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This picture, from popular English-language news channel France24, highlights an issue that is causing a lot of fuss just now in France and Belgium. Both countries are seeking to ban the burka from public spaces, although the King of Belgium seems to have succeeded in halting the push in Belgium for the moment. The whole row seemed to get rolling again recently when a young teen refused to remove her headgear in school and a police officer convert suddenly insisted on headgear on the job, although the discussion has a long history in France. France, as a country once run by a religion, has a very natural disinclination toward religion on the job in public or political places, or in public schools, and a policy of secularism. They have no problem if you want to be religious, it is simply forbidden to wear conspicuous religious regalia to work in the public sector or to public schools in order to re-establish them as spaces of neutrality and peace. Rather than allow any hint of religion dominating public office or school, France passed a law years ago banning religious regalia in these situations as a part of the move to free schools and government from the iron grip of Catholic control. It's not in any way aimed at headgear, seeing as crucifixes, those Jewish hair locks, and any other similar ostentatious sign of any religion is right out as well, though the effect may have been greatest on those wearing headgear since Islam is growing fast in France.
As the drama has worn on, interesting bits have come to light. Many seemed to think these teen girls and women were raised to the headgear, so it seemed normal to them, but this is not at always the case. Many of the teens come from families that fled to France to avoid religious zealotry in their own countries. The mothers of these teens are some of those leading the charge against the headgear in public as they left their home countries to get away from the burka to begin with. The teens often start wearing the burka when young teen males of their religion sexually harass them in the streets and in school for not wearing them because wearing them is viewed as a sign of purity. Girls who choose not to wear them in largely Muslim communities are often subjected to violence, gang rape, and even murder(p.761). Then they put them on, that stops, and the parents are all in a tizz, so it wins them further attention as a form of rebellion against the parents.
Most of the adult wearers, including the cop, were not raised to this, either. They are recent converts, zealous to prove their devotion. Many groups have come out in support of the ban French President Sarkozy is urging be placed into law, even though many believe such a law will without doubt be struck down as unconstitutional. Belgium is also working to develop such a law. One large Muslim group in Canada has come out strongly in support of outlawing the burka, a move that may surprise many. Their strong support is based, they say, on the fact the burka is in no way required anywhere in the Koran and often is an outward sign of the viewing of women as nothing more than property. That view often leads to grievous abuses against the women, including so-called dowry burnings and honor killings. Recently, a man was refused French citizenship because he forced his wife to wear the burka, and a driver was fined because her headgear was deemed to pose a hazard by blocking field of vision, leading to further legal issues for her "husband".
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has thrown his support strongly behind the ban largely because of the abuses of women, having repeatedly stated the veil hurts equality between the sexes and the dignity of women, although some women seem to feel the veil is their choice. While I do think the man has a heart, there is also a more substantive reason for a government head to work to end this practice. Dowry burnings and honor killings use up valuable public resources as rescue crews struggle to help horribly injured women survive horrific and painful injury while police desperately rush to apprehend the men who have committed these heinous acts as fellow religious zealots rush to smuggle them out of country or into hiding. All of this costs money, not to mention the emotional toll on the poor rescue and medical workers struggling to help the injured and dying. Sometimes it becomes to much, and expensively well-trained medical and rescue workers leave to find other, less potentially emotional positions, as has been seen in several well-publicized similar situations in the US. All that seems as little beside the loss of the lives of these women, and there is no way to know what contributions they may have made had they lived, or had they lived in an open society encouraged to live to their fullest. Some have charged this is all just a move hoped to make Sarkozy and his political cronies more cozy with the electorate.
On top of all this, there are security concerns. Just as things were heating up, a couple of robbers donned burkas in order to hide weapons and enter a Paris Post Office and rob it to the tune of 4,500 Euros. They join a dubious group of men who have used the burka as a means to hide weapons and perpetrate crimes in western countries including Great Britian, France, and the US in recent years. The move toward the ban in France has unleashed a firestorm of debate across the internet, including news and teen forums, as well as careful, thought-out, articles, some even pro-burka, and tongue-in-cheek sarcasm from many media outlets. Reporters and criminals have worn burkas to waltz through airport security completely unchecked and hide out from law enforcement, even wearing them to evade US pursuit of al Qaida.
If you are noticing some of these debates and articles aren't that recent, that is because this discussion has been brewing for some time, and some have been writing about this issue for years. France is hardly the only country where such a ban has been discussed for some time, while other countries are beginning to discuss the issue based on reporting of the French discussion and local safety concerns. More than half the voters in several major European states back the burka ban, according to one poll. Not all wearers of the distinctive headgear are Muslim. A splinter group of Judaism has also adopted the headgear. Although the most prominent adherent was arrested for sexual abusing her children, the practice has hung on. The law proposed in France would make no distinction between Muslim wearers and others who might choose to wear the veiling.
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