The debate rages on: to burka or not to burka. And funnily enough, most individuals vehemently opposed to the full-body veil identify as non-Muslim. I’m not going to pretend I understand the deep-seated meaning, nor the historical significance at the root of this Islamic covering. From what I’ve managed to glean after sifting through the hate and vitriol, I assume it’s about religion and modesty though clearly steeped in explosive controversy. Much of the anti-burka faction claim it is a security risk and/or a direct punch to the face of gender equality.
Despite being Christian and never having worn a burka let alone a hijab, I feel compassion toward the women who choose to do so. I know what it feels like to be harshly judged and criticized, even condemned for a decision I’ve made. A decision I made of my own accord; one that I made with pride. Yet because someone else didn’t feel the same way as me or didn’t understand where I was coming from I was made to feel ashamed.
Several years ago, upon discovering that I opted to quit my job and stay at home after having kids, a woman assumed my husband was the force behind this decision. That upon becoming a father, he had dictated I was to leave the job I enjoyed in order to enslave myself in the role of wife and mother. In this woman’s mind, no feminist worth her salt would ever make such a preposterous choice. No woman who was educated, who possessed ambition, who had a shred of self-esteem would ever willingly choose to forsake one for the other.
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Years prior, baby boomers had railed against this sort of injustice and inequality. They had fought and raged so that women like me weren’t made to feel that in the home was the only place where we truly belonged. And here I was throwing it all back in their faces – an ungrateful traitor to all their forward thinking.
I was horrified.
First at the idea that leaving my job had been forced upon me and secondly that my life would appear so monstrously unfulfilling and depressing to this lady that there would be no way on God’s green earth that anyone would choose it let alone enjoy it.
How to explain to a person this sanctimonious that society has come a long way thanks to feminists of yore. That a woman like me is faced with choices – an endless assortment of opportunities that I can hold in my hands, inspect carefully and then either discard or embrace. Thanks to the women who came before me, I am free to lean in; have it all; order up motherhood with a side of career; or career with a dollop of motherhood; even abstain from marriage and/or childbirth completely. All these choices yet no clear path to follow and the irony is that there will be sacrifices no matter what. As well as judgment, criticism; possibly even vilification and attacks.
That’s not to say there aren’t women who have been coerced into the very same position I chose for myself. Who upon obtaining motherhood were strong-armed into letting go of career aspirations in favour of child-rearing. Even in this day and age, there remain both men and women who whole-heartedly believe that a mother owes it to her children to stay at home and focus all of her time and energy on child-rearing.
Back to the burka – I guess it’s reasonable to assume it may have originated within an extremely patriarchal religion. I’m sure there are many women out there involuntarily covering themselves at the behest of their husbands and fathers. Who are constrained and restricted by the veil. But this should not be assumed of every woman wearing a burka or niqab or hijab.
Various countries have banned what they view as an extreme form of covering up. European countries like France, Belgium and Italy (to name a few) have prohibited Muslim women from wearing the burka in hospitals or government buildings. Even risking fines for wearing them in public places like restaurants or stores. The reasons range from security risks (but then you may as well ban backpacks) to issues with identity verification to supporting a deeply chauvinistic and hypocritical practice.
And now it appears that Canada is joining the fray.
A couple of weeks ago Quebec jumped on the burka-banning bandwagon passing a law prohibiting women from wearing facial covering while receiving any sort of public service. The province has since back-pedalled slightly, claiming the law will only be in effect when burka-clad women need to prove their identity or communicate directly with government officials.
I’m a reasonable person – I can see how an impasse may arise when a facially covered individual attempts to prove their identity. There’s no denying that for these particular situations, some sort of standard protocol is going to have to be developed. Compromises are going to occur and decisions will be made – which is fine – so long as they don’t emerge from a place of fear, ignorance or prejudice.
Rosie DiManno is one of my favourite Toronto Star columnists. She is typically full of piss and vinegar and snark. Lots and lots of snark. She tells it like it is – or as she sees it anyway. If you are unfamiliar with DiManno, I urge you to read her stuff. She has a way with words that makes reading her column an exciting and clever roller coaster ride. But in August of this year, I found myself passionately opposed to certain statements within her column entitled NDPers tying themselves in knots to defend the niqab. (But I still love you, Rosie!) In this particular column, she refers to the niqab as “hateful” and continues her rant as follows: “Any woman who wears a niqab . . . contributes to the erosion of all women’s rights in a secular society . . . she renders us lesser beings and thus unequal.”
That is a heavy load of judgment to dump on a woman because of how she decides to present herself in public. Not to mention a whole lot of power being assigned to a garment. I can’t deny that in the past, various pieces of clothing have held symbolic power within society. Back in the 1960s, women burned their bras as an act of defiance – in order to take a stand for women’s equality. Fast forward 50 years to present day and women are free to choose to rein their ta-tas in or let them dangle loose. And while women still continue to battle for gender equality, they are free to do so while snugly corseted or completely topless (in Ontario anyway).
And if her prerogative is to don some form-fitting lingerie, I’m pretty certain she won’t be attacked on the street for doing so. No one will attempt to tear the offensive garment from her body or berate her or call her a lesser woman or accuse her of keeping the rest of woman kind down.
But what do I know? I’m nothing more than a stupid house wife.
Hi Tanya,
I have to say I disagree with you this time.
Over the last 20 years that I have lived in Canada and worked with some of these women covered in a scarf, I’ve learned from them that it is often not their choice to be wearing these clothes. They are forced to do it if they want to move on in their society, get married, be a part of their mosque, be accepted in their social circles. They are not allowed to marry outside of their religion or get a job working at their relative’s business unless they are wearing these things.
It is the same reason why people in Russia joined the communist party back in the Soviet times. For example, I had to seriously think about joining it because I would not be accepted to university. It is an oppressive way of functioning. I support the opinion that we need to free these women by banning the burkas!
your article makes valid points ,however when there are rules at the workplace and government institutions,they should be respected.For instance,upon entering a courtroom,sunglasses,hats etc. must be removed and at some places of work,issued uniforms are to be worn and no jewellery or scarves allowed due to safety hazards.I too am ‘just’ a housewife,so what do I know ?
Love the way your writing weaves through the various perspectives. Very insightful article!