The recent decision of the Belgium government to pass a legislation banning the wearing of the burqa in public has stirred a raging controversy, pitting the modernist against the traditionalist both in the West as well as in the Islamic world. Indeed, the burqa has become a symbol of the clash of ideas. The ‘progressive’ West says the burqa violates its secular ethos and its ideals, prompting France and Australia to try to emulate Belgium in proscribing the veil.
The ban in Belgium has angered Abdul Bari Atwan, who sees it as an attempt to divert attention from the atrocities the western armed forces are committing in Muslim countries, and a justification for their occupation of the Muslim lands. “By showing Muslims as a community caught in a time warp, they can justify why they have invaded Iraq and Afghanistan,” says Atwan. In other words, through the burqa controversy, the West wants to justify its occupation as a civilising mission, a subtle variation on the white man’s burden theme of yore.
Even non-Muslim liberals see in the burqa controversy a ploy to divert the attention of people from their governments’ failings. Says Gilbert Achcar, a Lebanese teaching at soas, London, “President Sarkozy is trying to divert attention from his falling popularity ratings by raising the burqa issue.”
Others like John L. Esposito of the Georgetown University in Washington see little reason for the state to interfere in personal matters that affect none other than the woman wearing it. “Women (and men for that matter) of whatever faith or no faith should have the right to dress as they wish,” says Esposito. “It’s not the state’s job to legislate on how women dress, whether that be to wear short skirts or long skirts, wear a hat or scarf or not wear one.”
But doesn’t the veiling of the face have a security dimension? Argues Esposito, “With regard to the veil that covers the face, governments should not ban it, but certainly have the right in issues of security to require that the face be shown (to women security officers) when passing through airport security or on photos for licences to drive cars or other official IDs.” A few others feel that the government has a right to interfere only if a woman complains that she is being forced to wear the burqa. If anything has to be dropped, it should be the veil of suspicion.
