14th July 2010, 6:15 PM
Headscarves were banned in Iran before the Iranian Revolution, and that sparked widespread revolt - taking away something that many people feel is essential to their religion isn't doing anybody any favours. People should be able to wear whatever they want. The burqua and any other form of veiling isn't a sign that the wearer is "brainwashed" - the 2008 book "The Veil" contains many accounts of various women of different cultures who wear some form of veil, and the act of wearing one is motivated by a wide variety of factors, be it religous, ideological, or personal. Often, veiling of any kind is described as a liberating experience. In a sexist society where women are constantly evaluated based on their appearance, covering yourself offers a sense of freedom against prying, judgemental eyes. Sometimes it's worn for practical personal gain - often, sex workers in Muslim countries wear the burqua to prevent themselves from being detected. That being said, people who cover themselves are inevitably going to be judged for stereotypical, sometimes ignorant and racist reasons, but at least the sexualized element is gone.
But there is a definite connection between the burqua and and the wearer being somebody's personal property. Sometimes, but not always (veiling is cumpolsory only in Iran, Saudia Arabia, and Afghanistan, and the burqua only mandatory in Afghanistan), it's absolutely a sign of patriarchal oppression. But banning it outright doesn't do much to solve the problem. It's not as if women who were forbidden to appear in public without the burqa will all of a sudden be fully liberated an allowed to walk down the street in regular clothes. In these cases, women will only be further oppressed by their extremist families and culture. Likely, they won't even be allowed to leave the house. Wearing the burqa or not wearing the burqua shouldn't matter - being forced one way or the other is where the problem lies. Banning the burqua, which is such an overt religous symbol and in particular intrinsically linked to Muslim women is incredibly Islamophobic and sexist. It's a pro-Western attack on Islam where women are being used for political purposes. The focus should be on promoting anti-sexism and a society tolerant of different cultures which isn't happening in France.
But there is a definite connection between the burqua and and the wearer being somebody's personal property. Sometimes, but not always (veiling is cumpolsory only in Iran, Saudia Arabia, and Afghanistan, and the burqua only mandatory in Afghanistan), it's absolutely a sign of patriarchal oppression. But banning it outright doesn't do much to solve the problem. It's not as if women who were forbidden to appear in public without the burqa will all of a sudden be fully liberated an allowed to walk down the street in regular clothes. In these cases, women will only be further oppressed by their extremist families and culture. Likely, they won't even be allowed to leave the house. Wearing the burqa or not wearing the burqua shouldn't matter - being forced one way or the other is where the problem lies. Banning the burqua, which is such an overt religous symbol and in particular intrinsically linked to Muslim women is incredibly Islamophobic and sexist. It's a pro-Western attack on Islam where women are being used for political purposes. The focus should be on promoting anti-sexism and a society tolerant of different cultures which isn't happening in France.