Feature
- Do You Hate Your Partner, Too?
- California Teen Avoids Heavy Sentencing by Passing the Buck
- Wanna Buy Your Teenager a Padded Push-Up Bra?
- Vampires in Texas!
- These Guys Are As Bad As Westboro Baptist Church
- Funny Letters Sent to Women's Magazines
- Women's Ski Jumping: Still Not a 'Real' Sport
- Will the World Be Pro-Choice Soon?
- Are We Getting Too Lazy to Even Divorce?
- Forever 21's Maternity Line: Glamorizing Teen Pregnancy?
This past week, French lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favor of banning the Muslim item of clothing known as a burqa from public areas around the country.
Before going much further, it is important to specify just what the burqa is. It is not, as many people mistakenly believe, the full-body covering that allows a rectangular slit for the eyes. That item of clothing is actually known as a “niqab.” The burqa is what you see in the above picture — a head-to-toe covering that has a mesh covering over the eye region. They are also more often blue than black.
A while back, France got some bad press for what was reported as its “headscarf ban.” In fact, the ban had been on all conspicuous religious symbols, it was simply reported as an attack on Muslims. Whether or not Muslims were the people most affected, I’m not sure, but according to a number of sources, items like large Christian crosses were also part of the ban.
But at the end of the day, France is very proudly a secular nation, and maintaining a secular society is important to its cultural heritage. And this ban comes just before a particularly important and significant anniversary for the French:
On the eve of Bastille Day, when France celebrates the birth of what was to become a staunchly secular republic, the 577-seat National Assembly lower house voted by 335 votes to one for a total ban.
Doesn’t France have the right to uphold their own national, cultural image in the same way that Muslim men and women have the right to decide whether women will wear anything from a hajib to a burqa? When this proposal was first announced, our own Lily reported that burqa use was only a small (but growing) presence in the country anyway. This is certainly not a crackdown on the vast majority of Muslim residents or citizens, but the French argued that they did not wan to see women like “prisoners behind a screen.”
I have very little opinion on whether the burqa is oppressive or not. I am not Muslim and I have very few Muslim friends. The few Muslim friends I do have do not wear any kind of covering when they go out, but they do worship and practice their religion regularly. I’ve never really asked them about what their family’s stance on the burqa is, but it would certainly seem that they are not forcing it on their daughters. In fact, the Iranian government seems to think that “badly-veiled women” are enough of a problem that they had to set up a morality police force.
I value my own religious freedom, and so I want to respect the religious practices of others. I am well aware that prior to the Taliban rule enforcing the burqa, Iranian women were wearing Western clothing, and so it would appear that not everyone is necessarily in favor of the head-to-toe covering, but as I said, I don’t feel I’m informed enough to pass any major judgment on the women who wear it.
But, regardless of my non-take on the burqa itself, I do feel that France has every right to uphold and enforce its own cultural values and traditions and that it is not oppressive for a staunchly-secular Republic to enforce its secular values onto its residents and citizens.
Besides, now that French women can finally wear pants in the streets of Paris, why not go for a full-scale clothing liberation? (I jest.)
But what is your take? Is France oppressing its large Muslim minority, or are they right to uphold their secular image?
You Might Also Like ...
-
-
14
Dictating what individuals can and cannot wear is not protecting national identity.
It’s fascism.
I agree. 100%
Is this any better?
“The new rules put attempts at ordination of women among the “most serious crimes,” along with paedophilia, updating a 2007 CDF decree according to which those who attempt to ordain women — and the women concerned — are subject to automatic excommunication.”
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/afp/20100715/twl-vatican-women-ordination-4bdc673.html
The French got bad press for banning headscarves because they deserved it. Yes, they chose their language carefully and banned ‘conspicuous religious symbols’, but it wasn’t hard to see the target.
Freedom is allowing people to wear what they want, and punishing anyone who tries to interfere with their right.
Secularity is ensuring that no group is in charge of the country.
This has nothing to do with freedoms, and everything to do with the major tension between ethnic french and the growing muslim minorities.
Come on guys. The burqa is a symbol of oppression. It exists solely for the objectification of women. It isn’t a religious item, it’s a cultural one. It’s one that groups like the Taliban and the Iranian government have been using to control the populace (remember that Iranian cleric claiming that their recent earthquake was the result of women who didn’t cover up?)
France has every right to dictate the wearing of religious symbols, be they crosses, Stars of David, or headscarves.
It’s disgusting that we would think this is “ok”. Toss aside our Western sense of apologism for those who were targeted by the US’ war in the middle east and realise that on a rational level, the ban makes sense.
[...] Wicked 7 on France Votes in Favor of Burqa Ban “Dictating what individuals can and cannot wear is not protecting national identity. It’s [...]
Who says it’s the women’s choice in the first place to wear outfits like that. How do we know that they aren’t being forced to do so by their husbands?
Why do you assume that? All the ladies I know who wear the burqa have chosen to do so themselves.
And why is it that when a lady covers up she must be forced to, but when she’s half naked she’s just practicing her freedom?
This is one of the best points I have ever heard on this subject…I can’t believe I’ve never heard anyone else bring it up. Great food for thought, Terra.
A point of view from a little frog located at the opposite side of the ocean.
This specific law is quite ambiguous in France, because the parlement led by the right’ sarkozy governement had decided of a fully public zone ban of any mean to hide his face (with some exceptions, we’re french, we love complexe law).
The “Conseil d’état” (kind of supreme court for administrative laws in France) had prior to this law writen a report which was given arguments for a partial ban for security purposes (at bank entrance, in case where the identity of the people have to be proven etc…) and was not in favor of a general ban which can be in contradiction with superior european law (Charte des droits de l’homme).
More over, such kind of law have been voted in Belgium few weeks ago, and the Council of Europe said that a general ban is not in compliance with the European general principe of liberty (in particular individual liberty and private life liberty)
So this law would probably been canceled in future.
My own point of view is that such law wasn’t necessary, but the UMP (right party) majority in france since 1 year is in trouble with far right party and they’re trying to regain elector with such kind of stupid law which would concern less than 2000 women on 5M of muslim in France…
One thing : you’ve made a mistake when you wrote :
“I am well aware that prior to the Taliban rule enforcing the burqa, Iranian women were wearing Western clothing”.
Taliban are salafiste muslims the opposite of shiite muslims, more over this two opposite branch of Islam had fight in past. The mulah in Iran force women to wear a scarf on hair, not the fully Burqah or Hijab which are more common in Saudi Arabia or in tribal zone of Pakistan or Afghanistan.
France has every right to uphold and enforce its own cultural values and traditions in so far as that they do not trespass upon a person’s human rights. And banning religious garments and symbols on a person’s private body and property, is a voilation of that person’s human rights.
Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
Wearing religious clothing such as turbans, hijab or kippahs or carrying religious items, such as crosses or kirpans, is part of practicing, worshiping and observing ones religion and the banning of such items is wrong.
I don’t beleive in theocracies. I believe the best governments are secular ones. But, secular or not, what France is doing is wrong.
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/243587/ban-burqa-claire-berlinski
Thoughts?
[...] of full facial veils, AKA the burqa, or more accurately the niqab. On September 14th, the bill passed overwhelmingly, with a vote of 246-1. It is slated to become law early next [...]