The new French law that prohibits the wearing of veils in public schools, divides the feminine Muslim world between its supporters and those who oppose its use. A comparison between two female Muslims, one veiled and the other not, examines the risk of hiding the real problems that hinder the emancipation of Muslim women.
The issue of the veil, within the feminine Muslim world, assumes a fundamentally symbolic value. Within the Muslim Diaspora in Europe, are women who consider it a negative symbol that hinders the emancipation of women and the affirmation of public secularity. There are others who think it is important as a symbol of identity and belonging [to a specific group] in a pluralistic society.
This division between supporters and those who oppose the veil in some ways risks creating a split inside the feminine Muslim realm, distracting attention from much more important issues regarding the situation of women in the Muslim world, their freedom (often denied), and their emancipation as social beings who have rights and duties equal to men. Moreover, it risks giving more space and visibility to those fundamentalist movements that, in the name of religious freedom (the same ones that, in their countries of origin, often deny religious freedom to others), try to solidify their control over the destiny of Muslim women.
In order to demonstrate this contrast between Muslims for and against the practice of wearing a veil we interviewed two married women who are both established residents of Italy. The first was Souad Sbaii, president of the Association of Moroccan Women in Italy. The second was Sumaya al Barq, vice president of the Association of Muslim Youth in Italy.
Souad's "No"
"France was right to prohibit veils in school. Muslim fundamentalists today want the veil, tomorrow they will ask for separate schools, as they have already done in France. And then, what shall we do? Separate everything, so that there is no more communication and dialogue between men and women? The veil is only the tip of the iceberg. The Islamists do not want women to study history because it teaches them about the West, Israel, etc. They do not want women to take a biology course or sex education. These are unacceptable demands.
This law is salvation for those women and girls who have the veil imposed upon them by their community and family environment. It is protection for those of us who do not wear it. It seems strange, but those of us who do not wear a veil are being discriminated against. It even happens here in Italy among Muslim women: those who do not wear the veil are considered "easy" women. My fear is that with Muslim fundamentalism spreading, we are no longer free to not wear it. Sometimes the veil is not worn because of a convicted Muslim faith, but as a challenge and religious propaganda. It is not a "fard" (an obligation or a rule), but a traditional practice and the women who do not wear it are not automatically bad Muslims."
Sumaya's "Yes"
"We are really disappointed with this law. Before this law was approved we staged a sit-in in front of the French Consulate in Milan, claiming the right of religious freedom. Everyone of us must be free to serenely live-out our own faith within the limits of decency and correctness with respect to our neighbors. The veil has often been defined erroneously as a religious symbol, but it is becoming more political than cultural because of the controversies that it has provoked. In reality, it is only an act of faith rather than a divine rule. To wear one or not depends on how a woman of faith interprets her religion. However, we are not forced to wear it but have a free choice. As a university student, if one day they stop me from entering the classroom with a veil, I would not accept it, and would fight it using logical reasoning in order to enforce my democratic right to dress as I want.
It must be clear that it cannot be either an obligation to remove it or an imposition to put it on. This is what the Islamic religion says also, 'There is no compulsion in religion.' Therefore it would be a contradiction to make women wear a veil.
We as young Muslims must adopt clear positions and make them public in order to denounce actions like female circumcision, the constriction of women to wear the veil, and any other behavior that affronts the rights of women.
The veil itself is not a measure of the degree of adhesion to Islam. I know girls who do not wear a veil but who are spiritually more elevated than girls who wear it. It is relative. A believer must be free to put it on or not."
Beyond the issue of the veil, freedom of opinion is available today to Muslim women of the West which allows them to emphasize issues linked to their role inside the family and established community in a non Muslim context. Polygamy, the right of succession (that gives men double the amount of inheritance of women), mixed marriages (which, in Muslim tradition, prevents women from marring non Muslims, while the men can): these are all issues that regard the rights of women, veiled or not. Without a decisive contribution from women, veiled or not, these issues will remain unheard.
Mostafa El Ayoubi