France's ban on religious head coverings in public went into effect back in April and authorities are poised to hand down the first fines to Muslim women cited for violating the law. The stated intentions of the law's sponsors was to support the dignity of women. How's that going? The Guardian reports:
[F]ive months after the law was introduced, the result is a mixture of confusion and apathy. Muslim groups report a worrying increase in discrimination and verbal and physical violence against women in veils. There have been instances of people in the street taking the law into their hands and trying to rip off full-face veils, of bus drivers refusing to carry women in niqab or of shop-owners trying to bar entry. A few women have taken to wearing bird-flu-style medical masks to keep their face covered; some describe a climate of divisiveness, mistrust and fear. One politician who backed the law said that women still going out in niqab were simply being "provocative."
The result of the burqa ban has been something quite far from dignity. Instead, it has emboldened citizens in their harassment of Muslim women, increased religious hostility, and marginalized adherents of Islam in a way that is sanctioned by the state. Those who believe they are required by their faith to cover their heads are now forced to choose between their faith and full participation in society. That's no way to ensure the dignity of anyone.
