Politics of the Veil

Source: http://press.princeton.edu/images/k8497.gif

In Politics of the Veil, it is argued that the veil should be banned because it is thought that the veil takes away sexual freedoms of women. Politics of the Veil also argues that banning veils would be good since it will force the museum population to look more like the rest of us so ‘they could fit in.’ Also, there is an assumption that the veil makes someone look like a terrorist. As someone who believes in human rights, that statement sends shivers down my spine.

 Earlier in the semester, we discussed in class about the United Nation’s declaration of Human Rights (http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/). Article 2 of the declaration grants people religious freedoms.  The United Nation declaration is not officially adapted by any nation. Despite that, the French constitution still does grant their citizens religious freedoms.

Politics of the Veil presented me with several arguments why the veil should be banned. None of them convinced me this was a good thing. Wearing a veil is an integral part of a Muslim woman’s belief. Each individual should have the right to express themselves in any way they want, as long as it is not a danger to others, and there should be nothing wrong with a women choosing to cover up more than the average citizen.

Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. Politics of the Veil talks about how it is growing in France. I would like to link this to my research to Brazil.

At one point in Brazil’s history, Roman Catholic was the official religion of Brazil. However, their new constitution eliminates Roman Catholic as an official religion, and Brazilians have religious freedom.  Because of the history, Roman Catholic is still the predominant religion in Brazil. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Brazil)

As mentioned in previous posts, Brazil has a bad reputation when it comes to slavery. Many slaves in Brazil were African Islamic. The 1% of today’s Brazil population that practices Islam comes from those families. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Brazil) Despite the fact that they only represent 1% of the population, they still have religious freedom. With all the craziness down there, I don’t hear of any stories of Brazil trying to ban the veil.

Religious freedom is a basic human right. Banning the veil, or any other religious clothing for that matter, is a direct violation of that right. People should be able to practice whatever religion they would like, and wear what they would like, just as long as they are doing it peacefully.