Banning the Burqa

Aug 23, 2016
3 min read

"In France they long ago banned the burqa but it apparently couldn't stop a single terror attack." -Bilkey Oney

What is the burqa? Well, simply stated, it's an Islamic outfit for women that covers the whole body including the face. It often is confused with the niqab, which is almost the same except the eyes are showing in a niqab. No, the niqab and burqa are both not obligatory in the faith and it is completely an option for women and they can choose to wear it or not.

So why are so many countries banning this optional veil? The answer is rather complex and has multiple aspects to it. When the Taliban first started taking over Afghanistan, many women fled their homes and moved to places such as England because of the cruelty, one of which was the mandate of women having to wear the burqa at all times in public. This, being the first time the burqa was introduced to the population of the western world, caused a negative connotation of the piece of clothing; seeing that all these women were forced to wear the infamous blue burqa caused people to believe that the burqa was a sign of oppression and misogyny. In this case, it clearly is. No woman, man, or child should have to wear something they do not desire to wear; even from a religious perspective, what benefit would you get from something you are forced to wear if you aren't doing it out of your own will.

This thought about the burqa was then carried through years. As more and more immigrants came, the burqa was seen more commonly. However, because of not having enough knowledge about it, people assumed that it is oppressive using the information they had acquired from the time when people were fleeing the Taliban while totally ignoring the fact that some women actually choose to wear it. Now, starting to realize that this can also be used as an optional piece of clothing, this goes against everything people have known the burqa to be often causing confusion and discomfort.

People are afraid of the burqa and niqab. It's foreign and different. But this does not mean that it makes it okay for a cultural clothing to be taken away. To take away someone's culture is to take away a part of someone. As more and more different people mix into society, we should push for coexistence rather than taking things away from others so that they fit the standard of the majority.

Some claim that by covering one's face, this makes it harder to communicate. I would just like to argue that this is the weakest argument. Many people communicate nowadays on the phone, whether that be through text or talking on the phone. However, people tend to not have a problem with others sticking behind a phone screen. How is covering one's face any different from talking through a phone?

People also point to it saying that it is a security hazard. I would like to kindly disagree. If told to remove her face veil while passing through security or when being pulled over by police, a woman wearing it will kindly lift it and toss it over her head. We Muslims also want a safe society and to remove something optional, not mandated by the religion, for a short amount of time is totally acceptable and anyone who understands this will do so.

Many people point to these veils and state that this is a thing of the past and that anyone who wears it is "backward". People take it to the next step and even say that it must be banned and sadly these bans are starting to become more and more popular. However, in my opinion these comments and bans are much more "backward". Telling a woman to not wear something because it is confusing is just as misogynistic as the Taliban forcing women to wear a burqa. Mandating what a woman can wear and what she cannot wear is only a hindrance to feminism.

The burqa is worn by many as an option and they choose to wear it. Yes, I will admit that there are many women forced to wear it as well but by saying that a minority group is forced so the whole group must suffer because of it is not only unfair but is a lack of desire to help everyone feel comfortable.

If a woman is free to show her body, why is she not free to cover it?