Recently in Australia there was a huge news story centered mainly around one Muslim woman wearing a burqa. This woman was pulled over by the police, I'm not sure what for, and when the police officer saw that the woman was wearing a burqa he asked her to remove it for identity purpose.
The reason why it was such a huge fuss was because the woman claimed that the police officer then forcibly removed her burqa after she refused, video footage that was later released showed that this was in fact entirely untrue.
The woman was charged with fraudulent claims but the case had to be thrown out because the woman who was charged claimed there was no way to tell it was even her in the video because the burqa covered the persons face.
As well as this, I'm sure you've all heard in recent news that France has made wearing a full face covereing (burqa) in public illegal.
Now I know that this is a very touchy subject, but it was one I really wanted to talk about because I would love to hear the opinions of some people who don't live in my country! So to start us off, here is my opinion on; The Burqa
First off, I have absolutely no issue with women choosing to weara burqa out in public, I think it's great that they are so bold in their faith that they can wear something that makes them stand out in a crowd so much. I do have issues with anyone who is being forced to wear one against their will, but that's an entirely different subject and one I won't touch on today. I do however fully believe that if a woman chooses to wear a burqa in public places, she should be willing to remove it in places such as banks, petrol stations and anywhere else where it would be illegal to wear facial coverings such as a motor bike
helmut. I understand that it is a symbol of their faith, and I fully respect that, but the fact remains is that it completely hides the identity of the person underneath the scarf, for obvious reasons that's a huge security threat. Anyone who decides they want to rob a liquor store could slap on a burqa and no one would have a clue who it was underneath.
Like I said, I'm not entirely sure where all my readers are from, but I would definitely love to hear all your opinions on this subject, but please note any derogatory or racist comments will be deleted straight away. Sorry for not having any images to accompany this post, but I thought it would be more effective as text only. I apologize if I've offended anyone with this post, this is simply my opinion.
This is a difficult one. we must respect peoples faith, equality & diversity is all good however, I do agree with you are saying and that in certain places and situations a burqa should be removed to comply with the law of that country if requested.
ReplyDeleteThis continues to be big news in Australia. The woman in question falsly claimed that the police officer in question tried to forcibly remove her burqa. He initially asked her to remove her burqa for one simple reason - identification. A bill is due to go before parliament to give police new powers to ask that the burqa be removed for purposes of identification. The leader of a prominent Islamic organisation in Australia has spoken out in favour of the new law. We aren't banning the burqa, just making sure our police can properly do their job. I'm not in favour of banning the burqa altogether, because I respect the right of religious expression; however, on a personal note, I have no idea why any Muslim woman would choose to wear an item of clothing that is symbolic of the oppression of women in many places. This woman is lucky that she lives in a country which allows her that choice. She would not have the same choice elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteThe burqua and other forms of Islamic clothing is not even mentioned in the Koran because it didn't exist at the time. It has been invented by society in Muslim countries. So I don't support it seeing as you can cover up modestly and not wear something that conceals your face for security purposes. Also as it has been proved, wearing one does not mean you don't get sexually assaulted and certainly does not mean you are above suspicion, plenty of terrorists in Europe and even the Middle East know that it is a disguise under which to conceal bombs. It has been done before quite a few times. So I personally don't agree with any form of it. I can tolerate the hijab but thats about it. Faith isn't something you wear on your head necessarily, its what in your heart and I feel like its an excuse that they wear it. It is not even mentioned in the Koran so for me, its not part of the Muslim religion asuch, compared to the culture. I don't support wearing any of it
ReplyDeleteAs an Orthodox Jewish woman I find myself wanting to disagree with you. Although we do not cover our faces, married women do cover their hair. Making a religious decision to be modest is a very personal and sensitive choice. I understand the side of not allowing a burqa, but unless you fully understand the tradition and what it signifies, you can't dismiss it as extremist or foolish.
ReplyDeleteTo understand more of my tradition of modesty and hair covering, visit my beauty and fashion blog - http://bellabusta.tumblr.com/
@Selina I think a huge problem for the Islamic community is the fact that there is such a stigma surronding the burqa. It's so sad to think that people assume they are terrorists just because they wear the burqa or hijaab.
ReplyDelete@Elisheva I think you've misunderstoof what I'm saying, I have no problem with Muslim women covering their hair/faces. I am completely against banning the burqa altogether, I just think if Muslim women are going to wear burqa's in public they need to be prepared to remove them in certain places for security purposes.
I understand, it's just that for some women, being forced to remove the burqa really is an invasion of privacy. Although we can't understand what it means to cover our face it might be similar to the way we feel when we hear about airports and their x-ray vision! It doesn't feel right to reveal something that we are used to having hidden.
ReplyDelete@Elisheva I guess this is where the issue truly arises from, as a non Muslim woman who has no problem getting my legs out, I could never fully understand the significance of the burqa to a Muslim woman. I think one of the main issues with all religions in general, is where they fit in in a modern society. I think most religions have sort of evolved with the times, but Islam as a religion seems to me to be stuck in the 'dark ages' so to speak. As much as I respect a Muslim woman's choice to wear the burqa, I think they also need to respect (if they are living in a country such as Australia) that they are living under the law of the country they live in, and the law of this country states that you are not allowed to hide your identity inside a bank.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine it would be awful to have to live your life based on rules that are predominately formed by another religion (Australia is a very christian ruled country), but if a Muslim woman truly feels violated by removing her burqa, could she not make the decision to just not go into places where it is considered illegal for her to wear one?
Phew, that was a long comment!
The burqa for me shows how you can make a person a something rather than a someone. Its easy to dismiss the woman under it as nothing. And men do it often, non Muslim women do it also I find. Wearing one does not get you respect in my opinion. Many men demand it as a control issue and women in Islamic countries get beaten or have acid thrown in their faces for deciding not to wear it. Elisheva, it is one thing to be modest but this is another thing altogether. You can be modest without wearing a sack over your head. I understand that for those who have grown up with it, they feel like their privacy is being violated without it but that is not the rest of society's fault if at official points they need to remove it. I can't ever agree with this
ReplyDelete