The Observer, December 8, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 13
Free Speech Zone: Banning of headscarves representative of intolerance and prejudice
There has been a lot of talk in recent years, particularly by presumptuous neoconservatives, that the United States and Europe are locked into some kind of perpetual conflict with countries where Islam is the dominant religion. Ignoring the fact that the very same people contribute to the realization of this notion by taking every opportunity to infuriate and discredit Islam, there is genuine fear in both the West and the Middle East that the two regions' distinct cultures are somehow incompatible. Many on the right in Europe point to the "inability" of Muslim immigrants to assimilate into their adopted society. One especially contentious matter in recent months has been the wearing of the veil/headscarf by Muslim women.
Most Westerners, myself included, are not exceptionally well-educated with regards to Islam. Few would be able to differentiate between the various types of headscarves worn (or not worn) by Muslim women throughout the world, or what the particular religious significance of the veil/headscarf has. But one does not have to be a scholar on such matters to know that similar displays by any religion have deep cultural roots. For Europeans and Americans to criticize the wearing of the headscarf not only entails the assumption of cultural superiority, but it also disregards our tradition of free religious expression.
Unfortunately though, there have been multiple displays of cultural intolerance in several European countries in recent months. The examples are too numerous to detail here, but suffice it to say that there has been much commotion in Europe over the issue of Mulsim immigration. Whether it is high election returns for extreme right-wing and anti-immigration parties, laws banning the wearing of the headscarf in schools and government buildings, or imprudent comments by Britain's perennially incompetent politician Jack Straw, there appears to be a degree of discomfort in Europe over the wearing of the headscarf.
To be sure, headscarves have been common in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity throughout history and even to this day. One can debate the necessity of this particular type of religious dress and what the potential implications are for women's rights, but the current debate is quite simply not this legitimate or well-intentioned.
The issue which is really at hand is how to "deal with" Muslim migration to Europe and the United States. In a fashion similar to Southern whites' channeling of racist sentiment into debates over school busing and "law and order" in the 1960s and 70s, some members of our society focus on the wearing of the headscarf as a means to express prejudice towards Muslims and Islam in general.
Furthermore, there can be no way to justify a ban on the wearing of particular religious garments except on grounds of racial profiling. Westerners who believe there should be a ban hold such an opinion out of discomfort and ignorance about a "foreign" culture. Additionally, there is a more recent connotation of paranoia among Westerners towards all things Muslim. Exploiting this sentiment for their own financial and narcissistic benefit, radically conservative American authors like Robert Spencer and Mark Steyn, people with little understanding and no appreciation of Islam who probably couldn't find Saudi Arabia on a map.
These individuals actually claim that migration by Muslims into Europe is some sort of eugenic conspiracy to erode Western values. In his recent tirade of a book, America Alone, Mark Steyn argues that migration of Middle Easterners to Europe will somehow lead to the establishment of Shari'ah law and Islamic government in Europe, instituting a new Cold War where the United States will be the sole voice of "Western values."
But what values does Steyn refer to? I may be mistaken, but I was led to believe that the civic values we hold so dear, especially in America, are guarantees of individual liberty – including the right of an individual to practice religion as he or she sees fit. It is astounding that some would have the audacity to suggest that Muslim women should not be allowed to wear religious coverings because it makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
America may be alone in the near future, but our role will be quite different than Steyn has envisioned. We should make every effort to live up to our Western values and allow the free exercise and expression of religion, even if our European friends are reluctant to do so. In fact, if George Bush wants to promote freedom throughout the world, he should begin with those closest to him and reprimand European leaders for their obstinacy in the face of increasing intolerance.
Pieragastini is a senior History and International Studies major involved with Catalyst: Students for Social Justice, Case-ACLU, and the Philosophy Society.
