Last week, Denmark wrote the latest chapter in a world story that is strangely familiar. The ban on wearing a hijab in public places is already in place, and restrictions have been imposed on wearing headscarves in public places in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Bulgaria and Austria. The issue has been discussed in both Australia and the Canadian province of Quebec. Regional variations, a similar pattern of events has occurred in some countries.
First, in countries that have banned the headscarf worn by a few Muslim women, politicians argue that the ban will encourage integration and public safety, or that wearing the headscarf is incompatible with national values such as gender equality. Intellectuals and legislators loudly discuss this policy, debate the press, and ultimately pass the law.
Muslims protest in the streets with non-Muslims, some wearing veils in solidarity, and then come after another round of heated debate, swollen through the media. Over time, it is reported that discrimination against Muslims is rising in the West, and many Muslim women tend to adhere to their identity more rigorously. Some who did not wear the niqab before the ban now wear a hijab in protest. Others choose to stay at home, and it remains impossible to know how widespread this phenomenon is.
If the prohibition is really intended to promote gender equality, this procedure is counterproductive. A few months later, another State is enacting its own ban laws. Denmark has so far followed this trend. Nine years ago, the right-wing People's Party first called for a ban on full face coverage in public places, but the move found support elsewhere in the political spectrum. Recently, Marcos Knuth of the ruling Liberal Party argued that the full niqab was "very aggressive" and Minister of Justice Søren Piep Poulsen said that full coverage (niqab) "is not compatible with values in Danish society." The ban was issued in May, and when it came into force this month hundreds of Muslim women protested wearing the niqab. They were joined by non-Muslims, many of whom also covered their faces for solidarity. A few days ago I spoke to a 21-year-old Muslim woman living in Copenhagen wearing a niqab. She refused to reveal her family name for fear of her safety. She told me she was concerned that the ban would isolate women wearing the niqab in their homes. "I did not go out all day because I was thinking If it's worth going out and getting fine, follow-up «every time I get out of my office door, I'm violating», a violation leads to a fine of about $ 150 the first time. But she and other women will refuse to take off her hijab. "The niqab is a big part of my identity; it's a very spiritual choice, and now it's also a sign of protest," she said. "In fact, I think that when politicians put these discriminatory laws, we become stronger, we feel that this ban has made us more serious, courageous and strong, this is encouraging more women to wear the veil," she adds.
Sigal Samuel is a writer and political analyst
Dealing with "bomb fragments"
"Since the controversy over the law, we have seen a marked increase in intolerance," says a spokeswoman for an organization of 17 women's centers across the Canadian province of Quebec. "This contributes to creating a climate of fear. Women who are veiled find it difficult to leave their homes, The activist said dozens of attacks against veiled women were recorded in a short time. Since the government began discussing the ban, Litorno added, people are encouraged to act aggressively toward Muslims. "They dropped a bomb and we are dealing with shrapnel," said Litorno. Human rights groups also criticized Denmark's new law. "This blanket ban is not necessary or proportionate and violates women's rights to freedom of expression and religion," says Amnesty International Deputy Director Fotis Filippo. "If this law is intended to protect Women's rights, has been crowned with utter failure. "
In contrast, the new law is unlikely to be repealed in Denmark. The European Court of Human Rights has consistently supported the ban, supported France's step in 2014 and Belgium in 2017. It has chosen to give each country considerable space in determining what needs to be done to ensure safety And social cohesion. The life cycle of the burqa ban will probably not change anytime soon.
A matter of freedom and dignity for women
If the experience of countries such as France, Austria and the Canadian province of Quebec is an indicator, Denmark's ban is likely to continue in its adverse consequences. France banned headscarves and other religious symbols in public schools in 2004 and banned full headscarves in all public places in 2010. "It's a matter of women's freedom and dignity," said former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. "The burqa is not a religious sign, it's a sign of submission." , But instead of adhering, some Muslim women began to express their displeasure with French society, and were covered with the veil of the head as a form of political protest. "It's my way of responding to the government that went beyond my freedom," says one woman who wore the burqa since 2010.
"This is a state of inter-ethnic interaction when there is a policy of banning practice, people continue to protest," says University of Toronto sociology professor Jeffrey Ritz, who conducts research on migration from Muslim countries. "In France, it is clear that the ban was counterproductive .
Moreover, surveys of attitudes towards French Muslims have shown a strong relationship between the widely publicized legislation, the ban on wearing headscarves in 2004, and an increase in anti-Muslim sentiments. In 2013, a pregnant woman was aborted after two men assaulted her for wearing the niqab and took it off her face as she was walking down the street in a Paris suburb. A report in that year indicated that more Muslim women prefer to stay at home because "they feel less secure after the ban because of harassment and violence by members of the public encouraged by the ban."
In Canada, the Quebec region discussed a similar ban for years, and in 2013 the Code of Values sought to ban religious symbols, including the burqa, niqab, turbans and skullcaps among government workers, and argued that it would promote gender equality. Muslims protested in the streets, joined by thousands of non-Muslims, some wearing headscarves to show their solidarity. The law was never enforced, but the amendment, later known as Law 62, was approved last October. However, the controversial part of that legislation deprives women covering the face of public services, but women petitioned the court, and the legislation was suspended until judicial review.
Last June, a judge suspended him for the second time. Although this part of the law has not yet entered into force, women's groups have reported an increase in verbal and physical attacks against veiled Muslim women.