M95MC

Media and culture Theory

 

Coventry University

01/14/2014

First and Last Name: Mohammed Boussoufa

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Student ID: 5217430

Academic year: 2013/2014

This paper will go through a timely and

controversial topic about the ban of wearing the Niqab

(Face covering) in public in France. The issue of the ban

of Islamic signs into western societies is not a new

topic, but it had a long history of struggle and

confrontation. If we look back to the twenty’s century

and exactly in the 1989 when two French Muslim

Adolescents were not allowed to enter the school because

they refused to remove their Hijabs (Headscarves), after

that there was a similar attempt to ban the Hijab in

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Educational institutions in Turkey in 1998. Moreover, in

February 2004, the French parliament adopted a law which

prohibits students to wear any kind of sings or clothing

that demonstrate religious affiliation such as crosses or

turbans and of course the Hijab represents an Islamic

motto. Muslim girls then will be allowed to pursue their

education unless they take off their headscarves. It is

stated that not only the Muslim community which

represents a minority in the French territory who were

involved in such harsh debates, but also in the Arab

world which had seen many demonstrations claiming that

wearing the headscarves is not an issue in western

societies rather is a command from God as it is mentioned

in the Quran according to the Islamic religion (Dabbous-

Sensenig, 2006). In April 2011, the ex- president of

France Nicolas Sarkozy passed a law to ban the Niqab

covering the face in public places, which was accepted by

the majority of the members of upper and lower house of

the French parliament ( BBC, 2010; Guardian, 2010). The

issue of banning the covering of the face in public

places was considered as one of the hot top topic at that

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time represented by the different mass media especially

when a French veiled woman was asked in Paris for an

identity check from the police. The ban means that women

who are veiled are not supposed to be present in areas

where they are open to the public such as cafes, parks,

restaurants, and even public transport .As a result of

this, the whole country in general was unstable and

tensions last for months which shocked the politicians,

and Paris in particular witnessed several nights of car-

burning and public violence (Chrisafis, 2013).

To start with, there is no denying that the ban of

the Niqab is a debatable topic in western societies and

precisely in France especially after the law of 2011. A

definition of textual analysis will be a very important

clue which can help both the researcher and the reader to

better understand while doing the analysis. According to

McKee (2003) states that textual analysis is way for the

researchers to study the lives, cultures of the others in

the world they live in through collecting information,

describing visuals, or interpreting recorded messages.

The interpretation of texts could be applied on pictures,

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movies, and magazines. It is said that doing textual

analysis is not applied at a random interpretation rather

than on an educated guess that could bring extra

information and deep meaning. Before to embark in such

analysis, it would be vital to identify the signs in the

picture. There are iconic and linguistics signs which

represent the image. The iconic signs denote a human body

which might exhibit a female gender as it is noticed, the

eyes are the only things can be seen. Wearing eye-glasses

could ease the way for her to recognise everyday

activities like going to the right direction, identifying

objects. In addition to that, she is holding a red

booklet with a sense of dignity and honour. We can see

that through her eye- contact and stand. The Female body

is covered in a full black garment as well as black

gloves in the hand. The linguistics signs which stand for

a front cover of a French Passport if we look at the

picture from above to bottom, we can find Union

Européenne République Française ( European union: the

French republic) and Passport. Holding a French passport

either signifies that she is proud and happy of her

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identity or showing the power of France as a country

which allows people to move freely without any obstacles.

According to Barthes, any linguistic or visual texts are

used to connote things that are attached to the sign;

this he calls it social phenomenon or the making of myth.

It does not have a relation with mythology, but to ways

of thinking about places, people or ideologies that are

constructed to appeal the viewers and readers (Bignell,

1997). What is more, there might be direct or indirect

relation between the iconic and linguistics signs in the

picture. The picture is depicting a woman covered with a

black dress and holding a French passport can be analysed

from different perspectives. Many theorists of colours

like Wiltshire (1990), Moller, and Friedman (2007) stated

that colours in every culture signify and have important

social meanings. The black colour of the dress might be

linked to many concepts like hatred, mistrust, violence,

and death. Some research has come up with findings that

show negative attitudes towards the wearer of black

clothing (Johnson, 2012). The concept of mistrust that

matches the black colour is perhaps one of the major fact

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why the French government banned the face veil in public

places as their citizens would be able to see each other

and can easily distinguish people they meet. On the other

hand, the red colour has negative and positive

implications around cultures. For example in western

countries, red is similar to love, passion, danger as

well as stop signs. Moreover, in the Middle East and

generally in the Arab World, red is seen as a colour of

danger and evil (Designcontest.com, 2013). Holding a red

French passport can have many explanations that might

signify despite of dressing in different or weird

clothing which is not part of the French culture she is

still feeling proud and part of the French Nationality.

