Burqa Off?

So everyone seems to have been talking about the French burqa ban. Even David Mitchell offered his views in a column for the Guardian, and his opinions seem to echo the majority of people that I follow. This being a blog that deals with religious and feminist issues, it was only a matter of time before I had to cover the burqa, and so here is that blogpost.

And I am undecided.

The problem, as far as I can see it, is that to impose a ban would restrict freedom of expression, whereas not to do so seems to ignore the current restrictions of freedom suffered by a lot of Muslim women. So either action or inaction would restrict the freedom of a group of people.

Ideally, of course, I would love to live in a world in which the burqa was a thing of the past. It is deeply symbolic of the oppression of women that some areas of Islam impose, and to claim that that is some kind of cultural misunderstanding is to be complicit. Of course, cultural values may differ, but there are certain rights that no human should have to sacrifice simply because they were born into the wrong culture, and to be able to go outside without those oppressive garments is one of them.

The solution could be to tell them that they can't wear it, but isn't this also an imposition on what people can wear, or more specifically what they can't? And so how exactly does this leave you better off? If this is an argument that we all have the right to wear what we want, it's pretty bloody stupid to make that point by forbidding everyone to wear something. And as a man with a penchant for bow ties, it would be a bit hypocritical of me to criticise someone for wearing something different. What you decide to wear should be up to you, given that it is appropriate for what you are doing (as David Mitchell said, "crotchless jeans outside primary schools" is unreasonable, but a trip to the shops in a burqa should be fine).

Right then. So that means I'm against a ban on the grounds that anyone should be allowed to wear whatever they like? Well, yes, but as I said earlier, the burqa is not just an item of clothing. It is a symbol of an aggressive patriarchy within certain quarters of the Muslim community. To take a stand against it is to show those oppressed that we will fight for their rights, even if they feel they cannot. Surely there is nothing we value higher than the right for everyone to live free from fear? I would certainly place it above the right to an alternative fashion.

And so, there's the problem. On the one hand, you want to help oppressed minorities, and on the other, you want to make sure you're not oppressing them yourself. I haven't even mentioned issues of security, which I feel are separate to this issue. It's inescapable that in today's world you will need to be identified, and quite clearly impossible with a covered face, but that is just the same whether it is covered by a burqa, a motorcycle helmet or a mask of Richard Nixon.

Perhaps the answer is just in tutting loudly, or perhaps legislation is the key, but if called upon to vote, I would have to abstain. If you think you can sway me, please feel free to leave a comment below.