Freedom of religion?

This morning the Guardian’s world news page has a big picture of a woman’s face….only her face is covered by niqab and you can only see her eyes.  Apparently the Belgium government has passed legislation that will ban the burqa (full body covering) and the niqab in public, on the grounds that it makes the person unidentifiable.  They seem to be trying to liberate the women of Islam….or something like that.

I have quite a few issues with this development.  For starters, it says mounds about their tolerance of other cultures and religions.  Sure, requiring a woman to cover herself to that extent may be odd, even repulsive, to some of us in the western world.  Also, an argument can be made that the niqab and burqa create a barrier between the woman wearing them and the outside world, making it difficult for her to participate in society.  Plus, quite a few Muslim scholars, adherents and (especially) women do not believe niqab or burqa-donning is required in the Quran.  But what about those that do? Perhaps they are only a handful, but they deserve freedom of religion too. 

I understand that Belgium, and France (Sarkozy has requested similar legislation) feel that women wearing niqab and burqa need liberation.  However, how many women are going to now be kept at home because they cannot fully cover in public? Even if only one woman is kept from leaving her house, this is tragic.

If Belgium and France want to remove niqab and burqa from their society, they should lead a non-legal campaign, talk to the women and families wearing these coverings and more cautiously approach the topic– not sign legislation that takes away these people’s lifestyles.