Burka Ban For Protecting Secularism and Equality
Captain Sasha July 5th, 2009
In a historic address to both houses of the parliament on 22nd June 2009, the French president Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy made strong comments that the burqa as an oppressive dress is not welcome in France and should be banned. The announcement was greeted with eqivocal applause rom both the political left and the right.
Video of Sarkozy address to the French Parliament, calling for a burka ban. For the english news video on the same, click here.
Despite the oppressive and isolationist nature of the burqa, not many western style democracies have been able to enforce a restriction or a ban on the said dress code, due to an apologetic attitude towards Islamic radicals. In United Kindom for example, justice minister Jack Straw had to withstand strong criticism and ridicule for a proposal that the burqa be banned in his constituency office. The move by France, which has the largest Muslim community in Europe, could be an example for other western democracties who are having difficulties in protecting their secular ideals from the religious hardliners.
The burka, a full bodied garment covering from the head to the toe, isolates women from the outside world. It is practically a mobile tent, intended to “protect women from lustful male gaze” (sexist in itself , implying that men have no control over their instincts). By closing up Muslim women from the outside world, their interactions with people outside their community is severely restricted, creating a cultural isolation. It also creates a breeding ground for intolerance, as women who have limited interaction to people outside their community tend to have self-righteous moralist views about themselves and their community. In France for example, Muslim women often tend to hold the belief that the mainsteam French society is immodest, morally decadent and self-destructive. Such views ultimately tend to get passed on to their children, who then find themselves culturally isolated when they attend secular public schools, universities or jobs.
Apart from the issues of cultural isolation, the burka is also oppressive to Muslim girls of school age, who are pressured (often forced) to wear it against their will. Schoolkids are particularly sensitive to differences and wearing of a religious attire marks them out to this difference (a case for having uniforms in school?). The situation of forced hijab on French Muslim women is so dire that the feminist organisation “Ni Putes ni soumises” was formed to protect then from being gangraped or forced to drop out of school for refusing to wear the hijab. When such cases are rife, the ‘freedom’ to wear burqas is false freedom. By banning the burka, the state upholds the right of such women to choose between a life of religious apartheid and a life as a mainstream French.
Sarkozy’s address did not come without any reactions from the French Muslims however. The head of the French Council of Muslim Religion, Muhammed Moussaui said that to raise such a subject in the French parliament “is a way of stigmatizing Islam and the Muslims of France”. On the other hand, the Muslim-born French housing minister Fadela Amara fully supported the ban, saying that the garment is a “a kind of tomb for women.” As a staunch defender of equalist and secular ideals, the move to ban burqa hasn’t been France’s first move against religious radicalism. In 2004, the French assembly banned all ‘conspicious’ religious symbols from being worn to schools and government offices, which included headscarves, crucifix, jewish caps and turbans.
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Nice article.
But France don’t have the largest Muslim community in Europe. I think it’s Turkey.
“It also creates a breeding ground for intolerance, as women who have limited interaction to people outside their community tend to have self-righteous moralist views about themselves and their community. In France for example, Muslim women often tend to hold the belief that the mainsteam French society is immodest, morally decadent and self-destructive.”
One can make the opposite point as well.
That women who dress and behave loosely tend to see any modesty and morality as “prudishness” and “oppression”. Such women will hold negative views of societies with a moral dress code as well.
Well, it is about time that someone had the courage to make a progressive movement towards equality and freedom, pardon my French (pun intended), but screw the French Muslim population who oppose this and let the French government deport those backward thinkers, or just lock them up for acts of sexist oppression.
I really liked what Dar wrote, it was very thoughtful.
But, seriously burqa is a type of clothing, since when do we condem people for wearing something? Just because they’re Muslim women doesn’t mean they’re somehow unable to think for themselves… just look at the pictures of the protesters worldwide to Sarkozy’s remarks; many of them were burqa-wearing women, who were happy with the way they dressed and wanted to maintain exercising their right to religious practices.
Why aren’t the Feminazis protesting about a woman’s right to wear what she pleases? Seems like a woman’s body is her own only when it conforms to the feminist agenda. Because it’s only rational that white upper middle class women decide whats appropriate and what isn’t for women belonging to other cultures. Makes sense.
hmmmm…
the Qur’an actually says that people(men and women)
are required to wear hijab.hijab is dressing appropriately.
As for the burqa nowhere in the Qur’an the burqa mention let alone made necessary.
Please what we have to remember is that our western society is based on freedom of choice as along as is no one is being harmed or any laws being broken.
France has taken the freedom of choice away from small section of women who wear burqa and enforcing them with legislation to change their dress code and the country is making big issue out of nothing.
Answer to Sally,
C’mon. Do you really think that those Burka-wearing women are protesting of their own free will? Or are they just afraid of their husbands, brothers and other males in their families who are forcing them to say that they like wearing a Burka?
By the way, the law - in most European countries - specifically says that no one can cover his or her face entirely.
Only hold-up peple do.
Ralph
The burqa has been forbiden for many reasons.
Including the security : you can not identify someone wearing a burqa.
And that, if some will say wearing burqa is a choice, the biggest majority are forced to.
Then, France wants a total laicity.
And i’d like to say that the burqa isn’t a coranic precept, it’s the niqab. The burqa is a cultural clothe, absolutely not religious, even if it is mixed actually.
@ Ralph Goodridge & Cesar
Please remember whatever the reasons a small percentage of moslem women are visably wearing burka is their choice as long as they are not breaking the law. It clearly shows French government narrow mindedness and discrimination againt women and islamic faith.
I think it should also be brought up many french women wear tiny mini skirts to please their husbands/ boyfriends or in many cases they are afraid of them and to attract other men - many are forced to stand out in the streets in a very inappropriate clothing - Where is a law to for them?
Please remember our western culture is based on equality, freedom of choice & expression and what French government is doing is against the basic Human Rights Charter
Let’s be logic.
If a small percentage of women wearing burqa do it without being forced, it’s still a small percentage.
Is there any other way to prevent some women to be forced to wear burqa ?
No. Or then it wold need years and years of communication.
If this law permises to help the biggest part of these women, then it’s successfull.