In a Jan. 31 column titled “Parliamentary panel takes extreme measure against niqab,” I discussed a law proposed by the French Parliament to ban face veils or niqab. This law, to quote the column, would impose fines on women who wear face veils, as well as ensure these women “would be banned from using public services such as the bus, parks and even public hospitals,” all in the name of “keeping things secular” and “preserving French culture.”
True to my prediction, the French Parliament passed this bill Tuesday with a vote of 246 to 1.
This landslide victory could very well be the number-one indicator that Islamophobia has officially taken over French society.
Muslims — who make up France’s largest religious minority — are the only ones who are going to be affected by this law. While it is not religiously enforced, the niqab in some Islamic countries and cultures is quite normal.
The actual wording of the bill itself is so elusive that it completely bypasses any clear infringement on French freedom of expression or religion. However, these words, being spearheaded by President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conservative party will only directly affect about 2,000 veiled French women and their families.
Strict fines of €150 is the punishment for any woman seen in a face veil, and if it is proven that the woman’s brother, father, husband or any other family member is forcing her to wear the face veil, they will be sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to pay €30,000. If the “victim,” or woman wearing the veil, is a minor, then the ordered fine is doubled for the convicted relative.
Yet, again, the Muslim woman is placed in this role of the helpless and mindless woman who can’t speak up and stand for herself.
This alternate reality set forth by secular governments and its media couldn’t possibly be any more offensive to Muslim women of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
The Western idea that all Muslim women are enslaved to their culture or their men is absolutely false.
This image has been built up time and time again in order to further the divide between Islam’s “backward ways” and the West’s “progress.”
The French certainly did not disappoint, and have stuck to their cultural values, indeed, by further imposing themselves and their Western ideals onto a group of people they know nothing about. We must be reminded that they did this for many years in various parts of Africa and the Middle East.
While the sentiment behind such a law may be a noble one of good intention, it fails to provide Muslim French women with the “security” and peace of mind it sets out to do.
It, nevertheless, leaves them even more vulnerable and even more exposed than they might have already been.
Above all, though, it criminalizes their self-expression.
We as human beings should be able to express ourselves through any article of clothing we wish. A country that wishes to hold onto secular beliefs should not stigmatize any part of its population. Rather, it should work toward incorporating them within the greater image of the country.
What good are five to six-hour workdays, free health care and escargot if you are told how to dress and what not to wear?
Dina Al-Hayek is a senior political science major and a columnist for the Daily 49er.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.
