should the burqa be banned

8/13/2019 Should the Burqa Be Banned

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Should the burqa be banned?

Founding father, Patrick Henry exclaimed, give me liberty or give me death (Henry,

1775) in a speech to fellow Virginia colonials in 1775. His words are just as pertinent now as

they ever were. Countless news stories over the past year about France and other European

countries outlawing burqas in public have left me conflicted. The burqa is a long, head to toe

garment worn by many Muslim women in public. These bans also include the niqab, which

covers the face, and is part of the hijab, which covers the head and hair. Part of me agrees that

the wearing of this garment is unnecessary, if not a security concern; another part of me feels that

no government should be telling its citizens what they can and cannot wear. Can we balance

personal and religious freedom with civic and national security in the age of global terrorism?

Some say Muslim women are forced or brainwashed into wearing the burqa. They are

subtly coerced into this tradition. Proponents of a ban assert that burqas are covering up literal

and figurative scars of domestic violence. Society would lead us to believe that every Muslim

woman chooses to wear a burqa of her own free will, but we know this is not the case. The

burqa wearing women in Muslim society represent a small percentage of the religion as a whole.

Wearing the burqa has become mostly an extreme practice that modernizing Muslim countries

have moved away from. Most religious scholars believe that the Quran requires women to dress

modestly, and that face veiling is a leftover teaching from the 7th

century. Like it or not, we

live in a world of surveillance these days. Public safety officials suggest that we cantafford to

have anonymous, veiled people walking around in public. The secrecy provided by the burqa

makes the potential for a suicide bomber increase. Terrorist groups jihads against the west have

put every nation, and citizen, on notice. Government has an obligation to protect its citizens


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from attack, and every option should be on the table. Proponents agree that someones freedom

to wear what they want cantimpede someone elses desire to feel secure.

Many people question whether the burqa has a place in modern society, but numerous

people feel a ban is not the best solution. Anti-ban groups think that there can be dress

restrictions in certain situations that require heightened security, and certain jobs can require a

dress code; but an all-out ban is problematic. Modern society accepts the fact that individuals

should be able to make choices that may not be in their own best interests. Free citizens have the

right to be morbidly obese, and the health risks are well documented, yet there is no ban against

this. The burqa is a symbol of oppression of women; but many argue that its not necessarily the

cause. Banning the symbol doesnt solve the fundamental problem. Some question where the

ban on clothing stops. Many take issue with trying to decide which religious clothing is banned,

while other, less visible, religious attire is deemed acceptable. As long as society is banning

religious activities that are demeaning to women; the question begs to be asked why stop with

Muslims?Many religions dont allow women to hold high positions, but this has been going on

for centuries. Many point to the hypocrisy of one group taking away liberties from one group, all

the while clinging to those same liberties for themselves. If a woman wants to wear something

that shows devotion to her chosen religion, she should have that right. Government intervention

into what people wear is a slippery slope; and a segment of society is unwilling to pay the moral

price of lost civil liberties, in exchange for more security.

A recentPew Research Centerpoll shows that there is widespread support for banning

burqas in Europe, but more than 65% of voters in the United States would reject such ban.

(Widespread Support for Banning Full Islamic Veil in Western Europe, 2010) So where does

this leave us? Whats at stake? Is there a balance between civil libertiesof citizens and the


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security of those same people? Is there some compromise that can assuage both sides?

Ignorance on a subject only brings about fear; this subject is already burdened with suspicion and

apprehension, from recent terrorist attacks. We live in the era of Islamic extremism with a global

reach. This issue is not going away anytime soon. Islam is one of the largest and fastest

growing religions on earth. This debate is on our doorstep. Society would be well served to try to

wrap our heads around this issue before its staring us down too close to home. We must now

decide, like Patrick Henry, if we are willing to risk death, for the cost of liberty.

Works Cited

Henry, P. (1775, March 23). Give me liberty or give me death. Richmond, Virginia.

Widespread Support for Banning Full Islamic Veil in Western Europe. (2010, July 8). RetrievedSeptember 16, 2011, from Pew Research Center: http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1658/widespread-

support-for-banning-full-islamic-veil-western-europe-not-in-america

should the burqa be banned

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