What鈥檚 hiding behind France鈥檚 proposed burqa ban?
The world鈥檚 arbiter of fashion, France, may soon ban the Muslim burqa.
A French parliamentary report on Tuesday called the full veil 鈥渦nacceptable鈥� and concluded: 鈥淲e must condemn this excess.鈥� It recommends forbidding it in many public places.
But it is the proposal itself that is excessive 鈥� for stepping on basic rights.
French authorities say that only about 1,900 women wear the burqa or the niqab, two versions of the full covering with a mesh or slit for the eyes. That鈥檚 .038 percent of France鈥檚 Muslim population of about 5 million that鈥檚 now deemed a threat to the French Republic and its values.
The burqa does not fit comfortably with Western sentiments. It鈥檚 closed; Westerners are open. They want to see people鈥檚 faces. It鈥檚 also viewed as a prison for women 鈥� even if Muslim women are free to choose it. And it symbolizes fundamentalist Islam, which conjures up images of terrorism. That鈥檚 perhaps why the Dutch and Austrians are also discussing a burqa ban.
But sentiments shouldn鈥檛 be confused with bedrock freedoms, including the right to practice one鈥檚 religion. Being uncomfortable with another鈥檚 faith or even dress 鈥� and encoding that discomfort in law 鈥� puts one on the slippery slope to official discrimination. Will Sikh turbans be next?
As President Obama says, 鈥淚n the United States our basic attitude is that we鈥檙e not going to tell people what to wear.鈥�
Close to 60 percent of French don鈥檛 see it that way, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy. He supports a burqa ban as a way to uphold France鈥檚 principles of secularism and equality (he has called the burqa a symbol of women鈥檚 鈥渟ubservience鈥�).
In 2004, the French banned all ostentatious religious symbols in public schools. In practice, it affected mostly Muslim girls, who could no longer wear the head scarf in the classroom.
If the recommendations on the full veil become law, it will become illegal to wear it in state venues such as hospitals, public buildings, and on trains and buses (though streets are not off limits). Its supporters see it as consistent with the head-scarf ban, but at least with that Muslim girls had a choice to go to a religious school. If the burqa is banned, what鈥檚 the choice for the women who wear it? Stay imprisoned in their neighborhoods?
To outsiders, the oversized reaction to the full veil looks like the French trying to hide their Muslim integration problems behind an edict. Actually, they鈥檝e made progress integrating Muslims in recent years, with controversies over building mosques dying down, city halls reaching out to local Muslim leaders, and interfaith marriages increasing.
But the opportunity gap 鈥� in jobs, education, and housing 鈥� still yawns for many immigrants or children of immigrants, including Muslims. And the parliament鈥檚 report calls for lawmakers to work on the issue of 鈥淚slamophobia,鈥� which the report condemns. The report also recommends creating a government-funded national school of Islamic studies.
In an age when it鈥檚 becoming more important to properly identify people 鈥� to prevent fraud, to prevent violence 鈥� a face-covering veil does present a challenge. But that鈥檚 a technical matter that requires a technical solution. It鈥檚 not a 鈥渃hallenge鈥� to the French Republic, as the report claims. If anything, a ban would further alienate and stigmatize Muslims, not enfold them in French society.
Interestingly, the parliamentary report did not recommend a total ban on burqas. The concern is that such a flat-out prohibition would conflict with the Constitution. France should take the hint, and step back from this idea.
