Should Britain Ban the Burqa - Essay Example

Should Britain ban the Burqa? Should Britain ban the Burqa? The increased concern about security and the growing sentiment against Muslims due to various terror attacks that hit the headlines brought about the proposed policy whether Britain should ban the Burqa. Similar law has been proposed in France in 2010 where it was made illegal “for anyone to cover their face in a public place” (Willsher 2014) which helped propel the idea whether such law could also be adopted in Britain. The arguments for the banning of the Burqa include security concerns, demeaning women and secularism. This was however counter-argued that regulations can be placed in the wearing of Burqa and that laws can be enacted to supplement the existing laws to protect women against the fear of violence against women. On secularism, advocates for the continued use of Burqa argued that it is no different from other fashion statements and therefore should not be banned. This essay will attempt to offer some criticisms of the Burqa, but will essentially offer viewpoints like security implementations and legal actions which will restrict these issues without fully banning the burqa. The common argument against the use of Burqa in the western world is security concern. For most westerners, the Burqa poses a security issue because it is thought that terrorists could anonymously attack under the veil of Burqa. It is also thought that bombs and weapons could be snuck under the hood of the Burqa. For authorities, it is thought that the Burqa would conceal the person’s identity making it difficult for them to be identified and therefore could easily evade security cameras in the airport and other high security places. There are also people who fret against the use of Burqa because it makes certain jobs difficult to do especially those that requires face to face contact such as police officers, doctors (Malik 2011). The ban against Burqa could also be an issue of Islamophobia. Islamophobia is defined as the "unfounded hostility towards Muslims, and therefore fear or dislike of all or most Muslims." (University of California Berkeley nd). Many westerners have developed fear for Muslims due to the history of the 9/11 attacks and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. They subconsciously associate the Burqa to extremism motivating them to propose a ban of Burqa to help everyone integrate into European society to make the Muslims less threatening (Willsher).  Another common argument used to justify the ban against the Burqa is that it is demeaning to women. This thought is reflective of the old mindset that women are only good for marriage that they should be protected for their husbands and future husbands. According to this disagreement, the wear of Burqa reduces women to mere commodity and deprives their dignity as a person. It is even thought that the refusal of the wearing of the Burqa subjects Muslim women to violence. It is also thought that the Burqa opposes secularism as it purports the religion of Islam. There is also an impression that Burqa is imposed on girls and women to force them to conform to the tradition of Islam. According to the secularist argument, Burqa defeats the neutrality of religion in Britain because it seeks to promote one religion to the exclusion of the others (Qasim, 2000). These concerns against Burqa are actually baseless and grounded on false fear. The worries used to justify the ban on Burqa can also easily addressed. For example, the security concern against the use of Burqa can easily be remedied. If people worry that terrorists and/or criminals can hide behind the veil of the Burqa, authorities can simply regulate its use to allow them to lift the veil when security concern requires it. Contrary to popular belief, the veil on the Burqa can be lifted and this can be done to overcome the worry that terrorists and criminals might camouflage themselves with a Burqa (Lazreg, 2009). Of course this should be properly regulated to prevent abuse. It is also important to stress that Muslims are equally fearful of terrorist attacks and therefore, the threat of terrorism should not be assigned to the Muslims who wear the Burqa. In fact, the most number of terrorist attack is carried out against the Muslim (Obeidallah 2015) so the fear against the Muslims has really no basis. The issue that the Burqa could be demeaning to women is also based on the inaccurate understanding of its use. Burqa is worn by choice by women of Islamic faith consistent with their cultural roots in the Middle East and is never imposed on them. To remove this worry that intimidation, force or violence might be used to make women wear the Burqa, the law on UK such as Violence against women and girls (www.gov.uk nd) could be used to protect women and girls from being coerced in wearing the Burqa against their will. Moreover, a law can even be enacted specifically to make it illegal to force or coerce women to use the Burqa against their will. With regard to the secularist issue on the use of Burqa, it would be best to quote Theresa May, the Home Secretary who rules out the ban on the