Is the burqa a symbol of oppression?

Recently, the immigration crisis and rise of terrorist acts in Europe has increased anti-Islam sentiment.

France was the first European country to ban the burqa in 2004, first within state schools and in public in 2011. Women caught wearing a full face veil face a fine of 150 euros. Then Belgium followed in 2011. The law was passed almost unanimously by the Belgian government. In 2015, the Netherlands issued a partial ban on the burqas in schools, hospitals and on public transport. More recently, Switzerland has enforced a ban on the burqa.

The Koran encourages all Muslims to dress modestly and refrain from revealing “any parts of their bodies, except that which is necessary”. However, beyond that there are no specific instructions as to how a female should dress. The burqa originated in Persia in the 10th century and spread throughout the Arabian peninsula, Afghanistan and Pakistan. When the Taliban captured Afghanistan in 1996, they made it compulsory for all women to wear the burqa.

Thus the association was made between oppression and the burqa.

However, from many discussions with Muslim women who choose to wear a veil, the burqa to them is not a symbol of oppression but a visual reminder of their devotion.

It’s similar to the habit which nuns wear in my opinion. However, it is the element of choice which makes the burqa more controversial. It seems to many in the Western world that women have no choice over whether they wear the burqa or not, but this assumption is simply not true.

Nadiya Hussain, the winner of the Great British Bake Off, ignited debates over the hijab and Islam alike and even faced a torrent of abuse on social media. She was targeted for not being ‘British’ simply because she chose to wear a hijab.

Banning burqas and other items of religious clothing because of the connotations attached to them or the violence they may spark, is surely against Human Rights?

Article 9 of the European Human Rights Act states that everyone has the right to freedom of religion, which includes the freedom to exercise religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.

Therefore, banning the burqa is against the idea of liberté which many Europeans countries hold so fundamentally. However, i am not surprised that these laws have been passed although they could potentially encourage discrimination against Muslim women.

We are definitely living in an era which largely resembles the state of the world pre Second World War with the fear of terror presiding over every thing we do. This has led us to implement a tacit close door policy, whether it be building a wall or leaving the European Union.

The burqa can never be synonymous with oppression but it should rather be celebrated as religious freedom.