Are the veil and the burqa forms of oppression for women?

These two garments, linked to the appearance of some Muslim women, have been widely criticized.

In the last decade there has been a a meteoric rise in the wearing of the veil in Muslim religious communities and countries.. Secular countries such as Egypt, Lebanon or Tunisia have seen an increase in the frequency with which women wear Islamic clothing, especially among the new generations of young people who, a priori, should have a more Westernist social approach.

The veil has become a rallying cry for some feminist organizations, which perceive it as the latest element used by men to override a woman's personality, identity and integrity. Other groups, Muslim or not, defend the freedom for Muslim women to wear the veil. freedom for Muslim women to adorn their clothing with the veil. with the veilThe burqa is also associated with certain forms of Muslim faith, and its use has also generated controversy.

The burqa is also associated with certain forms of Muslim faith, and its use has also generated controversy. Is the use of the veil and the burqa an effect of oppression against women? an effect of oppression against women?

Islam and the veil

By rocambolesco that can be, within the same scholars and specialists in interpretation of the Koran divergences exist at the time of analyzing the dress to carry on the part of the faithful ones of feminine sex.

In one of the verses or suras of the Holy Quran, Sura 24:31 An-Nur, it is stated: "[...] and tell the faithful women to spread their jumur over their heads [...]". Jumur is translated as veil, shawl, headscarf, curtain among others. The etymology comes from the intention of veilingThe complexity is not whether to cover the head or not, but what limits can be placed on the diameter or dimensions to be covered.

In this sense, the complexity is not whether to cover the head or not, but what limits can be placed on the diameter or dimensions to be covered. Therefore, in different countries we find different ways of covering the head, in different countries we find different ways of covering with the veil.In different countries, we find different ways of veiling, where a small percentage of the hair can be visible, the total covering or half of the hair in the open air.

The Burqa and female integrity

The burqa, on the other hand, has a more controversial origin.. Without going any further, in some Islamic countries it is rejected outright and prohibited by legislation, such as Iran or Kuwait, where at least the female face must be shown for security reasons.

In this case, the burqa does respond to a subjective interpretation of some Islamic societies such as the Afghan one, of millenary tribes that understand that the totality of the feminine figure is beauty, which makes it necessary to cover their physique completely. which makes it necessary to completely cover their physique.. In Pakistan, the use of such attire is also quite common, which is important given the country's large population.

Oppression or freedom?

Controversy is always raging over its use and its hidden meaning. Should the burqa be banned? And the veil? Religious and image freedom rejects any debate, with the exception of a few current security-related amendments, insofar as all citizens must be able to be identified..

Any act of voluntariness should not imply the conceptual punishment of oppression, since freedom of choice should not burden the debate with value judgments, demonizing a purely individual decision. For some Muslim women, the fact that they feel obliged to unveil themselves is oppression itself..

Does the addition of the veil imply oppression or freedom? In any case, it is up to those affected, those interested in wearing it or those who are thinking about it to decide. If we take another example of a different type of clothing, we find the Indian chador, we find the Indian chador, which covers 90% of the woman's body equally.Who is crying foul about it? It is clear that there is an implicit cultural bias at play, another thing is that its existence accounts for all the controversy that has arisen around this type of clothing for women.

The Burkini, solution or problem?

The burkini is an aquatic garment that was invented in 2003 in Australia precisely to solve all the conflicts created for women who longed to be able to bathe without having to uncover themselves. The author of the design, Aheda Zanetti, told the BBC: "I invented the burkini to bring cultures together, and it seems to bother someone".

The burkini ban in the country of egalitè, libertè et fraternitè, has been another setback to the conflict that already existed with the veil or burqa.. For it, it is possible to expose another analogy that serves to clear doubts. The surfing wetsuit covers from neck to ankle, both for men and women.

While the veil or burqa are in everyday use, it seems strange that a garment that is used from time to time generates as much or more controversy. But in reality it is not: the debate comes from the difference between the male and female swimsuit, and the possibility that religion, in the form of a patriarchal imposition, conditions the way we think, in the form of patriarchal imposition, conditions the thinking of Muslim women and women of other religious beliefs. of Muslim women and women of other religious beliefs.

It can be said that this invention has been another step forward for the integrity of women that so many Western feminist groups are demanding. Participation in the Olympic Games, regional international championships or the participation of women's water sports in Islamic countries would have happened, among other things, thanks to garments such as the burkini.

However, it can also be said that if female representation in these countries has so far been limited, it is because of the material and ideological impositions that have been articulated through, among other things, the interpretation of the Koran. Much debate lies ahead.