The idea of a cohesive society in the age of freedom, liberalisation, diversity and globalisation within the boundaries of a nation-state has received a big boost with the Lower House of the French Parliament adopting a Bill (it was voted 355-1, indicating absolute unanimity barring the lone naysayer) banning the burqa in public places. The stated purpose behind the proposed law — the Bill will now be debated in the Upper House, where it is expected to get a majority vote, before it is scrutinised by a constitutional oversight body — is to uphold France's cherished values of equality and dignity for all: The burqa is seen, and rightly so, as a symbol of suppression of women in the name of religion. The French argue, and with justification, that there cannot be a cohesive society without a certain degree of uniformity; diversity should be cultural and not pegged to the assertive assertion of 'otherness'. The burqa, irrespective of what is claimed by mullahs and Islamists, is a vivid assertion of the 'otherness' of Muslims, as is the flaunting of the chequered kafiyeh, which has transmogrified into a symbol of Islam from a tribal headgear, by Muslim men. It is absurd to suggest, as is done by some Muslims and the clergy, that the burqa is about freedom of choice; it isn't. It is an imposition that is sought to be sanctified by citing theological texts that have little or no relevance in the 21st century as far as dress codes and social mores are concerned. We must also remember that there is something called childhood conditioning which plays a significant role in Muslim women donning the burqa 'willingly'.
There are other aspects to the French move which merit comment. For instance, should immigrants — and France's Muslims, barring those who migrated from Algeria when it was still a French colony, are just that; many of them entered the country seeking refugee status — use 'diversity' and 'multi-culturalism' as convenient covers to transplant their faith-based practices which clash with those of the host country? Britain, as also many other European countries, are now beginning to wake up to the folly of unrestrained multi-culturalism and over-emphasis on diversity: That which is alien is threatening to become dominant. So much so, schools funded by Saudi Arabia-based Islamic charities teach young Muslims in Britain that "Christians are pigs and Jews are dogs" and insist that any curbs on them would amount to denial of religious freedom and restrict diversity! There's a larger message for Islamists and those who see nothing wrong with Islamism: Europe is witnessing a blowback whose consequences could be less than happy for those who celebrate the burqa as an assertion of Muslim identity or flaunt the kafiyeh to declare their 'otherness' from the majority.
Thanks Pioneer Daily
