The Martlet

The French government views the burka, as well as many citizens, as a threat to both women’s rights and the secular nature of the country. On Sept. 14, the French senate passed a bill which would make it a fineable offence for a woman to wear the burka in public.

France is not the only country to consider banning the burka, but I personally think it would be wrong for Canada to pass or consider a similar law for a couple of reasons.

Canada, unlike France, has a policy of multiculturalism. France expects people to identify as French before anything else, and tries to assimilate their immigrant population as much as possible. France views itself as a secular country and, as such, tries to separate religion from any and all aspects of public life. Canada, however, does not expect immigrant populations to completely assimilate. We allow immigrants and minority groups to maintain and practise their cultural and religious beliefs as long as they do not break any laws.

Although some people find it unnerving to see a woman covered from head to toe in black cloth, I do not think banning the burka and then fining or punishing women who wear it would do much to help women’s rights. The French government is oppressing women by limiting their ability to express themselves.

Some might argue that precedent for banning the burka exists. We already have laws restricting what people can wear — for example, you have to wear a helmet while riding a bike. This argument is flawed, however. People have to wear helmets for safety reasons.There is no threat to public safety or the safety of the woman who chooses to wear a burka.

There are certain circumstances in which wearing a burka should not be allowed, particularly when it is necessary to see a person’s face at a bank, while voting or when having a picture taken for a driver’s license or passport photo. But at other times, it shouldn’t matter whether or not a woman wears a burka.

Some people assume that women who wear a burka have been coerced by their husbands, fathers or other relatives. This assumption is not only incorrect but culturally insensitive as well. Many women choose to wear the burka as a way to express their faith and as a part of their identity.

Even in situations where women wear a burka due to family pressures, a state ban preventing women from wearing the burka does nothing to liberate women from this familial and cultural pressure and dominance. Why would someone who insists their wife, daughter, or sister not go outside unless she is fully covered reverse their beliefs and allow her to go out uncovered just because the law has changed? This presumption is unrealistic, and I think such a ban could cause women to be increasingly oppressed, either by the state or by their family, rather than more liberated.