French woman in burqa: Part 2
July 21, 2008
Below, I wrote briefly about Faiza Selmi, a Muslim woman banned from getting her French citizenship because she wore a burqa. The French claimed she was not ‘French’ enough and that the burqa was a huge factor in this. Social services claimed she was under the control of her husband. They claimed she had no agency of her own and did not fully comprehend what wearing a burqa means and how living under the dictate of her husband is considered oppressed. I questioned this immediately because there was no evidence provided and nor was there an interview done with the woman. A lot of what was written about her in the media storm which followed was indirect and regurgitating such claims.
Turns out, these claims could not be further from the truth. An interview with her has revealed quite a bit about her. She does not wear the burqa because her husband has told her to. “They say I wear the niqab because my husband told me so. “she said. “I want to tell them It is my choice. I take care of my children and I leave the house when I please. I have my own car. I do the shopping on my own. Yes, I am a practicing Muslim, I am orthodox. But is that not my right?”
The Interview was enlightening in a number of ways: She was not restricted to a domestic existence and was active outside, in fact, she picked up her interviewer in her car. Yes, yes, these burqa wearing women do indeed drive! It was her husband who served the interviewer her tea. (isnt’ that what Muslim women are born to do? ) Moreover, she was appealing for her right to wear a burqa under a right to practice her religion– yes, yes, she can think for herself ladies and gentlemen.
Odd. This woman doesn’t exactly fit into the oppressed and passive image constructed of her in the mainstream media.
- Sahar
F
Sahar
Farah
July 22, 2008 at 8:11 am
Hey, thanks for this, good to see that interview. I had read this quote somewhere else:
“I don’t like to draw men’s looks,” she said. “I want to belong to my husband and my husband only.”
In the context of the other article it did sound like she thought of herself in some way as the property of her husband, (not comfy that the state gets to decide whether that is appropriate…) but in the interview it seems to me to be more about not having to deal with the looks of other guys (although I think guys do have a responsibility not to sleaze onto you, whatever you wear) and a sign of love.
The notion of ‘belonging’, in context, seemed to take on a reciprocal character, so they belong to each other rather than one to the other, which is very different.
There is a big gap between that interview and the coverage — good to see it pointed out!
July 22, 2008 at 8:16 am
PS: The smiley came out of a funny bracket arrangement there, whoops. And it seems bizarre for all these French public figures to be so happy for the courts to tell her she has “false consciousness.” She wants to be a French citizen! I guess the bottom line is that “being French” is thought of in a rather narrow way.
July 22, 2008 at 9:53 am
“The notion of ‘belonging’, in context, seemed to take on a reciprocal character, so they belong to each other rather than one to the other, which is very different”.
Exactly Brynn, this is a common trait of Western critics of Islam. The idea of sexuality, gender and other women related issues in Islam are often selectively used in order to push an agenda that Muslim women are oppressed.
“I guess the bottom line is that “being French” is thought of in a rather narrow way”.
And that’s pretty much what France’s treatment of its immigrant population has told us. What I find really interesting is the narrow right-wing interpretation of laicite the French have adopted towards Muslim French, yet there was no problem of using a democratic model of laicite towards French Jews.(See Joan Wallach Scott. Judging by reports by the EUMC and other groups looking at racism (particularly Islamophobia) I think the French have a seriously racist attitude towards Muslims that stem back to their colonisation of Algeria.
July 29, 2008 at 1:32 am
This was thinly ‘veiled’ – (haha) xenophobia. The French majority is scrambling around for legal technical means to limit the immigration they perceive as impinging on their own. Fair enough, it is their country and their rules! The tyranny of the majority reigns!
August 17, 2008 at 10:32 am
Nice blog
keep it up
June 13, 2009 at 10:48 am
[...] Australia has always been promoted as a shining beacon of “multiculturalism”. But the reality is more complex than that. What is actually being promoted through Australia’s brand of ‘multiculturalism’? Actual “multiculturalism” and respect for difference, or superficial banality? Seyla Benhabib has written quite a lot about the emerging politics of difference. And settler societies like Australia aren’t the only ones struggling over the question of cultural citizenship. France had the most publicised example of this with their hijab ban (Sahar blogged about it last year). [...]
July 4, 2009 at 12:06 pm
[...] the right for a woman to choose to wear it. I’ve blogged about the burqa in France here and here in note of this, however, I pointed out in my post that I do believe that a woman’s right to [...]