A4 RIHLA #13

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To veil or not to veil

Hind Ahmas, a muslim woman that is highly dedicated to her religion, wears a veil that is different from other muslim veil's. She wears a niqab, a veil that covers her head to toe with just a slit to show her eyes. Other tradional veils range from just a head scarf, to a full body cloak, to even a highly concealing veil that covers the entire face and body. However, the french law, burqa ban, restricts her from expressing herself religiously by wearing a veil. French lawmakers say that religion should be sepearate from your public life; defenders of the law state that by hiding their face, muslim women are not participating in society, and enabling crime and terrorism. Ahmas is highly offended and feels as if her rights are being stripped away from her. Although France thinks they are doing women a favor by saving them from oppression, I believe that they should not be able to determine what oppresses women. The French are, in fact, doing the opposite of their intention and opressing muslim women by not letting them express themsleves religiously with veils.

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