Far from a victory in the fight for women’s rights, France’s ban of the burqa, the head-to-toe covering worn by some Muslim women, is a red herring, a deflection, and a blow for free societies everywhere.
Let me first start by explaining that this article is not a defense of the burqa. To be honest, I have my own issues with the garment that echo what many other feminists have said about it. It is different from the hijab, or headscarf, because rather than expressing modesty, it creates a barrier between a woman and society by hiding her face. So, while the hijab may make sense to women who simply want to dress modestly, the burqa seems to go beyond that. In this context, it seems overkill to wear a burqa – yet many still do. And I am reminded of Voltaire (the famous Enlightenment thinker and ironically a Frenchman) who said, “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”
