Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité and the Burqa
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité and the Burqa
A "walking coffin" one French MP described it, "a sign of alienation on their faces" said a member of the ruling party, "a threat to French values" declared another. For a secular country that prides itself on Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, a law banning women from wearing burqas in public is a serious over-kill. According to the French police, of the six million Muslims in France fewer than 2000 women fully cover their faces. Despite this the authorities have printed 100 000 posters and 400 000 leaflets with the smug slogan: “The republic lives with its face uncovered.” In Belgium, it is estimated that thirty women wear it. This witch hunt against the veiled minority is slyly entitled “ the act prohibiting concealment of the face in public space” which includes the Islamic niqab (a veil that covers the face, excluding the eyes) and burqa (a garment that covers the whole body from head to toe, including the eye) as well as masks, helmets and balaclava. Women dressed in burqas or niqabs risk a €150 fine and men found guilty of forcing a woman to wear one face a €30000 fine and a jail term. This new law contradicts France’s strict secularism, established by law since 1905 which keeps religion firmly out of the state sphere.
“France is a country where there is no place for the Burqa, where there is no place for the subservience of women.” These were the words of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy in a speech preceding the 2010 ban. It is true that there are cases were women are forced to cover their faces by their husbands or fathers. In this event, the government should make sure that resources such as anonymous help lines and community support are at their disposal, instead of imposing a ban that will victimise them further and confine them in their homes. Excluding individuals and groups from the public eye, literally or figuratively, will only contribute to a weakening of society and an erosion of
A "walking coffin" one French MP described it, "a sign of alienation on their faces" said a member of the ruling party, "a threat to French values" declared another. For a secular country that prides itself on Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, a law banning women from wearing burqas in public is a serious over-kill. According to the French police, of the six million Muslims in France fewer than 2000 women fully cover their faces. Despite this the authorities have printed 100 000 posters and 400 000 leaflets with the smug slogan: “The republic lives with its face uncovered.” In Belgium, it is estimated that thirty women wear it. This witch hunt against the veiled minority is slyly entitled “ the act prohibiting concealment of the face in public space” which includes the Islamic niqab (a veil that covers the face, excluding the eyes) and burqa (a garment that covers the whole body from head to toe, including the eye) as well as masks, helmets and balaclava. Women dressed in burqas or niqabs risk a €150 fine and men found guilty of forcing a woman to wear one face a €30000 fine and a jail term. This new law contradicts France’s strict secularism, established by law since 1905 which keeps religion firmly out of the state sphere.
“France is a country where there is no place for the Burqa, where there is no place for the subservience of women.” These were the words of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy in a speech preceding the 2010 ban. It is true that there are cases were women are forced to cover their faces by their husbands or fathers. In this event, the government should make sure that resources such as anonymous help lines and community support are at their disposal, instead of imposing a ban that will victimise them further and confine them in their homes. Excluding individuals and groups from the public eye, literally or figuratively, will only contribute to a weakening of society and an erosion of