Word: burqas
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...effort has been made to tie the debate over Islamic dress to women’s rights within Muslim society. Politicians repeatedly invoke the need to “liberate women,” while some left-wing members of parliament have gone so far as to label the burqa a “walking coffin.” That most of the women who dress in this way appear to have made a voluntary decision to do so appears to not matter. As in Switzerland, far-right parties have persuaded voters that the veil is unequivocally a symbol...
France’s cultural and legal struggle with the question of Muslim immigration arose again with French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s proposal to outlaw the wearing of the burqa in public places. His suggestion seems serious, since Belgium moved one step closer to passing a similar bill last Thursday, and comparable debates are occurring in Italy and the Netherlands. Supporters argue that the law would defend women’s freedom and help ensure safety on public transit. However, we oppose the bill soon-to-be under consideration in France as an unjust and unjustifiable measure...
Many proponents of banning full veils in public places argue for it as a means of liberating women who currently wear them, believing they suffer under an oppressive culture. However, this argument is invalid on several grounds. First, it assumes that women who wear the burqa are uniformly forced to do so, which is simply untrue. Like all personal choices, women decide to don this attire for many reasons—some good and some bad, some based on coercion and some on freedom. To tar all burqas with the brush of oppression is condescending and inaccurate. Furthermore...
Some proponents of the ban support it on the basis of security concerns. The form-concealing burqa, it is alleged, poses a unique safety risk on public transportation. However, terrorism in France today is predominantly Separatist, not Islamist, and women are rarely directly involved. France reported zero Islamist failed, foiled, or successful terrorist attacks in 2008, as compared with 137 separatist ones. That being said, we recognize France’s concern for the safety of its citizens, and admit that banning burqas may provide some security advantages. Still, such benefits in no way justify infringing on a woman?...
...Belgium, however, the burqa bill has the cautious support of much of the Muslim community. "Nobody likes somebody covered," says Saïd El Khadraoui, a Belgian Socialist member of the European Parliament. "It is wrong to say the burqa is part of Islam - the vast majority of Muslims do not wear it. And it's not a bad idea to give a signal that we need some rules to live together." His sentiments are echoed by Emir Kir, who was born in Belgium to Turkish Muslim parents and is now the Secretary for Public Sanitation and Monument Conservation...