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November 18, 2006
Banning The Burqa?

The Netherlands has introduced a bill that would ban the wearing of burqas in public places, including schools, courts, and transportation. The law aims at a pretty small target, the BBC reports, as only a handful of the one million Dutch Muslims wear the complete covering garment:

The Dutch cabinet has backed a proposal by the country's immigration minister to ban Muslim women from wearing the burqa in public places. The burqa, a full body covering that also obscures the face, would be banned by law in the street, and in trains, schools, buses and the law courts.

The cabinet said burqas disturb public order, citizens and safety. ...

An estimated 6% of 16 million people living in the Netherlands are Muslims. But there are thought to be fewer than 100 women who choose to wear the burqa, a traditional Islamic form of dress.

Actually, there's some debate about how traditional the burqa has been to Islamic history. Women have a variety of head coverings in Muslim socities, and all but the most oppressive usually cover only the hair. The burqa and its close cousin the niqab only expose the eyes, and the burqa puts a netting in front of those. The Taliban forced women to wear them in Afghanistan, and thanks to ongoing efforts by the radicals to terrorize the population, many still do for their own safety. In any event, the burqa and the niqab appear to be more of a development of the radical Islamists in history rather than a requirement from the Qur'an or the Hadiths, which stress the more general concept of modesty in women.

Interestingly, even Muslim nations have banned burqas and niqabs in a similar manner as the Dutch proposal. Turkey, Tunisia, and Egypt have all outlawed the wearing of the ultraconservative garments in public, and since there is no reason to wear them in private, they presumably have no currency at all in those nations. Turkey is an interesting case in point. The only stable and functional Muslim democracy in the Middle East, Turkey has a strong secular policy in its governance, instituted by the national hero Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. All three nations have a ban for the same reason that the Netherlands is considering it -- to suppress radical Islamism.

It seems like a bit of overkill, however, for the Netherlands. The burqa at the moment doesn't really present that much of a threat to the Dutch. I can agree about a ban on face coverings in court, but outlawing them altogether makes little sense. Michael van der Galien, who lives there, thinks differently, but I find it hard to square Western values of individual freedom and liberty with a burqa ban for someone who is merely riding a bus or walking down the street. If the women were operating the buses or driving cars, there would be a public safety issue, certainly. This appears more as a payback for the murder of Theo Van Gogh by a radical Islamist than a serious public policy.

The Los Angeles Times points out how silly this seems in context:

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, euthanasia, drug use, prostitution — in the Netherlands those are perfectly fine. But the one thing the Dutch apparently will not tolerate is what they perceive to be intolerance. In defense of their cherished tradition of gedogen — which loosely translates as "to live and let live" — the Dutch are ready to force the assimilation of conservative Muslim immigrants, who are deemed intolerant of fabled Dutch tolerance and must therefore no longer be tolerated. Got that?

If Dutch women can choose prostitution for themselves -- a libertarian position that has its merits -- then why can't they choose the burqa? If they can freely choose to inject addictive substances into their veins and inhale it into their lungs, then why can't a few of them decide to cover themselves from head to toe in public? Which of these choices are more destructive to the individual and to society?

The Dutch have the right idea but the wrong target. If they want to start getting tough on radical Islam, they should start with the Saudi-funded madrassas, as the Times suggests. That's where terrorism starts in this age -- not inside a burqa or niqab.

Sphere It Digg! View blog reactions
Posted by Ed Morrissey at November 18, 2006 6:27 AM

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» Banning The Burqa? from Bill's Bites
Dutch seek ban on burqas in public THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) -- The Dutch government, facing re-election next week, said Friday it plans to draw up legislation as soon as possible banning the head-to-toe garment known as burqas and other [Read More]

Tracked on November 18, 2006 9:19 AM

» Here's Islam... from Right Truth
There is no comparing Islam to any other religion. Do the Christians, or Jews, or Hindus, or Bahi, or any other religion force you to convert? Force you to live under their rules? Torture or kill you if you don't [Read More]

Tracked on November 19, 2006 6:24 PM

» Here's Islam... from Right Truth
There is no comparing Islam to any other religion. Do the Christians, or Jews, or Hindus, or Bahi, or any other religion force you to convert? Force you to live under their rules? Torture or kill you if you don't [Read More]

Tracked on November 19, 2006 6:32 PM

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