Islamophobia Influencing Muslim Women - Essay Example

Islamophobia and Muslim Women I. Introduction It is undeniable segregation irrespective of the current globalization and immigration of numerous people to other states still exists. This is in terms of race, religion and superiority whereby in the latter aspect refers to certain people seeing themselves being of more value compared to others. This is quite evident in Scott’s literature featuring Muslim/Arab’s experiences in France whereby the natives view them as people who emanates from low class as well as other evils commonly associated with their religion. Segregation in this case has infested the natives’ minds to the extent once they see any Algerian in veil more so the women deem they are not up to any good, hence their intentions in the society is only to terrorize the natives. This inflicts fear among the natives that persists throughout natives’ generations. Since, they while young undergo societal indoctrination meant to believe Islam has nothing better to instruct their followers except revenge more so against those who do not profess this religion. Hence, segregation remains, as an unceasing problem that persists in France not only fuelled by religious differences but also how global society view Muslims due to their terrorism acts. Thesis: Segregation irrespective of the current state of globalization is still evident globally more so in France against the Muslim/Arab women who due to their culture (mode of dressing and religion) end up seen as of lower class and cause of societal predicaments like terrorism, hence greatly feared. Research Question: Does it imply Muslim/Arab women are to blame for moral societal woes in France or is it just mere racism, which is common globally mostly that assume religion and cultural bases? The extent of segregation experienced especially in France against Arab/Muslim women usually descends from ungrounded hearsays, which former accounts by French scholars concerning Algeria used to relay (Scott 43). These include backwardness of the people, which the racism perpetrators convey and believe, hence likening Algerian immigrants with blacks that had to undergo slavery. In most cases, this yields to the notion of regarding others of foreign origin as “them” whereas the natives “us” (Scott 45). Consequently, heightening the extent of fear despite those referred as “them” being harmless. Based on this notion, the natives are better than the immigrants who due to varied reasons have found themselves in France where their families reside. Segregation assumes the form of religion, which perpetrators contend Koran teaches their congregation evil acts including fighting whereby their women are not even better (Scott 45). Such incidences of utter racism are evident in state’s registry offices whereby according to international laws more so human rights ought not to tolerate any form of segregation (Scott 43). In his study, Scott (43) gives an example of a man who gone to a certain office in quest of declaring the birth of his son. The workers in that office from observance exhibit total appreciation in shaking hands with him as he enters and leaves to show how they value him. However, this is not the case because after the man steps outside the office they all (natives who have shook hands with him) rush to wash their hands contending Muslims are dirty and tend to give their sons “Nasser” or “Mohammed” (Scott 43). This is petty racism whose basis is nonexistent, which natives in most cases after they have served Muslims or “them” as they mostly refer Algerians end up end recounting how their lives are dysfunctional (Scott 43). Mostly, these accounts and state of treatment by natives end up being rampant throughout the society for they do not see anything of value, which the Muslims can contribute towards the development of their state except destruction. In France, wearing of signs or clothing, which conspicuously manifests student’s religious affiliations, is illegal. A law that forbids the conspicuous clothing covers schools from public elementary to middle school all the way to high schools (Scott 1). During introduction of the law, by conspicuously they meant clothing that had signs such as large crosses, veils as well as skullcaps. Although the law was to be applicable to Jewish boys in skullcaps and Sikh boys in turbans as well as those with a large cross around their neck, it was primarily targeting Muslim girls wearing headscarves. This depicts the undeniable state of segregation though having a “cosmetic” cover under the state’s rules devised by influential political icons. Joan Wallach Scott is an influential pioneer of gender studies. She tries to expresses the failures of France in her book. She claims that the law introduced in France demonstrates its limitations. She examines the fact that France has not been able to integrate its former colonial subjects as full citizens of France. She concentrates on the fact that France has put up ideological barriers to stand up against Muslim assimilation. In addition, she tries to understand the long history of discrimination that was behind the law that prohibited the wearing of conspicuous clothing. Those supporting the ban introduced in France view sexual openness as high standards for normalcy, individuality and the sexual modesty. Comparing this to the headscarves culture, it acts as proof that Muslims can never become fully French. Scott maintains that the law aggravates the ethnic and religious differences between the French and Muslims instead of reconciling them and making them appreciate their diversity. She further demonstrates how the insistence on homogeneity has no accomplishment promises in France in addition to how it creates a misunderstanding of different civilizations hence remaining as the core root of this antagonism. The need to advocate for a new vision for the community where people can settle their differences easily and where they embrace diversity is the best move to ensure social harmony. The new Islamic religiosity incorporates new forms of spirituality in the secular environments of the Western culture. A variety of studies argues that, the Islamic head scarves put on by women is a modern and not a traditional phenomenon (Scott 5). It is because of the recent geographic and cultural differences and dynamics that are evident globally. The current religiosity of Muslim populations in Europe is both as a product and as a force of westernization. People should not regard today’s Islam as a throwback to earlier practices and it does not emanate from bounded traditions or identifiable communities (Scott 5). Islam can neither develop a new age of religion nor choose the form of its own mode of modernity. The reason why Islamic women cause Islanophobia in France is that they cannot easily fit in to the secular environments France has to offer. Islam is historical decentralized and it is locally different compared to the sociological and demographic profiles of the immigrant populations now residing in Europe. Islam has a variety of theology versions and interpretations that people of different opinions articulate through continuous debates and discussions. The main reason why it attracts attention is due to the controversial demands that it claims. This makes Islam fail to fit in the France way of living as well as in other societies in their world. The will of Islamists to establish group identifications is very dynamic and diverse and hence cannot fit into fixed cultures. This voluntary act of group identification, divides generations even in institutions like family. This is evident where children have the power to declare their independence from family constraints. Islamists tend to insist on the legitimacy of their religion, the entire Muslim fraternity is like a single community and specific legislations aim at objectifying their practices (Scott 6). The French law banning Islamic headscarves is an example of these objectification methods. Idealization of nations has taken different forms depending on their particular national history. France for example has chosen to insist on the values and beliefs of the republic. They regard this as realization of the principles of their enlightenment in their most enduring form. The objectification of Muslim as a fixed culture has its counterpart in the mythologizing of France as an enduring trouble (Scott 6). These factors are to blame for the heightened the antagonism in France. The antagonism is between the French, immigrants, and the Muslim community in France. Islam phobia is steered by the cultural differences between France and Muslims. Culture relates to a specific historical and political discourse (Scott 7). To identify reality in France, they had to silence alternative points of view. This included outlawing the veil as much as few students wore it. They believed it was one of the only ways to assimilate Muslim women into French. To acquire the totality of being a French, it required suppressing not only the critics who were themselves French (and not Muslim) but also the Muslims who majority were French citizens who offered conflicting evidence about the meanings of their religious identifications and of the place of the headscarf in them (Scott 8). The French had a negative attitude towards Muslim immigrants in their midst. This is because the considered them as fundamentalists who were posing a threat to their secular way of life because of their difference and their inassimilable culture (Scott 9). According to the French republicans, the only way to deal with those who represented the Muslim immigrants was top ban the headscarves. It is however unfortunate that the Muslims facing the ban at that that time were less hence they were not audible enough to advocate for their rights (Scott 9). Factors that enhance Islam phobia include racism, postcolonial guilt and fear, secularism, individualism, nationalist ideologies and most importantly French norms of sexual conduct taken to be both natural and universal (Scott 10). The representation of Muslim sexuality as unnatural and oppressive when compared to an imagined French of doing sex promoted the banning of the veil. Work Cited Scott, J. W. (2007). The politics of the veil. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Read More