This page was last updated on April 17, 2011.
Breach of faith; Editorial; Beaver County Times; April 17, 2011.
As I wrote in my critique of today’s other editorial, if the Times isn’t a caricature of itself, it’s pretty close.
The editorial leads off with, “Anyone who believes in religious freedom should be appalled at Islamic women being arrested in France for practicing their faith.” There’s only one problem with this. According to the Associated Press, “In Cairo, Islamic scholar Abdelmotie Bayoumi said a French ban would not violate Islamic law.” A woman may or may not wear a burqa or niqab, but it’s a personal choice, not a religious requirement.
Again, contrary to what the editorial claims, France does not ban women from wearing a burqa or niqab. Anyone can still wear the burqa and niqab in public, just without the covered face. Think of something like the habits formerly worn by the Sisters of St. Joseph and you’re there. According to the aforementioned AP article, the law “is officially called ‘the bill to forbid concealing one’s face in public.’” The idea is to keep people in public from hiding their identity. Exceptions include “motorcycle helmets, or masks for health reasons, fencing, skiing or carnivals.”
According to The Telegraph (UK), Italy has “a 1975 anti-terrorism law, which prohibits people from wearing anything that obscures their faces and impedes identification.” I guess that one slipped by the Times for the last 36 years.
The Times would like us to believe freedom of religion means anything called for by a religion must be allowed. That’s not the case, however. For example, could I get out of paying taxes if my religion forbad it? In any case, as noted above, Islam doesn’t require the burqa or niqab. It’s a personal choice.
The editorial concludes with “This isn’t just about religion. It’s also a breach of faith in democracy on the part of the French and their government.” First, as noted above, it’s not about religion. Second, how is the law “a breach of faith in democracy?” According to The Law Library of Congress, “On June 23, 2009, the Presidents’ Conference of the National Assembly, which comprises all the presidents of that body’s political groups, upon the proposal of the President of the National Assembly created a commission to study the wearing of the burqa or niqab in French territory. The decision was unanimous.” The commission recommended a ban on clothing that covered the face in public and the National Assembly overwhelmingly approved the ban. The only debate was over the exceptions.
It’s kind of funny how a French law (that affects very few) with near universal support of all political parties is “a breach of faith in democracy” but a U.S. healthcare law (Obamacare) that affects everyone but passes without a single Republican vote is not, isn’t it?
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