La France, premier pays européen à interdire le niqab et la burqa

[Al-khiyal]

French MPs launch anti-burka campaign

PARIS, June 17, 2009 — A group of French lawmakers launched on Wednesday, June 17, a fierce campaign against the burka, a loose outfit covering the whole body from head to toe and wore by some Muslim women, demanding a national panel to curb it in public.

"Today, in many city neighborhoods, we see several Muslim women wearing the burka, which covers and fully envelops the body and the head, like a moving prison," MP Andre Gerin said at a parliament session. Gerin is spearheading the drive for a parliamentary commission to be set up to look into what he described as a growing number of women donning the burka in France. He wants the panel to issue recommendations on ways to curb wearing burka, dismissing it as "degrading" for women.

The Communist MP, who is also mayor of the southern city of Venissieux, home to a large North African immigrant population, says the sight of covered women has become common. "We find it intolerable to see images of these imprisoned women when they come from Iran, Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia," Gerin wrote in a text outlining his proposal. "They are totally unacceptable on the territory of the French republic."

A burka-wearing Moroccan was denied citizenship in July under the pretext that she was too "submissive" to her husband and that her dressing was "incompatible" with French values.

There are nearly seven million Muslims in France, making up the biggest Muslim minority in Europe. Most French Muslims have Moroccan and Algerian roots.

The proposal already won the support of some 58 MPs, many of whom are from President Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party. The proposal is expected to come up for a vote in the National Assembly soon.

A women rights group working in France's largely-Muslim suburbs came out in favor of the proposal. "We shouldn't be afraid to talk about it," said Sihem Habchi, head of Ni putes, ni soumises (Neither whores nor submissives), organization. The group also backed the call for a national debate on whether burka should be allowed in public places.

Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Grande Mosque of Paris, also spoke in favor of the proposal for a commission over burka. Boubakeur, former president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), told Le Parisien newspaper that wearing burka is a sign that "some fundamentalist trends are gaining ground." He, however, underlined that the lawmakers must "listen to what the experts on Islam have to say" on the issue first.

While Hijab is an obligatory code of dress for Muslim women, the majority of scholars agree that a woman is not obliged to wear the face veil or the burka. Scholars, however, believe that it is up to women to decide whether to cover their faces or not. Current CFCM head Mohammed Mousaoui has cautioned that burka should not serve as a pretext to stigmatize the majority of Muslims or to the point the finger at the practice of Islam.

[Al-khiyal]

France split over calls to ban burka

June 19, 2009 -- The French government was split on Friday over whether a law should be enacted to restrict the wearing of the full Islamic veil by Muslim women in Europe's most staunchly secular country.

A group of lawmakers is calling for a special inquiry into whether women who wear the burka or the niqab undermine French secularism and women's rights.

The government's spokesperson welcomed the proposal for a parliamentary commission that could lead to legislation, but Immigration Minister Eric Besson warned a law would stir tensions in France, home to about five million Muslims.

Communist member of Parliament Andre Gerin is spearheading the drive for a parliamentary panel that would look at ways to restrict the burka, which he describes as a "prison" and "degrading" for women. The deputy is also mayor of the southern city of Venissieux, home to a large north African immigrant population, where he says the sight of covered women is not a rare occurrence.

"If it were determined that wearing the burka is a submissive act, and that it is contrary to republican principles, well naturally Parliament would have to drawn the necessary conclusions," said government spokesperson Luc Chatel. Asked whether that would mean introducing legislation, he said: "Why not?"

Home to Europe's largest Muslim minority, France passed a controversial law in 2004 forbidding girls from wearing veils in state schools as part of the government's drive to defend secularism.

Besson, a former Socialist, came out against new legislation on Islamic dress, saying France had already gone far enough in imposing restrictions on wearing veils in government offices and schools. "We need to counter the wearing of the burka with education and dialogue. A law would be inefficient and create tensions that we don't need at this time," Besson told Europe 1 radio.

