Are Muslim women really pressurised into wearing the Niqab? Is it really a barrier to education and employment? How have French sisters responded since the ban? The answers to these questions and more are revealed in an extensive report published in April this year by the Open Society Foundations. The group, which works to bring about vibrant and tolerant democracies, interviewed 32 French Muslimahs on their motivations for wearing the Niqab, their experiences of it and their opinions of the recent French ban.
The report, which aims to address many of the myths propagated by the mainstream press, has yielded a number of interesting conclusions. Whilst public discourse paints Niqab wearing women as backwards, uneducated and unaspiring, the report’s findings suggest something rather different.
Of the sample interviewed, just under half had completed A-level equivalent education, and about a third were employed, with the majority expressing a desire to work in the future. Most had active social lives, only hindered by rising levels of Islamophobia encountered when out.
Public debate often assumes these women are either pressured into wearing the Niqab or have chosen to do so as an outright rejection of Western values. In reality, most women cited spirituality as their main reason for wearing the Niqab, describing the experience as joyful and a means to better connect with Allah.
The study also found that there had been a recent rise in the number of young women opting to wear the Niqab, often at the disappointment of parents and husbands – a finding which directly refutes common misconceptions. Mosques and Imams were found to have played no role in influencing these women either and some expressed disappointment that public Muslim figures had denied the veil’s role within Islam.
Unfortunately a majority (19 out of 30) were experiencing regular verbal abuse about their mode of dress when out and about, with these incidents increasing at the time Niqab was profiled in the media.
Reactions to the ban included frustration and disappointment that the French government were scapegoating the Muslim community in a bid to gain more votes. A desire to relocate to a Muslim country or more tolerant non-Muslim country was also expressed.
Whilst the report confirms what many of us knew all along, its publication is significant in informing debate. As Muslims ourselves, it is our responsibility to take material like this out to the public and raise its profile. We must not allow other people to speak for us or indeed about us on issues of freedom of religion. This week as France passes further legislation to ban street prayer, we must recognise that oppression is being normalised in Europe. The right to practise one’s religion is encoded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and must be upheld as such. We have to take an active stance now in order to prevent further violations in the future. To access the full report visit:
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