Atheist Age

Kneeling before the alter of political correctness

An intelligent debate on the subject has been strangled as much by rabid conservatives as by cloth-eared cultural relativists. Pseudoliberals insist on taking a soft line on the burqa by framing the debate in terms of free choice and tolerance, writes Sushi Das.

© Fairfax:

A robust discussion does not equate to fanning bigotry.

A PERTH judge made international headlines last week with her ruling that a Muslim woman must uncover her face while giving evidence in a fraud trial so the jury can assess her facial expressions to help weigh her credibility as a witness.

The woman later issued a statement saying she accepted the ruling and regretted that the case had ignited a debate about a burqa ban in Australia.

In Western liberal democracies, where robust debate is pivotal, it should not be a matter of regret that a debate has been ignited. In fact, it’s time Australia properly debated whether a burqa ban is the right way to go.

An intelligent debate on the subject has been strangled as much by rabid conservatives as by cloth-eared cultural relativists. Pseudoliberals insist on taking a soft line on the burqa by framing the debate in terms of free choice and tolerance.

It’s all part of the rich tapestry of multiculturalism, they say. Or as one non-Muslim woman on this page wrote: ”Who am I to judge these women’s motives for wearing the burqa?”

The burqa, a formidable head-to-toe billowing garment to hide the contours of a woman’s body as well as her eyes, has been designed by men for the gross subjugation of women. The niqab, which allows a slit for the eyes, is no different.

The Koran does not command women to shut themselves off from view. It only calls for modesty in dress. But even on a test of modesty, the burqa fails. If modesty, the cousin of shame and humility, is about showing decency and propriety by not exposing too much flesh, then the burqa makes a mockery of the concept by pushing it to complete absurdity.

It obscures peripheral vision, has the potential to conveniently hide marks of physical abuse and is tantamount to bad manners in a modern society that lauds transparency, equality and participation.

If, as some Muslim women argue, it protects them from the lascivious leers of men, how come women in countries where they are forced to cover up are still being raped? It also insults honorable men to suggest they are potential rapists, incapable of self-control in the presence of women not wearing a burqa.

It is embarrassing to hear people oppose the ban on the burqa out of slavish commitment to multiculturalism. Western apologists who furnish arguments of cultural protectionism in an attempt to atone for past colonial ugliness seem unaware they have jumped into bed with the murderous regimes that enforce the cloaking of women by pain of violence.

It is equally troubling when anyone who dares to challenge the veil is howled down as a racist, a right-wing extremist or simply stupid.

This was the treatment given to Senator Cory Bernardi when he described the burqa as ”un-Australian”. Christian Democrat Fred Nile was accused of chasing the ”bigot vote” when he introduced a private member’s bill to the New South Wales Parliament calling for a ban on face covering in public places.

Such hysterical responses deter people from expressing their views openly. They also encourage mealy-mouthed mutterings that retard the fight for equality for women everywhere. Political correctness kills intelligent debate.

Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard, with the apologetic coughs of people who don’t want to get in too deep on the burqa ban debate, have both described the garment as ”confronting” and quickly moved on.

The burqa is not just confronting, it is frightening because of what it looks like and what it stands for. You simply cannot discuss it without at least a passing glance at what is happening to women in conservative Muslim countries such as Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.

Continued…

Tags: Discrimination, Islam, Law