Whose body is it anyway? | Amsterdam mayor: No Benefit with Burqa

Posted on September 28th, 2009 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, ISIM/RU Research, Public Islam.

It seems that, with a few notable exceptions, people in the Netherlands have been accustomed to the headscarf. The burqa or niqaab however is a different matter. A while ago there was a debate in the Netherlands about banning the burqa from public spaces. A proposal for this by Wilders’ Party of Freedom never made it, but in the mean time the burqa and niqaab have been banned for women in public service. Working for local or national authorities, at schools and universities, the burqa/niqaab is not allowed. a decision that has been implemented without any fuss, let alone a political debate.

Now the social democratic mayor of Amsterdam, famous for his attempts to ‘keep people together’ has stated in an interview in Dutch daily Trouw:

Contrary to france, the separation of church and state never meant that public space should be free of religious expressions. […]Personally I find it terrible to see a woman walk about in a burqa. But whether or not I like it is not a criterium by which to forbid it

In situations however when contact and interaction with other people is necessary, things are different according to him:

I agree with the notion that if you cannot find work because of the burqa you can also not turn up for benefits.

The idea is similar to what current Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb (also social democrat) said in 2006 in an interview with feminist magazine Opzij:

Nobody wants to hire someone with a burqa […] In that case, I say: off with the burka and apply for work. If you don’t want to do that, that’s fine, but you don’t get a benefit payment.

Now if Cohen says he thinks a burqa is terrible, but that is not a reason to ban it, he is right of course. But if other people hate the burqa too and therefore do not want women on the working place wearing it, that is a reason to cut benefit for women with a burqa? There are not that many women wearing niqaab, let alone burqa (not that both terms are used as if they are the same) so is it that difficult to come up with a solution that fits the individual case? Do we really need a law for this or a general measure?

In 2006 and 2007 a counter campaign was run by Muslim women opposing the proposed ban on the burqa. There was an online petition and a demonstration in the Hague. The demonstration took place and the slogans used focused on themes such as freedom, personal choice and emancipation. (Interesting at that time was that a few days before this demonstration, another demonstration took place in which Afghan women also used the burqa for their statement about freedom and emancipation, but then in order not to be expelled to Afghanistan where they would be forced to wear it). As I have shown in my PhD research and also in my current research on the Salafi movement, female behaviour and body, therefore, are important symbolic boundary markers. And not only for Muslims. The teenage girls and women in my research also experienced their behaviour and attire as an important factor in the attention of native Dutch people which leads them to the perception that not only do other Muslims try to tell them how to behave and what to wear, but so also do the native Dutch. By politicizing gender in relation to Islam, women become the core of the struggle between Muslims and native Dutch people over the control of the Muslims in the Netherlands. They have become the embodiment of the Islam debate and integration debate as well as many internal Muslim struggles.

Will be continued probably.

1 comment.

Whose body is it anyway? | Amsterdam mayor: No Benefit with Burqa

Posted on September 28th, 2009 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, ISIM/RU Research, Public Islam.

It seems that, with a few notable exceptions, people in the Netherlands have been accustomed to the headscarf. The burqa or niqaab however is a different matter. A while ago there was a debate in the Netherlands about banning the burqa from public spaces. A proposal for this by Wilders’ Party of Freedom never made it, but in the mean time the burqa and niqaab have been banned for women in public service. Working for local or national authorities, at schools and universities, the burqa/niqaab is not allowed. a decision that has been implemented without any fuss, let alone a political debate.

Now the social democratic mayor of Amsterdam, famous for his attempts to ‘keep people together’ has stated in an interview in Dutch daily Trouw:

Contrary to france, the separation of church and state never meant that public space should be free of religious expressions. […]Personally I find it terrible to see a woman walk about in a burqa. But whether or not I like it is not a criterium by which to forbid it

In situations however when contact and interaction with other people is necessary, things are different according to him:

I agree with the notion that if you cannot find work because of the burqa you can also not turn up for benefits.

The idea is similar to what current Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb (also social democrat) said in 2006 in an interview with feminist magazine Opzij:

Nobody wants to hire someone with a burqa […] In that case, I say: off with the burka and apply for work. If you don’t want to do that, that’s fine, but you don’t get a benefit payment.

Now if Cohen says he thinks a burqa is terrible, but that is not a reason to ban it, he is right of course. But if other people hate the burqa too and therefore do not want women on the working place wearing it, that is a reason to cut benefit for women with a burqa? There are not that many women wearing niqaab, let alone burqa (not that both terms are used as if they are the same) so is it that difficult to come up with a solution that fits the individual case? Do we really need a law for this or a general measure?

In 2006 and 2007 a counter campaign was run by Muslim women opposing the proposed ban on the burqa. There was an online petition and a demonstration in the Hague. The demonstration took place and the slogans used focused on themes such as freedom, personal choice and emancipation. (Interesting at that time was that a few days before this demonstration, another demonstration took place in which Afghan women also used the burqa for their statement about freedom and emancipation, but then in order not to be expelled to Afghanistan where they would be forced to wear it). As I have shown in my PhD research and also in my current research on the Salafi movement, female behaviour and body, therefore, are important symbolic boundary markers. And not only for Muslims. The teenage girls and women in my research also experienced their behaviour and attire as an important factor in the attention of native Dutch people which leads them to the perception that not only do other Muslims try to tell them how to behave and what to wear, but so also do the native Dutch. By politicizing gender in relation to Islam, women become the core of the struggle between Muslims and native Dutch people over the control of the Muslims in the Netherlands. They have become the embodiment of the Islam debate and integration debate as well as many internal Muslim struggles.

