French Senate approves burqa ban

CU students are reacting to a French law that will prohibit individuals from wearing any form of face veil in public.

The French Senate recently passed the law, which will go into effect in the spring of 2011, according to an article by CNN.

The ban includes the burqa, a garment that envelops the body and covers the face in mesh, and the niqab, a veil that covers the hair and face but not the eyes. Both are traditional Muslim garments.

The law was approved in the Senate by a majority of 246 to one, with 100 abstentions, and is also backed by the French public by four to one, CNN reported.

While there is no collected data on the percentage of the CU campus that is Muslim, according to CNN the Muslim population of France is about 3.5 million, or 6 percent of the population.

Some Muslim students said although the ban does not affect them directly, they believe it conflicts with an individual’s religious freedom.

“I know that every woman out there and man out there has a different opinion as to if their women should cover themselves or not,” said 23-year-old senior psychology major and Muslim student Sabeen Ahmed. “I don’t think it’s very fair, it violates your rights.”

Ahmed said she believes the ban is a reflection of over-generalized opinions on Islam and Muslims.

“It’s against Islam because [a face veil] represents Islam,” she said. “I think people are generalizing too much against Islam. There are extremists in every religion.”

The French government said earlier this year that the ban would work to ensure equality of the sexes.

“Given the damage it produces on those rules which allow the life in community, ensure the dignity of the person and equality between sexes, this practice, even if it is voluntary, cannot be tolerated in any public place,” the French government stated, as the ban was proposed to parliament.

Bobby Pruett, director of CU’s Christian Challenge, said he questions if the grounds for equality amongst the sexes fully addresses the motives behind the approval.

“I don’t know how to evaluate how the strong women in Muslim families are sort of forced into that place and how burqas fit into that,” Pruett said. “Is it possible that there are women who would prefer to have freedom in their dress?”

Pruett also said he believes that although religious rights should not be ignored, he understands there is palpable fear concerning religious differences.

“I think that people really are, you know, concerned about possibly Islam taking over the world or something,” he said. “But I think there certainly is a religious liberty, I think there has to be a religious freedom.”

Other Muslim students said the ban crosses not only religious boundaries, but personal ones as well.

“I mean, it’s a religious choice and a personal choice at that,” said Srrah Algheithy, a 20-year-old sophomore computer and electrical engineering major. “They’re interfering with something in religion, you can’t make something apply to sexes when it applies to religion and it’s personal as well.”

Algheithy said she thinks the ban will overwhelmingly affect the Muslim population in France more than any other.

“Although it won’t affect me personally or not many people that I know, it’s still a lot of the people in my religion,” she said. “It’s like they’re trying to pick out people who are Muslim, they are trying to pick them out specifically.”

Once in effect, the ban will mandate a fine of 150 euros ($190) and/or a citizenship course to anyone wearing a face veil, as well as a punishment of 15,000 euros ($19,000) and up to a year in prison to anyone forcing a woman to wear a face veil, according to the proposal.

Algheithy also said that overall she finds the choice for women to wear the burqa equitable to any other type of basic freedom.

“I think people should be allowed to do whatever they want,” she said. “It’s kind of like freedom of speech, she’s not harming anyone in doing that.”

Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Sarah Simmons at Sarah.e.simmons@colorado.edu.