Burqua
August 24, 2009
The New York Times reported last week that a French Muslim woman was denied access to a community swimming pool because she intended to wear a “Burquini” suite which covers the body from head to toe. The reason given for the interdiction was that it was not hygienic.
It is a hot issue in France whether to allow women to wear the Burqua. President Sarkozy made a public statement saying the Burqua was not welcomed in France. He said: “The problem of the Burqua is not a religious problem. This is an issue of woman’s freedom and dignity. It is a sign of subservience.” A parliamentary commission has been created to decide if a law banning the Burqua should be passed by the Assemblée Nationale (the French equivalent of the U.S. Congress.) Fadela Amara, the French minister of Urban Regeneration and a Muslim herself declared in an interview with the Financial Times that: “the Burqua represents not a piece of fabric but the political manipulation of religion that enslaves women and disputes the principal of equality between men and women, one of the founding principles of our republic.” She added that the vast majority of Muslims are against the Burqua and that it was necessary to fight the “gangrene of radical Islam which completely distorts the message of Islam.”
It is difficult to imagine the U.S government getting involved in what Americans (citizens or not) are allowed to wear. The laws in this country dealing with apparel only imposes a minimum (not the maximum) of what one is allowed to wear, i.e. nudity is not allowed in public places. Woody Allen imagined in the movie Bananas? a dictator issuing a decree imposing that its citizens wear their underwear on the outside.
The issue of the Burqua is very complex because it involves religion, culture, identity, integration, tolerance and most importantly, in my view, freedom.
There are many different cultures within the Moslem world. Some cultures impose the Burqua, others do not.
In some Islamic societies such as the Taliban, women who refuse to wear it can be and have been publicly executed. In such a society the Burqua is not only a symbol but the reality of the suppression of women’s freedom by a male - dominated society.
I have discussed this issue with a colleague, here at Ruder Finn which wears the headscarf. She told me that she decided on her own, at one point in her life that she wanted to wear it. She was not expected, much less demanded to do so it by neither her husband nor by her father before she was married.
The fundamental issue is one of freedom. If a woman freely wants to wear a Burqua, for whatever reasons, she should be allowed to do so. The same applies for any religious clothing should it be the habit for Catholic nuns and priests or the Kippa for Jewish men.
However we should oppose oppression in all its forms whether imposed by the military, political or religious authorities that abuse fundamental human rights.
As Thomas Carlyle once said:
“Everywhere the human soul stands between a hemisphere of light and another of darkness on the confines of two everlasting hostile empires, - Necessity and Free Will.”
Comments (4)
August 24th, 2009 at 4:06 pm Posted by Priya
Great post! Although I have a negative personal bias towards the burka, I know that stepping on other people’s freedom is not a solution. The problem only arises when Muslim women’s choice is a result of brainwashing or a cult-ish submissive mentality.
And also, the burkini doesn’t look very comfortable.
September 18th, 2009 at 12:07 am Posted by mr nosy in brampton, Canada
In Sweden, unveiled women have been repeadely raped. Our future female citizens are now living in the stone age, where men can take advantage of them whenever they want. According to Interpol, Sweden now leads the EU in rapes/year(5000) a 4 fold increase in 20 years. Maybe everyone on this site thinks they know what they are talking about. Maybe you have read “Infidel” By: Ayaan Hirshi Ali.
Truly Muslim women should cover their bodies even in front of a blind man, even in their own houses. They had no right to walk down the middle of the street. They should not move out of their father’s house without permission. (PG 109/110)
Even when all the women had been covered completely from head to toe, another line of thought was opened. For this was not enough. High heels tapped and could trigger in men the image of a woman’s legs; to avoid sin, women must wear flat shoes that make no noise. Next came perfume: using any kind of pleasant fragrance, even perfumed soap and shampoo, would distract the minds of men from Allah’s worship and cause them to fantasize about sinning. The safest way to cause no harm to anyone seemed to be to avoid contact with any man at all times and just stay in the house. A man’s sinful erotic thoughts were always the fault of the woman who incited them. (PG 110)
Take a look at Sweden through the eyes of it’s citizens.
Copy and paste each of The Terrible 12 videos into youtube.com as are. Try not to scream or cry, but if you do, congrats, you’re human and have compassion for your fellow Europeans. They are getting destroyed.
Sweden industrialized nation to bananarepublic in 20 years
The swedish social welfare system under collapse. Ödeshög, Sweden.
Sweden, a nation in decline. The social welfare system has collapsed.
Daily news report from Sweden. Significant violent crime every day in the “paradise”.
Muslim Immigrant Rape in Sweden (HD)
Immigrant Riot Wave in Sweden
Sweden under massive crimewaves, 900 % more violent crime
Islam in Sweden
Open Your Eyes, SWEDEN
Sweden is being destroyed. A low intensity civil war has already started.
Islam, changing my Sweden?!
Crossroads Europe - Sweden -11 Jun 07 - Part 1
December 12th, 2009 at 2:00 am Posted by Michelle Ma
If men were gentlemen, women would not wear burqas.
Women are afraid, in such a harsh system. The Burqa is better than some other alternatives.
The cruelty of falling so far is so unbearable that many women would wear the Burqa for the rest of their life.
The fear is not a paper tiger, in rebellion so many more awful things have happened to some of the best people.
June 15th, 2010 at 2:36 pm Posted by R.U. Serious
To mr nosy,
You posted lots of stats, do have any that prove that putting a thin sheet of fabric over your head and body make you impervious to physical assault? Nope, women in burqa can be assaulted, just the same. And it is not their fault, either way. Blame the man who does it. Period.
And we do have laws in the US regarding this exact issue–just try walking into a bank wearing a full burqa. Nope, not happening, you cannot cover your face, due to security threat. In fairness, face masks (like you would wear in Alaska at -20C) are banned, too. Tellers will ash you to take off your hood or sunglasses, too.
Perhaps we need to educate muslim women that in Europe, Canada, North America, etc that laws exist that punish the perpetrator, NOT the victim. You won’t get executed, or caned, or anything else, for being attacked.
Information will set you free
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