Niqas Should Be Banned

Nevertheless, what else is oppression than dictating what women can and cannot wear? Government regulation threatens and ignores the choices of women who personally want to dress in a way that respects their religious values. Quite to the contrary of what a few apparently believe, bans that purportedly exist so men will be unable to force wives, daughters, and sisters to wear concealing clothing such as the burqa or niqab, have accomplished nothing, as few women in areas enforcing bans were previously obligated to wear religious veils. In fact, more women in France have begun to wear veils since the outlawing of niqabs and burqas in 2010 (Jung). Which simply reiterates the fact that women can and do choose to don religious garb, and that the

Of course, it’s intriguing to note that the supporters of legislation limiting what women can wear attest they are protecting women’s rights. This kind of backhanded assertion is nothing new however; a history professor at the University of Nevada who specializes in women’s dress codes explains that politicians responsible for clothing bans “say ‘We’re putting these rules in place for the woman’s good,’” which implies “women are unable to regulate their appearance themselves” (qtd. in Rubin). French artists mock this principle in a series of cartoons, several of which are analyzed in the BBC’s “French Artists Battle Burkini Ban.” One of these cartoons parodies and adds a caption to a photo that depicts a woman taking off a burkini on a French beach while police officers observe the removal of the then-banned garment (see

Women’s rights activists are particularly sensitive to the enactment of the burkini ban, which courts have since ruled unconstitutional. Among them is Muslim feminist Maryam Namazie, who questions French burkini bans, explaining “you can support a woman's decision to wear exposing clothing while simultaneously supporting a woman's decision to dress modestly. These are both forms of empowerment and to deny one or the other is counter to feminism” (qtd in Jung). This statement accompanies assertions by French officials that burkinis are immoral. Ironically enough, the moral wrongness of the dress lies not in the amount of skin visible, as did that of the bikini when it was first introduced, but in the amount of skin that is covered: apparently too much for the (majority male) French ministers, mayors, and public authorities who feel threatened by a simple swimsuit often, but not always, worn by religious women. Whether or not the burkini is any different than the bikini, it is curious that the clothing a woman wears to the beach attracts so much attention and action from a government that supposedly wishes only the best for all of its