What was the first image you saw this Monday morning? You might not remember now, four days later, but I do. It was a woman being arrested in Paris, for wearing a burka. The French have passed a law, ostensibly to ‘protect’ women from being forced to wear a full face veil. Apparently it ‘protects’ women by having them arrested in public places, with a sea of international press all around them.
Personally, I don’t like the idea of women covering their faces with veils if their menfolk don’t do the same — but that’s my personal opinion, and frankly, absolutely no-one except me should give a damn what my personal opinion is. But this is the terrible thing about burkas and niqabs. An awful lot of people who’ve never even had a conversation with a woman who wears the veil feel fully entitled to share their views on the subject. According to the Telegraph, fewer than 2,000 women wear the veil in France — that’s in a country with a population of around 62 million.
Apparently the reason for the ban is that the veil ‘stigmatises and alienates women’. Well, clearly, arresting them and fining them will make them feel included. According to a poll, 67 % of Channel 5 viewers believe the burka should be banned in Britain. One of the reasons offered by ‘moderate’ opposers is that a full face veil makes communication difficult. Shouldn’t we ban emo kids from going out in public then, unless they wash their faces properly and learn to speak up?
I’m being serious. What’s the difference between a woman in a full face veil and a sixteen year old boy covered in tattoos, make-up, and with his face half-covered by his hair? Other than that 67% of Channel 5 viewers have probably met a sixteen year old emo kid. I doubt that many of them have ever had a proper conversation with a woman in a veil and asked her what she thinks. I haven’t, have you? So what gives either of us the right to an opinion?
Here’s a suggestion. If you genuinely want to do something to stop the oppression of women, give some money to Women’s Aid. On average, two women in the UK are murdered by their partners every single week. If only the people who were outraged by burkas could channel their energy into getting angry about that particular statistic.
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