Banning burqas won’t “free” women

I AM a young Muslim woman who wears the hijab (headscarf) and would like to respond to this debate about the banning of the burqa in France ("An attack on French Muslims," "The burqa should be banned," "Islamic dress degrading to women").

While I myself would not wear the burqa (full covering, including the face), I do not agree with Nicolas Sarkozy's attempt to ban it in France.

First off, how would outlawing the burqa have a positive impact on Muslim women? Would they stop wearing it or just stay at home in protest? Or wouldn't their husbands or families just make them stay home? Would banning the burqa stop any man from oppressing his wife?

Let's tackle the real issue, which is abuse and oppression in all cultures, and not by banning cultural and religious garb. Not to mention, we are not even sure if these women were forced to wear the burqa. Some Muslim women wear the burqa out of personal choice, for reasons other than self-oppression or male dominance.

Moreover, prohibiting a woman from covering her face will not change her belief about men and women's status in society, whatever it may be. A woman will only learn and develop her own values through education, not through the coercion to put on or take off the burqa--just as the liberation of a woman lies not in sporting revealing clothing, but in the mind.

I personally do not believe that the opposite (for a woman to wear very little to flaunt her body) is anything but debasing if that is her means to gain attention and boost her self-esteem.

Mandating dress in France is certainly not in line with their "Republican" values. In fact, it is just as repressive to these women. There have never been laws mandating women to "dress less" and to create such a law would be absurd. Besides, the women themselves are not challenging the French government's secularism in their choice to practice their own religion.

What a woman wears is her choice. Regardless. Every person should be permitted to dress as they wish to ensure fairness, especially if it is important to his or her religion.

This is not an honorable attack on female oppression. This is intolerance masked as maintaining "French values" and "saving" Muslim women. We have seen this issue before with France's attempt to ban the hijab (headscarf) and other overtly religious wear, which, like the burqa, is not interfering with France's attempt to run a secular government.

Although that ban back in 2003 included all overtly religious wear, the Muslim hijab caught the most attention. France can still adhere to its "laïcité" (secular society) concept in not promoting any particular religion while not restricting any religion at the same time. I'm an advocate of secular government and believe it is possible.

Banning the burqa takes the direction of a totalitarian government rather than a Republic, and freedom of religion and expression is a human right. Hitler banned Jews from wearing the yarmulke, so where do we draw the line?

I agree with the author of the first letter ("An attack on French Muslims"). This is an attack not only on Muslim women, but on Islam in general--or Islamophobia. For the wearing of the burqa is an Islamic practice--although controversy remains regarding whether it is obligatory--that some women choose to do.

Neither the burqa nor the hijab were meant to be forced onto Muslim women. Although women should wear the hijab (as opposed to the burqa, it is not as disputed among Islamic scholars), it is always supposed to be their decision to do so. Islam does not promote the oppression of women.

I fail to see how banning a piece of garment will solve the problem of female oppression, because female oppression is not affiliated with any exclusive religion--though Islam is what always gets the attention when it comes to this global issue.

I do not think this is really about the burqa (you would be fooling yourself if you think it would really solve anything and "free" Muslim women). Not only is this Sarkozy's means of distracting the public from more important issues, this is also about the French majority making sure they maintain dominance with a rapidly growing Muslim minority in Europe and to encourage assimilation into French society.

If the burqa is banned, what next? Europeans came to America in the 17th century to escape religious persecution and now, in 21st century France, we see it yet again--this time with a new target.
Butheina Hamdah, from the Internet