Religion
is a very personal aspect of people’s lives, and whether they choose to
participate in one or not should not be decided by the state. In the article
“The Other Side of the Veil” by Caitlin Killian, she examines why France has
decided to ban the use of a headscarf in their public schools, and to further
understand how this affair highlighted the rights of minorities, or lack
thereof, within French society.
The headscarf affair was mainly
debated among men, both Muslim and non-Muslim. The veil is a “means of
controlling male sexual desire,” Killian states, and women seem to have no say
in what they believe is right for them, whether in France or within their
religious practices, although many women do choose whether or not they want to
wear it. The veil has also become “a symbol of national identity,” creating a
rift between contemporary French culture and the culture that these women left
behind. The veil is also a sign of purity, as Deha, one of the interviewees says,
it shows that you are pure if you wear the veil; you are not pure if you do not
participate. This seems to be a very restrictive piece of clothing, if you wear
the headscarf, that means that you are pure and that people will respect you,
and if you don’t, then you are a slut. Frighteningly this is the mindset of
these women, and it must be true that their community believes that this is an accurate
indicator of a woman’s worth.
Since France has decided that it is
their job to intervene and force assimilation into their culture, I was shocked
to find that many Muslim women believed that it should be banned, although many
believed that it should not be either. Many women argued that the girls do not
need to wear the veil because it is not explicitly required of Islam. I think
this is really interesting, especially because many of these women saw this as
a way of signifying yourself as different. These same women also stated that
women were less likely to be taken seriously if they wore it, they would seem
less normal and also less professional. Other women who were interviewed viewed
this simply as a matter of civil liberty; these girls should be allowed to wear
whatever they want because they should be able to express themselves freely.
What it really comes down to is this:
it should not matter what students wear to school as long as they are there to
learn and behave. Incredibly, children can sport cross necklaces or Yamahas,
but these poor girls are being attached due to their simple headscarves. Sure,
these pieces of cloth make them stick out among their classmates, but they are
simply wearing these because of family pressure to. They do not understand the
full implications of this, and it is unfair to hold them responsible when it is
their parents who are coercing them into this situation.
Dakota, when you said, "The headscarf affair was mainly debated among men," I couldn't help but think back to the GOP panel on birth control that was made up entirely of men. Not a single women's voice was being represented here, and they apparently aren't being represented in France, either. I believe it should be a civil liberty for people to wear whatever they would like to wear to school, so long as it does not conflict with the learning process or safety of any student. In my high school, we had a "no hats, no hoods" rule because the security cameras would have difficulty identifying students whose heads were covered. I don't remember hearing about religious headscarves being an issue, probably because my school was not very culturally diverse, but I wonder how my school would have acted in that situation.
ReplyDeleteMikey I thought of the same example with contraception! Even a minister or priest was on the panel of all men deciding how to treat a women's body. In relation to Dakota's post, "Religion is a very personal aspect of people’s lives, and whether they choose to participate in one or not should not be decided by the state," I most definitely agree, however it seems that our government can only function on its fundamental christian values and those values by far do not represent the interests and concerns of the majority of citizens.
Deletesorry that was Molly B ^ I keep forgetting to write my name
DeleteI agree with Dakota in that it shouldn't matter what students wear to school. I never really considered cross necklaces or Yamakas as the equivalent, but stepping back, they truly hold significant similarities. I think that this argument resonates with the debate we had earlier in the semester on the idea of school dress code. Adding a religious dimension, increases the chances of controversy exponentially. I truly believe that people such as the women who did not think girls should wear them to school, are ignorant. As Killian mentions, this group of women were not educated, which I speaks volumes to the issue and also reveals a possible solution to the issue - educating the people who unaware of the symbolism that exists within this object.
ReplyDeleteAt the mention that the veil was a "means of controlling male sexual desire" it made me question how come the women are the one that have to be controlled or restricted because of men's sexual desire? This kind of perpetuates the "boys will be boys" attitude, in which men obviously have no capacity to control their sexual wants, so women have to compensate for that lack of control. In addition, the fact that it was men, not women, discussing the issue of the head scarfs is ridiculously unfair because the decision completely disregards women's opinions because women's voices are not present. It is very simple to say, for a man, that wearing a headscarf isn't so bad, but they don't have any idea of how that feels since they have not been forced to do so. However, aside from that, in terms of that aspect, it is true for the most part that people choose to participate in whichever religion they desire to, and it is none of the French government's business to control religious wear in public spaces or in schools if you ask me. Particularly in the case of girls in their academic environment, that headscarf should not be of main concern; their education is what should take a front seat in that case.
ReplyDeleteI think you really identified the really interesting dichotomy that exists in conversations about this issue, especially conversations in America about this issue. One one hand, we view wearing a veil as a restrictive act that women are forced into, which may or may not be true, person to person. But we find the forcing of girls into not wearing the veil to be against their liberties. So where does that leave us?
ReplyDeleteBrooke, I think you ask an essential question about personal liberties and how they are perceived by the public. I think everyone should wear whatever makes them feel present in the now and connected to their bodies, but this becomes so tricky when religion is the primary belief system for which a woman's lifestyle is based on. Most religions practiced now are patriarchal in their structural hierarchies. With this in mind, it would seem that women are oppressed and pushed to dress a certain way to fit a religious standard. On the other hand, many of these religious women feel it is their way of life and means of existence to perform their gender in the way they are told. It is right for us to say that these women shouldn't have to wear the veil even if some would chose to wear it because it is what they know? Are we then doing the same thing by forcing women to not wear what they habitually have come to know as truth? Personally, if religion would be the only thing to keep a woman wearing the veil, I would tell her to find a fresh belief system that supports her existence as overly positive and contributive, but if a woman wants to wear it to feel different and empowered then I support that choice through and through. Who are we to tell someone what makes them feel like a person?
DeleteMolly B ^
DeleteAs I was reading this article, I though a lot about whether the state should or shouldn't regulate personal liberties. What we have to remember is that not every government or culture is like ours. In some places, the state has every right to regulate the personal aspects of people's lives. I think we have to respect that to some extent just as we have to respect other religious or cultural practices.
ReplyDelete-Ellie Merrell
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ReplyDeleteDakota I really enjoyed reading your post. It is amazing to me that a progressive country like France would do something like this. To take away these rights from the school girls is appalling to me. You point out that other people at school still get to wear cross necklaces, or Yamaka's, I simply do not see the difference. One other point you made that caught my eye is how the headscarf is a sign of purity and when women of that culture do not wear one they are viewed as a slut. It is crazy how men can view a women as not wearing one as a slut, when in the first place one reason for women to wear them is to "control mens sexual desires". Why do people think they have the right to tell these school girls what is right or wrong for them to wear especially when it is an article of clothing that is harming no one and does not go beyond what normal clothing guidelines allow?
ReplyDelete-Ry Hormel