February 03, 2010

The French government has refused to grant citizenship to a foreign national because he forced his wife to wear the full Islamic veil. This comes a week after a parliamentary committee proposed a partial ban on full veils and recommended that anyone showing "radical religious practices" be denied residence permits and citizenship. The man, whose current nationality was not given, was applying for citizenship to settle in the country with his French wife. The Immigration Minister said in a statement that he signed a decree that rejected the man's citizenship application. He explained, "It became apparent during the regulation investigation and the prior interview that this person was compelling his wife to wear the all-covering veil, depriving her of the freedom to come and go with her face uncovered, and rejected the principles of secularism and equality between men and women." The minister also stressed that French law requires anyone seeking naturalization to demonstrate their desire for integration. The decree has now been sent to Prime Minister Francois Fillon for approval. (Full Story)

I don't think anyone should be forced to wear a veil or head scarf if they don't want to. That is terrible and goes against that woman's rights. But I'm curious how it was determined that this man was forcing his wife to wear the veil. Does wanting his wife to wear the veil necessarily mean that his wife doesn't want to wear it, as well? I'm just wondering if the citizenship denial was more a result of him forcing his wife to wear a veil, or that he simply believes in the full veil. I'm also curious how one "demonstrates" to the French government their desire for integration when seeking naturalization.

I don't think women should have to wear veils. I think the fact that women have to wear veils and not males is unfair and I believe this dress code originates from ideas that women are lesser than men. And I am a secular person, and I know that affects how I view things. With that said, I don't believe it's right to force someone to not wear a veil or head scarf. If a woman wants to wear a veil or a head scarf, and they feel it is an important part of their religion and an important part of who they are, they should be allowed to. The French government shouldn't force them to not wear it. I think that will only alienate this population even more. History and research has often shown that immigration to a new country usually does result in assimilation. Usually by the second or third generation, the family has taken on the culture and the language. Some because they wanted to and wanted to fit in to their new surroundings. Some because they felt they had to. And it can be sad to see families lose their cultural heritage by the second or third generation (e.g., the children do not know the language or do not practice the same customs). There seems to be a fear in France that immigrants won't assimilate and there will be this radical Muslim population taking over (same with the U.S. and the fear of too many immigrants from Latin America) . But, most likely, after living in France for a couple of years, they will in fact start to take on French ideals and culture. And, really, who says there has to be complete integration into a culture once you immigrate there? Many immigrants can take on French ideals while still holding on to their cultural beliefs. Isn't it possible that French Muslim citizens can take on French culture and ideals, while being a practicing Muslim that wears a veil? Some might say that wearing a veil goes against the French ideal of gender equality and that the veil is a symbol of women's mistreatment. But there are women that wear veils that don't feel that way at all. Plus, there are only about 1,900 women in France that wear full veils. My guess is that number will dwindle as time goes on because of assimilation through the generations (and because of self-selection, the type of people that are immigrating to France are probably not as religiously conservative). France's actions of banning headscarves in public schools, looking into banning veils in public (it has been recommended by a parliamentary committee and is being considered now), denying citizenship to Muslims that show "radical religious practices", and other policies that hinder Muslim practices is simply causing a bigger rift between Muslims French citizens and non-Muslim French citizens -- which could hinder, not help, assimilation. France's actions are counter-productive to their goals. Instead their actions are causing tension, nationalism, and bigotry.