The Pros And Cons Of Burka

A Burka is a long, loose garment covering the whole body from head to feet, worn by women in many Muslim societies. The acceptance or the ban of the wearing of this Islamic cloth has been a controversial topic in many European countries, which led to many debates. The debate takes in freedom to exercise your religion, gender equality and security reasons due to fear of terrorism. France was the first European country to ban the wearing of Burka in public places. One of the principal arguments raised by France for instance, was the attempt to the national security. Thus, that clothing was one of the middle used by the Muslims to express the faith in their religion, it allowed to the enemies of France to commit terrorist acts on the French territory hiding their faces under that clothing. Francois Fillon, French former prime minister claimed that the ban of Burka is one of the urgent measures to take in order to guarantee security to the French population with less case of terrorist attacks. He describes these murders as “suicide bombers hiding under burkas” (Garton). On the other hand, there are the militants of woman rights who claim that the wear of a Burka is a sign of “oppression, submission, and male dominance”. Nicolas Sarkozy, French former president has claimed “it’s a problem of liberty and women’s dignity… a sign of subservience and debasement” (Al-Samarrai). By saying so, Nicolas Sarkozy makes the point of the promotion of gender equality in the French society,