Taliban reversed

In the high fashion streets of Paris, Burqas and Niqabs are apparently not in style. Mr. Sarkozy, taking cue from the makeover shows has appointed himself the Fashion police. And with appropriate Gallic drama, he has denounced them as representative of female subservience and has proposed a ban. This is his contribution towards female emancipation. Of course, everyone knows truly liberated women are anorexic Parisian models in tiny bikinis being objectified by men. Mr. Sarkozy’s brand of liberalization, no pun intended, is very fundamentalist indeed .
This laughable logic illustrates an alarming trend towards religious intolerance and xenophobia in western European countries. It also brings fore the western prejudices and the misplaced interpretation of feminine liberation, using participation in public life as a, several Islamic cultures have been at the forefront much ahead of France. There has been no female head of state in France, while Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Jordan, Turkey have all have had female heads of state, even Iran has had a female vice-president and am sure it come surprising shock to Mr. Sarkozy she carried on her duties, wearing a Hijab. Western culture has been responsible for fostering unhealthy stereotypes for women, the gender roles are much more firmly entrenched. But all these arguments are just corollary to the basic fact that the decision to wear a burqa or not should be in the end an individual choice. Mr. Sarkozy may be choosing to travel an opposite path as the Taliban but he is on the same road.