Ban of burka crass display of Islamophobia
THE possibility that France could pass a bill to ban under-18s from wearing Muslim headscarves and the burka, is not only a violation of International Law, but also a violation of the UN charter, on religious freedom.
It is a grave miscarriage of justice, and a crass display of Islamophobia. Perhaps the learned lawmakers should go back into history and study the life history of the third president of the US, Thomas Jefferson, who said “I never will, by any word or act, bow to the shrine of intolerance or admit a right of inquiry into the religious opinions of others”.
Governments should tackle increased religious intolerance by promoting discussion within religious groups and by ensuring that women and political leaders are involved in the talks. Freedom of religion is the mother of all human rights and all human rights are universal and interconnected. Acknowledging and allowing religious diversity is a necessary component of religious freedom and religious tolerance.
Europe’s reluctance to tolerate religious symbols is disturbing. The resurgence of this kind of thinking poses a profound threat to liberal societies, which are based on ideas of liberty and equality. This form of faith bashing is a serious concern. It was a continuation into the 1990s of the types of hatred which fuelled the witch burnings of the renaissance, the Spanish inquisition, the Nazi holocaust.
Every path to Almighty God is a personal experience, a private journey. No one path is inherently superior, as all paths to God are valid and useful. Wearing the burka is an ethical choice. Ethics does not involve right versus wrong or good versus evil, but entails a consistency of moral code. While some religions may differ on ideas and philosophies of morality, ethics and righteousness prove a powerful path to God, as a disciplined approach to what one believes is right.
The challenge facing the political and religious of mankind are to contemplate, with hearts filled with the spirit of compassion and desire for truth, the plight of humanity, and ask themselves whether they cannot, in humility, before the Almighty, submerge their differences in a great spirit of mutual forbearance that will enable them to work together for the advancement of religious understanding and political stability.