White Men Making Decisions for Asian Women: Sarkozy and the Burqa

By Mitsuru | Tuesday, June 23, 2009 | 4 Comments

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sarkozyvsburqa White Men Making Decisions for Asian Women: Sarkozy and the Burqa “It will not be welcome on the territory of the French republic.”

Following a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in which the two disagreed on the issue, French President Nicolas Sarkozy made a major policy speech condemning the covering. “The burka is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience,” this male, non-Muslim expert stated on Monday, adding that it deprives women of identity and acts as a prison.

In 2004, France made a controversial decision to ban headscarves in public schools. Sarkozy has evidently watched a few too many Hollywood terrorist propaganda movies, he himself denying the identity of the Muslim women who choose to wear it. As a burqa-wearing thread contributor on Salon.com points out “I’m also happy to have non-Muslim friends who don’t try to take my agency away by assuming I must be brainwashed.” And she is only one of many Muslim women speaking out against anti-head covering sentiments.

Since when is spinning spiritually significant clothing as evil considered to be progressive? Oh right, like when Sikh turbans were banned from Canadian Mounted Forces until 1990. Canada being one of the most progressive countries, naturally.

Many try to play off the call to ‘ban religious symbols’ in the name of secularism. Yet, it is usually muslim women who wear head or body coverings that are the first targeted. On behalf of Islamaphobia and sexism — ahem — secularism, naturally.

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LindaTHardy

Holy crap, between their "shoulder massagers," male clothing line, MMORPG and fucking handguns, they have more of an empire than Mary Kate and diamond kitty Ashley Olsen.

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TeresaCWCheng

Great post. Straight up and to the point. And, of course, totally necessary to bring this type of content to 8asians.

I appreciate the links you provide in your post. Varied and informative.

Thanks.

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Sammy Lao

Sarkozy is an "Equus africanus asinus." He brays nonsense.

Nobody in France takes him seriously.

However, just because France is a liberal democracy, it doesn't mean that it shares the same value as the Anglo-American democratic countries. (Like Canada.)

British Secularism means a public / private divide between state indifference. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Letter_Concernin...)

France Secularism is more like:
(1) u00e2u0080u0098the independence of the political authorities and of the different spiritual or religious persuasionsu00e2u0080u0099 (this signifies an absence of political intervention in religious matters and an absence of religious sway over political authority);
(2) a guarantee of freedom of conscience and worship, which represents the u00e2u0080u0098positive contentu00e2u0080u0099 of secularism;
(3) a duty on the part of religions and their congregations to adapt, and conduct themselves in moderate fashion, so as to make coexistence possible, in exchange for the guarantees and
protections afforded them by the state;
(4) the need to live together and construct a common future u00e2u0080u0093 which leads to identifying secularism with the u00e2u0080u0098republican pactu00e2u0080u0099 in practice.
(http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/IMG/pdf/0205-B...)

I think you're wrong in calling this non-progressive. From a French perspective, it is very progressive. It's just intolerant. But since the French Revolution, toleration was never part of the package.

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