French president Nicolas Sarkozy recently instructed the government on creating a law that would completely ban the Islamic burqa from all French public venues. The burqa is often a controversial symbol of Islamic faith in non-Islamic places, and many French citizens feel the burqa is an oppressive symbol that denigrates the identity, individuality, and the rights of women. Sarkozy himself argued that the Islamic veils "are an attack on the dignity of women," as well as an unacceptable "symbol of a community's withdrawal and rejection of [France's] values," going against women's rights as well as clashing with French society's tradition of a secular life in the public sphere.
However, the issue comes with outlawing part of the lifestyle of a religious minority in the country, becoming an infringement upon people's right to religious freedom. Furthermore, the law would run the risk of stigmatizing and alienating the five million Muslims in the country, seen by them and other critics in the article as "another blanket swipe at Islam." This whole episode brings up issues of minority rights and the right to free religion without fear of oppression or persecution, as well as questions of universalism. Should the customs and traditions of a state prevail over individual rights, and does this happen often?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100423/wl_time/08599198387100
Friday, April 23, 2010
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Coming from my cultural background, it is very easy for me to see the burqa as curtailing women's freedom and individuality. I do think, however, that you run into a lot of problems by outlawing the use of burqa. I definitely share the concern that this law will further stigmatize and alienate France's Muslim population. Additionally, I am sympathetic to the argument that these garments shield women from the male gaze and de-emphasize the role of physical attributes in the public sphere. To strip women of what may for them be a protective garment would be incredibly distressing.
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