Italy bans the burqa, but for the Indian Church it is a violation of religious freedom
by Nirmala Carvalho
For an Indian Jesuit the ban highlights "deeper cultural tensions" that mark life in Europe, where the theme of integration is still and incendiary issue. But there are those who judge the closed attitude of Muslims towards their host country "contradictory". Fines and imprisonment for violating the law, a proposal to eliminate the "symbols of oppression and subjugation."
Mumbai (AsiaNews) - The burqa issue highlights the difficulties that Europe has with Islam. This is the opinion of some Indian personalities regarding the decision of the Italian government to pass a law that prohibits the burqa, niqab, and other ethnic garments that hide the face. For those who support the proposal, the burqa and niqab are "symbols of “oppression and subjugation." Others - not only in the Muslim world - consider the ban a violation of individual and religious freedoms, because it intervenes directly in the private life of a person. However, there are some who focuses on the closed attitude of Muslims who emigrate to Western countries, but are not willing to integrate with the host nation.
An Indian AsiaNews source, who asked to remain anonymous, believes the proposal to ban the burqa is "strange", but he also highlights the contradictory attitude of many Muslim expatriates in Europe. According to the source the insistence on wearing the burqa (which is not mandatory in Islam, ed) reveals "the contempt of the wearer towards the cultural sensitivities of the host nation." This is an "adversarial attitude, given that many immigrants want to escape their oppressive regimes, for a better life in a more open society, but continue to refuse to integrate into the social context of that nation." For this reason the source states it would be "admirable if those who oppose the ban on wearing the burqa in public also opposed Saudi Arabia’s prohibition on the public practise of any religion other than Islam." "This, too, - he concludes - is a major human rights issue."
According to Jesuit Father Victor Edwin, a doctoral student in Christian-Muslim Relations at Jamia Millia University in New Delhi and editor of Islamic studies Salaam, the rekindling of the controversy over the burka "is just the tip of the iceberg," which "reveals the deeper cultural tensions which mark life in Europe, where the integration of Muslims remains a very hot topic. " He admits that "Muslims must also accept change and democracy and religious pluralism. But Europe should, by its multicultural nature, recognize that the freedom to follow any religion, without fear, is fundamental to every human being. "
Under the Italian government proposal, for those who break the law, the penalties are fines and imprisonment up to 500 euros for the wearer, up to 30 thousand euros and 12 months in prison for those who force women to wear it.
An Indian AsiaNews source, who asked to remain anonymous, believes the proposal to ban the burqa is "strange", but he also highlights the contradictory attitude of many Muslim expatriates in Europe. According to the source the insistence on wearing the burqa (which is not mandatory in Islam, ed) reveals "the contempt of the wearer towards the cultural sensitivities of the host nation." This is an "adversarial attitude, given that many immigrants want to escape their oppressive regimes, for a better life in a more open society, but continue to refuse to integrate into the social context of that nation." For this reason the source states it would be "admirable if those who oppose the ban on wearing the burqa in public also opposed Saudi Arabia’s prohibition on the public practise of any religion other than Islam." "This, too, - he concludes - is a major human rights issue."
According to Jesuit Father Victor Edwin, a doctoral student in Christian-Muslim Relations at Jamia Millia University in New Delhi and editor of Islamic studies Salaam, the rekindling of the controversy over the burka "is just the tip of the iceberg," which "reveals the deeper cultural tensions which mark life in Europe, where the integration of Muslims remains a very hot topic. " He admits that "Muslims must also accept change and democracy and religious pluralism. But Europe should, by its multicultural nature, recognize that the freedom to follow any religion, without fear, is fundamental to every human being. "
Under the Italian government proposal, for those who break the law, the penalties are fines and imprisonment up to 500 euros for the wearer, up to 30 thousand euros and 12 months in prison for those who force women to wear it.
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