As it is mentioned earlier, her passport can facilitate

her moves in the country and overseas.

It is believed that western societies lately had

much quarrels and debates not only on the veils

(headscarves), but also on the Niqab (Face veil) which

represent Muslim female dress. The text above shows a

female which is covered in a black garment or what it is

known as Niqab might be interpreted as a symbol of

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oppression and passiveness. The story of debates started

a few years ago when the ex-French president and his

members endorsed the law of banning the face veil in

public places. People who wear the Niqab are representing

just the minority about 2 per cent of the population

according to a study made by Liberation in 2009. There

were 367 Niqabis at that time, 299 of them were checked

by the police which means that only 13 were not checked

(Nicole, 2012). The ban of the veil in France has led to

several discussions about the religious freedom of

individual in such democratic country. The question that

looms large which they extracted from the discussions: is

the veil mandatory for women to wear in the Islamic

religion?

During the last decades, the different mass media which

include Television programs and radio stations,

newspapers as well as magazines were very interested and

eager to know the point of view of the Muslim scholars

concerning the veil. In fact, the two prevailing Muslim

orthodox poles claim that wearing the headscarf (Hijab)

is somehow necessary as it is a command from God.

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However, they both agree that the face veil (Niqab)

including the hands is not necessary but just a will and

an effort from the wearer (Dabbous-Sensenig, 2006).

According to one of the Muslim Egyptian feminist Nawal

Al-Saadawi during an interview states that the veil is

not Islamic at all and women who think they are wearing

it without force or oppression are victims of

brainwashing and false consciousness (interviewed in the

Daily Star, Mach 1st 2004).

It is stated that most of the western politicians hold

negative views about wearing the headscarf or Niqab. It

is important that people in order to well understand why

Muslim women wear the veil in the west, they should take

into account many factors (Ajrouch, 2007). Dr Abdul Bari,

the leader of Muslim Council in Britain said that Islam

is asking men and women to dress modestly without any

choice of what they should wear. The Muslim community and

especially people from North Africa are considered to be

the largest population in France in comparison with

Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom (Leiken, 2005).

The largest population of the Muslim community and the

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ban of the veiling are both criteria which appealed

Caitlin Killian to do her research in France as she is

sociologist specializing in women studies and

immigration. The research was done in 2003; it was

focused mainly on North African women and what is their

perception about themselves while wearing the veil in a

society like France knowing that the veil is neither part

of their culture or history. Being a woman who did the

research about the topic eased the way for both of them

to communicate deliberately and the women were so excited

and feeling at ease to give as much information as they

can. After having done her examinations on the answers

she obtained, her findings showed that those women

especially the younger and the educated ones claim that

wearing the veil is not something serious which can harm

the society or the government rather than it is a

personal choice and cultural expression which represents

the Islamic religion. In fact, they were using a western

discourse by revealing their integrations into the French

culture, their duties and responsibilities, and what the

law of the country is allowing for each individual

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citizen’s freedom (Killian, 2003). In 2007, Killian

prepared a comparative study on the Muslim community

integration and their veiling. The comparative research

was mainly made in two developed countries that are

France and the United States of America to know how

secularism is circulated in the two countries. The

immigrants of the United States are not obliged to adapt

or to follow the religious practices of the country and

people are free to stick to the religion of the home

country. The main reason why much religious freedom

exists there is the separation of state and church, which

means that the state should remain away and not intervene

with religion. However, the French society and

environment are expecting the immigrants to forget about

their own cultures, religions, and imitate the local

culture of French people to be seen as fully integrated.

Secularism in France prohibits any kind of religion

symbols in public places as well as in educational

institutions. In addition to that, Catholicism is

regarded to be more suitable for practice as a religion

than Islam due to the French atmosphere and the calendar

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(Killian, 2003). What is more, Ajrouch (2007) points out

that there are other differences like the population and

the socioeconomic factors which distinguish the two

nations. Muslim in France are much higher than the United

States, they are representing 8 per cent in France and

only 1 per cent in USA. Furthermore, most of the Muslims

in the US are from different ethnic groups, educated, and

financially powerful, while in France they are mainly

postcolonial working class immigrants. After the 9/11,

the veil becomes more common in the USA as it provides

Muslim women some kind of autonomy, and it is regarded as

a sign of American Islamic Identity (Ajrouch, 2007).

However, Read sees that the media in the west is a major

device which plays a major role in depicting the veil as

a symbol of patriarchy and enforcement. Moreover, he

claims that the veil in both nations is discouraged to be

worn and banned either directly (France), or indirectly

as the case of the US when the wearer is not guaranteed

to get the full rights (Shirazi; Mishra, 2010).