The proposal has won support from many politicians from both the left and right including Urban Affairs Minister Fadela Amara, who was born to Algerian immigrants and is an outspoken advocate for Muslim women's rights.

France's Muslim council, however, accused lawmakers of wasting time by focusing on a fringe phenomenon and said it would stigmatise Muslims.

"To raise the subject like this, via a parliamentary committee, is a way of stigmatising Islam and the Muslims of France," said Mohammed Moussaoui, head of the French Council for the Muslim Religion. "We are shocked by the idea Parliament should be put to work on such a marginal issue," he said, saying lawmakers would do better to focus on the hundreds of thousands of jobs being lost in the economic crisis.

A few thousand women wear the burka in France, many of whom are French converts who choose to cover themselves to assert their faith, according to Le Figaro newspaper.

If the lower house agrees to set up the commission, it would draft a report to be released no later than November 30, said Gerin.

[Al-khiyal]

Our concerns won't be covered by the veil!

June 21, 2009 -- France's Muslims called for abstention from getting involved in the emergent campaign initiated by some French parliamentary bodies for investigating the donning of (burqa) or veil in France. Mohammed Mousawi, Head of the French Council for the Islamic Religion (the official representative of the Muslims in France) said in exclusive declaration to the network of Islamonline, "We will not engage in these endeavors intended to pinpoint the anomalies of France's the Muslims so as to turn us away from our real problems."

On the other hand, Nora Gaballah, Head of the European Forum of Muslim Women called "Muslims in France to foil the attempts of those who want to use the burqa and veil to distort the Muslim women's image through triggering an internal debate within the quintessence of the Muslim community on the pretext of finding a solution. They should not distract our attention from our major issues."

Earlier, a parliamentary committee consisting of 58 representatives in the Parliamentary Assembly AFP (Parliament) had submitted a draft law of one article aiming at "the establishment of a parliamentary Commission of Inquiry" As literally stated in the proposed five page draft, the intended purpose is "the establishment of a parliamentary committee in order to assess the status of the donning of burqa or veil by some Muslim women for better understanding of the phenomenon and for submitting proposals that are apt to resist such matters which constitute a threat to specific freedoms on the national territory." The Commission of Inquiry Committee has specified November 30 of this year as the deadline for submitting its report.

In reaction to the establishment of this Committee, Mohamed Mousawi said "we call for abstention from getting engaged in such a fuss raised for certain insinuations and with pre-meditated intentions against the Muslim community in France" Mousawi also said " these are very abnormal phenomena in France and we should not compromise with those people's who wish to instigate them, since our problems as France's Muslims are more important and deeper and will not be covered neither by the veil nor the burqa."

Similarly, Mohammad Hanish the Secretary-General of the Union of Muslim Organizations in the Region 93 (Saint Denis) in the north of Paris where there are the largest proportion of Muslims in France (about one million Muslims) said, "This is a fabricated problem intended to distract not only Muslims away from their actual concerns, but also to distract the ordinary French people who are overburdened, day after day by the economic crisis and living difficulties" Hanish, added, "We expect there will be more focus on this fabricated issue in the media and in politics."

He said, "the veil and burqa have existed in the area of "Saint Denis" by a negligible proportion for 10 years, yet, the number of the veiled women has not increased," Here, Hanish wonders "why has this issue been raised right now?" He answers, "there is no doubt that distracting the French public away from its real problems and life difficulties, is one of the objectives of this fabricated campaign."

Mr. Hanish suggests the establishment of committee that would investigate applications of donning the burqa or veil on the national territory. The committee should comprise: representatives of the Right-Wing ruling Party; representatives of the Rally for the People's Movement and representatives of the Left Opposition in the parliament, the Socialist Party, in addition to representatives of the French Communist Party.

Those representatives based their law draft for the establishment of the "Commission of Inquiry" on what they have considered to be the proliferation of burqa and veil in some French cities. Those representatives have stated in their draft, "Today, we are facing all over our cities some Muslim women wearing burqa; covering the whole body and the head thereby exemplifying complete incarceration. They also wear the veil which reveals nothing but the eyes."

