The French Senate passed a bill to prohibit wearing clothes that cover all of the body, such as niqab and burka, in public places.
I believe it is the rights of women to feel the air on their faces and be proud of the faces and existence of own self. When you belong to such groups of people, as an individual, it is hard to insist upon taking them off for the sake of making points for the freedom of female. The law must be there to protect them.
The mental effects of wearing niqab or burka that would be imposed upon female are not trivial. Willing or not, it is a show of obedience, compliance to the brutal outer world which does take them as they are -- willing submission to the worldly pressure to shut off and be modest. Making it clear of the distinction of the social status by the outfits, just as the language separates the gender, is not the way to achieve equality.
Because equality means not having to specify the distinction having the equal standings. The equality can be achieved when the border disappeared that you no longer have to declare which group you belong by your looks and your language. You will know it when you get into such society where you are not expected to act accordingly as a member of that particular group. It is easier for female to stand up and say "I accuse" when they are wearing "western" outfits without wearing nicab or burka than saying it aloud making their gender and its connotations appearent to the audience.
It is such an easy temptation on the side of Islam female to say -- I am proud to put veils on my face so that I feel safe and show my religious identity. Their male counterparts will tell them they are glad. It would never occur to them that they can be free from them until the circumstances make them free. Being free from the mental strain to be hidden is the only way to achieve what they can, or what the can be.
Human rights are the innate rights of all beings to be proud of self. Human being is a social animal. There must be the recognition from the outer world, to feel proud of self. To feel the reaction of people when they look at them, to feel how their emotional being or otherwise being recognized, these are the rights of human being.
France is the first state to install such a law. There are states in Europe where such moves are going ahead. I would hope the moves would encourage people in the world to rethink of the rights of female to stand up and feel proud of self, including their faces.
I believe it is the rights of women to feel the air on their faces and be proud of the faces and existence of own self. When you belong to such groups of people, as an individual, it is hard to insist upon taking them off for the sake of making points for the freedom of female. The law must be there to protect them.
The mental effects of wearing niqab or burka that would be imposed upon female are not trivial. Willing or not, it is a show of obedience, compliance to the brutal outer world which does take them as they are -- willing submission to the worldly pressure to shut off and be modest. Making it clear of the distinction of the social status by the outfits, just as the language separates the gender, is not the way to achieve equality.
Because equality means not having to specify the distinction having the equal standings. The equality can be achieved when the border disappeared that you no longer have to declare which group you belong by your looks and your language. You will know it when you get into such society where you are not expected to act accordingly as a member of that particular group. It is easier for female to stand up and say "I accuse" when they are wearing "western" outfits without wearing nicab or burka than saying it aloud making their gender and its connotations appearent to the audience.
It is such an easy temptation on the side of Islam female to say -- I am proud to put veils on my face so that I feel safe and show my religious identity. Their male counterparts will tell them they are glad. It would never occur to them that they can be free from them until the circumstances make them free. Being free from the mental strain to be hidden is the only way to achieve what they can, or what the can be.
Human rights are the innate rights of all beings to be proud of self. Human being is a social animal. There must be the recognition from the outer world, to feel proud of self. To feel the reaction of people when they look at them, to feel how their emotional being or otherwise being recognized, these are the rights of human being.
France is the first state to install such a law. There are states in Europe where such moves are going ahead. I would hope the moves would encourage people in the world to rethink of the rights of female to stand up and feel proud of self, including their faces.