Starke Argumente für ein Burkaverbot

In der Herald Tribune von heute begründet der Mehrheitsführer im französischen Parlament, Jean-Francois Copé, warum er ein Verbot der Vollverschleierung in Frankreich durchsetzen will.

Nächste Woche wird das französische Parlament über den Entwurf der konservativen UMP abstimmen.

Hier die entscheidenden Argumente:

A) Sicherheit:

“Our debate is not about a type of attire or the Islamic head scarf that covers the hair and forehead. The latter is obviously allowed in France. The ban would apply to the full-body veil known as the burqa or niqab. This is not an article of clothing — it is a mask, a mask worn at all times, making identification or participation in economic and social life virtually impossible.

This face covering poses a serious safety problem at a time when security cameras play an important role in the protection of public order.”

B) Reziprozität im öffentlichen Leben

“The permanent concealment of the face also raises the question of social interactions in our democracies. In the United States, there are very few limits on individual freedom, as exemplified by the guarantees of the First Amendment. In France, too, we are passionately attached to liberty.

But we also reaffirm our citizens’ equality and fraternity. These values are the three inseparable components of our national motto. (…)

Let’s take one example: The fact that people are prohibited from strolling down Fifth Avenue in the nude does not constitute an attack on the fundamental rights of nudists. Likewise, wearing headgear that fully covers the face does not constitute a fundamental liberty. To the contrary, it is an insurmountable obstacle to the affirmation of a political community that unites citizens without regard to differences in sex, origin or religious faith. How can you establish a relationship with a person who, by hiding a smile or a glance — those universal signs of our common humanity — refuses to exist in the eyes of others?”

C) Individualität und Verantwortung

“We are free as long as we are responsible individuals who can be held accountable for our actions before our peers. But the niqab and burqa represent a refusal to exist as a person in the eyes of others. The person who wears one is no longer identifiable; she is a shadow among others, lacking individuality, avoiding responsibility.

From this standpoint, banning the veil in the street is aimed at no particular religion and stigmatizes no particular community.”