Can anyone tell me why I should be threatened by someones personal choice to be modest of dress,speech or behavior? Is there really a problem with burquas and hijabs or is it just an invented problem drawn up from that place where we all unwittingly store those mostly negative attitudes that we are sometimes unaware of?
There used to be a time in my lifetime when people,in general were far more modest that what they are now.Women were deemed to be appropriately attired in a dress of a certain length,rather than jeans,and very tight pants on either male or female would have been considered provocative.Of course cross dressing was thought to be deviant and seldom encountered in respectable places.However,time goes on and fashions change.Not always for the better,but that's only my opinion perhaps.
Now we live in world of wardrobe malfunctions,knee high pants that show way too much and thong swim suits. I've given up on tuning into The Academy Awards to see what the celebrities aren't wearing.Instead I just sit at home with the television off and wonder why such wealthy and influential people can never seem to afford to buy the rest of whatever garment they are wearing.I am hardly prudish,but at times,I do miss modesty.
Modesty doesn't seem to be a concept that North American society accommodates very well.That may just be changing fashion,for good or for bad,but really,I think there may be something else afoot here.Take a look across the big puddle to where European countries have been banning religious head wear for some years.In almost every respect this seems to be unique to the post 9/11 era.The thought behind it would seem to be that religion is the foe here,having been the cause of much of human strife.It would be hard to argue with that,but the idea in nevertheless misguided,and all too often directed at Islam as an ideal.
But we need to ask,if it only Europe where freedom is being eroded,and what the enemy really is.Europe,for the most part was guided by liberal ideas.But the current bans on religious attire,no matter what the logic behind it is a direct attack on religious values,beginning with,but unlikely to end with the attack on modesty.Modesty is a concept shared by most religions,so,is the attack on modesty simply the thin edge of the wedge.I would note here too,that I've recently talked to two friends just returned from Europe,on a Christian,the other an observant Jew.Neither were confronted over their choice to wear appropriate head gear,or,in the case of the Christian,a t-shirt stating "Jesus Is Lord" The identified enemy seems clearly limited to burquas and hijabs.
Of course there seems to be a rising tide of Islamophobia here in North America as well,again originating with 9/11.At one time,Americans were retaliating appropriately against the right enemy.Now The War On Terror is a war on Islam,and many people seem more interested in attacking a convenient but vilified straw man.
In terms of attacking Muslim modesty here,much of the debate has focused on the issue of identity.But the thrust of this argument is rather cleverly disguised.It focuses on the need to identify persons in the public forum,in the day to day interactions with others in society.But it wrongly insists that identity can only be assured by the banning of garments associated with religious,Muslim modesty.I'm unaware of any nuns,for instance who have been asked to remove their habits in order to vote,or who have been asked to submit to some form of body search in order to enter some public event.Identity can be assured in other ways,and really,in most cases those ways are more personally invasive yet nevertheless respectful of modest attire.What's being cleverly hidden here is the actual attack on Muslim identity.Even so,those of other religious backgrounds need to be cognizant of the fact that religious values in general are being attacked,and need to give some thought to where those attacks could lead.
What the trend to want to ban religious expression,specifically Muslim attire seems to be directed at is largely a matter of image. I've mentioned above the role that celebrity plays in determining what is attractive and therefor valued.Of course those celebrities have no shortage of corporate accomplices in making those determinations.We are all quite aware of the problems,for instance of young girls trying to achieve a particular body image,in the name of beauty.Something rather similar seems to be going on with respect to Muslim women,by creating an expectation that they will conform to our immodest values,such as they are,Or,more likely there is a recognition that they will not,or perhaps not be able to comply with those expectations,and can justly be discriminated against on that basis.The idea planted in our minds then becomes that there is a model that represents beauty and that Muslim women cannot achieve that ideal.An admittedly subtle form of Islamophobia,but Islamophobia nonetheless.
Let's think for a minute about what true beauty means,then put this idea in the trash heap where it belongs.Beauty has less to do with what you look like than it does with who you are and what you are like.I live in Toronto,and there are many Muslim women.Some are dressed in typical North American fashion.Many are traditionally attired Traditional is not to be confused with unattractive.Nor should it be taken as a slight against society at large,because that's not how it is normally intended.The traditional Muslim dress is simply a self assure affirmation of ones own values in most cases.At times it may be dictated by a male relative,but that is far from always being the case.Moreover,such can sometimes be dictated by American or Canadian men as well.Beauty.then is a person acting conscientiously and in a self assured confident manner in the expression of their values,and in respecting others who do likewise.
There is a very good reason to give up this war on modesty,especially as it applies to those choosing to observe traditional Muslim values.Simply put,we need to win The War On Terror.And a big part of any effective strategy in doing so will involve building strong relationships with dissenting Muslims both here and abroad.Those relationships cannot be built in a climate which disrespects the traditions and religious values of others.Classical liberal ideas in this respect were and are well founded.It's time to stop shadow boxing with the straw man.Modesty is not the enemy.
blyndpapaya
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