The Banning Of Women's Concern By Steve Chapman

In Steve Chapman’s column, he questions why some women get to choose what they want to wear while others have to be told by the government what they can and can not wear. A number of towns along the French Riviera have banned the burkini a portmanteau of “bikini” and “burka” due to the deadly Bastille Day attacks in Nice. Government officials argued that the burkini symbolized the oppression or enslavement of women. Their reasoning is that to help Muslim women gain freedom as to what they wish to wear the government should dictate what they wear. Why is it that westernized women can wear skimpy revealing swimwear while Muslim women can not practice modesty because not all Muslim women are forced to cover up many of them chose to do so. Chapman argues that “ women who buy skimpy suits in submission to male coercion and social pressures” which contradicts the reasoning for the ban of the burkini.

The ban was implemented to calm fears due to recent attacks by terrorist organizations, but a ban on clothing is not going to stop the oppression faced by many Muslim women in some instances them women are being controlled or abused by their husbands Chapman states that “ Instead of freeing the affected Muslim women, a ban will trap them in their homes.” Instead of focusing on a ban on burkinis the government should come up with policies that help women get out of abusive