The ban of the veil by many European countries like

France and Belgium a few years ago is implemented for the

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sake to achieve the equality of the gender because it is

considered as a violation of women’s right; this ideology

is much repeated not only by the Western politicians, but

also through the mass media in general. As a result of

this, many people see Islam as a religion which gives

much freedom for men than women concerning the way how to

dress. Nicolas Sarkozy and one of his Ministers defined

the Niqab as an imposing operation on women from their

husbands and a sign of humiliation. Another argument of

banning the veil is to give women the right position they

deserve to be in society as well as to return their

missing dignity and honour. Through some political

debates, politicians agreed that the ban of the veil is

so beneficial for women to get jobs easily because it is

hard for them to find a job in any field while they are

covering their faces with black masks. In addition to

that, the monthly benefit they are receiving from the

government should be stopped from the wearers of the

veil. In relation to that, children especially in primary

school are possible to be subject of negative

psychological effect if they are taught by a veiled

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teacher who is considered to be as a model of teaching

the basics and behaviours of life, and children should

have a special care not only by their parents, but also

by their teachers who spend with them most of the time at

that age (Howard, 2012). According to a research which

was done across some European countries, researchers were

so confused about the issue of the veil is it an

oppression from men or it is a personal choice to

represent their independence and religious freedom. After

a deep examination, Lister et al. (2007) tackled the

topic of the veil from different premises and angles by

suggesting some ideas to be clarified below. One of the

major points they discussed is the veil as an ethnic and

religious symbol. It is noted that wherever there is

immigration from the Muslim World to western societies,

older women wear the veil to keep close to their

identities as well as religious faith. On the other hand,

younger girls are wearing it as a matter of modesty and

difference; this is seen by Joppke (2009) very

controversial. Furthermore, the idea of family pressure

which means that schoolgirls and college students are

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obliged by their parents to wear the veil if they want to

pursue their education or to participate in school

activities like trips. Lister (2007) claims that in

France most of the younger girls are veiled not as a

personal choice rather than oppression. However, Gereluk

(2008) comes up with different views in her research on

the veil concerning Muslim girls in London who opposed

the idea of parent’s oppression by mentioning that it is

a parental guidance. In addition to that, the meaning to

wear the veil is worn as a symbol of independent and

affirmation of their identity. It is said that it is part

of their background, it represents who are they and to

which religion they belong to. The fact of choosing the

veil is not their parents or husbands choice, but they

see themselves modern, free to dress on the way they

prefer to as well as to practice their rituals since they

are living in democratic countries which allow them the

right for that. The fourth and the last point the

researchers discussed is wearing the scarf as an

interpretation of women religion faith. It has been noted

some women start to wear it as a kind of sympathy with

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the ones who are affected by the ban as well as sincerity

to the Islamic religion. However, the veil in most of the

western debates is discussed to be an alien and far away

from the western culture and also it is seen as a maker

of terrorism, fundamentalism, and menace for the

humanity worldwide (Howard, 2012).

It is stated that nobody can deny the fact that the ban

of the Niqab in public places created only separation and

hatred among French Citizens. According to an interview

made by New York Times with a woman who claims that she

used to get strange looks when on street, but now they

receive insults and verbal abuses. Moreover, anonymous

people tried many times to remove their veils in public,

shop owners stopped them in the entrance. Kenza Drider a

French citizen who was arrested because of her Niqab is

considered to be one of the representatives of Niqabi

people in France and also appeared in many international

programs. She stated that she was arrested in the police

station for three hours and half, at the end they told

her that you can go home after she was checked by a

female officer trying to convince Kenza to wear her

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Islamic veil at home not in public places. She also

stated that in spite of getting insults from ordinary

people several times a day, she is able to do her daily

activities like collecting her kids from school, doing

shopping. However, once upon a day she felt hurt when

someone told her in street you will be killed as it

happened to the Jews before. As a result of this, she

claims that what is happening now to us was the same for

the Jews who were identified and singled out when they

were outside (Chrisafis, 2013). The law they implemented

lately gives the right to no one to interfere except for

the police officers who can face the veiled women, but

they can not pull off their veils. The case should be

sent to the judge of the city to decide what kind of

punishment the veiled woman should receive either 150

euro, or some courses of citizenship to learn how to

adapt to the French values of life. The minister of

Interior says that less than 100 women who were stopped

by the police, luckily there was no fine or any courses

so far. One of the deputy local police chiefs explains

the complexity of the law and the difficulties they might

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face once they encounter a certain case because they do

not have a complete authority over women to force them to

remove the veil. Adding also that they will not pay

attention and ignore veiled women where things can get

worse especially in areas and places where immigrants are

living because there might be severe riots and violent

confrontation as a feedback of their anger. (Chew, 2011).

The reason why the ex-French president and his supporters

agreed to legalise the law is to denigrate the image of

Islam as a threat to France as well as to gain more votes

in the election from groups who are against the

immigrants in general and Muslims in particular. Hence,

Muslims responded in one of the protests that the

president is targeting them because they are representing

a minority in comparison of other group of immigrants.

