Paris, June 26: Every time she opens the newspaper now, Françoise, 29, is struck by photos of a burka-wearing woman accompanied by big, glib headlines describing the outfit as a sign of women oppression in Islam.
“There is nothing oppressive about the burka,” the French woman, who changed her name to Khadija after embracing Islam six years ago and dons a burka, told IslamOnline.net.
Burka has been making headlines since Communist MP Andre Gerin proposed a parliamentary probe into what he describes as the rising number of Muslims who wear the loose outfit that covers the body from head to toe.
The National Assembly decided on Tuesday, June 23, to set up the inquiry that may set the stage for a law banning the burka.
This came a day after President Nicolas Sarkozy told the parliament that burka was unwelcome in France, describing it as a sign of “subjugation and submission” of women.
“We have made a free and educated choice to wear the burka,” insists Françoise, sitting in her living room in Paris’s Saint Denis suburb along with a group of burka-wearing women.
“Three were no pressures, no oppressive families and oppressive husbands behind our decisions.”
Muslim women say they only started to feel imprisoned after politicians and the media created this fuss.
“I never go out of my home now unless for emergencies,” notes Mahrezyia, one of the group.
“It’s not that easy to have people with suspicious looks following you every where.”
Scapegoats
The burka-wearing women insist they have the right to choose how to dress up, just like everybody else in France.
“We should not be discussing whether burka is obligatory or not. The core issue is that we have the right to wear it anyway,” maintains Françoise.
While Hijab is an obligatory code of dress for Muslim women, the majority of Muslim scholars agree that a woman is not obliged to wear the face veil or the burka.
Scholars believe it is up to women to decide whether to take on the veil or burka.
Muslim community leaders say that burka remains a rare exception among France’s sizable seven million Muslims.
There are no figures on the number of women who wear the full-body covering in France — and whether it is on the rise.
Françoise, who estimates that only tens of women in France don burka, questions the timing of the new controversy.
“Seems that the government had nothing to do amidst the ongoing economic and social crises but to direct attention towards us,” she joked.
Many believe Sarkozy summoned up the burka issue to camouflage his plans to reform France’s ossified social, education and tax system.
Muslim community leaders have criticized lawmakers for wasting their time focusing on a fringe phenomenon at a time France is facing major economic and social challenges.
Françoise and her friends say the official campaign on burka should not be a surprise, since it is the same government that banned hijab in state schools in 2004.
“Now it’s our time,” she fumes.
“We are the scapegoats for France’s troubles,” agrees her friend Mahrezyia.
–Agencies