France bans the veil

Recently, the French government has banned all religious veils that covers the face. So, while the hijab is still fine, other modes of covering up one’s body such as the burqa is not allowed. In the midst of debate as to whether certain cover-ups common in the Islamic world oppress women, is this an empowering or disempowering move?

France has a bit of a history regarding the banning of religious symbols, especially in schools where the hijab and depictions of the cross or crucifix are not allowed. This secularisation of the school system is a breath of fresh air for educators wanting to bring religious concerns out of the classroom. However, there are inherent problems in not allowing people to express themselves in terms of their religion. Especially if these expressions are felt to be necessary in order to appease God. Nonetheless the French are, largely, proud of their secularisation.

The prime reason behind this particular move is cited as being security. Not being able to see faces is a problem where people need to be identified for criminal activity. Certainly, this is a worry for many jurisdictions, however this is not the only reason the ban has been placed.

Many people are concerned that the burqa – or other forms of covering oneself – is oppressive to women. It is a way to control women and how they are seen by others outside their family; it infers that if women do not ‘cover-up’ then possible behaviours resulting from this – such as rape – are the fault of the women; and it imposes rules upon their expressions through clothing, particularly the expression of sexuality.

While these are worthy concerns, is it not equally true that – particularly in French society – a woman always (until now) could choose what to wear anyway? When Muslim women can find social support outside their family, the pressure on them to dress and act in certain ways is at least alleviated (though, of course, not removed). Given that in France, it is the choice of the woman to express herself religiously, isn’t the choice to wear certain things between her and God, and not to be mandated by the government? Especially where it doesn’t affect other people in any negative manner.

It seems awfully insulting to think that a woman cannot choose to take part in her religion and express her religion in certain ways unless she was forced or coerced in doing so. These women, especially in France, are essentially free to make their own decisions regarding what they would like to wear.

It’s worth noting that whether or not a woman needs to wear a burqa or hijab, according to religious texts, seems to be up for interpretation and different people can have different interpretations. There is no consensus on this matter. All in all, it is not necessarily the case that a woman must wear anything in order to be a good Muslim, though the interpretation one might have is very real and worthy of our sensitivity.

On the internet there are some really interesting reads on how women feel about ‘the veil’, here and here.

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