French legislation is on the verge of banning the use of the burqa in that country, although the percentage of women who actually wear the dress is only a fraction of the population - about 2000 in total. Is the move is calculated to integrate diverse groups of society, or are we seeing a new form of racial/cultural discrimination coming into force? The debate is ongoing in many forums. Feminine groups are themselves divided on the issue.
The burqa and other forms of purdah (curtain) have been in use amongst communities in Asia for centuries. The origins of the practice are a little hazy. Some accounts date the cloistering women as early as 6BCE; others mention the practice as protection among Rajput royalty in India following aggressive incursions from central Asia about the Middle Ages. In more recent times, it has become associated with women of the Islamic community.
Women in the early history were the symbol of state. With social segregations of gender, men not of immediate family were prohibited from interacting directly with the zenana, the inner world reserved for the women of the palace or home. By remaining behind the purdah, the affluent would attempt to evade the eyes of foreign invaders.
According to folklore surrounding Rani Padmini, Queen of Chittorgarh, outsiders could only look upon their mirror reflections! In the process, women became perceived as trophies, the ‘booty’ to be captured in war. When the defeat of their armies was imminent, women were forced into juahar (immolation) to avoid the dishonour of falling into enemy hands. In later times, married women continued to cover the head and face in the presence of family elders and other men, as a sign of respect.
In the global forums of the 21st century, the dress has become symbolic of the subjugation of women. From the extremism witnessed in Afghanistan, it is associated with ‘talibanization’ - the word connoting moral policing and violence against women seeking equality with men. Activists in France have thus welcomed the move to abolish the dress. The argument is that the legislation would allow the emancipation of minority women.
In increasing social diversity, the persistence of immigrant cultural practices often leads to isolation of minority groups. Their members are unable to shed their cultural baggage and hence unable to integrate mainstream. Immigrant communities may also become more orthodox and conservative than people in their countries of origin - honour killings, for instance, occurring in UK and other Western nations to signal male domination in the home.
Symbolically, women are the carriers of culture, expected to preserve continuity with the past. The burqa like the sari denotes a certain cultural tradition rather than religion. It finds no mention in the holy books. The Koran exhorts women to dress modestly. The extreme interpretations of womanly ‘modesty’ generally by clerics and heads of families in later time, has led to many women around the world continuing to wrap themselves in purdah (curtain) publicly – some by choice, others by coercion.
Symbolically, women are the carriers of culture, expected to preserve continuity with the past. The burqa like the sari denotes a certain cultural tradition rather than religion. It finds no mention in the holy books. The Koran exhorts women to dress modestly. The extreme interpretations of womanly ‘modesty’ generally by clerics and heads of families in later time, has led to many women around the world continuing to wrap themselves in purdah (curtain) publicly – some by choice, others by coercion.
Immigrant families tend carry customs forward unaware of the subsequent social development in the mother country. Attitudes and prejudices that they had experienced in their childhood remain backward and dysfunctional in new environments. In progressive societies they draw adverse attention, leading to cultural alienation.
Post 9/11, many Westerners view minority cultures with suspicion. Beards, turbans and burqas are perceived as symbolic of the rise of terrorism. Racial and cultural prejudices were clearly exhibited by hate crimes against the members of the minority groups. The fatal police shooting of an unarmed man running to catch a train in the London subway in the aftermath of the London bombings shocked the world. If the legislation is passed in one member country of the European Union, others may soon follow suit.
Elsewhere, the question is raised of the rights of women to choose their own form of dress. Legislation against any custom is perceived as the attempt of the majority to impose on minority groups. If today the burqa is abolished in France, the wearing of the sari in UK, or the Sikh community practice of uncut hair and turban in Canada, and so on, may then be perceived as social obstacles. Assimilating other cultures rather than accommodating them may thus become the intent in homogenizing Western society.
Post 9/11, many Westerners view minority cultures with suspicion. Beards, turbans and burqas are perceived as symbolic of the rise of terrorism. Racial and cultural prejudices were clearly exhibited by hate crimes against the members of the minority groups. The fatal police shooting of an unarmed man running to catch a train in the London subway in the aftermath of the London bombings shocked the world. If the legislation is passed in one member country of the European Union, others may soon follow suit.
Elsewhere, the question is raised of the rights of women to choose their own form of dress. Legislation against any custom is perceived as the attempt of the majority to impose on minority groups. If today the burqa is abolished in France, the wearing of the sari in UK, or the Sikh community practice of uncut hair and turban in Canada, and so on, may then be perceived as social obstacles. Assimilating other cultures rather than accommodating them may thus become the intent in homogenizing Western society.
A backlash is inevitable. The noticeable trend amongst the newer generations of immigrants caught between cultures is a return to orthodoxy as a process of discovering self-identity. Inflexibility and heavy-handedness contribute equally to adverse attention, and cultural alienation. States that claim to be progressive need to infuse empathy in dealing with diversity.
The election commission in India has called for compulsory photo-identity cards for all voters of the country. There has been resistance among the Muslim community to women being photographed without their burqa. The matter was taken to Court in public interest litigations. While making no comment on the clothing practice, the Bench ruled, “Don’t vote!”
It is ironic that change and the resistance to change in the present day still centres around the control of women’s attire. The debate signals deep emotional involvement in the matter. It is unlikely to be resolved unless the opposing sides are willing to negotiate on the issue and come to a contextual understanding of the times.
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