France's proposal to ban the burqa has touched off a significant debate over the intersection of religious freedom and the government's role in protecting what it perceives to be the rights and human dignity of its citizens.
An op-ed yesterday in the NYTimes by Mona Eltahawy argues passionately that the burqa is an article of oppression, not a willful expression of religious belief. (An NPR story on the issue includes a more expanded conversation with Eltahawy.)
Huffington Post's Liesl Gerntholtz argues that a burqa ban is no way to show support for women's freedom.
A NYTimes article today points to the politicization of the head and neck covering in Indonesia in presidential campaign ads.
Women's struggle for equality and freedom within their religion is certainly not unique to the Muslim faith. Many Baptist churches continue to debate and contest the role of women in the ministry of the church, and – even – whether Scripture places religious demands on the role of women in the household. The question though – and the challenge for religious liberty advocates to emphasize in this debate – is whether we want government to insert itself into these debates.
I do not defend the burqa, and am not interested in trying to justify it as a religious expression. What I do defend is the argument that says the state is not qualified to make such judgments about which manner of dress constitutes real religious expression and which do not. The government does religion no favors when it does make such pronouncements.
