The burqa, to ban or not to ban that is the question!

Italy has today joined France, Belgium and parts of Spain in banning the burqa (the face veil used by some Muslim women, also known as the niqab) form use in public places. The law passed by the constitutional affairs commission will prohibit women from going in public wearing any face cover; the ban carries with it a fine and up to 12 month jail term.

Those countries have mostly banned the use of face cover for security reasons – we saw in the past how one of the 7/7 masterminds fled the UK to Italy dressed as a woman wearing a burqa and there have been other cases were people with full face cover have commit criminal and terrorist activities. The ban was also aimed at helping cohesion and social integration.

Additionally, there is the issue of public acceptance, social sensitives, full integration and assimilation into the society by the persons who voluntarily choose to adopt non Islamic countries as their home!

In the UK, we are very tolerant; we willingly and openly accept all habits, traditions and easily embrace different cultures. It is one of our strengths and what sets us apart form many nations. However, it is also what sometimes makes us weak and somewhat confused about where we should draw the line of acceptance.

Incidences, such as banning Christmas trees, decorations, plays and carols during the Holly month in some parts of Britain – are examples where our tolerance was blind and insensitive to our own – as these bans have caused great offence to Christian communities. Contemplating Islamic laws in matters of commerce and social issues (such as polygamy) is another case where the lines between broadmindedness, sovereignty and common sense were blurred.

Understandably wearing a burqa from a fashion sense is a personal choice and banning it can touch on individual liberty but it can also acts as a barrier by isolating the wearer form their society and their community form them – that too touches on the society’s liberty. Some will justifiably argue that banning the veil will isolate many devout British Muslim women and it probably will – but not wearing the niqab will integrate many more Britons – specially those Muslim women who are forced to wear it and the public who are compelled to live with it.

Hence my question, shall Britain follow suit and ban the face veil in public places?