MUSCAT, 29 December 2003 — It is surprising that French President Jacques Chirac has supported a move to ban headscarves in French schools. This would be an unwise step, especially by a country like France which swears by democracy, respect for personal freedom and religious tolerance.
The French president’s call to ban Muslim students from wearing headscarves has raised several questions and changed the Muslims’ perception about France. Trying to connect the headscarf with the Jews’ hat and Christians’ cross is a big mistake, to say the least. The reason is that the wearing of hats and crosses by Jews and Christians respectively has nothing to do with the commandments contained in their holy books. By contrast, wearing a headscarf by the Muslim woman stems from an order in a clear-cut verse in the Holy Qur’an.
It appears that there is an unfortunate misunderstanding or skewed perception regarding the issue. Those who want to talk about the veil should know its real meaning and purpose.
For a start, we must know that the Arab woman had been wearing the headscarf even before Islam. Then came the Islamic message, which confirmed it by a verse that cannot have more than one interpretation. The French move has raised many eyebrows around the globe because it amounts to interference in the private life of a person.
Each person has the freedom to wear what he/she thinks suitable and decent. To interfere in a person’s private choice is beyond the pale of any logic.
It may be noted that the French move has come in isolation and not as one from within the European Union’s framework. It is pertinent to ask why there is an attack on the headscarf in France now. We all know that the Muslim women have been wearing the headscarf for a long time, even before Jacques Chirac came to power. So, what is the real reason behind this move at this particular point in time?
Attacks on the headscarf have been skyrocketing in some European countries for quite some time, raising several questions. All laws and traditions guarantee the religious rights of an individual. In other words, an individual has every right to practice his/her religion and the teachings and rituals stemming from it.
The wave of protests and attacks on the headscarf calls for a firm stand by the Muslims all over the world so that the West wakes up to its importance. It is not just a piece of cloth. It is a fiat of the Holy Qur’an; it protects her soul and preserves her dignity. Where will this brouhaha and attacks lead? Will it stop at some point?
In fact, there are massive campaigns in some European countries for new laws banning girl students from wearing the headscarves. It may be noted that the constitutions of these nations guarantee the right of an individual to practice the religious teachings he or she believes in without any hindrance.
The question therefore is whether the Europeans are going to enact laws that contradict the tenets of the constitutions of their respective states.
— Essa bin Mohammed Al-Zedjali is editor in chief of Times of Oman.
