Battle of the Burqas: Truth Behind the Veil
Pro
Brendan Monroe
Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: Opinions
A French parliamentary committee last month recommended the banning of full veils, which have become a staple in fundamentalist Islam. The move comes six months after French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared that the burqa and other Islamic coverings such as the niqab, were "not welcome" in France.
France notably has the European Union's largest Muslim population, between 5 and 6 million, though only 2,000 women in the country wear the controversial Islamic head coverings. This proportionately small number is often cited by opponents of a ban who argue that it will only further isolate a religious group which is already seen as overly reluctant to assimilate in Europe, preferring to mass and form small communities of their own within cities like Paris or Lyon.
Advocates of the ban, the sizable majority of the French population, are of the opposite opinion - that a ban should be brought into effect while the number of adherents to the fundamentalist Muslim tradition are still relatively small. The proposal comes amidst a time of immense uncertainty and trepidation as Europe is faced with a growing Muslim population and influence. Whether right or not, the brutal butchering of anti-Islamic filmmaker, and the renowned painter's great-grandson Theo van Gogh by a crazed Muslim fanatic, and the burning and murder of dozens of innocents following the infamous Dutch cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad have revealed Islam as a religion in which criticism or even caricature can lead to death.
The recent Swiss ban on the construction of Minarets was not the first such restriction, only the most recent. The French implementation in 2004 of a ban on headscarves in schools was truly the first major step towards resisting extremism, while the proposed burqa ban is merely an additional step that needs to be taken in order to defend secularism and, yes, promote freedom.
You may laugh at the illusionary irony there but indeed, the freedom the ban is promoting is the freedom of women not to have to submit to the rule of fundamentalist law, and the ability to cast off the unnecessary and misogynistic devices they have been forced to don since childhood. Whether they accept it now or not is beside the point; they must embrace what, to them, is a revolutionary concept, that women are equal. France, as it always has, is leading the way.
France notably has the European Union's largest Muslim population, between 5 and 6 million, though only 2,000 women in the country wear the controversial Islamic head coverings. This proportionately small number is often cited by opponents of a ban who argue that it will only further isolate a religious group which is already seen as overly reluctant to assimilate in Europe, preferring to mass and form small communities of their own within cities like Paris or Lyon.
Advocates of the ban, the sizable majority of the French population, are of the opposite opinion - that a ban should be brought into effect while the number of adherents to the fundamentalist Muslim tradition are still relatively small. The proposal comes amidst a time of immense uncertainty and trepidation as Europe is faced with a growing Muslim population and influence. Whether right or not, the brutal butchering of anti-Islamic filmmaker, and the renowned painter's great-grandson Theo van Gogh by a crazed Muslim fanatic, and the burning and murder of dozens of innocents following the infamous Dutch cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad have revealed Islam as a religion in which criticism or even caricature can lead to death.
The recent Swiss ban on the construction of Minarets was not the first such restriction, only the most recent. The French implementation in 2004 of a ban on headscarves in schools was truly the first major step towards resisting extremism, while the proposed burqa ban is merely an additional step that needs to be taken in order to defend secularism and, yes, promote freedom.
You may laugh at the illusionary irony there but indeed, the freedom the ban is promoting is the freedom of women not to have to submit to the rule of fundamentalist law, and the ability to cast off the unnecessary and misogynistic devices they have been forced to don since childhood. Whether they accept it now or not is beside the point; they must embrace what, to them, is a revolutionary concept, that women are equal. France, as it always has, is leading the way.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Iftikhar
posted 2/07/10 @ 7:09 AM EST
I have seen western educated Muslim women are in Burqa while their mothers never even covered their heads in Pakistan. I do not know whether it is due to western education or because they find themselves victim of racism. (Continued…)
Saadia Faruqi
posted 2/11/10 @ 6:21 AM EST
Brendan Monroe's article on the French "burqa ban" shows his ignorance on an already misunderstood topic. As a Muslim woman educated in the US and proud to wear a burqa, I take umbrage at the fact that he considers my preferred dress an "unnecessary and misogynistic device [I have been] forced to don since childhood". (Continued…)
Brendan Monroe
posted 2/12/10 @ 3:18 AM EST
I find both of your responses to my article troubling and highly ironic. Iftikhar says that "the right of choice is a basic fundamental right the person should have," while Saadia ends her rant by saying that "we should be trying to build bridges between cultures and religions- not promote hatred". (Continued…)
Saadia Faruqi
posted 2/17/10 @ 9:46 PM EST
Thanks for your response, Mr. Munroe. You are mistaken by referring to the teachings of my moderate Islamic group "fundamentalist propaganda". I think that it is unfair of you to dismiss in a few words the philosophy behind the institution of purdah – which has been a working model for a vast majority of people in both eastern and western parts of the world since before our time. (Continued…)
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