Fighting for Fundamental Freedoms
For many, hijab not only represents their commitment to their faith, but also the triumph of democracy. The right to decide if women veil is a fundamental right that shows their rights as women and as human beings are respected. Essentially, the right to choice is also a question of freedom of religion and expression. However, the right to choose hijab is constantly being challenged in countries like France, Iran, and Canada.
Laws concerning hijab vary greatly in countries like France, Iran, Canada, and Turkey (to name a few). Once upon a time in Turkey, following the creation of the Republic in 1923, President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, discouraged the wearing of hijab (for women) outside places of worship. This was done in an attempt to promote secularization in the newly formed country. After 1980, the hijab was officially banned. Since then, the wearing of hijab became stigmatized, but in recent years it has become a normalized practice. In October of 2022, President Erdoğan proposed a vote to render wearing hijab a constitutional right.
In France, in the name of secularization and a so-called fight against Islamists, laws have been introduced that would ban the wearing of hijab. These laws, however, extend beyond outlawing hijab. In 2020, after teacher Samuel Paty and three worshippers at a Notre-Dame de Nice were attacked, President Emmanuel Macron vowed to “break terrorism and diminish Islamists.” Consequently, a new law was proposed; it would ban foreign imams, control mosque finances to a greater degree, and restrict home-schooling in an attempt to reduce religious indoctrination. The results would be problematic; they aren’t only designed to specifically target hijab-wearing women– they target all Muslims in France, thereby antagonizing them and their religion, effectively casting religious veiling in a negative light. Even if the hijab is a religious practice– and even a religious symbol– it has become closely tied to politics. It is during the fight for democratic values that the rights of others are be comprised.
Similarly in Canada, hijab is banned in the province of Quebec. Bill 21 prohibits the wearing of hijab by public servants such as teachers, nurses, law enforcement officials, and more. Hijab is only allowed in the province’s English schools, which remain a minority. So, essentially, hijab remains banned in French language schools, which make up the majority of Quebec’s schools.
On the other hand, the Iranian government makes hijab mandatory. The death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the Iranian morality police sparked a wave of protests around the world (that still continue today), bringing to attention the government’s efforts to push its strict Islamic dress code. Amini was arrested by the morality police because her attire was inappropriate, and she had failed to wear proper hijab. Opposition to the government’s laws regarding hijab isn’t new. For decades, activists have fought for women’s rights in the country. Mandatory hijab isn’t the only violation of women’s rights. In fact, it only represents a fraction of the rights women in Iran are denied.
Over time, hijab has become highly politicized. In the US, freedom of religion guarantees that wearing hijab is legal and protected. And yet, even in the world’s most “democratic” states, a women’s right to choose is being thwarted. The case for hijab can’t simply be ignored or brushed aside. It demonstrates the working of democracy at its most basic. Most importantly, it highlights an important lesson: democracies, too, should be kept in check.
I remember first learning about hijab bans in my high school French class. It almost feels hypocritical as on one side, there’s policies that force all women to wear hijabs while on the other side, they are being forced to not wear one. Both, while different in ideologies, take away the fundamental right of freedom and choice for women, an issue that has been deeply rooted in society for centuries. You did a great job breaking this polarizing issue down and really highlighting that even the most “democratic” nations violate our freedoms.
I remember learning about this in one of my French classes. I think it is really silly that people are not being allowed to choose what they can wear in public, especially in “free” countries like France and Canada.
This was really interesting to read about since I’ve heard a lot about women being forced to wear a hijab, but have not heard about hijab bans before. It’s insane that these sort of regulations still exist in regards to harmless forms of self-expression.