French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the government have imposed a ban on the Burqa in France, a head to toe costume worn by Islamic females. Early this year when the debate heated up, there were talks of terrorist reprisals. Nevertheless President Sarkozy who needed this triumph to please the conservatives in his party and the base, went ahead with it and today the media were full of it.
It all boils down to this question, what do I think of this ban. Well, I think it is a good idea. The Burqa is something that never invites comfort or dialogue. I think it is inappropriate in a western world, a self advertised free society, to allow something as tainted as the Burqa in public places. I have spoken with religious Muslims and they declared to me that the Burqa has nothing to do with their religion. Therefore it is not discrimination against religion, which I would have protested. The individual freedom to practise and propagate any religion eventually benefits the free society. In a stressful society as the western world people can ease their silent suffering by choosing a spiritual path. We should never restrict a person on the way he or she chooses to live his or her life. However, an individual lifestyle should never endanger the free society. When someone is covered from head to toe it is hard to identify the person, I even think it is impossible. In these times of terrorists and high crime rate, it causes a stir and fears as much as a ski-mask does. I find nothing mystic about it. It is worldwide known that some women are being forced to cover themselves and others are doing so freely. Most of the later one, especially those in Europe is wearing it to rebel.
On the other hand I’m fully against the idea of imposing a ban on headscarves. Headscarves don’t restrict authorities from identifying a person and it is more refine. In Africa headscarves are a fashion item and I have seen fashionable headscarves in some parts of the Muslim world as well. Conservative or fashionable headscarves; each his own, but I like both.