There was much outrage generated at French President Nicolas Sarkozy recently when he stated that the burqa worn by many Muslim women is a "sign of subservience," and "will not be welcome" in France. Sarkozy and others have claimed that the religious dress goes against the secular tradition in France.
Burqas have actually been banned in France's public schools since 2004. Although they do not have official estimates, France contains one of the largest Muslim populations in Western Europe thanks to its historical colonization of Northern Africa and more conventional immigration in the 20th century. This has often lead to tensions among different ethnic groups in France. In 2005, Zyed Benna and Bouna Traore were accidentally killed after being chased by police. This sparked off a months long series of riots, mostly by poor urban Muslims, who blamed the state for high unemployment and police harassment.
The burqa dates back farther than Islam itself, but is not mention in the Quran. It was originally used to protect both men and women from sandstorms. Later, it was used to disguise women of child-bearing age in the event that the village was raided, as these women were often targeted for kidnapping.
The most important question Sarkozy's remark raises is why? What purpose does this serve for the French state and its people, or is this just an attack on Islam? Is the burqa used to subjugate women? Whatever one believes about the place of the burqa in Islam, Sarkozy has undermined his own argument by using the secularism angle. Secularism is not freedom from religion, but the freedom to believe and practice the religion one chooses, or none at all. The women of France who were a burqa do so of their own free will, and Sarkozy, rather than defending their rights, wishes only to infringe upon them.
1 comment:
This sort of law is an enfringement on peoples' right of expression. These women wear burkas because they are impossibly modest, which is their business. Better to cover too much, I guess, than to cover too little. But, besides standards of decency, people should be able to wear whatever they damned well please. If people want to wear elephant costumes in public all day, is that any different? Would people complain about that? It does seem to be an attack on the religion, or just an attack on people who are a little bit different than the norm. Whatever it is, its not right.
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