Today the full veil (the burqa) ban has been put into action. Two women have already been arrested for leaving their homes while covered. In addition to the burqa, France plans to ban the niqab next. The niqab covers all but the eyes.
Are these 2,000 women really that threatening? Or are people convinced that the European lifestyle is a one size fits all for the rest of the
Sarkozy claims its because he cares about women's liberation - he claims the veil oppresses women and thus is "not welcome in France"
The man clearly just cares about Muslim women and their interests...
So much so that he also banned the wearing of the hijab (covers only the hair) in schools. The only time they could be legally worn within educational facilities is in universities. Obviously, this man cares a lot about Islamic women!
*eyes roll back into head*
Do I really think, for even a slight moment, that this man really cares about women's liberation? Nope! I truly believe that Islamophobia is a huge problem, one that many do not want to talk about. We have countries in Europe and North America that run governments that pretend to "care" about women's liberation in order to legitimize their invasion of basic human rights. I mean, why do European rulers of the dominant class get to dictate everyone else's reality?
Everyone thinks we have come along way in regards to racism and ethnocentrism, but it's clear in popular culture, government buildings and even other religious institutions that Islamic people are "bad." This causes the entire Muslim community to be misrepresented and stereotyped in the media.
What kind of progress is that?
BBC News read more about the veil in other European countries
Ugh! This is fucking ridiculous. Clearly, they know NOTHING about the cultural significance of the veil (and this is coming from a non-religious person, a pandeist to be exact). The veil is supposed to take the focus away from her body so that people would pay more attention to the expression of her eyes, her brains, and her personality. And wearing it IS actually a choice (with the exception of Islamist extremist states). Forcing them to not wear it is really no better than forcing them to wear it, or forcing them to dress in micro-miniskirts and an ultra-tiny tube top. And, if I may recall, early Christian and Jewish women wore these veils too… so, do I sense a Judeo-Christian hypocrisy here?
ReplyDeleteWell, the point here is: if they want to wear it, just let them because it is a right. No one has the right to invade their privacy or their personal space for that matter, especially white men. The veil doesn’t necessarily mean that they are all “terrorists” or are oppressed; in fact, I see more of them (and I mean hordes, which include Muslim feminists) standing up to oppressive, traditionalist-conservative religious leaders than I do with liberal Christians (yes, I know there are actually quite a few brave ones like Sinead O’Connor, Rosemary Radford Ruether, and Eugen Drewermann - but I won’t get into that right now) and I think that’s just sad. And if they need to take a pictures for a photo I.D. or for some other security purpose, of course they’ll take it off in private.
If anything, I think the veil is pretty; and western women might actually be more oppressed when we have the media always dictating the "latest fashion trends" and how a woman's body should look like and how we should always worry about hair.
hi there! just got to your blog from noanodyne's. i hope you don't mind me commenting.
ReplyDeletehere's the thing about the veil being a "choice" - if it's just a "choice", freely made with no sociocultural baggage and coercion attached to it, how come women in europe don't "choose" to veil?
in my country, we grow up thinking that girls wearing a hijab are "decent" and "respectable" and above all "pure". girls who don't wear a hijab are somehow less pure, less worthy of respect.
taking the veil is never a free, uninhibited "choice" (neither is pornifying one's self). please let's not lose sight of the fact that islam is a patriarchal religion at heart with men's best interests at the center of it in our quest for "acceptance of other cultures". 99% of the world's cultures (and most religions) today are patriarchal, and equally oppressive to women in their own special, unique ways.
i know a lot of poor, working women who wear the burqa while walking to work, mainly to avoid undue attention from men (because women in burqas are the purest of the pure) - never mind that they are still given that lovely, lovely attention /sarcasm. it's not because they WANT to wear it, or because they are SO religious, no.
another factor to consider is that the burqa is normally black, covers one from head to toe and is worn over regular clothes. in the middle-east and in south asia -- well, let's just say walking around in a black sack in the middle of summer is cruel and unusual punishment.
many muslim countries (libya, turkey, iran) have also banned the burqa, especially inside government institutions. this is partly for security, and partly to keep extremism at bay, to let the mullahs know that their vision of the world is unacceptable.
i know some women in france will suffer i.e. not being allowed to go outside without the burqa, becoming more isolated.
it sucks that women have to suffer the most in these stupid man-battles between "east" and "west".
but please do not glorify the veil or the burqa. they are markers of woman-as-other. they are oppressive. as are other markers of women as a sex class like make up, gendered clothing, high heels etc.
(also -- nudity is banned no? so there are limits on dressing already imposed by the government. if thousands of men suddenly started walking around the streets wearing ski-masks do you really doubt the government would spring to action and ban the wearing of ski-masks in public places? i don't. it IS a security risk. men have been known to try escape/infiltrate wearing the burqa. i say ban it, with relish.)
Hi and welcome.
ReplyDeleteFor the veil, I am not debating the patriarchal roots that exist within religious institutions, nearly every religion is rooted in male-supremacy, it's undeniable. What I am criticizing, however, is the cultural colonialism that is presently occurring in France, the attempts to assimilate people who are not French or do not accommodate to the "French lifestyle".
This is about racism and islamophobia which has been sweeping through Europe as of the last decade or so. Also, a whopping 2,000 women wear the burqa in France, out of 20 million Muslims. This is not a large number of people wearing the burqa, certainly not enough to demand a law actually BAN it. Whether or not I agree with the burqa in terms of patriarchy, I, or anyone else has NO right to impose such laws on others. Feeling disdain towards something is one thing, but to place it into legislation? That's atrocious. If I dislike high heels because they fuck up women's backs and perpetuate stereotypes about beauty, should I try to ban it? What gives me the right to tell someone to stop wearing something or arrest them if they fail to comply with my opinions?
As for other facial coverings...In Canada, for example, you can wear a ski mask, as long as you don't commit a crime while wearing it. There's no law against covering ones face because not everyone is assumed to be a criminal. This whole alarmist "safety" argument against the burqa and niqab is just a gloss over the true racism behind this law. Just because someone wears a face covering doesn't make them dangerous or less safe, however, many anti-burqa folks use this as an argument for their side. It's similar to the "ethnic screening" that occurs at airports - just legislated racism.
The European ruling class shouldn't get to impose their will and "morals" on others...some straight up neo-colonialism.
Also, this isn't about glorification of any particular religious or cultural attire, this is about a government (a colonial one to boot) creating laws based on their idea that everyone should be "secular" and all people should follow the "European way of life".
Also, there is the huge issue of the French government not allowing girls to wear Hijab in schools...many of my Islamic sisters would be horribly opposed to such laws as they feel their hijab is a huge part of their lives and their spirituality. How does the government get to dictate one's spiritual beliefs?
I oppose all racist, islamophobic, totalitarian "laws" whether or not I particularly think the burqa is rooted or sustained by patriarchy.
Ps. In terms of the nudity law we have in the West is it good that people are forced to wear clothes as bodies have become uber-sexualized and objectified by patriarchy? Many cultures around the world embrace nudity and do not wear many clothes...it is purely a Western phenomena, likely brought on by oppressive patriarchal capitalist society that we live in.