French Women Come to Blows Over Muslim Veil

As France

moves closer to banning the Burka, a conservative style of dress for Muslim

women, tensions increased with the first incident of "Burka Rage" in

the country. A 26-year-old Muslim convert was shopping, when a French woman

lawyer allegedly began making snide comments because she was not happy to see

the woman wearing the Muslim veil.

At one point the

lawyer, who was out with her daughter, allegedly compared the Muslim woman to a

horror demon character well known to French TV viewers, which covers its face

with a mask. An argument started and the older woman is said to have ripped the

Muslim woman's veil off. They came to blows and the police were called.

All this comes amidst discussions

of a ban, which could be introduced as early as next fall, making France the second country

after Belgium

to outlaw the Islamic veil in public places.

While many might argue

that France

is freeing Muslim women from being forced to wear the Burka, I am very

suspicious of any law that tells anyone what to wear.

We have separation of church and state for a reason. And that means the

government stays out of other people's religious business as long as they don't

break the laws of the land.

To me, telling women

they can't wear the Muslim veil is just as wrong as forcing them to wear it. If

it is a matter of religious expression, then I feel women should have the right

to express that religion however they want. It's certainly none of the

government's business.

Of course, this is a

complicated issue of religion, gender and culture, and cannot be simplified.

But how can a government force its own standards onto other women and claim it

is in the name of freedom?

While to my Western eyes, the

full-body covering of the Burka does look extreme, I know Muslim women who

choose to wear the Hijab (the headscarf) as an expression of their faith and

modesty before God. They are not forced, it is their choice. Similar, in some

ways, to Nuns wearing the habit.

If women are being forced to wear

the Burka as a form of oppression, that is a separate issue, one that has to be

dealt with from within the community. But whatever the situation, I do not

believe it is any government's right to tell its citizens what they can and

cannot wear.

- Alexandra Gekas, Associate


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