Friday, June 26, 2009
Burqas, Bikinis and the Debasement of Women
Naturally the question of the week on On Faith deals with the burqa and Sarkozy's proposed ban of it in France. I have written here before about my personal dislike of the burqa, how it and the Hugh Heffner culture of the West are flip sides of the same coin -- exploitation and suppresssion of women's sexuality -- and my commitment to women's right's to freedom of religious expression as well as how they choose to dress, even though I don't like it.
Sarkozy's proposed ban is nothing more than a paternalistic denigration of women (the very thing he claims the burqa is!) because he is essentially telling women, the state knows better than you what is best for you to wear, we know better than you how you should express your religious beliefs, and worst, we know you need our protection to stand up against your coercive men. His arrogance in usurping women's agency is breathtaking, precisely because he positions it as a protection of women from denigration.
Anyway, the full article should be up today at On Faith. ¶ 9:56 AM
Sarkozy's proposed ban is nothing more than a paternalistic denigration of women (the very thing he claims the burqa is!) because he is essentially telling women, the state knows better than you what is best for you to wear, we know better than you how you should express your religious beliefs, and worst, we know you need our protection to stand up against your coercive men. His arrogance in usurping women's agency is breathtaking, precisely because he positions it as a protection of women from denigration.
Anyway, the full article should be up today at On Faith. ¶ 9:56 AM
