The burqa is causing heated debate in Europe. A French parliamentary commission has spent months deciding how the burqa can be banned in public buildings and, if necessary, on the street. Its report is being presented on Tuesday.
Correspondent Frank Renout went out and about to gauge public opinion.
Samira Hayat is 23 and lives in Paris. She wears hip trainers and faded jeans – but you can’t see much of them. Samira is covered from head to toe in a chador, the long robe which allows only the face and the hands to be seen.
But not for long. Samira has been shopping in Paris and has just bought a large black garment which will in the future cover her whole face.
“I wear these clothes for Allah, for our God,” she explains. “The prophet’s wife was also fully covered. I want to follow her example. I do it for God. We all serve God, and so everything I do is for him.”
Street ban
However, if French politicians get their way, Samira will soon not be able to appear at school, in hospitals and possibly not even on the street covered up like this.
French MPs are almost certainly going to come out against burqas and niqabs, the clothing which only allows a woman’s eyes to be seen.
This could be followed by legislation outlawing the burqa in public buildings, with some MPs wanting a total ban on wearing the clothes in public. The parliamentary leader of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s right-wing UMP party has proposed a 750-euro fine for women caught wearing the burqa in public.
Not welcome
Mr Sarkozy is clear about his own position on the issue:
“The burqa is not welcome in France. We can’t accept that women should walk around on French territory imprisoned behind their burqas’ eye grilles, cut off from social life and without an identity. That goes against what we in France understand by the dignity of women.”
Europe-wide action
Similar views are increasingly being heard throughout Western Europe. The debate is raging in a lot of countries about the burqa and its place in society. The argument is even being widened to include the influence of Islam on society, raising issues including the segregation of men and women in swimming pools and whether male doctors should be able to treat female Muslim patients.
Governments are beginning to take action. Local authorities in Germany and Belgium have introduced measures targetting the burqa and in the Netherlands it is banned in schools.
France appears to be going one further. Parties on the left and the right have agreed that the burqa is not a good thing for the country. But, for some, national measures are not enough. The prominent French feminist and philosopher, Elisabeth Badinter, is calling for Europe-wide action.
“The European parliament should adopt a resolution, if possible unanimously, condemning the burqa on principle and on moral grounds."
Western values
She believes the burqa constitutes an attack on the equality of the sexes, one of the principle values of the West. She says Europe should stand up for and defend its own standards and values. A European resolution would be purely symbolic, but would, she argues, send a signal to the women who wear burqas and the men who force them to do so.
And, she has a simple message for those who don’t care for such a resolution. If you don’t like it here in Europe, you can leave.
Email this Article
Printer-friendly version
1. Any terrorist can hide under a burqa. 2. To hide under a burqa is showing disrespect for others. 3 As long as others can not do as they do at home in their country, they can not do as they do at home in our country.
Ban burqas and ban all religions same time.
Samira Hayat says that "We all serve God, and so everything I do is for him”. However, it is men who have decided that God is a "Him" and also that Samira and her sisters must cover themselves, not God. God doesn't worry about what you are wearing or whether you cover your face when, quite clearly, being God, She is able to judge you by what She knows is in your hearts and minds.
The sense of being well-dressed gives a feeling of inward tranquillity which religion is powerless to bestow.
As I see it, many women warer these clothes to feel safe which is itself an enditement on society. I would generally be against enforcing any rules on clothing if it was not for the fact that islam countries themselves strictly apply these rules on westerners. If you have not got your arms and legs covered as a western woman in Saudi Arabia you will pay the price! Moreover, christian signs (such as a cross on a necklace) cannot be openly worn and have been known to be removed on arrival even if covered, even meditation tapes were confiscated and the owner fined andd reported to his Saudi employer.
I do not suggest we apply these medieval rules butt would say it is time to inform people that they have a choice, stay and dress accordingly, or keep your clothes and leave. This does not sound politically correct but I am getting tired of being treated like the only minority without any rights.
The more you ban it, the more they'll don it-simple human psychology. Let them be and take the focus on more important issues of your society, they will grow out of it gradually!
"Let them be and take the focus on more important issues of your society, they will grow out of it gradually!"........The issue of Burqas is a very important issue. It shouldn't be an issue at all. It should be against the law. There is a big difference between a burqa and a scarve. If they want to be modest, let them wear a scarf.
Post new comment
Please be reminded all comments must be in English, short and to the point - guideline 250 words. Abusive and inappropriate comments will be removed.