QUESTIONS:Does the French Government have the right to impose French values on its citizens?
How can we determine whether certain cultural values are more valid than others?
Is a punishment necessary for the wearing of the burqa?
Do these women lose their identity when wearing the burqa?
Is it ethical to dislike or undermine other cultures/religions by not respecting their traditions or beliefs?
I am definitely not against people wearing burqas or any sort of religious/traditional clothing. However, when this limits your identity such as the burca, this could potentially be dangerous for society. There have indeed been cases were people have disguised themselves in these types of clothing to present themselves to be someone they are not. This could be in order to commit illegal actions or could be harmful to others. Moreover, it is important to take into consideration that if one are in a country that implements certain laws, one must respect the law or leave the country. Especially, given the fact that this is not stated in the Quran but simply an interpretation of what is stated in the Muslim Holy Book. Punishments such as fines should definitely be given for people that are not respectful of this law because it is the only way that they will be able to implement it.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Fz for the most part, yes all religions should be accepted in secular countries like france, as anyone is free to practice the religion they want to practice, Yet the government of the country, is allowed to implement some rules, because some aspects of religion can be misinterpreted, or sometimes certain religions are unethical. It is very difficult to challenge religion yet when it affects the population of France, and other innocent peoples comfort, then it is mandatory to implement some rules. As someone famously said " our freedom ends, where the freedom of others begins" Meaning that as long as you do not interfere with others there will be no issue, yet as soon as the life of others is threatened or affected in any way then you are not free to do whatever you would like. In this particular case, the burqa should be banned to some extent as it could but the lives of other citizens in danger. When wearing a burqa one can hide her identity, and do several things she would not be able to do with her face unveiled, starting with fraud. Even more severe consequences could be assumed with the burqa such as bank robberies, grocery assaults, and rape. To conclude the only aspect of the burqa that should be banned is the cloth that covers the main traits of the person identity and emotions. Not only it will be a menace in some cases but it will also be a burden for those whom wear it making their lives almost miserable.
DeleteDoes the French Government have the right to impose French values on its citizens?
ReplyDelete--> Yes, I think the French government has ALL the rights to impose such a restriction on its people. When one accepts French nationality, one has to conform with French society's expectations and let go of all other cultures' values.
How can we determine whether certain cultural values are more valid than others?
--> A cultural value that has no effect on one's professional life or on other people's comfort is a valid value. Anything else will just act as a barrier to society's progress.
Is a punishment necessary for the wearing of the burqa?
--> There is no other way of enforcing the rule if it's not punishable by law!
Do these women lose their identity when wearing the burqa?
--> HELL YES! How do you distinguish between women who all wear a veil that hides their entire body? Yes, they do keep some identity with their thoughts and the way they treat others, but still, 75% of who they are is erased.
Is it ethical to dislike or undermine other cultures/religions by not respecting their traditions or beliefs?
--> Not ethical, logical debate or argument is the only way to challenge some religious beliefs.
Honestly, I would have to disagree with Salim. I mean yes, France is a secular nation, that is a nation where law and religion aren't intertwined. However, it's not an atheist nation. That means that I believe that it is the people's right to have a religion, and the government must not be able to change that. After all, governments should conform to their people's beliefs, not the other way around. That brings me to the next question, do women lose their identity when wearing the burqa? For you and I, yes they do. Indeed, it is impossible to tell what a women is like under her clothing, just like we saw in that video. However, when the burqa is their choice, I believe that it does indeed reflect their identities. In fact, it shows that they strongly believe in the moral principles of their religions and are willing to go to great ends to respect that religion. However, just to clarify, I am against the burqa in general, I believe it is a too strict interpretation of the rule "men and women must dress modestly. However, I also believe that men and women are entirely entitled to their own religious practices, and that when governments start interfering with that, it becomes a dangerous situation.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with Ghali and Saad. It is true that people should be able to have and practice their religion freely without government interference. I do, however, see the conflicting viewpoint where there is a possibility that women can lose their identity by wearing the burqa. As Ghali says, it is pretty much impossible to now what a woman is like under a burqa, because we we are even blocked from any facial expressions. However, the fact that they chose to wear the burqa shows that they a part of their character or identity; it shows that they possibly do not want to have this non-verbal communication with others and possibly shows that the woman is very religious. There is also the argument that the burqa could be used for means of terrorism where people can conceal harmful objects under the layers of clothes. However, this is very unlikely and there have rarely been any terrorist attacks with people wearing burqas. In my opinion, I believe that the burqa is too extreme, just as a person without any clothes on is also too extreme. Despite this, the burqa is a choice and a right. Goverment interference in this could harm people's identity and liberty.
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ReplyDeleteInteresting points - and I think we do have to consider tolerance in a multi-racial, multi- religious society. Also, there are the security issues some people mentioned. However, I think we need to look at the underlying ideology behind this custom of covering women. The idea that women should hide not only their bodies but their faces in order to be seen as 'holy' or 'pure' - simply because they do not tempt men by being just themselves - seems to me to be the height of perversity. From such beliefs worse practices stem - female excision (widely practised in Egypt, Sudan and other places) - corporal or physical punishment by fathers, brothers and husbands for women who cross any kind of line. To me this should no more be tolerated than wife beating, or any practice that interferes with the freedom of a human being - male or female. As Saad said one person's freedom ends when another's is compromised. Is walking around inside a cloth cover consistent with personal freedom? Do these women who wear these garments choose to do so, or is it imposed by the family? Could they be brainwashed into believing themselves carriers of sexual sinfulness? Should we allow parents to teach these ideas to their sons and daughters, or is it, in effect, some kind of child abuse? I think it is.
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