Banning the Burqa: Ethnocentrism at it's Finest

I know that I haven't updated for a few days, but I recently got a job on top of school so it's been quite busy. Anyway, My classes are going OK, my favourite is obviously women's studies and my least favourite is cultural anthropology. I love the course but dislike the professor, and well...professors make or break the course. She's a fine person, just disorganized and well POMO!

As I stated before, she wants us to "think" about female genital mutilation and try to "understand it" on that particular culture's terms. It is strange because my women's studies prof wants us to do a project on women's issues globally, many women in the course have chosen female genital mutilation because we can all agree that it's fucked up. But according to my anthro prof, that's likely ethnocentrism.

Anyway, speaking of ethnocentrism...I'm really pissed off about France's decision to ban the burqa. I know that they think they are being "transgressive" or "fighting for women's rights" but they're just being a bunch of privileged bastards who are trying to impose shit on other people.

I hate the fact that so many atheists support this shit, they feel being an atheist is all about hating on religions that the world already hates. Islam is always under attack for one reason or another. Now, don't get me wrong, i don't support religion because i believe it does more harm than good...but i would NEVER tell someone what they should practice religiously and what they shouldn't. I also realize that most white Europeans in France don't know very much about Islam or the reasons why a woman may choose to veil.

I don't know every woman who veils, so i can't say that they didn't choose it. Also, from a lot of Islamic women i have spoken with, it's entirely up to the woman and is more based around culture than religion.

Regardless, what pisses me off is that they actually think it's "progressive" to ban the veiling all together and actually FINE or possibly IMPRISON women who choose to veil. I mean, locking a woman up for wearing a garment is TOTALLY fighting women's oppression. I mean, i can't even imagine how women who choose to veil and happen to live in France feel. I can't imagine wearing something and having a police officer tell me to remove it or face a fine.

One woman made the news in Canada, she is a mother and she chooses to veil. She said that she will not follow the law and stop wearing the burqa. She stated that she was willing to be fined every single time if she had to. But why should she have to? Because a bunch of Europeans want to impose their idea of transgression on other cultures? I mean, fuck! Come on.

It really hit home for me when i found out both France and Quebec banned the burqa. Why? Because most of my family is either from France or from Quebec. It makes me sad to know that the places of my heritage would sink so low, show such ignorance and take away basic rights of so many women. That's what it boils down to, taking away human rights. Being able to choose how to dress yourself every day would fall under the human rights category. To ban it isn't progressive, but rather bigoted and ethnocentric.

I hope enough women can take a stand to protect what they feel to be an incredibly important aspect of their culture.