President Nicolas Sarkozy’s appeal to Parliament at the end of last month to ban the burqa in France has incited renewed controversy over Muslim women’s veiling. Proponents of the ban argue that the burqa – a garment worn by some Muslim women that covers the body from head to toe, leaving a space for the eyes – is oppressive and signifies women’s isolation and subservience. Sarkozy said in his speech before Parliament that “The burqa is not a religious sign. It is a sign of the subjugation, of the submission, of women… I want to say solemnly that it will not be welcome on our territory.”[1] This is not the first time legislation targeting Muslim women’s dress has been proposed in France. A ban on the hijab, or headscarf, in public schools was passed in 1989, and reinstated in 2004 as part of the contentious law banning “conspicuous” religious symbols in schools.
The reaction of Muslim women to the proposed ban, as well as that of feminist, human rights and religious groups, has been overwhelmingly against the ban. Many opponents find the proposed law condescending and argue that the legislation undermines the agency of Muslim women to choose to wear a burqa. Dr. Reefat Drabu, a Muslim woman and the Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, espoused this view, saying, “It is patronizing and offensive to suggest that those Muslim women who wear the burqa do so because of pressure or oppression by their male partners or guardians.”[2] Many Muslim women view the burqa to be liberating, not oppressive, because it allows women to enter the public sphere while protecting their modesty. A Muslim woman in Paris, wearing a hijab but no burqa, told Inter Press Service, “Islamic dress hides a woman’s form, and it’s false to say that it’s a prison for women… It’s my choice. There’s not much difference in being told what to wear and being told what not to wear. Women should be able to choose for themselves wherever they are.”[3] Jean-Marie Fardeau, Director of the French branch of Human Rights Watch, has also denounced the proposed legislation as “discriminatory both [from] the gender perspective and the religious perspective.”[4]
For more information, see http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/world/europe/23france.html?scp=4&sq=sarkozy&st=cse
[1] Doreen Carvajal “Sarkozy Backs Drive to Eliminate the Burqa” The New York Times (June 23, 2009), p. A4
[2] Murray Wardrop “Muslim Anger at Call to Ban Burka: Sarkozy’s Remarks on Traditional Dress Risk Inciting Hostility towards Islam, Say British Religious Leaders” The Daily Telegraph (June 24, 2009), p.2
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