The representatives also said that "their Commission of Inquiry," comes in conformity with the Commission of Bernard Stasi which had recommended, in 2003, the prevention of religious symbols in public schools. They say they are calling for the "protection of the French secularism", in compliance with first article of the French Constitution which emphasizes "the state's secularity". They also say that the veil and burqa, "do not merely symbolize religious beliefs, against the common secular spectrum, but they also impinge on the dignity of women and their right to demonstrate their femininity."

Commenting on these allegations, Nora Gaballah, the Head of the European Forum of Muslim Women said in exclusive declarations to the network of Islamonline "and as Muslims in France, our problem is neither the burqa nor the veil, so, why should we be involved in this case?", Gaballah added "of course we do not see from the legitimate and legal perspectives in France any reason for the inclusion of the burqa in the French or European domain. However, we are looking upon this Commission with suspicion which we believe is established to clamp down on the ordinary veiled women"

Nora Gaballah called on Muslims of France "to discuss the issue of burqa or veil themselves and to find a solution so that the issue should not be exploited by some people who would turn it into an exaggeration and distortion campaign against Muslim women."

The representatives also based their decision on the State Council's resolution on June 27, 2008, of refusing to grant the French nationality to a woman wearing the veil and considered that the resolution was based on "The radical application of religion and for non-compliance with the fundamental values of the French- community, especially the principle of gender equality."

The fathers of the draft for the Commission of Inquiry adopted the same speech style already used by the new conservatives in their confrontation with Islam. They used terms such as "Anti-West" and "Segregation Against the White Race" (EU) and "Anti-France" during their reasoning on the ideology, which had led to the expulsion of the Algerian Imam Abdelkader Bouziane, from France in April, 2004 because of his justification for wife-beating.

One of the most prominent representatives of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry and one of its the signatories, is the draft proposer, the Communist representative, André Kerin who is known for his Islamophobic tendencies and who is notorious for accusing his political opponents of being supporters of the "religious extremists." Another representative is Pierre Le Loush, who is known as one who adopts the speech mode of the new conservatives in France and who is well-known for his full backing of Israel and of the right-wing MP Thierry Mariani, who submitted in September, 2007 the controversial draft of anti-illegal immigration proviso concerning getting genetic samples (DNA) of migrants prior to their arrival in France.

[Al-khiyal]

Nicolas Sarkozy: burqa not welcome in France

June 22, 2009 -- President Nicolas Sarkozy has said that the Islamic burqa is 'not welcome' in France. In a speech at the Palace of Versailles, Mr Sarkozy said that the head-to-toe Islamic garment for women was not a symbol of religion but a sign of subservience for women.

"The burqa is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience," he told members of both parliamentary houses gathered for his speech.

He added: "It will not be welcome on the territory of the French republic."

His comments follow an appeal last week by 65 French MPs for a parliamentary commission to examine whether Muslim women who cover themselves fully in public undermine the secular tradition in France as well as women's rights.

The MPs represent parties ranging from the Communists to Mr Sarkozy's UMP.

The call won instant support from members of Mr Sarkozy's centre-Right government but was opposed by the Socialists, the main opposition party.

The French parliament is expected to consider both the burqa, where the eyes are covered by a fabric mesh, and the niqab, which has an eye slit.

France's Muslim Council said last week that the proposal "stigmatised" Islam.

In 2004, the country passed a controversial law forbidding any conspicuous religion symbols from state schools, including veils, which are also banned in government offices.

[Al-khiyal]

En difficulté dans les sondages, Sarkozy veut interdire le port de la burqa en France

Lundi 22 Juin 2009 -- C'est devenu une habitude en France depuis maintenant plusieurs années. À chaque fois que la droite au pouvoir est en difficulté sur des questions sociales ou économiques, elle agite des dossiers en relation avec la communauté musulmane dans ce pays. Après « l'insécurité » dans les banlieues, le port du voile à l'école, la « montée » de l'islamisme, le président français veut maintenant s'attaquer au port de la burqa en France.

