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French President Nicolas Sarkozy raised a few eyebrows this week when he said Islamic burqas aren't welcome in his country (For a full story, click this link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_france_sarkozy_burqa.)
For those unfamiliar with the term, the burqa is the head to toe body covering worn by conservative Muslim women, with only their eyes visible. Sarkozy says they suppress women's identities and make them subservient.
While I applaud Sarkozy taking a stand for women's rights, I wonder if this is the right way to go about it. While we've heard stories of women beaten for not wearing the covering and exposing their skin in public, other women might believe the garment is a legitimate part of their beliefs. If you ban the burqa, do you go on to banning long skirts or certain hats and veils which women in other religions or cultures might deem appropriate?
If Sarkozy truly wants to help suppressed women, a better approach might be to make sure his country's laws do all they can to assist women in abusive situations. He might even want to make his country a safe haven for women forced to wear the burqa, granting them asylum.
There is another train of thought that this has nothing to do with women's rights - that Sarkozy just wants to force the French culture on all who enter his country - but that's another debate. If you take his motives at his word, what do you think?
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Posted by: Brandi Location: kansas
It doesn't do much for women's rights if women choose to wear them, now does it? Posted by: Jerry Location: Topeka Did he ban nuns' outfits also? Posted by: Casey Location: Emporia There are several religions that wear hats,long sleeves,long hair etc.Banning is not right for this situations.Focus on the rights of the woman let her decide what she choses to wear..I,also live in Emporia and we learn the men do feel and try to treat all females as if they are not equal.I feel this is not to ban but the muslim females choice, Not the male, Posted by: Greg Location: Junction City This situation plays out on a lot of levels. Mr. Sarkozy may have a certain amount of protection for French culture in mind, as a reaction to the large number of Islamic people who have moved to France but refuse to assimilate. Just as I feel it is wrong to force others to wear the burqa, it is wrong to ban a woman from deciding to wear the burqa. Then you run into the security situations where a burqa can be used to hide explosives or contraband. And to top it off you cannot tell if a woman wears the burqa of free will, or the fear of her family. Our response to this has to be nuanced, pragmatic, and respectful. It should not be a sound bite. Posted by: Grace Location: Emporia This is a sticky situation. If the woman wants to wear it, she should be able to. She may be conditioned to believe it is wrong for any strange man to see her. Personally, I think it shows very little faith in human nature that some Moslem think women must be concealed at all times. As if men couldn't control themselves if they saw an arm or leg! I did notice the Somali women who were in Emporia for a while started wearing brighter clothing after a while. They didn't wear burquas but headclothes and long skirts. I found that fine but when the women were forced to walk several feet BEHIND the men, my hackles went up. There were several clashes with Somali men and American women who didn't let them cut in line etc. So I have a poor opinion of most Moslem beliefs about women. Posted by: Sandy I just know I feel sorry for the women having to wear them. Can you imagine being covered in all that black garb in our heat?? And, although I don't know what their weather is like for certain, I have an idea it is pretty warm there as well. |
