Burqas Should Not Be Banned
A Burqa is an article of clothing that is generally considered as a religious statement. The Burqa consists of full robes and a mesh veil over the eyes. There are other options of robes that can be worn including the Hijab and the Niqab, where the eyes remain uncovered. According to come interpretations of the Islamic sacred text – the Koran (Qur’an) – women must wear a full veil in order to be modest. Many Muslims wear the Burqa because it is symbolises and is a part of their spiritual journey, so they wear it by choice.
While others wear the Burqa because they believe they have to, as it is one of the commandments of god to dress modestly. There are many Muslims who choose not to wear the Burqa at all. They may opt for a simple headscarf and normal clothing; they also can wear the Hijab or Niqab. But then again there are many Muslims who choose to dress in normal clothes, therefore bringing no attention to their religion. Not wearing the headscarf or robes does not make a person any more religious, nor does wearing the Burqa make someone more religious than another Muslim who is not wearing any religious clothing at all.
The author – Oumkheyr – is a Muslim woman who wears the full Burqa by choice, and is being strongly threatened by the French Government where a ban of Burqas may soon be implemented. Oumkheyr says “I really believe that France is scared of Muslims, which is the motivation for this law, but people shouldn’t generalize as not all Muslims are the same. Yes, some have done terrible things, but it is done in the name of man, never in the name of God. ” But, although in the Koran there are verses that say some hateful things like “slay them wherever you catch them” (Quran 2:191), these quotes are taken completely out of context.
The rest of that particular quote is as follows “fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for God loves not transgressors. And slay them wherever you catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter… But if they cease, God is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful… If they cease, let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression” (2:190-193). The Koran gives messages of hope, faith and peace.
It’s easy to take something out of context and quote it, but it means that what was originally being said loses all meaning. Linking back to the Burqa ban, maybe the French government would stop being so scared of muslims if someone actually bothered to read the full quote. Oumkheyr makes some very strong points in her article, that everyone should take into consideration when deciding their personal opinion of the Burqa ban proposal. The second article, ‘The Burqa is a war on women’ addresses the reasoning for a ban. The author – Virginia Haussegger – has successfully outlined the views of many non-muslims.
Within the first two lines Ms Haussegger has already accused the Burqa of subjectifying women, and stated that the reason for wearing the Burqa is what ‘God Demands’. What the author doesn’t seem to realise is that for the majority of muslims, wearing the Burqa is a personal choice, and most say they don’t think it is a ‘demand’ as such, but more of a way to become more in touch with god and the rest of their religion. Some Islamic tectsstate that women should dress modestly, but wearing the Burqa is the individuals’ decision, and it reflects on the individuals’ values and beliefs about the word ‘modesty’.
This article brings up many points about equality. Saying that while ‘men roam free while women wear a sackcloth that dehumanises them. Although it is true that Muslim men do not walk around shrouded head to toe, this is for a reason that Haussegger seems to have forgotten: women’s bodies are constantly being subjectified and having their bodies sexualized, and men are not. Although this is not necersarily the ‘politically correct’ thing to say, it is the truth, and wearing the Burqa is a way for this to stop.
The author does have some very valid points on the subject of actual legitimacy of the commandment about the Burqa, but even if the Koran does not state ‘Women must cover their face and bodies to hide from public view’, the Burqa, Hijab, and Niqab are just clothes. By reading these articles it is clear to see that both authors are fighting for the rights of Muslim women. Although Virginia Haussegger clearly believes that by wearing the Burqa women are being further objectified, both authors agree that what we wear is our choice and no one elses.
Muslims live by their holy text and if the individual interprets its commandments to believe that to be a good muslim you must wear the burqa, then that it their choice, and freedom of choice is a human right that we should all have. What Haussegger sadly doesn’t appear to understand is that no matter how a Muslim chooses to dress, their beliefs are the same and they are living by the same god, so banning one article of clothing cannot change how the individual will behave.
My opinion on the Burqa is that although the outfit may be somewhat demeaning, it is a personal choice that I will never fully understand. Now that I have done further research into the topic I understand the choices and decisions that are made when the Burqa is concerned, and I am definitely more open to other people’s opinions. I think it is completely unreasonable for non-muslims to call a ban on the Burqa as it is a human right that we are free to express ourselves however we see fit, and if this is how some Muslims choose to express their religion, then good for them.
Works Cited:
- Should Burqas Be Banned? | http://middleeast. about. com/u/ua/religionsectarianism/burqa-hijab-ban. htm| 14/03/2013|
- Book| Islam beliefs and teachings| Written by Ghulam Sarwar| 20/03/2013|
- Article| We too should ban the Burqa| http://www. telegraph. co. uk/comment/columnists/allison-pearson/8449101/We-too-should-ban-the-burka. html| 23/03/2013
- Article| Europe must not ban the burka| http://www. guardian. co. uk/commentisfree/2010/mar/08/europe-ban-burqa-veil|
