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| Now Belgium bans burqa in public places |
| Pallavi Aiyar / Brussels May 01, 2010, 01:17 IST |
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The ongoing clash of civilizations between a Europe steeped in Christian traditions and the Islamic culture of its growing population of Muslim immigrants stepped up a notch on Thursday evening, with Belgian lawmakers passing a nationwide ban prohibiting women from wearing the burqa or full Islamic veil in public places.
The vote, which was unanimous save for two abstentions, proceeded despite a political crisis that saw Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme’s government collapse last week over bitter divisions between the country’s Flemish speaking north and French speaking south. Pending early elections in June, Leterme’s cabinet is currently only handling current affairs. But the anti-veil measure was nonetheless put on the agenda since it was considered to be high-priority.
The Bill bans anyone from appearing in public with their face covered in a manner that would make identification impossible. Violators would face fines of 15 to 25 euros and prison terms of one to seven days. The proposed law must now be voted on by the Senate. Given the political uncertainty in the country, there could be a significant delay before it is put into effect.
If promulgated, it would be the first measure of its kind in Europe, a region that has seen a spike in anti-Islamic sentiment in recent years.
A heated debate over a similar proposal is ongoing in France where President Nicolas Sarkozy has bluntly stated that “the burqa has no place”. The French government has pledged to pass a burqa ban by September, despite a warning from the country’s constitutional court that a blanket prohibition would probably be unconstitutional.
Italian and Dutch parliaments have also proposed bills to outlaw the veil and in Belgium two dozen municipal communities have already decreed local bans, including Brussels, the capital.
Banning practices related to the Muslim religion have not been limited to the burqa. Head scarves in schools are already forbidden in many areas across Europe, most notably France. In a referendum in September, Swiss voters barred Muslims from building minarets from where the muezzin leads the call to prayers.
Muslim and human rights groups have reacted with outrage to these measures claiming that they amount to a “stigmatisation” of Islam. Judith Sunderland, senior Western Europe researcher at Human Rights Watch, criticised Thursday’s legislation as a “lose-lose situation” saying that “treating pious Muslim women like criminals won’t help integrate them”.
Europe’s Muslim population comprises both political refugees and economic migrants, many of whom play a crucial role in sustaining the economies of a continent characterised by shrinking demographics. However, in the context of the rise of radical Islam, particularly following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, their visible presence in Europe’s cities has not always been welcomed by the local population.
The sight of women covered from head to toe in dark robes with only a single opening at eye level has emerged as a tangible manifestation of the deep seated anxieties for many in Europe at a time when the region’s future is widely believed to be uncertain.
However, women wearing burqas are rare, even in areas with large Muslim populations. According to the French Interior Ministry, less than 2,000 women wear full-face veils in France, out of a Muslim population estimated at more than 5 million.
The proposed burqa ban in Belgium and elsewhere is usually justified on the grounds that it is anti-feminist and, therefore, not in keeping with Europe’s “liberal” values. Because it hides the entire face of a woman it is also cited as a security risk.
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