Tuesday, September 14, 2010
A step closer toward religious discrimination in France?
The French senate has recently approved the law banning any veils that cover the face -- including the burqa which some Muslim women wear. This makes France the first European country to initiate such measure. The law imposes a fine of 150 euros as a fine for a person wearing any face covering veil.
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I wonder how this law gonna affect the country's economy. France is estimated to have 3.5 million Muslims, or about 6 percent of the population. If all of them just quit their job to demonstrate their rights against the law, France might be in trouble. I'm really eager to see how are the Muslim going to react.
I highly doubt that 3.5 millions Muslims will quit their jobs because they too need a source of income; however, there are possibilities of a lot of women quitting their jobs to avoid too much exposure. Also, I feel like this law is going to actually worsen women's rights in the muslim families as many men will restrict their wives/sisters/mothers from leaving the house etc.
According to the French newspaper Le Monde, only 2,000 women in France wear the burqa or the niqab, the two types of veils, and will therefore be affected by this law. Before judging the French for this seemingly discriminatory law one should know a little about the French culture. The French have an idea particular to their culture called laÏcité. This is the theory of secularity where all people should be equal and have no outward displays of any religion, especially in public places such as work or school. The Minister of Justice said, "Long live the Republic with uncovered faces, it is a question of dignity and equality. It is a question of respect for our republican principles". To the French their republican principles should come above all else and they wish for all immigrants, including Muslims, to accept these principles of equality and secularity, which is their justification for a law banning veils, which in their eyes, promote inequality of men and women as well as a particular religion.
To me though this is a flawed concept of republican principles. In theory, forcing one definition of equality on people who see the matter entirely differently is neither dignifying nor equalizing. France has effectively taken a step back in the development of the modern democracy. As Benjamin Franklin once famously said, "those who give up essential liberties for a little temporary safety will soon have neither liberty now safety." To me, this is a policy motivated by fear of the "other" and will end up further stratifying society.
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