use of veil that “it would be out of keeping with our nation’s longstanding record of tolerance” which is consistent with the idea that the face veil is a “lifestyle choice” and does not differ from balaclavas or scarves used as a gear or fashion accessory by women (Langley 2014). Also, according to Mullen, government really has “no business telling people what clothes to wear or how to practice their religion” (Mullen 2014). This means that banning the Burqa runs counter to the very principle that Britain is founded upon and that is freedom, diversity and tolerance on practicing one’s religion (Hammarberg 2010). Banning the Burqa also infringes on the individual’s freedom of choice because more than religion, Burqa’s significance is a really cultural one. To quote Gatestone Instute International Policy Council, “Most religious experts, including Muslim ones, say that wearing the burqa is not called for in the Koran. Therefore the wearing of the burqa is not a religious issue; it is a cultural one” (2013). In fact, the majority of Muslim women in Europe do not wear the Burqa. There are of course some who chose who wear it. Burqa should not be banned in Britain because the arguments for its ban do not stand up to scrutiny. The security concern can be easily remedied by putting regulations such as requiring women to lift their veils when security concern deem it necessary. On the issue of equality and reduction of women’s dignity for its use, there are already existing laws for violence against women in UK that can be used to protect them from coercion. A law can even be enacted if the existing law does not suffice to prevent women from being forced to dress in a way that is against their will (The Economist 2010). On the argument of secularism that it runs counter to religious tolerance, the Burqa can be taken as a mere fashion statement that is no different from other women who wear their scarf or other accessories. Burqa is actually more of a cultural item and not a religious one and the misconception has been to associate it as a requirement of Islam to women. Of all the issues stated against the Burqa, it is probably the security issue that is the most important in people’s motives to ban the Burqa. Many people subconsciously associate the Burqa with extremism and with extremism comes the fear of terrorist attack. Indeed many terrorist attack are carried out by Muslim extremists. It is however important to stress that these people do not represent Islam nor the majority of the Muslims and that the Muslims are equally fearful of them. So prescribing the ban of Burqa to remove the threat of terror attack could be seen as inadequate and pointless. This would antagonize the Muslim community and could force some Muslims to become less cooperative to the authorities when there is a security problem. Instead of banning the Burqa, the authorities could implement security restrictions which would offer a greater harmonious and cooperative relationship with the Muslim community as opposed to an all-out ban. To conclude, the complication of banning the burqa is a very delicate issue and it should be handled with great care to ensure peaceful implementation. It should not be presented as an attack to Islamic rules and regulations or present it as a sign of oppression in Islamic society. Every women should be given the freedom to dress the way she wants instead of applying restrictions on religious and social beliefs. This would be an inclusive approach to the problem of security because it sees the Muslim community as part of the solution rather than a source of the problem. Having stated that the arguments against the ban on the burqa are unfounded, Burqa therefore should not be banned in UK. Bibliography Center for Race & Gender. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2015, from http://crg.berkeley.edu/content/islamophobia/defining-islamophobia Hammarberg, T. (2010, March 8). Europe must not ban the burka. Retrieved April 12, 2015. Langley, W. (2014, July 21). France’s burka ban is a victory for tolerance. Retrieved April 12, 2015. Lazreg, M. (2009). Questioning the veil. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Malik, K. (2011, April 11). AGAINST THE BURQA BAN. Retrieved April 12, 2015. Mullen, J. (2014, July 1). European court rules in favor of French burqa ban - CNN.com. Retrieved April 11, 2015. Obeidallah, D. (2015, January 14). Are All Terrorists Muslims? It’s Not Even Close. Retrieved April 12, 2015. Qāsim Amīn, and Qāsim Amīn, (2000). The liberation of women. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press. The Economist (May 15, 2010) A bad idea... . Retrieved April 11, 2015. Violence against women and girls. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2015, from https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/ending-violence-against-women-and-girls-in-the-uk/supporting-pages/domestic-violence Wearing of the burqa is not a religious issue; it is a cultural one, like genital mutilation. - Reader comments for Gatestone Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2015. Willsher, K. (2014, July 1). Retrieved April 12, 2015. Read More