The Telescope

Issue Date: 2/8/10

Veil of Ignorance

By Brian Blakely

French lawmakers are currently looking to ban Muslim women of the right to wear full-body veils in public facilities such as buses, trains, hospitals, restaurants, schools and other public places.

The issue erupted when French President Nicolas Sarkozy controversially said the veils were "not welcome" in France, leaving many Muslim women feeling discriminated against and insulted.

Though the French haven't approved the measure yet, lawmakers continue to lobby to pass the law and possibly add extra consequences - such as fines up to a $1,000 for women from wearing complete body veils in public.

It's one thing to ask the women to not wear these veils in public, but to charge them with a fine of any amount is completely unreasonable, even if it is just to "frighten" them.

Opposing sides feel that wearing the veils is an insult, and that many Muslim women are forced to wear these veils by their husbands and fathers. However many women disagree.

The French government seems to be acting out of fear toward the Muslim women's beliefs and practices.

Either way, isolating these women only serves to highlight the overbearing and pushy nature of a misguided legislature. Make no mistake: the French parliament is ripping their rights out of their hands.

A six-month multiparty parliamentary commission of 32 members addressed whether or not to strip French Muslim women of their right to free expression.

This is not the first time the question of Muslim regalia in French society has risen, though. In 2004, France banned the right for girls to wear head scarves in state schools.

This law also banned other religious symbols, including jewelry crucifixes, Sikh turbans and Jewish skull caps, proving they weren't aimed solely at the Muslim people.

But the fact that France is so struck by a minority is baffling. There are roughly 2,000 Muslim women out of the millions of French citizens roaming the streets of France wearing these veils, and it is the same 2,000 women igniting such a ruckus.

Taking such a drastic step is a bit unnecessary. The French government should look for alternatives to help settle the problem, rather than set a strict "ban" on undeniable human rights.

With the ban will inevitably come defiance. These Muslim women aren't going to sit back and just accept this new law just because it's there. This is quite a line to cross.

Politics and rhetoric aside, the Muslim women represent their side with relentless pride an honor, and those feelings are stronger than any law written on a piece of paper.

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