Warning France against straining ties'

Wed, 07/01/2009 12:33 PM  |  Reader's Forum

Indonesian Muslims say the burqa is not Islamic and it 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 has been argued 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 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.

Your comments:
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?

Geoff

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.

Glen

Apart from its secular "republican ideology", it is not without good political reason that France is trying to prevent people from emphasizing the religious side of their identity.

France has the biggest Jewish (700,000 people) and Muslim (4,000,000+) minorities in Europe. Considering the unsolved Palestinian issue, letting people publicly underline their religious identity is tantamount to inviting public disorder.

Furthermore, in developed 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 different treatment.

Jean Couteau

It's about showing respect for culture in another country. For example, if non-Muslim women from France visit the Middle East, it shows respect to cover up the 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 uncomfortable 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 the normal jilbab, similar to the type worn in all over Indonesia, would be completely acceptable.

Andrew

The opinions of Muslims wearing burqas is very interesting. They ask for freedom for Muslims in the West but under sharia law these very freedoms are cut and restricted in unbelievable ways.

And they and other groups in Indonesia and Malaysia are working hard to impose this law despite Muslim scholars disagreeing with burqas.

Edo

Obviously, wearing a bikini or miniskirt in Arabian or Muslim countries is unthinkable, so similarly wearing a burqa, niqab or jilbab in public in a non-Muslim country is unthinkable as well.

The sensible middle-road would be to wear a fashionable thin silk colorful scarf similar to those in Iran and Punjab or the type Jews and Christians wear going to prayers.

Gulzar

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