Day 3

Day 3

Today i did a lot of walking around the 'real world' as well as taking public transport to uni via the train- the strange looks have continued however what shocked me today was that complete stranger's asked me if I was going to a dress up party. This made me automatically think of the criticism surrounding the wearing of traditional burka's and the controversy surrounding them.

The French have officially banned the wearing of the full length Islamic veils. The law was passed by the Senate of France on the 14 September 2010; which prohibits the wearing of burka's, niqabs and other full-length veils covering the face in public. The French argue that the full length veils prevent the ability to identify someone, posing civil difficulties, and women's rights worries, and thus is inconsistent with France's values(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ban_on_full_length_Islamic_veils.)

At first glance this seems very logical but how would an Islamic women feel to be stripped of her religious right to wear her burka and more importantly how would she feel abandoning something she has become so accustomed to over the years. Yes, France has her own rights as its own country to decide what it will accept and not accept within its boundaries but does this not discriminate even more against a somewhat miss understood religion.

I feel it is important to look at it from the 'burka' wearers point of view because i these pass few days have become very familiar with the comfort or ,for a better word, safety of my burka. It has almost become a refuge of tranquility and privacy for me, a fabric barrier providing me with an excuse to not interact with the rather fast and opinionated world outside.