In western societies, women have been criticized for their clothing choices, especially if they show too much skin. It’s odd, then, to hear women being frowned upon for covering up their bodies (at least in western culture). But that’s exactly what is happening in France, where officials are in the process of enforcing a law banning burqas.

This past summer, the lower courts of the French government proposed a bill that opposes the use of a burqa (which covers the whole face), or niqab (where eyes are visible) in public by an overwhelming majority. The French law states that if a woman is caught covering her face she will be fined $190 by authorities.  If a man forces a woman to cover up her face, he will have to serve a year in jail and pay a $38,000 fine (if the victim is a minor the charges will double).

The bill will be looked over by the French Senate this week. Many experts have said that the bill will most likely be ratified. [UPDATE: The bill was passed Tuesday.] A poll done by the Pew Research Center showed that 80% of the French people support the bill. There is even strong support among the 5 million Muslims in France.

Amnesty International has tried to convince French lawmakers to reject the bill.
However, France isn’t the only European country trying to ban the burqa: similar laws are in the process of being implemented in England and Belgium, as well.     

Some French politicians have referred to the traditional Muslim veil as a “walking coffin”.  As MP Communist party member, Andre Gerin said, “talking about liberty to define the wearing of the full veil is totally cynical for me, the full veil is a walking coffin, a muzzle”.

Does it seem correct to say that a burqa is a muzzle? Is it correct for Mr. Gerin to speak for Muslim women? Does he have actually knowledge that women feel belittled by the garment? It seems that Mr. Gerin is trying to speak for something without any knowledge of their beliefs and why a woman might choose to cover herself up in public.   

On the other side of the debate, the leader of the Respect party, SalmaYaqoob, said that the bill is an abuse of “state power”.                    

The President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy has publically supported the bill. “The burqa is not welcome in France because it is contrary to our values and contrary to the ideals we have of a women’s dignity”, he has said.

President Sarkozy seems to be putting Western customs at a higher level, and implying how women are treated in a more dignified fashion (which, in my opinion, is not true). He also alienates the Muslim minority in his choice of words such as “not welcome”. We should focus on the way our own Western ideals can be discriminatory towards women.      

The bill seems to implement the same force used in Middle Eastern countries that make women cover up their faces due to customs, except now they are being forced not to cover their face. Yaqoob has described the ban as a cause of vulnerability against “a tiny minority of a minority”.                         

Is the burqa a threat to national security or a threat to a national identity? Many political leaders from different parts of Europe have described the ban as a national security problem because it would be hard to identify the person underneath the burqa or niqab. What about using passports or identification cards? There are 5 million Muslim in France but only about 2,000 women actually wear the burqa.  It does not make sense that a bill dealing with such a small group of people would have such an impact on the state level, as if this issue was affecting all the citizens of France.

Europe faces a huge issue at this moment due to the excessive amount of incoming immigrants coming to Western European nations. Therefore, the fallout may also be because of the influx of diversity. Countries such as France and England have a strong central identity that has been preserved for centuries. As a result, they may feel at stake of losing their own culture and identity with the rising number of immigrants arriving.  It’s important for a state’s issues not to be combined with cultural ideals, because it could lead to a series of misconceptions among the general public.

Many European nations are in their right to keep their identity that pertains to their country and traditions; yet it should not be at the cost of other people’s own customs and ideals.
 
Reach Reporter Esmeralda Del Rio here.