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Local Muslims warn France against straining relations
Ary Hermawan , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 06/25/2009 11:09 AM | Headlines
Indonesian Muslims say the burqa is not Islamic and is widely shunned in the country with the world's largest Muslim population, but warn France against straining Muslim-West relations should it push through legislation that could stigmatize those who wear it.
In what can be seen as another clash between Western liberal and Islamic sharia values, French President Nicholas Sarkozy has said the burqa is "not welcome" in France, branding it "a sign of subservience" that turns women into prisoners.
The burqa is an outer garment traditionally worn by some Muslim women, mostly in the Middle East, to cover their bodies from head to toe.
The French parliament on Tuesday formed a commission to study the wearing of the garment, considered conspicuous even in some Muslim countries, and may pass a regulation banning it from being worn in public in France.
Noted Islamic scholar Azyumardi Azra said the burqa was not common in Indonesia because Muslims here believed it went against the principles of modesty and propriety taught by the Prophet Muhammad and the Koran. "It could trigger resistance from society, not only in France but also in Muslim communities," he said.
Azra went on to lament Sarkozy's "derogatory" remarks on the burqa, which he claimed showed continued prejudice against Muslims, and suggested the French people might regard even the widely used jilbab in Indonesia a form of domestication.
Such remarks, he said, could inflame Muslim anger and disrupt efforts by US President Barack Obama to end hostilities between the West and the Muslim world.
"They should have talked with moderate Muslims there to campaign for an Islamic way of life that conforms to French values," he said.
While admitting that Muslims must be able to adapt to the society they live in, Azra said creating a regulation banning burqa would also be counterproductive and lead to more problems.
Indonesian Muslims are mostly moderate in their way of life and political views. The burqa is alien even to the more puritan Muslim groups in the country.
"Muslim clerics are at odds over the burqa," said Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) spokesman Ismail Yusanto. "Hizbut Tahrir believes it is not compulsory for women to cover their faces."
Despite his view on the issue, he lashed out at France for applying double standards when dealing with Muslims.
"The French are so proud of the so-called Western values: libert*, *galit*, fraternit*. If they believe in freedom, where's the freedom for Muslims?" he said.
"Why should the state regulate how people should dress?"
Another Muslim activist, Siti Musdah Mulia of the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace, said France had the right to regulate burqa for administrative and security reasons.
"I don't see *the plan to ban burqa* as an infringement of religious freedom. I myself don't want my students to come to my class with their faces covered," she said.
In 2004, France, which has long abided by a principle of laicism, passed a law banning Muslim headscarves, Christian crosses and Jewish skullcaps at public schools.
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Shah Baten (not verified) — Thu, 07/02/2009 - 12:53am
I think the Jakarta Post has shortage of local people with good knowledge of English and the management relies on some western sub-editors who either do not knowledge of Islam or they deliberately try to speak nonsense in the name of Islam. When I read some articles on Islamic issues it seems to me that they are heavily edited by non-Muslim western sub-editors. This is s serious impediment for the newspaper to becoming genuine English daily. Having said that, the article looks to me that it is written or edited by a sub-editor who does not have any education beyond high school in UK or in Australia.
The Jakarta Post should sack these foreign half-educated sub-editors and get Indonesian people write for the newspaper.
Fantje (not verified) — Wed, 07/01/2009 - 5:56pm
So the Muslim community in Indonesia is at odds over burqa but against legally banning wearing it, which I find it self-contradicting. The Muslim community also demands others to respect its culture, but refuses to respect others' cultures. You know what, France is a sovereign state that happens to be constitutionally secular, and it's free to protect its values & culture. People from all over the world cover themselves more when visiting Indonesia and Islamic states. Why don't we agree to equally respect each other's values?
Iwan2 (not verified) — Tue, 06/30/2009 - 1:17pm
Interesting to read the hypocrites, i recall in aceh being told not to talk to women on the street due to sharia policing driving around looking for korbans. I also recall being told not to wear singlets on the streets even if its 40 degrees.
Therefore, based on those loose interpretations, i hope france bans it for the sake of normality.
Geoff (not verified) — Tue, 06/30/2009 - 9:14am
"Noted Islamic scholar Azyumardi Azra said the burqa was not common in Indonesia because Muslims here believed it went against the principles of modesty and propriety taught by the Prophet Muhammad and the Koran"
Can someone please explain to me how relations will be 'strained' if the French government bans something that goes against the principles taught by Muhammad and the Koran? Shouldn't this strengthen relations?
Glenn (not verified) — Tue, 06/30/2009 - 12:16am
So let me understand this correctly. Islamic scholars in Indonesia disagree with the burqa but when a non muslim agrees with this position it is somehow dangerous. ?
Edo (not verified) — Fri, 06/26/2009 - 9:06pm
The opinion of HTI is interesting, since they ask for the freedom for Muslims in the West but under sharia law these very freedom is cut and restricted in unbelievable ways. And they and other wahhabi groups in Indonesia and Malaysia are working hard to impose this primitive and extremely misogynistic law. More than 50 million Indonesian women are already victims of taqiya-work and wear the wahhabi jilbab destroying Indonesian icons like the konde and traditional dances without this Arab piece of cloth.
But the cream of the cake is the statement:
"Why should the state regulate how people should dress?"
when under this very sharia law the state is doing exactly this, as seen in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Aceh, Afghanistan, and so many places coming under the influence of the Arab radicals.
No wonder the Indonesian word for 'hypocrite' (munafiq) is of Arab origin. These groups are the real Decepticons.
Jean Couteau (not verified) — Fri, 06/26/2009 - 2:45pm
Apart from its secular, "republican ideology", it is not without good political reasons that France tries to prevent people from emphasizing the religious side of their identity. France has the biggest Jewish (700.000) and Moslem minorities (4.000.000+) in Europe. Considering the unsolved Palestinian issue, letting people publicly underline their religious identity would be tantamount to invite public disorder.
Furthermore, in developped societies, most people do not understand why the male and female "body" should be subjected to different "modesty" standards. The word of God is to them too doubtful to serve as a criteria for a different treatment.
Jacques (not verified) — Fri, 06/26/2009 - 10:42am
And what about this school in Padang where christian students are required to wear the jilbab, as depicted in Tempo 27 april 2008? I do not remember any pak Azra complaining about anti-christian discrimination. And the FPI in the Monas last june? Is it tolerance???
And by the way, the moderate muslims Azra mentions are not the one who are in favour of the burqa. So the comment is pointless. Thank you for taking care of religious freedom in your country and not to use a side event to re-ignite the oppression syndrom.
Andrew2410 — Thu, 06/25/2009 - 7:45pm
It's about showing respect for the culture in another country.
For example if Non-Muslim women from France visit the middle east, it shows respect to cover up neck, arms and legs, more so that they would do at home. It shows the person has had the courtesy to find out something about the culture of the country they are visiting and has made a little effort to fit in and be accepted. This is the polite thing to do.
In the same way, the full burqa does make many people unconfortable in the western world. Showing one's face, and one's facial expression is very important to put people at ease and to communicate non-verbally. I would hope women from the middle east visiting France would show some courtesy too. I am sure normal jilbab of the sort seen all over Indonesia are completely acceptable.
Andrew