When does the search for equality justify human rights abuses? As France has a large and quickly expanding Muslim immigrate population (Mamou, 2017) it provides an important case study regarding the intersection of two different perspectives, that of secularism and religion. In 2004 Law No. 2004-228 of 15 March 2004 (National Assembly, 2004) was adopted by the French National Assembly and Senate which forbade the wearing of overtly religious clothing which would identify individuals religious affiliation in public schools, colleges and lycees. In 2010 Law No. 2010-1192 of October 11, 2010, was passed which banned the wearing of any outfit, in a public space, designed to cover the face (National Assembly, 2010). Although neither the 2004 nor 2010 laws appear to be directly targeting Muslims they have gained recognition because as both have a direct impact on Muslim women. Both of these laws have been criticised since they appear to constitute human rights abuses. However, rather than looking at the laws in isolation one must understand their context in French society, specifically the broader human rights issues which they reflect such as gender equality, assimilation of immigrants, and the perceived threat of religious fundamentalism. All of these issues are related and they cannot be written about in isolation of the rest. As France fights to protect its culture of laïcité (secularism), care must be taken to not abuse human rights in the name of equality.
Assimilation vs.
Assimilation policy proposed that ‘full blood’ Indigenous people should be allowed to ‘die out’ through a process of natural elimination, while ‘half-castes’ were encouraged to assimilate into the white community. This approach was founded on the assumption of black inferiority and white superiority. It was assumed that Indigenous people would enjoy the same quality of life as white Australians if they adopted European customs and everyone would live together as a single white Australian community. In actuality, assimilation policy further destroyed Indigenous identity, culture and families. It also was justification for the removal of Indigenous children from their
Assimilation is the manner in which people of a cultural group start to lose their individuality that makes them different from the more dominant culture, as they seek to fit in. America has been a melting pot of different cultures for centuries, whether it was by choice, forced or for a better life. History has proven that assimilation in America was not acceptable but that has changed over time.
Many Native Americans opposed the termination and assimilation policies for several reasons. One reason was the fear of a return of the land grab of past and Native Americans forced migration. In New Mexico and Arizona Native American did not have the right to vote, which created a political outcry due to the United States stand on democracy world-wide.
There was also another good things about the forced assimilation they could help each other in a more elaborate way than before. During WWII (World War II) Indian men and women served in a manner that they would be recognized by government leaders (Assimilation). Pointed out in the text 350,000 Native Americans lived in the USA in 1941, and 25,000 served in the armed forces (Assimilation). About 40,000 Native Americans worked in some sort of war related job (Assimilation). This involved permanent move to the cities and the will, to assimilate to white culture (Assimilation). Another difficulty that was help was that Mirabella was acting like a wolf and disturbing all of the other girls that where doing well with their rehabilitation (St. Lucy’s).
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.
Some Americans opposed to immigrants because they think immigrants might distort the national cultural and religious identity of the United States against immigration when they come to the US. In other words, they think immigrants deprive Americans of their country and national pride. Beneath the surface of the immigration opposing is the untrue belief that immigrant assimilation is causing an erosion of American values. First, they think immigrants take jobs away from Americans, which cause a job shortage. The job loss and wage decrease of workers in the Unites States is suffering due to immigrants. Second, immigrants increased government spending levels. Also, some Americans think that immigrants jeopardize national security because they
I am in much agreement about the lasting effects of the assimilation of Native Americans. It was terrible. To identify precisely the true desires of the American government does not require a lot of speculation. There is evidence per the film, Indian School: Stories of Survival, that the government's policy was to "kill the Indian, save the man", essentially eradicating the Native culture from America (Givens, 2011). This policy is not only barbaric, its thoroughly inhumane. It was accomplished by disenfranchising the Native population by placing them on reservations, forcibly taking their children and enculturating them in American beliefs and customs, stifling the children's vital lessons in development from youth to adulthood,
The main idea of this article is to bring insight to the reader about how islam is being remolded by the youth Islamic community within America. To illustrate this revolution the author uses personal accounts from the Muslims she interviewed. One of the main elements portrayed in this article was the idea of Muslim assimilation in the modern western world. The millennials within the Muslim American community often still adhere to the basic tenants and values of their religion however they often follow the religion more loosely in order to blend the two diverse cultures. Another main point this article focused on was religious temperance to allow for a more progressive and flexible practice of the faith. Lastly this article focused on the increased acceptance and reduced judgement from family members and those who are
Reformers, unlike many Americans, thought Native Americans can be assimilated into the American culture. They believed assimilation would lead to Indians settle down in their reservations and stop resisting and fighting. One way of assimilation was the Indian boarding school programs. Reformers believed assimilating Native American youths into the American culture would lead to peace in the future when they grew up and this was the only way to get them “civilized”. Reformers also thought this was required for Native American population to survive from annihilation by the army and settlers. They thought Indian boarding school programs was a good way to achieve this as they were taught to be “civilized”. They had a negative impact due to the
In the 19th century the federal government of Canada decided that they were responsible for the aboriginal people 's assimilation into mainstream society and that they, the aboriginals, needed to adopt the British and French also known as Euro-Canadian culture, as their own. Government officials knew that the aboriginal children would be easier to mold than the adults, and therefore created residential schools specifically for them and deemed attendance mandatory. The majority of these schools were run by churches and thus one might then assume these aboriginal children were provided with a good and solid upbringing and education. But in this paper I will prove this assumption not only to be incorrect, but that the treatment of the children by all those involved was immoral and unethical.
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
Nilsson analyzes the analyzes the editorials of the French online journal Riposte Laïque (Secular Retaliation), to gain insight into the use of secularism by anti-Muslim activists from across the political spectrum. These editorials reveal how right-wing populism in France uses secularism, rather than Christianity, to define “the people” against the perceived threat of Muslim immigrants to France (Nilsson, 2015). Nilsson’s analysis shows that religion is not fundamental to populism, but identity politics are. Christianity is less prevalent in French society than in other European states, therefor populist movements appeal to France’s tradition of secularism in order to construct an ‘us’ against ‘them’ narrative from which to advance their
In the article “France and Its Muslims”, published in the 2006 September/ October issue of the magazine Foreign Affairs, Senior Editor and freelance writer Stephanie Giry discussed the
France has recently been enforcing their ban of full-face veils in public places. The government claims it is for public safety, however, others feel it is the result of “Islamophobia”. Regardless of their reasoning, they are infringing on basic human rights. Most people believe that the ability to worship as they choose is a right given to them, not by any government, but by their deity. However in Venissieux, France a ban on the wearing of full veils in public places was formalized on April 15th, 2011. Thus, making it the first European country to violate what is, to some Muslims, an important religious conviction. Although the police cannot legally remove full veils, they are encouraged to punish those who continue to wear them with fines or required citizenship lessons. The new laws are a direct attack on Islamic culture, allowing the French government to strip its citizens of their history, their identity, and worst of all, of their ability to worship as their scriptures tells them to.