Cette tenue est un « signe d'asservissement » de la femme, selon Nicolas Sarkozy qui s'exprimait, lundi 22 juin, devant le Parlement réuni en Congrès. «Nous ne pouvons pas accepter dans notre pays des femmes prisonnières derrière un grillage, coupées de toute vie sociale, privées de toute identité. Ce n'est pas l'idée que la République française se fait de la dignité de la femme», a souligné le président français devant les députés et les sénateurs, exceptionnellement réunis en banlieue parisienne. Le parlement français devrait être saisi prochainement sur ce dossier, a-t-il annoncé.

Mais si les questions de l'insécurité et de la montée de l'islamisme radical dans certaines banlieues françaises sont des faits avérés, on peut difficilement dire la même chose du port de la burqa. Il est en effet très rare de croiser une femme portant ce voile intégral dans une ville française. Et aucun incident particulier lié au port de cette tenue importée de pays comme l'Afghanistan et le Pakistan n'a été enregistré en France pour pouvoir justifier une telle mobilisation de la classe politique de ce pays et surtout un discours du président de république. Dans la tradition française, en effet, la parole du chef de l'Etat est rare et précieuse. Elle est réservée aux seuls événements majeurs. Et ce lundi, Nicolas Sarkozy avait de nombreux sujets prioritaires qui préoccupent les Français.

En réalité, cette sortie du président Nicolas Sarkozy semble plus liée à ses difficultés actuelles face à la crise économique qui touche de plein fouet son pays. Depuis le début de l'année, plusieurs dizaines de Français ont perdu leur emploi et la hausse du chômage devrait se poursuivre au moins jusqu'à la fin de l'année en cours. Une situation face à laquelle le gouvernement à déjà avoué son impuissance, malgré les nombreux plans de relance mis en place. Une nouvelle fois, le gouvernement choisit de désigner la communauté musulmane comme bouc émissaire au risque de provoquer une nouvelle montée du racisme dans ce pays.

[Al-khiyal]

In battle of the burqa, Obama and Sarkozy differ

Washington, June 23, 2009 -- In the battle of the burqa, the two Western presidents from two international defenders of freedom, France and America, are finding no common ground.

On Monday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy forcefully condemned the burqa, the traditional female dress for some segments of Islam that covers a woman from head to toe, as a form of enslavement. And he vowed to ban it from the French republic.

Mr. Sarkozy's position, offered in a speech to Parliament, followed by less than a month American President Obama's opposite take on the subject of covering by Muslim women.

In his Cairo speech to the Muslim world earlier this month, Mr. Obama called on Western countries "to avoid dictating what clothes a Muslim women should wear," saying such action constituted "hostility" towards religion clothed in "the pretense of liberalism."

To seal the Franco-American fashion debate, the issue subsequently divided the two leaders – both male, it should be noted – when they met in Normandy to commemorate the 65th anniversary of D-Day on June 6.

Having suffered the lightning wrath of some French women's groups for his Cairo comments, Obama reiterated: "Our basic attitude [in America] is that we're not going to tell people what to wear."

Sarkozy's response was also based on a defense of freedom, though from a different perspective. "A young woman can wear a head scarf," he said, "provided that's a decision she made freely and had not been forced on her by her family or entourage."

The difference broadly comes down to one of "freedom to" versus "freedom from." Obama is defending a woman's right to dress as she chooses, especially when it comes to expressing her religious belief. Sarkozy, too, is motivated by a vision of a woman's right, but in his case it's a freedom from coercion by those who would impose a symbol of second-class status.

Sarkozy's position is grounded in the vision of a fiercely secular French republic that respects the freedom of religion, but which discourages expressions of religious difference in public settings like schools and other public institutions.

Obama's, on the other hand, follows the traditional American respect for different cultural communities and religions under the broad umbrella of universal freedoms.

