their lives prevent them from doing now unless a female doctor is available to treat them.
I get the distinct impression that, unlike me, very few people contributing to this thread have ever spoken to the kind of women I'm talking about. Perhaps you should. Oh, of course, that advice can only apply to the women here.