Will be continued probably.

1 comment.

Closing the week 39

Posted on September 28th, 2009 by martijn.
Categories: Blogosphere.

Most popular at Closer this week:

  1. Closing the week 38 – Featuring Ramadan 2009: Eat and Meet
  2. Islamizing Europe – Muslim Demographics
  3. Riotous Roterdam – Ethnography in the Netherlands

If you want to stay updated and did not subscribe yet, you can do so HERE

Hijab issues
Hijab permitted at world championship after law change – The National Newspaper

Hijab permitted at world championship after law change

Zoë Griffiths

The head of the UAE taekwondo team has praised the sport’s governing body after it allowed Mulsim women to wear the hijab at the forthcoming world championship.

The Permission to Narrate « Nuseiba

What interested me was the assumption of these women to debate the issue of the hijab (whatever forms of it) and the experiences of Muslim women without involving a practicing Muslim woman who observes the hijab or at least be a part of the community and faith that practices it, and thus be more qualified on the subject.

altmuslim – Clothing bans: Burqini blues

Those who wish ban the Burqini, as is happening in Europe, should simply say, “We don’t like Muslims swimming in our pools.” Any other justification, such as hygiene or “disturbing small children” simply doesn’t hold water.

Islam in Europe: Belgium: Headscarf update

The Forum, which unites more than 30 Flemish organizations, was set up after the headscarf ban. The organizations include Leidraad, vzw Vrije Keuze, AEL and imam Nordine Taouil. The Forum says they advocate active pluralism in society and oppose the headscarf ban for students.

The Forum says they’ve received dozens of complaints from girls in various provinces.

Islam in Europe: Spain: Judge refuses to hear testimony from burqa wearer

Judge refuses to hear testimony from burqa wearer

In a similar case in Denmark the judges focused on being able to identify the witness, but did not say anything about being able to judge the veracity of the witness’ testimony.

Sveriges Radio International – English — Engelska

Education Minister Jan Björklund says he doesn’t want to legislate against the use of headscarves, niqab, and burkas in Swedish schools.

Teachers unions have called for common rules for teachers and teaching students working in the Swedish education system, as it is currently up to each school to decide, which can sometimes cause conflict with students and teachers.

In a recent case a niqab-wearing teaching student was told that she couldn’t wear the face-covering head scarf by a school she was going to work in.

Anthropology
New bibliography: Media in Everyday Life « media/anthropology

This is the list of course readings and other resources that I’ve put together for my new module at Sheffield Hallam University entitled “Media in Everyday Life”. As always, further suggestions are very welcome.

Your virtual you « Anthromodernity

There is a debate in Swedish news media regarding diseased peoples facebook profiles, do we honour them by letting the profile remain as a virtual bversion of the deas person, or is it simply disrespectful? In the infomation age – death is no longer definite.

anthropologyworks » American Anthropologist launches “Public Anthropology Reviews”

Public Anthropology Reviews will highlight anthropological work principally aimed at non-academic audiences, including websites, blogs, white papers, journalistic articles, briefing reports, online videos, and multimedia presentations. The editors will also consider other traditional and innovative mechanisms for communicating anthropological research and concepts outside of academic realms and welcome suggestions. Please note that this review section will complement existing review sections and will therefore not review books, films or museum exhibits.

The Prism

Last week marked eight years since September 11, 2001. The internet is a medium that lends itself to all sorts of ideas and projects, and the collective memorization of 9/11 is one of them. Last Friday I was sifting through different sites, paying attention to the vast stories, reflections, and memories that people have of that day. Here are just a few examples of how this event has been remembered, carried on, reflected upon, and disseminated:

Misc.
Al-Qaida and the German Elections — jihadica

I think al-Qaida would not issue all these messages if something really big was in the making in the next few days, precisely because media offensives put intelligence services on high alert.

My guess is that these messages are primarily intended to influence German public opinion at a crucial juncture in the Western campaign in Afghanistan. Germany is a pivotal player in the coalition; her withdrawal could initiate a vicious (or virtuous, depending on one’s preferences) circle of European withdrawals from the Afghanistan enterprise. Al Qaida is focusing the weakest link in the coalition, just as the Madrid bombers were advised to do.

Dutch

Haagse As–Soennah moskee matigt toon – Regio – Reformatorisch Dagblad

De boodschap van de radicale as–Soennah moskee in Den Haag is onder invloed van het nieuwe bestuur gematigder van toon. Ook neemt de moskee sindsdien afstand van het aanwenden van geweld. Dat schrijft burgemeester Van Aartsen maandag op vragen van de VVD en SP. Volgens Van Aartsen komt de AIVD tot eenzelfde conclusie.

„Wij stellen vast dat de toon en de inhoud van de preken in de afgelopen periode is aangepast en dat de woordvoerders en imam van de moskee zich in het openbaar gematigder uitlaten”, zo laat Van Aartsen de gemeenteraad weten.

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