Yes burqa, please!

Kamna Arora France finds it not a sign of religion, but a symbol of subservience. And it has “no place” in the Danish society. A row over wearing of burqa (a full-body veil worn by many Muslim women) is raging across Europe, harming the concept of tolerance and integration. A number of questions come to mind when the governments of many European countries ponder over banning burqa, or niqab, or when minarets fail to find place on Swiss mosques. What is the right balance between expression of religious belief and national values? Is Europe reacting too sharply in the name of secularism? Will forcing the women not to wear burqa ensure more freedom and more dignity? Burqa- A prison? “To conflate the hijab/burqa with the oppression of women per se may be taking things a little too far as it invests too much importance to the object as a symbol,” says Dr Farish Ahmad-Noor, a Senior Fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technical University (NTU), Singapore. However, Muslims should make it optional for women who do not want to wear it. A considerable number of women don the veil probably because they are not given a choice. This cannot be ignored that the way one dresses is a part of self-expression. Last year, Sarkozy had told a special session of Parliament in Versailles: "We cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity.” In some cases, the veil does serve as a wall from others in society, and it does take away the right to self-expression. Talking exclusively to Zeenews.com, Dr Ahmad-Noor points out: “After all, what if a Muslim woman wishes to wear a hijab or a burqa? This places people like me in a difficult position as I do not personally agree with the use of the burqa, but at the same time as a human rights activist would defend a woman`s right to wear - or not to wear - one.” “So is the French state playing the role of the universal conscience of the republic, and is the state now in a position to dictate modes of dress? If so, what next? Does the state have the right to tell us what to eat, read, who to date, etc?” adds Dr Ahmad-Noor. Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen has also added fuel to the debate by announcing, “The government’s position is clear: the burqa and the niqab have no place in the Danish society. They symbolise a view of women and humanity that we totally oppose and that we want to combat in the Danish society.” Germany and Italy are also mulling a ban on burqas in public places. Islam vs French values France is home to Europe’s biggest Muslim minority, numbering around six million. In 2004, the French government had decided to outlaw any “ostentatious display” of religious symbols, including the Islamic headscarf and Sikh turban, in state schools and other public buildings. The ban was in the name of laïcité, or the principle of separation between the state and religion. And now French President Nicolas Sarkozy has sparked a heated debate on religious expression by declaring the burqa as “a sign of subjugation…of debasement”, which is “not welcome on French territory”. A French Parliament report has also sought a ban on burqa, arguing Muslim women who fully cover their heads and faces pose an "unacceptable" challenge to French values. Isn’t it interesting to note that only 1,900 women wear full veil in France. And if the “veil” custom of such a minority can ‘challenge French values’, as stated in the report, then the foundations of the republic must be really weak. It seems that many French politicians as well as citizens are finding it difficult to swallow the fact that Muslims are openly practicing their way of life while benefiting from a number of privileges provided by the state. So, will a ban on burqa ensure that roads look ‘French’? A swimming pool in Paris had last year refused entry to a burqini-clad woman, reminding her of the rules that apply in all (public) swimming pools, which forbid swimming while clothed. But this is also true that a British couple accused of drunken sex on a public beach in Dubai in 2008 was sentenced to three months in prison. Some critics argue that Muslims cannot have their cake and eat it too. If they want their women to be given the freedom to wear what they like in Europe, then they too should not force non-Muslim women to wear a veil when they visit Iran or Saudi Arabia. And that’s the point. They want it their way all the time. Well, here Muslims are needed to differentiate between religious obligations and cultural expressions. Security Many proponents of burqa ban claim that a ban on this Islamic garment would help ensure security, as anyone with any weapon can move on the roads unchecked. Yes, security is a concern keeping in mind the fact that women are increasingly taking to volunteering for suicide bombing. Men too can hide this way and pose a security threat. However, French politicians have framed this entire burqa debate not merely around the issue of security, but in terms of fundamental values. Rise of Right-wing politics “All of this also has to be set in the broader context of rising right-wing ethno-nationalist politics across Europe, where the re-assertion of European identity seems to need an external `threat` to frame itself against. Unfortunately in this case, the `threat` seems to be Muslim migrants,” highlights Dr Ahmad-Noor. “But few of these politicians highlight the obvious fact that many of these migrants remain poor and lowly-educated, and that would suggest a deeper crisis of governance and social management that nobody seems to want to address. For that reason, this anti-Muslim trend at present seems to be rather worrying," he opines. There is also a psychological aspect to the ban. It is human nature to remove signs of anything that indicates a larger threat. The increased spate of Islamic terror may be leading people to remove any overt signs of the religion. This is a subconscious trait. And it is also linked to rise of right-wing politics anywhere in the world. In his speech in Cairo in June 2009, US President Barack Obama had rightly said, “It is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practising religion as they see fit — for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear.” France does argue that a ban on burqa is not a campaign against Islam, but an attempt to uphold its values. But sections of international community, especially liberals, may not look at it this way. Furthermore, the French republic needs to ensure that its values are not suffocating others’ customs, which are harmless. Hope, un-French turbans, saris, and long skirts are not the next targets after burqa!