From the Guardian come two commentaries on the often complex mix of gender, religion, secularism, and individual rights in the debate about Muslim women’s dress.
First, Stuart Jeffries chides Nicolas Sarkozy for not understanding Hegel’s distinction between abstract and concrete freedom, and in the end, he finds the French burka ban a bad idea.
Then, in response, Rahlia Gupta agrees that a government burka ban is a bad idea (at “a time when Islamophobia is at an all-time high”), but takes the discussion further, arguing
[agreement on the government ban] should not silence the debate. I believe it is misplaced for women to prioritise their race or communal identity over their gender identity. This is a cloth that comes soaked in blood. We cannot debate the burka or the hijab without reference to women in Iran, Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia, where the wearing of it is heavily policed and any slippages are met with violence.