Another story of a French woman, who grew up and raised

in Paris narrating her story after the ban of the veil.

Her parents are from Morocco, but they are not serious in

practising the religion; she chose the Niqab as a

personal choice more than five years. Ahmas, 32 year-old

said that whenever she decides to go outdoors as she is

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going to hell. One day, she was insulted as a bitch and

hit in front of her child. In the past, she used to work

in a call centre as part of her education, but after the

ban they did not renew her contract because of her veil.

Life becomes very hard for her especially when she got

refusal from companies she was applying to for work

(Chrisafis, 2011).

Having been discussed some of the major points

concerning the ban of the veil in some of the western

countries in general and in France in particular as the

picture above is portraying a veiled woman holding her

French passport as an identity. The background given has

shown and helped us to know that the issue of the ban of

religious symbols is not a new topic of debates in France

as it was mentioned earlier. The law of 2011 which was

endorsed by Nicolas Sarkozy had a purpose to receive much

votes in the presidential election, but it was not

accepted by the Muslim community who were showing their

outrageous actions in streets. For me, as a Muslim

citizen, to give my point of view about the issue is

somehow difficult. However, according to our Islamic

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religion, the headscarf is mandatory for a woman to wear

in public places as well as when she is surrounded by

people who are not part of the family, and the Niqab

(Face veil) is just an effort from the wearer. I think

that people who are wearing the Niqab especially in

western cultures should be very flexible and abide by the

rules of the country they are living in order to show for

others a positive image on Muslims and also about Islam

as a religion which is calling for love and peace.

References:Ajrouch, Kristine (2007) ‘Global Contexts and the Veil: Muslim Integration in theUnited States and France’. Sociology of Religion 68(3): 321–5.

BBC (2010) ‘senate votes to ban Islamic full veil in public’. [Online] Available from<http:// bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11305033?print¼true>[13 December 2013].

Bignell, J. (1997) Media Semiotics: an introduction. Manchester university press: Manchester.

Chew, K. (2011) ‘Bans Niqab, Violence against Muslim Women Rises’. [Online] Available from < http://www.care2.com/causes/france-bans-niqab-violence-against-muslim-women-rise.html> [25 December 2013].

Chrisafis, A. (2013) ‘France's headscarf war: 'It's an attack on freedom'. The Guardian 22 July.

Chrisafis, A. (2011) ‘France Burqa ban: Women are effectively under house arrest’. The Guardian. [Online] Available from <

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http:// theguardian.com/world/2011/sep/19/battle-for-the-burqa > [22 December 2013].

Dabbous-Sensenig, D. (2006) ‘To Veil or not to Veil: Gender and Religion on Al-Jazeera’s Islamic Law and Life’.Westminster Journal of Communication and Culture 3(2) 60-85.

Designcontest (2013) Colour and culture: Design for an International Audience [online] Available from http:// http://www.designcontest.com/blog/color-and-culture-design-for-an-international-audience/ [20 December 2013]Gereluk, D. (2008) Symbolic Clothing in Schools: What Should Be Worn and Why. London: Continuum.

Howard, E. (2012) ‘Banning Islamic veils: Is gender equality a valid argument?’. International Journal of Discriminationand the Law 12(3) 147-165.

Johnson, R. (2013) ‘An examination of police Department Uniform Colour and Police-Citizen Aggression’. Journal of criminal justice and behaviour 40 (2), 228-244.

Joppke, C. (2009) Veil: Mirror of Identity. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Killian, Caitlin (2003) ‘The Other Side of the Veil: North African Women in France Respond to the Headscarf Affair’. Gender & Society 17(4): 567–90.

Killian, Caitlin (2007) ‘From a Community of Believers toan Islam of the Heart: Conspicuous Symbols, Muslim Practices, and the Privatization of Religion in France’. Sociology of Religion 68(3): 305–20.

Leiken, S. (2005) ‘Europe’s Angry Muslims’, Foreign Affairs 84(4): 120–35.

Lister, R., Williams, F., Anttonen, A., et al. (2007) Gendered Citizenship in Western Europe: New Challenges for Citizenship Research in a Cross-National Context. Bristol: Policy Press.

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McKee, A. (2003) Textual Analysis: A beginner’s guide. Sage publication: London.

Nicole, R. (2012). ‘The French Niqab, One year on’. Patheos Journal.

Shirazi, F., Mishra, S. (2010) ‘Young Muslim women on theface veil (Niqab): A tool of resistance in Europe but rejected in the United States’. International Journal of Cultural Studies 13(1), 43-62.

The Guardian (2010) ‘French parliament approves ban on face veils’. [Online] Available from < http:// guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/13/french-ban-face-veils> [13 December 2013].

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