I watched a documentary a while ago on the topic that was actually very eye opening. In summary, burkas are not worn out of shame, but to protect the female body from men. Similarly, it's not that the women are segregated, it's that the single men are.
At home amongst family and other women, they dress like any other woman in the Western world. It's merely men on the outside who are not permitted to view them.
This is obviously a Reader's Digest version of things, but essentially, I believe it's a cultural decision, and that France is violating these women's religious rights. If we're talking soley about the burka, I don't consider it a form of oppression based on what I know of it.
|