What justifies the proposed ban on the Muslim burka?
French lawmakers are once again considering a ban on burkas or full veils worn by Muslim women.
Last Monday, President Nicolas Sarkozy controversially told lawmakers that the traditional Muslim garment was “not welcome” in France, according to CNN.
The right of Muslim women to cover themselves is fiercely debated in France, which has a large Muslim minority but also a staunchly secular constitution.
In 2004, the French parliament passed legislation banning Muslim girls from wearing headscarves in state schools, prompting widespread Muslim protests. The law also banned other conspicuous religious symbols including Sikh turbans, large Christian crucifixes and Jewish skull caps.
Despite those who call the proposed ban racist, some lawmakers, who have called for burkas to be banned completely, claim the burkas are degrading to women, according to CNN.
Housing Minister Fadela Amara, a Muslim-born women’s rights campaigner has called the garment “a kind of tomb for women.”
In order for the ban be enacted, lawmakers must prove that burkas are being “imposed” on Muslim women against their will, according to the Independent.com.
The long debate in France represents a clash in cultural values that exists for Muslims whenever they are in the minority. CNN reported that Dutch lawmakers have also tried a ban in 2005.
At its core, this is a philosophical debate about the right and the wrong way to treat cultures we may not necessarily understand.
Do we respect a culture for what it is or do we outlaw certain aspects of a culture based upon basic human values? Does you think the burka aspect of the Muslim culture violates basic human values? Is it fair for a culture to impede on another just because they are in the majority?
Some may even argue that no one can really debate whether wearing a burka is right or wrong because it is a value that is culturally distinct. But if you believe in a higher law that exists outside of cultural values, are the French righteous in banning these burkas? Or are they simply trying to interfere with a culture because they don’t understand it?
France is NOT a free country, and this is just proof of it. They routinely pass laws over there that wouldn’t have a chance in this country (and rightfully so).
If someone is forcing a woman to wear a burka, then arrest the people who are doing the forcing. You don’t ban the burka. There are no doubt some women are wear them willingly. You’d think the French could figure that out…