Burka

After Belgium, it is likely to be France. Yes, France may well be the next European country to ban the Islamic veil, burka. The country, which is home to five million Muslims, has witnessed the first incident of public disgrace of the Islamic veil, inciting racial tensions in the country. The incident has occurred at a time when the French government is preparing to put a total ban on burka or any religious dress that covers the face.

Does the world have a problem with what Muslim women wear? Apparently, in some parts of the world, there is growing tension and political opposition to the wearing of the burqa, a veil used mostly by Muslim women to cover the head and face sometimes even their eyes. Thus, the burqa continues to make the headlines but this does not necessarily imply a threat to Islamic identity but the growing consensus around the world should prompt us to ask questions about the intention of these laws. Remember, we had discussed on this very forum how Quebec had introduced laws to ban the wearing of burqa. This was a move that was supported by a majority of Canadians but no logical reason was given as to why the law was proposed in the first place.