On Monday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he wanted to see the burqa banned in France. The burqa is a loose, full body-veil that covers women from heat to toe. He said the burqa, “is a sign of the subjugation, of the submission, of women.” It is “not welcome in France.”
Michelle Goldberg thinks this is not such a good idea:
Ultimately, though, there’s no evidence that most burqa-clad French women regard themselves as oppressed. “There are women who wear burqas who are not being forced by anyone, who think that form of modesty is appropriate for who they want to be in the world,” says Scott. “It’s hard to distinguish between them and those who are being forced.” And so in the end, a ban putatively passed to further women’s rights could instead impinge on their freedom, and take from them something they value. Even worse, it could lead to those in the most fundamentalist of households being trapped inside their homes altogether. It would be cruel to limit these women’s options in the name of liberation, even if their clothes are a rebuke to the secularism that the French rightly hold sacred.
As much as I dislike the idea of women hiding themselves in public, I don’t see the point of this policy.
The burqa is a sign of oppression certainly and it is possible for someone to be oppressed without knowing it. But it doesn’t follow from this that all women who wear the burqa are oppressed. Some women who wear them are thoughtful, aware, and simply prefer that form of self-presentation.
Although France is a secular society, opposing symbols of faith will only alienate people who feel like they don’t have a stake in society.
That is a recipe for disaster.
