Sarcozy: Please Also Ban Harem Pants

I was in Paris last week, just in time to see somewhat immediate aftermath of Nicholas Sarcozy's ban on the burqa. I have gone back and forth on the burqa thing, and while I cannot judge what it is like to grow up wearing one, I don't think it's good for women the world, and I don't think it has anything to do with Islam. While I'm glad I live in America, a place where anyone can wear anything and do anything they want, I'm also glad that this ban has happened somewhere-- I think something dramatic must happen, or nothing will ever change. Is that selfish? I don't want anything to be banned in my country, but I'm glad France has elected to be a guinea pig in testing this out?

When I was in Paris, I read in a newspaper an exchange between someone who was pro burqa, offended by the ban, and a Muslim woman grateful for the ban. She tells a story that she was wearing a headscarf and was accosted by a woman in a burqua, who said, "If you wanted a piece of candy, would you choose an unwrapped piece or one that came in a wrapper?" I don't care what these women are saying about how the burqa doesn't keep them hidden, or how it even liberates them -- I think this candy metaphor is behind everything, and anything else is an excuse to distract people from what the burqa really is.

I was speaking with a friend who has family in France, and he said that many Muslims move to France because they want to follow Islam, but not in a stifling Arab country. According to him, it has much to do with the fact that men want to be able to buy designer clothes and live Western lives. So they bring their families to Paris, where they can wear Armani suits and drink alcohol while their wives stay completely covered and don't leave the house. This is only his opinion (I have no primary sources to back up this statement) but I think it's a common one and says a lot. So if Muslims want to be covered, they are free to move to a country where it is allowed. If I was a Muslim Fundamentalist who wanted to stone homosexuals, I'd have to move to a country where that was allowed, like Iran. France doesn't let you do that, either.

And I cannot be convinced that all women truly want to be covered. (It is even just plain uncomfy, I'd imagine. When I was in Paris, it was 95 degrees.) If covering is simply symbolic, why can't they wear a headscarf? Sarcozy didn't ban those-- just the fucking body bags that do not allow a square millimeter of skin to be exposed. I had never seen one before my trip to France and was surprised to see that there is even a screen over the eyes.
I'm reading a book about searching for feminism in Islam, and in it are interviews with what we might consider to be Islamic "feminists" (although, they never use the western word "feminism"-- it is a dirty word for them). These are strong, intelligent women who say, "let me do my work. Why do you care if I'm wearing a burqa?" They insist that it is all that westerners focus on, and that it's no big deal, really. That women have a choice and that Islam is liberating for women and blahblahblah. But I don't think it's not a big deal, and I don't think Muslims will understand that it is a big deal until they give the no-burqa thing a chance. Also, these women are becoming a powerful force, meeting with world leaders and holding conferences with people from other cultures. Personally, if I am meeting with someone, discussing business, a partnership, even friendship, or exchanging ideas, I want to see their eyes, read their facial expressions and body language. It makes me more comfortable. If these women are going to be dealing with westerners and want to be taken seriously, ditching the burqa might be a wise move.

Also, when a lot of people start defending women's right to dress as they wish and the power of dressing modestly, they are often talking about hijab -- Sarkozy is talking about the burqa, a totally different thing. I cringe when I see the burqa; It literally makes my skin crawl. Luckily, I only saw one the entire time I was in France -- a stark contrast from less than a year ago, when my parents were there and said they couldn't open their eyes without seeing one. What I saw much more often, which was almost as disturbing, was harem pants. If Sarkozy wants to make me really happy, he'd ban those motherfucking ugly eyesores while he's at it.