@hala292 - But this is your experience as a Muslima brought up in Western culture; you cannot divine from it that NO Muslima are ever indoctrinated into the teaching that women are subjugated to men and must therefore cover themselves from head to toe, because it is their fault if they cause a brother to lust after them by — gasp — showing an ankle. Your experience doesn’t translate to the experience of all Eastern and Western cultures. Many pockets of Muslim culture in the West still teach their women very Eastern practices and, at the very least, encourage them to see and think of the burqa in terms of keeping women “in their place.” ANY religious practice can be abused in such a way, but ones which discriminate against persons are ones which society should be concerned about. Good for you for thinking for yourself and practicing your religion as you deem is correct for you, but not every woman is afforded that choice. Your religious expression may be another woman’s religious shackle — would you feel differently about the covering if you risked the loss of your life or the abandonment of your family by leaving home without it? Should we consider that the young Russian Muslima who burned to death when their madrasa burned to the ground, who were forbidden from leaving the building that became their tomb simply because their faces were not covered, were not victims of religious terrorism?

A dear friend of mine, a Christian living in Morocco, had to defend his sister and his family when she was accused of provoking a man to rape her, simply for not having had her head and face covered in a known Muslim part of town — there is no doubt that, around the world, the mandating of head covering does — at least some times — create an oppressive environment for women, and sometimes a violent and deadly one. Again, I’m not saying you are wrong for following your religious convictions — you certainly have the right to them and I will certainly defend that right if ever it is attacked, whether your religion mandates full body covering or nudism. It’s your body, your faith, and your right to express it however you choose. But a society which ignores the injustices of choice revoked is a society which has no right to call itself just.

As for the question, I would imagine that France, in all their Western wisdom, simply assumes that no woman would voluntarily cover herself head-to-toe, and that therefore they must needs be “liberated” at (metaphorical) gunpoint from their religious burdens — which, as Wendi said, is just as enslaving as the mentality which forces them into such garments. Women should be afforded the choice to cover their bodies, as well as the choice to expose them; such matters are for the individual, not the state. If France truly wants to liberate women, they should create a program for women who feel religiously harassed into wearing the veil, one that operates with full understanding of those women’s religious culture and society, one which would protect them without causing them any legal or social harm, instead of potentially making criminals of women who may be forced by family to wear the veil, whether they wish to or not. Such a program would protect the rights of those women who choose to fully cover their bodies, while at the same time providing a safe haven to those who are forced or socially pressured to cooperate with teachings they do not themselves uphold.