Obey the Laws of God, Not the Laws of Man

There has been debates about whether the Islamic face veil should be banned in countries. The arguments that governments of countries that have banned the Muslim face veil (France, Syria, Netherlands, Spain, and Belgium) argue that the full-face veil is oppressive, degrading towards women, and goes against values of each country. However, many Muslim women believe otherwise and strongly disagree with the banning of the veil. I strongly believe that the Islamic face veil should not be banned because it is a complete violation of religious and expressive freedom and forces them to conform to an alternative culture.

Since the incident of 9/11 occurred, many people have debated over the Muslim faith and its practices. Muslim extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS have affected the name of Islam causing majority of Muslims to be blamed. Recently, a tragic event that occurred in Paris killing over a hundred people left the people of France shaken with fear and anger. These events have lead to an increasing amount of hate and tension towards Muslims all over the world from protests at mosques, where Muslims go to pray, and anti-Muslim rally’s. Islamophobia is a massive issue that has steered European counties like France to enforce laws that ban religious garments that Muslims wear such as the niqab and burqa. Some people perceive these garments to be

The anticipated law, whose purpose is to ban the use of the burqa and veil, finally took place in France. The ban started within school, and expanded into a restriction within the entire country. France drew international attention, questions, and opinions on the justification of this new law. Even though France’s main response to their justification of the ban is to preserve the French culture, the law also positively addresses other problems such as: religious freedom, public safety, and women’s rights.

Politicians in Quebec have passed a controversial religious neutrality bill which would require people receiving and giving services to expose their faces and could mean that the Muslim niqab or burqa could be banned in public.

Banning the burqa has become increasingly deliberate since 2011 in France. The burqa ban is also known as a ban that is against women wearing all face coverings while out in public places in France. On April 11, 2011 the ban of the burqa went into effect. There has, however, been much debate on this matter. Women think that the ban is discrimination to them, but on the other end, France believes that it will be a good thing for the country and the violence in the country. This ban was taken into court by an Islamic woman, who would only go by the name of S.A.S. This ban actually prevents the women from being abused and will help with the safety around the community. This ban was not meant to be discriminating or take any religious freedoms. Based off of evidence, France, the Defendant of the case has the right to ban the burqa from wear because of safety reasons.

The article Behind the Ban by Ash Garton Timothy argues in his opinion women in France should be able to make their own choice of wearing burkas even though it is unnecessary. Ash states three arguments in his article which are that burkas are a threat to public safety, criminals can be wearing burkas to cause harm, and burkas attract voter back from the xenophobic far right. Many people may think that these women fathers and husbands make them wear these to not show anything, but in reality the women feel more comfortable with them. Ash explains that a study done by the Open Society Foundation, “Report in-depth interviews with 32 women who wear the full- face veil in France. All but two say they are the first members of their family to do so, and almost all insist this was a matter of free personal choice” (Ash). Almost all the women in France say that they wear the burkas for their spiritual journey; it is their way of protesting for their sexuality. Ash states from Vivi, 39, South of France, “‘For us it’s a way of saying that we are not a piece of meat in a stall, we are not commodity’” (Ash). Getting treated like a product is something really hurtful. No matter what race you are everyone should have respect for each other. Concluding he say “Let us defend free speech against violent Islamist intimidation” (Ash). If someone is not white it does not mean that they are criminals or are capable of cause

The banning of the burqa has become an issue in many places, including France. The French Parliament has decided it is time to ban the burqa in public. They believe is a sign of the subjugation and submission of women to males. Some believe it is used to cover up abuse and they also believe it is unfair to the public that citizens cannot see the women’s faces. However it is unfair for these women to be banned from wearing what they choose as just everyone else does.The banning of the burqa should not be allowed because it is discriminatory towards Muslim women and violates their freedom of religion and their freedom to express themselves.

Women were forced to wear this dress to keep from committing impropriety but if men committed an act of impropriety nothing would be done about it like it would have been done with women. The claim was that the burka kept men from looking at a woman in an inappropriate way. Whereas, in reality it just kept women in the control of their male counterparts.

A nun can be covered from head to toe in order to devote herself to god. But when a Muslim woman does the same she is being oppressed. It may be argued that wearing a burqa benefits only a few and brings more harm than good to society. The real question is who does it harm? That should be the basis for banning this piece of clothing, not one based on fear or an arguably feeble argument that the women do not have a choice. To say that a ban on a specific item like this is undemocratic is an understatement. Following the French senate’s unanimous vote in favour of banning the burqa in late 2010, many European and western countries including Belgium and Spain have made the decision to take the

A lot of people think women in burqas are hiding something under them or are forced to wear them. It’s the same principle where white people can wear backpacks with no problem, but muslims get a side eye or worse. We should absolutely oppose laws that force women to cover themselves. As feminists, however, we should also oppose laws that force women to uncover themselves. It should be up to each individual woman.

Although Quebec is the first place in North America to propose a ban of this nature, it is not the first in the world. On April 11th, 2011 France put a similar ban in effect. The french law states that women are banned from wearing a Burqa in any public place, facing a 150 euro dollar fine if they do so (McPartland).

From an ethical standpoint, the burqa should not be banned. Any individual has the basic human right to be able to live his life and to express himself in any environment that is protected and equal. Historically, numerous groups of individuals have been suppressed by politics and judgement. This is the 21st century and as a society should be progressing forward and not backward. As a society, people should all challenge any status quo that infringes the entitlements of others. The utter fact that the burqa has been banned in certain areas around the world, advocates that certain regions clearly perceive the burqa to be a threat to public protection. Islamophobia or Islam hate as some people prefer to identify it, is a cultivating trend, specifically

When I was introduced to the topic of France’s ban on the veil, I disagreed with the law. I took a position based on my customs as an American citizen, which differs completely from those of France. International critics began to argue that France is violating what people call “Freedom of Religion,” which I agreed with at first. As a foreigner from America, I am accustomed to the American government’s definition of freedom of religion. Protected by the First Amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise.” (Religious Freedom). You can express your religion in public, during church, mass, or religious meetings. So the presence of religious items such as the burqa's and veil do not disturb the people or government.

Here in the United States, some individuals think that by wearing a hijab you are you enforcing the belief that Muslim women are being forced to wear one despite the reason that some of these women wear it’s a sign of freedom. Therefore, it appears that to some women, the veil is unjust; while other women feel it is not unjust but a decision they made on their own in dedication to their religion. Still, for many women especially the ones in Western countries, they have no choice and for that reason alone, they are being made to wear a

Burqa bans are unlawfully stripping Muslim women of their right to follow and show their commitment to their religion. Many countries in the United Nations are beginning to put a nationwide ban on wearing burqas in public. This restricts Islamic women by giving them the choice to either defy their religion, or stay inside their house and not get anything done. Not only does this restrict daily activities, but it makes it challenging for islamic women to get a quality education. Overall, countries are putting a national ban on niqabs, forcing muslim women to betray their religious beliefs in order to perform simple activities.