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THE QUESTION
The Burqa in America
President Obama recently criticized a French law that prohibits Muslim girls and women from wearing body- and face-covering garments in public schools. "It is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit,"Obama said in Cairo, "for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear."
But French President Sarkozy this week gave his support to attempts to bar Muslim women from wearing veils such as the burqa. "The burqa is not a religious sign," Sarkozy said. "It is a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement. It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic."
What's your view? Is this a private religious matter or a public/government one? Is the burqa welcome in America?
Posted by
Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham on June 30, 2009 10:40 AM
FROM THE PANEL
Burqua--A Symbol of Subjugation
I am inclined to agree with President Sarkozy that a hijab is a symbol of subjugation and slavery.
Posted by Arun Gandhi, on June 26, 2009 4:19 PM
Higher Priority of Religious Freedom
Let us take every opportunity to uphold religious liberty in democratic America, secular Europe, Communist China, Muslim Asia, changing Africa, Christian Latin America and everywhere else.
Posted by Leith Anderson, on June 26, 2009 12:39 PM
The Burqa in France: Freedom For Whom?
Not surprisingly, since it has played so huge a part in the histories of both France and the United States, FREEDOM is the civic value motivating both Presidents.
Posted by Willis E. Elliott, on June 25, 2009 10:50 PM
Hijab Today, Yarmulkes and Crosses Tomorrow
Burqa or hijab today, yarmulkes or cross necklaces tomorrow - perhaps even the CTR (Choose the Right) rings that many Mormon kids wear. This is the classic slippery slope that ultimately would justify the forced removal of all symbols of religious expression from schools.
Posted by Michael Otterson, on June 25, 2009 4:41 PM
Burqas, Bikinis and Debasing Women
Ah, the burqa. Amazing how a small piece of cloth can create such strong feelings and entangle so many issues!
Posted by Pamela K. Taylor, on June 25, 2009 4:12 PM
State Neutrality vs. State Hostility
Church-state separation can result in a separation that is more antagonistic to religion. Although the institutions of church and state are separate, the state is not neutral toward religion but, in many cases, hostile to it.
Posted by J. Brent Walker, on June 25, 2009 3:21 PM
Respect Expressions of Faith
People should be able to wear clothing that reflects their belief system.
Posted by Charles "Chuck" Colson, on June 25, 2009 2:59 PM
Freedom is Never Out of Fashion
There is an important difference between women who choose to wear the hijab or the niqab in countries that give women the freedom to dress however they please and between those women who live in countries that give them no choice in the matter.
Posted by Hadia Mubarak, on June 25, 2009 2:50 PM
Mini Skirts, Yes. Burqas, No?
If God is neutral toward the mini skirt, he is neutral toward the burqa and chador, or the wig and head covering of orthodox Jewish women.
Posted by Deepak Chopra, on June 25, 2009 2:05 PM
A Modest Proposal
Imagine what would happen if a top fashion model walked down the runway in a Hermes-designed burqa, or if Muslim women could vie for the latest French designs of their hijab?
Posted by Feisal Abdul Rauf, on June 25, 2009 1:04 PM
Free to Wear?
It's really beyond me how any leader of any free society could mandate what people do and do not wear. You cannot force cultural change onto religious belief.
Posted by Matt Maher, on June 25, 2009 11:19 AM
Burqa Battle Is Over Competing Visions of Religion in Public Square
The American vision is of a pluralistic democracy where all religions are equal in the public square. The French vision is one of a secular society, a society that dictates to religion.
Posted by Robert Parham, on June 25, 2009 10:59 AM
Secularism's Attempt to Veil Religion
Sarkozy's position on the burqa is the classic secularist French one; not much to do with evaluation of the burqa, mostly to do with secularism's desire to push religion off the map.
Posted by Nicholas T. Wright, on June 25, 2009 10:41 AM
The Veil in Context
If Western civil societies seek to affirm religious liberty and self-expression, there can be a place for the veil for those Muslim women who feel religiously or personally inclined to wear it.
Posted by Mathew N. Schmalz, on June 25, 2009 10:41 AM
Veils Deplorable but Permitted
One's faith should shine in one's face, not force one to hide it.
Posted by David Wolpe, on June 25, 2009 10:16 AM
Non! Don't Ban the Burqa in the U.S.
The burqa is as welcome in America as much as is my cross or my clerical collar. The only people who should decided whether to wear the burqa or not are Muslim women. Stay out of it, Sarkozy. Liberté, Egalité, Sororité!
Posted by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, on June 24, 2009 6:28 PM
Fashion, Freedom and Coercion
To me the essential issue regarding Muslim attire for women is one of coercion, not religious practice. But I'm reluctant to impose religious restrictions on people whose definition of freedom might be different from mine.
Posted by Herb Silverman, on June 24, 2009 5:50 PM
A Woman's Right to Choose Her Clothing
From the outside, all religious garb can appear eccentric - and deciding which religions are the worst offenders is not a game in which a democratic government should engage.
Posted by Lisa Miller, on June 24, 2009 3:53 PM
Burqas Can Liberate or Debase
Burqas are most certainly a public matter and the public, be it in France, the United States or anywhere else in the world is best served when its members are allowed the greatest degree of religious freedom.
Posted by Brad Hirschfield, on June 24, 2009 3:50 PM
Sarkozy Out of Line
Sarkozy is out of line. He has imposed the will of government on a religion.
Posted by Susan K. Smith, on June 24, 2009 3:15 PM
Obama: What Would Michelle, Sasha and Malia Say?
This is a rare case of tone-deafness on President Obama's part. He has no more business criticizing the French for following their secular view of what religious symbolism should be permitted in public.
Posted by Susan Jacoby, on June 24, 2009 2:25 PM
FEATURED COMMENTS
kjohnson3: Kennyg51 wrote:
"I see where this could be a very touchy subject. First of all, not all Muslim women wear burqas and if it is not a garment ...
pspox: While personally I don't like burquas, I think, in general, people have a right to wear clothes or express themselves the way they want. De...
sharonp1z: The US is already considering separate schools for boys and girls because we think hormones play a role in the intellectual growth of teenag...
