French Ban: For Security, or Against People?

A recently passed law in France bans all face veils including the burqa and niqab, which are traditional religious garments worn by Muslim women. The French government has violated the fundamental human rights of many women that live in France who wear the niqab or burqa voluntarily, and claimed that they made the law in order to liberate oppressed women and for security purposes. The government does not have the right to pass a law regarding a foreign culture since they do not have the cultural context nor knowledge to be able to make educated choices. The law is unnecessary because women are not oppressed by anyone to wear the burqa, if anything, it seems to limit freedom for these women, and it does resolve any security concerns. 

The assumption that women are being forced to wear niqabs and burqas by their male relatives seems to have driven France to make the law; France wants to uphold their values of freedom and secularism. However, according to Tahira Noor, a Muslim woman who has worn the burqa for 20 years, many Muslim women who do wear the burqa have expressed that they wear it out of their own choice. She stated, “They're under no oppression, they're not doing it because their husbands want them to or their fathers want them to.” Noor continues to state that most women wear it because “[it] gets you closer to God. It's a spiritual thing more than anything else.” While there may be women who are forced to wear cover-ups, France already has prior laws that prevent abuse of women from occurring, deeming the new ban on religious headwear useless, and harmful. The law criminalizes women who simply believe in their God and would like to be more spiritually connected.  

Furthermore, with the new law in place, women who wear burqas and niqabs as an expression of their lifestyle have been stigmatized. Due to the law stating that religious headwears are not allowed in public spaces, some of the women can no longer step outside of their house. In an interview with NPR, Nabila Ramdani, a French-Algerian journalist expressed, “This ban would mean that it forbids women from stepping out of the house, which means that effectively, it prevents them from being free individuals.” The French government claims that they are liberating these women, but instead, have done the opposite. The law strips away women’s rights to be in public and their right to choose what to wear. Women’s rights that are threatened by this law may be in conflict with France’s values on freedom and give the opposite results as the law originally intended. Many feminist groups and the French government had feared that burqas subjugate women and separate them from society; however, not permitting burqas and niqabs in public areas cut them off more from the world than a piece of clothing. Muslim women have physically become detached from the outside and become criminalized. 

Lastly, the French government had also reasoned that the burqas may pose a security threat if authorities cannot identify individuals. Security could be a problem when an individual cannot be identified because their face is covered up. However, Muslim women are cooperative and will take off their face veils when asked by authorities. In her interview, Noor explains that if she were asked to take her veil off for security reasons, “[she’d be] happy to take [her] veil off”. Another example is explained by Nabila Ramdani, who’s interacted with several mothers picking their children up from daycare. Ramdani states, “They're quite happy to show their faces when they go to pick up their children” which demonstrates that security concerns may be solved even without the law in place. The law is designed to demonize these women of color, shown through lack of restriction for other headwears such as masks and motorcycle helmets. Rather than promoting national security and unity, the ban on burqas and niqabs encourages prejudice towards Muslim women. 

Without a doubt, the French government’s new policy on banning burqas and niqabs is futile. France’s actions can even be considered as the White Man’s Burden that motivates them to think that liberating individuals is part of their responsibility as white people. Overall, France’s concern about unshackling women that wear the burqa from Islamic patriarchy may not be valid at all, because many women do not feel oppressed nor the need to be freed from their religious beliefs. Additionally, for the small population of women who are being forced to wear face veils, there are ample laws in place in France and all of Europe to prevent women from becoming victimized. France already has laws that protect women from abuse; the French government can also keep the section of the new law that penalizes people that force others to wear face veils.  Moreover, France can solve security problems by asking women to take off their face veils and show their IDs if security concerns arise. In essence, if the laws change, France would be encouraging women to make their own choices and protect their citizens at the same time.
 

Sources
1. Associated Press. “Hundreds in Pakistan Protest France's Burqa Ban.” NDTV.com, 19 July 2010, http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/hundreds-in-pakistan-protest-frances-burqa-ban-424322, 27 May 2020.
2. “Boris Johnson's Burka Jibe: Why Do Some Muslim Women Wear the Veil?” BBC News, BBC, 8 Aug. 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-45112792, 27 May 2020. 
3. Buchan, David. “Nicolas Sarkozy.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 24 Jan. 2020, http://www.britannica.com/biography/Nicolas-Sarkozy, 28 May 2020.
4. “French Senate Bans Burka | CBC News.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 14 Sept. 2010, http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/french-senate-bans-burka-1.891246, 26 May 2020.
5. "No cover up; France ponders a burqa ban." The Economist, vol. 391, no. 8637, 27 June 2009, p. 38(EU). Gale In Context: Global Issues, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A202378039/GIC?u=cupe16240&sid=GIC&xid=1c1d40b9, 28 May 2020.
8. "France: Burqa Bans Violate Rights." SyndiGate Media Inc., 24 June 2009. Gale In Context: Global Issues,

*this is an opinionated piece*