Horner's Corner

Shopping for Burkas

by on Jun.25, 2009, under philosophy, politics, society

Sarko: victim of liberal ideology

burkaSarkozy, the President of the French Republic, says that the burka has no place in France because it represents the oppression of women. For this, liberals have applauded him for defending secular values in France.

But he has no plans to ban veils on nuns or legislate to force the Catholic church to allow women priests. This might be because there are more Catholic voters than Muslims ones in France;  or that he wants to look strong on an issue where he doesn’t have to spend money. But perhaps that is too cynical.

There is another issue I’d like to raise in connection with Sarko’s pronouncement. Sarko’s view seems to be that even if a woman says she wants to wear a burka, it is still somehow not a free choice. This is because of ideology, or to be cruder, ‘brainwashing’ – the notion that the mind has been so externally affected that apparently free choices are in some sense forced.  This may be true.

So: a liberal (male) politician is going to tell a woman she can’t wear what she likes because she is being told what to wear by (muslim) men.  It’s hard to be sure where this approach will end: a dress code  like they have in Saudi Arabia but with different rules, perhaps.

But Sarko knows what’s best for them, and wants to make them do it. This is paternalism, of course, something liberals are supposed to be against. I wish some of my liberal friends would consider this  before inveighing against so-called patriarchal islamic ideology. Not liking the burka can’t be a liberal justification for banning it.  Or perhaps their ‘tolerance’ for diversity means only: ‘you can be different, but not too different;  if you are  too different  we’ll make you conform’.

An alternative might be to drop the idea that freedom is revealed by the choices people actually make. I’m quite ready to go along with this, provided it isn’t restricted to the choices made by Muslim women. How many of our choices are truly ‘free’? The main ideological driver in ‘the liberal west’ is surely capitalism – with consumerism as the classic example of the addictive lifestyle which, unlike the burka, is regularly described as an unfree state by its victims. For a ‘liberal’ to  focus on sartorial choices that don’t harm others, while ignoring the real status of our abstract  ’freedoms’ is to act in bad faith. Or to be the victim of ideology – which is it, M. Sarko?

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2 Comments for this entry

  • Metropolitan
    July 13th, 2010 on 8:40 pm

    Then you should read Ayaan Hirsi Ali to undestand why burka should be banned.

  • Chris
    Chris
    July 13th, 2010 on 11:14 pm

    Why should I ? I know her views in a general way but they don’t convince me. Why don’t you engage with what I’ve said, or come up with your own reasons or arguments? or failing that, say what it is about her arguments that seem convincing to you? – if I’m wrong, tell me why.

    With all due respect: citing her name as an authority isn’t good enough.

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