The Burqa Battle of France

Some of my readers may remember when I talked about burqas, in my post  The Women of Afghanistan. To recap, a burqa is a type of clothing that covers the entire body. It is worn by the women of Afghanistan and also other Islam practicing countries. Now a burqa has many flaws but there are two main reasons for wearing one. Most of the time the men of the family force the women to wear burqas because of religious reasons, but some women choose to wear it because of religion. That is why France's decision to ban burqas and niqabs (another body covering clothing) is controversial. In April 2011 the "burqa ban" came into effect. France argues that fully covering one's self keeps women from fully participating in French society, and that it would be easier to commit crime or even terrorism. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in 2009 when the law was being considered "The burqa is not welcome on French territory. In our country we cannot accept that women be prisoners behind a screen, cut off from social life, deprived of identity." Even though that was the intent of the law, some say that the ban has actually instead of freeing the women, imprisoned them. Because women do not want to stray away from Islam, many are forced to stay home so that they are not seen in public. Estimated amount of 2,000 women are affected by this law. For them wearing a burqa or niqab is the same as wearing a cross or a yamaka. Many are left asking why France is even allowed to decide what they get to wear. What's next, banning Islam all together?

Bibliography

Majerol, Veronica. "Unveiling Europe." Upfront 10 and 17 Dec. 2012: 6-7. Web.