Reykjavík 2091

but now its a wasteland
our days of reckless fun are through

Adolescents

Banning the Burqa Chat

Controversy rages around this one and I’m not about to get too involved, except to say I get a bit hot under the collar when I hear other people getting all worked up over one or the other stance, particularly in the context of idle chit chat around the workplace or in the viciously uncomplicated letters of MX magazine.

To me there are two opposing positions, both with some merit but both problematic. The first is that the burqa is a religious garment and as such, sacred. Therefore it is not anyone else’s right to tell a person of a faith what they can and can’t wear as part of that faith. The other is that forcing women to wear this kind of restrictive dress is barbaric and that any religion that imposes such on its followers in 2010 is cruel. Unfortunately I agree with some points on both sides of the debate.

What shits me is my work colleagues getting into a discussion about what is right and wrong here, when none of them (I’m guessing) know anyone who wears this particular headdress, nor are any of them religious, nor do any of them experience any kind of pressure to dress in any particular way, aside from the uniforms they wear at work. Similarly, the conservative media is all but too eager to jump into the debate, using this as another topic to make generalisations about Muslims and their behaviour and lifestyle.

Again, I’m not about to get involved in a religious debate here, personally I am equally sceptical of all religions, but I am most interested by the passion that this debate draws, especially from those who are fairly uninvolved, aside from having to share a bus, or a bank with a woman in the traditional dress. I think the debate breaks down into two sides: Those for the banning of the burqa, who generally feel that such a garment has no place in western society, especially countries like Australia, where people are expected to assimilate, and those against the banning, who believe that we live in a free democracy where people’s beliefs and right to choice should be respected.

A problem with this debate is that these two sides are internally split by conflicting arguments around the rationale for their respective positions. Those for the banning are from two distinct camps. The first see this garment as a kind of threat. They want the burqa (and quite possibly Islam) banned primarily because it is not a part of their culture. On the other hand, some want the burqa banned because they believe it is an oppressive garment that is forced upon women to wear and is a symbol of sexist control, not one of choice.

Conversely, the two voices that support wearing the burqa, seem opposed by their very natures. The first are Muslims who consider this garment sacred and insist upon continuing to wear it as part of their faith. The other are those that feel that people have the right to wear what they please living in a democracy and other people should respect that choice. The problem with these two camps is that the former may be men, who wish to continue to enjoy a fairly sexist control over the women forced to wear the burqa and the latter may be from the political left, the kind who see sexual discrimination as oppression and who bitterly cling to feminist ideals. The two sides agree, but hate one another.

So in fact, there are four positions on the banning of the burqa: the xenophobic, bigoted outsider who can’t stand the sight of it; the radical, submissive, progressive insider who thinks its probably time it went; the radical, extremist insider who sees it as sacred and absolutely not up for discussion; and the do-gooder outsider who supports freedom of choice but opposes sexism.

Looking at all of them, I don’t like any of them. Which is why, when the conversation came up as idle chit chat at work recently between two staff members I quickly cut in with something like, “Guys, can we please not have this conversation here, now.” They both looked at me a little shocked that I should tell them to cease their conversation, but I knew I was about to hear the do-gooder outsider chime in with some patronising position like, “We have no right to tell them…” and the bigoted outsider retort with something like, “If they come to this society they have to…”.

Why do I care? Why am I writing this? I am more interested in people’s reactions to these types of topic. I’m not especially concerned in the banning of the burqa itself. Regarding this conversation at work: both positions seem patronising and both parties seemed ready to preach their opinions about a group of people that they actually have little contact with. And preach them with the arrogance that no-one would possibly disagree with them, so obvious was their analysis. What was most offensive was the casual off-hand nature of the conversation, regarding what is a very sensitive subject, especially to those who actually wear a burqa. I immediately thought such a conversation was inappropriate in the workplace where other people could overhear and I felt that both parties were far too eager to get their opinions out and weigh into what is a very complex debate in a very throw away conversation in a semi-public environment. So, I interrupted.

I don’t want to be seen as holding some moral high ground here, nor as any kind of student of Islamic representation within western society, I just get the shits when non-Islamic folk like to think that they can make decisions for an entire religious group while standing around the workplace. Mainly, because their next conversation will likely be as trivial as how bad the referees have been in the World Cup, or whether the remake of Karate Kid was as good as the original. All conversations have merit, some more than others, but timing and sensitivity are key. Don’t talk shit.