In the U.S., Obama faces criticism from some Muslim women, like Karima Bennoune, an Algerian-American teaching at University of Michigan Law School, who sees Obama's words as accommodating the "law of the Brothers" – family members and community fundamentalists who would impose a symbol of subservience on sisters and other women.

Sarkozy faces periodic public protests from French Muslim women who demand the right to wear the religious symbols they choose – and who deride what they see as their French sisters' attention to fashion (and skimpy dress) as its own form of enslavement.

For some U.S. observers, Obama's stand on the scarf and the burqa has simply been too one-sided. In his Cairo speech, Obama "talked about the right of Muslim women to wear the veil, particularly in the West," says James Phillips, a Middle East expert at the Heritage Foundation in Washington. "What he didn't talk about was their right not to wear the veil."

[Al-khiyal]

Sarkozy's anti-burqa stance deprives women of identity

June 26, 2009 -- French President, Nicolas Sarkozy announced Monday that the burqa will no longer be welcome within the country. Although the commentary was only a small part of a larger address by the president to French lawmakers at Versailles, Sarkozy spoke out strongly against the burqa, calling the head-to-toe garment a "sign of subservience".

"We cannot accept in our country women imprisoned behind netting, cut off from any social life, deprived of any identity. This is not the idea the French Republic has of a woman's dignity."

According to a recent article in the London Standard, "Mr Sarkozy's government announced last week that it would seek to set up a parliamentary commission that could propose legislation aimed at barring Muslim women from wearing head-to-toe gowns outside the home."

Although Sarkozy's intentions seem noble, the course of action that the French government is pursuing actually deprives women of their liberties. The planned regulation of women's dress won't necessarily have any positive effect on intramarital relations. It does, however, create a rationale for controlling husbands to keep their wives at home more. Alternatively, an uncovered wife might induce more aggressive behavior from a jealous husband not accustomed to sharing his wife with the eyes of others or worried about the toll her increased public role might have on his family honor.

Most importantly though, the institution of a burqa ban compromises a woman's ability to stay true to her religious and spiritual beliefs. By dictating what is "appropriate" for French women to wear, the regulatory committee on the subject is less liberating its targets than acting as the warden of its own narrow-minded idea of freedom. If the intention is to change the behavior of Muslim men towards their wives, why should this new legislation be aimed at Muslim women?

The movement toward a burqa-free state becomes increasingly counter-intuitive when one considers France's colonial history and concern with women's dress. In his essay, Algeria unveiled, Martinique-born post-colonial thinker Frantz Fanon, details the struggle of occupying forces within the country as they worked to quell the unrest instigated by Algerian pro-independence groups. Faced with a contingent of female guerrilla fighters, the colonizing forces gathered a group of marginalized Algerian women (servants, prostitutes, and the poor) in a public square and forcibly unveiled them. As a means of protest, Algerian women who had previously shed the haik - the Algerian equivalent of the burqa - took it up again as an affront to French colonizers.

Of course, Sarkozy's France is no longer the heavy-handed occupier that it once was, but its bias against immigrants from North Africa and the Middle East has certainly endured. In the face of France's modern day struggle with Islamic dress (including the ban on head scarves in public schools) and its historic context, the symbolism of the veil as a protection of Muslim expression remains.

Although France proudly claims its longstanding tradition of secularism, Sarkozy's most recent parliamentary address has only served to make clear the state's intolerance of Islamic practices and beliefs. The women who will be affected by the deliberations of the burqa committee are shopping for groceries and picking up dry-cleaning, not running for state office. The committee is sending the message to the French public that a person cannot simultaneously be a French citizen and a conservative Muslim. A choice must be made between religious and nationalistic identities.

It is no wonder then that French women who have previously chosen to don the niqab or the burqa as a symbol of their Muslim identity might feel less than liberated at Sarkozy's announcement. Perhaps instead France should require that the husbands of women who wear burqas also don the heavy garments. Given, the idea is equally as ridiculous as outlawing them altogether, but at least it would be targeting the right party.

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Algeria unveiled

by Frantz Fanon

(.pdf file)