07.20.08
Freedom of Religion or Freedom from Oppression?
Earlier this week I saw an article in World Wide Religious News (http://wwrn.org/article.php?idd=29090) that said in France they are denying citizenship to a particular Moroccan woman because she wears a burqa. “The Moroccan woman, Faiza M, was told that her practice of “radical” Islam was not compatible with French values. ” the article said.
I am still trying to figure out a response to this - not that anyone asked me! But….well, there must be plenty of French citizens doing things that are not compatible with French values….and they are not denied citizenship. What are French values anyway? Plenty of people in France choose not to drink wine. Isn’t that a French value? It certainly has seemed to be anytime I have ever been there!
On a more serious note, isn’t the French motto: “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité? I can see where someone might think the woman wearing a burqa, or more likely the husband supposedly forcing her to do so, violates the idea of égalité.” If she were égale” she would be free to show her face in public and wear cooler clothes in hot weather, right?
But maybe she doesn’t want to? In this case I would say denying her right to citizenship violates her right to “liberté.” What happened to the “liberté” to wear what you want? Or am I being too American and confusing that with the right to freedom of religion?
Why would the French government feel free to moralize on this issue? Are they not showing a shameful amount of supériorité? I am trying to figure out what spiritual stage a person would likely be who felt their way was so superior to someone else’s that they would publicly deny citizenship to this woman solely on the basis of her choice of clothing.
The court decision was backed by Urban Affairs Minister Fadela Amara, who herself is a French born Muslim of Algerian descent. I suppose her backing of this court decision marks for her a way to fight the oppression of women. I suppose from her position inside the same religion, she has a better view than I of what wearing that burqa signifies.
Yet, I find myself shocked that a supposedly modern government would stoop to interest itself in clothing decisions of its citizens, or potential citizens. Certainly the woman is harming no one by wearing that burqa. My feeling is that Ms. Amara’s position and that of the court which decided against the Moroccan woman, arose out of fear. Fear that the burqa could one day be imposed on all women? How preposterous! Fear that their daughters would take up burqa? Also unlikely. So what would they be afraid of? The article quotes Ms. Amara as saying: ”she hoped the court’s ruling might in future ‘dissuade certain fanatics from imposing the burqa on their wives.’ ” Ok so that’s it!
But I don’t know. Still being too American I guess. I am still looking for freedom of religion. Freedom to choose certain things for one’s own life. A government official making a decision that violates someone’s personal liberty in something so basic as clothing choice has no place in our modern world. I suppose our country is not the only one whose leadership has been overrun with ethnocentric (ours is the only right way) concepts. From leaders of a civilized country, I would have expected more…..
Anette said,
September 7, 2008 at 6:26 am
Interesting.(love your blog btw, just discovered it).
Without knowing all the details to this story it’s really hard to tell what the motivation truly is, and I don’t think it’s alway’s correct to place the motivation in the realm of fear just because we see it so often.
I struggle with this issue in Australia. I do agree a person has a choice and that human choice, or at least the ability to choose as a human is extremely important, almost fundamental to our existance. But, wether we like it or not, some other cultures are not so well endowed with an understanding of how choice is so very important. So giving them the “right” to choose a system that actually negates choice, would put us into a moral dilema..a paradox so to speak.
In the name of choice and by our very natures, do we provide choice to those..that would infact deny choice to others?
Since the Burqa is seen as an instrument of control not just by the west, but also by many muslim women, the refusal of the burqa in a country..can be seen as the right to refuse an individual who deny’s the right to choose in the first place.
I think this is the reason why people want absolutes and not give into the mysteries of life that beg to be revealed.
It’s just too hard, and I’m not sure where I stand on this either.
MPJ said,
September 11, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Thank you for your comment and your interest in the topic. The issue is a hard one and I was not so sure where I stood either. But I really didn’t like the government being the one to make the decision. That is why I felt motivated to write about it.
Best regards,
Margaret Johnston