Burqas Have Been Banned By China: Is It Time The West Banned This ‘Toxic’ Garment?

Opinion

After yesterday’s reports of China banning women wearing burqas in public, is it time that America and other Western nations followed suit and banned young women from wearing this divisive garment?

As reported by the Inquisitr, Chinese authorities have now banned Muslim women in Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang, from wearing the burqa and other face masking robes in public places.

The burqa and niqab have long been a source of controversy in Western countries. While some Islamic leaders continue to defend the right of Muslims to practice gender apartheid as a religious right, others are growing increasingly concerned at the reluctance of politicians to address the issue.

Indeed, one such Muslim, Dr. Taj Hargey, has already launched a campaign to ban the burqa in Britain. Hargey, the Imam of the Oxford Islamic Congregation, described the burqa as an “archaic tribal piece of cloth that is eagerly used by fundamentalist zealots to promote a toxic brand of extremist non-Koranic theology.”

“Everyone, including Muslims, should oppose the insidious spread of this vile piece of clothing, which imprisons women, threatens social harmony, fuels distrust, has grave health implications and is a potent security risk.”

The Imam explained how burqas have absolutely nothing to do with Islam, but are instead, merely a cultural fad imported from primitive areas of the Islamic world. Supporters of the burqa and niqab often argue that these garments are a symbol of a tolerant, multicultural society. But increasingly, Western nations are starting to view the Islamic veil as a sign of hostility and indicative of a refusal to integrate into Western society.

And that’s before you consider that many Muslim experts insist that the Quran merely advises men and women to dress modestly, but not to actually cover their bodies, faces or hair.

“The burkha is an alien, cultural monstrosity and it CAN be banned.”

Perhaps most concerning is that young women who are choosing to wear burqas, are doing so as an Islamic fashion statement. Although widely condemned by feminists as a demeaning piece of clothing that violates women’s human rights, many young women who wear the burqa or niqab, do so of their own accord; even when their mothers have never chosen to wear such restrictive garments.

In 2010, France and Belgium voted to ban the burqa, and Germany already prohibit women from wearing a burqa or niqab while driving. Indeed, when polled, Europeans consistently vote that they would approve of the burqa being banned in their countries.

Yet Britain and America often remain strangely silent on whether the burqa is an appropriate state of dress.

U.K. politicians try and avoid the burqa conversation at all costs while President Obama has always staunchly defended the right of a woman to wear the veil, but simultaneously failed to address the protection of women who may choose not to do so.

“The U.S. government has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the hijab, and to punish those who would deny it.”

With recent tensions heightened by the barbaric attacks in Paris, it may be very tempting for our leaders to turn a blind eye to this issue. But as China have demonstrated, extremism must be tackled head-on.

Is now not the perfect time to debate whether burqas, and other similar face veils, actually belong in a progressive, democratic society?

[Image: Quora]