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Banning the Burka in the UK
Debate has been sparked recently in the UK with the news that a bill in the French Parliament to ban the full Islamic veil has gone a stage further. France’s Lower House of MPs voted overwhelmingly for the ban, and should the bill be passed through the Senate in September, it will become law.
For the most part, British commentators seem not to agree with this French attitude, describing it as ’aggressively secular’, and emphasising instead that Britain is a tolerant country, whose people are respectful of each other. This backs up what the immigration minister has said on the matter. But although for the most part I agree with these Brisith opinions, it seems to me that there is a real moral debate here, and such moral debates can’t always be solved with the conclusion that this is a free country - live and let live.
The reason for the French ban isn’t a spurious one. The government are concerned about the Islamic religion’s treatment of women, and see the full veil, such as the Hijab or the Burka as degrading. If these women are being forced to cover their whole face and body against their will, they say, it is wrong. And I do think that they have a point - perhaps these women don’t want to be forced into submission, but for a whole host of reason, primary amongst them being family honour and pride, do not want to disobey. But on the flip-side, is it just as derogatory for a government to forbid them to wear the same item of clothing? If a Muslim woman finds comfort and familiarity in wearing the garment in public, then it seems equally wrong to forbid her from doing this, it would be like banning the wearing of running shoes for most British people.
I would conclude that in most Western countries, where Islamic families are immigrating from the Middle East in particular, the wearing of the Hijab and the Burka will gradually decrease with time. And this will happen with less animosity in a free society such as Britain’s, than it will in a strongly secular society such as France’s.