Right: France acted in 2004 to ban the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols, which, of course, included Muslim head scarves. Despite the rather dramatic look of the digitised picture, few Muslim women in France actually wear the burqa..
Arguments in favour of banning burqas
1. Burqas can be used by criminals to disguise their identitiesIt has been claimed that the burqa is a threat because it enables criminals to disguise their identity and commit crimes with less likelihood of being recognised and apprehended.
Senator Corey Bernardi has stated, 'The burqa is ... now emerging as the preferred disguise of bandits and ne'er-do-wells.'
Mr Bernardi then gave as an example a recent robbery committed by a man wearing a burqa. 'In Sydney this morning a man was robbed by a burqa wearing bandit who further disguised his (or her) identity by wearing sunglasses. The bandit was described by police as being of "Middle Eastern appearance".
Well of course he was (assuming it was a he) because the only characteristics the victim could see were the burqa and the sunglasses. Now unless the sunglasses had "made in Iran' stamped on them, it's fair to say that the "Middle Eastern appearance" line was attributed to the head to toe veiling of the Islamic burqa.'
2. Burqas encourage separatism and promote prejudice
It has been claimed that the burqa is a conspicuous symbol of some Muslims refusal to integrate into Western society. It has further been claimed that by wearing the burqa Muslim women actually foster anti-Muslim feeling via what is interpreted as their aggressive separatism.
Age columnist, Virginia Haussegger, stated in 2009, 'Wearing the burqa - or niqab - in Australia is an aggressive way of saying "I will not integrate into your society, and I care nothing for the cultural mores and social traditions of this country". Instead, the woman wearing it is demonstrating that she would rather submit to gender apartheid than embrace the social norms of this place. The burqa is an arrogant display of disrespect to Australia and the Australian way of life.'
It has further been claimed that to dress in this aggressively non-Western manner simply drives a wedge between Muslim women and the majority of non-Muslim Australians and as such fosters prejudice and ill-feeling.
3. Other forms of face covering are already prohibited
It has been claimed that it is unjust to allow the burqa when other forms of face covering such as balaclavas, ski masks and motorcycle helmets are prohibited.
Mr Bernardi has stated, 'As an avid motorcyclist I am required to remove my helmet before entering a bank or petrol station. It's a security measure for the businesses and no reasonable person objects to this requirement. However, if I cover myself in a black cloth from head to toe, with only my eyes barely visible behind a mesh guard, I am effectively unidentifiable and can waltz into any bank unchallenged in the name of religious freedom.'
4. Burqas are not a required religious observance for Muslim women
It has been argued that burqas are not a religious observance but a means of social control.
Liam Bartlett, a reporter with 60 Minutes, has stated, 'The Koran does not specifically mention the burqa. There is nothing that says it needs to be expressly worn to be a practising Muslim but that doesn't stop some zealots from claiming a law against it would be anti-Muslim. What it would be is pro-liberation.'
Relatedly, Egyptian-born columnist and lecturer, Mona Eltahawy, has claimed that burqas are part of an ideology that 'describes women alternately as candy, a diamond ring or a precious stone that needs to be hidden to prove her "worth". That is not a message Muslims learn in our holy book, the Koran, nor is the face veil prescribed by the majority of Muslim scholars.
It is instead a pillar of the ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam known as Salafism. It is associated with Saudi Arabia ... where it is clear that women are effectively perpetual children, forbidden as they are from driving, from travelling alone and from even the simplest of surgical procedures without the permission of a male "guardian".
5. Burqas are a restriction placed on women to limit their freedom
It has been claimed that wearing the burqa is a major restriction imposed on women.
Mona Eltahawy is an Egyptian-born commentator on Arab and Muslim issues has stated, 'I am a Muslim, I am a feminist and I detest the full-body veil, known as a niqab or burqa. It erases women from society...'
Mona Eltahawy has further stated, ' the ideology that promotes the niqab and burqa does not believe in the concept of women's rights to begin with'.
In an opinion piece published in The Age on May 21, 2010, Virginia Haussegger has stated, 'The burqa has nothing to do with ethnic diversity and everything to do with a war against women. Those who wear it, and those who insist it be worn, subscribe to an ideology in which women are inferior sexual temptresses, whose female form is a problem and must be covered. This is based on the contradictory proposition that men are both superior and yet unable to control their sexual urges if they see women in their natural human state. If this wasn't deadly serious, it would be funny.'
Opposition spokeswoman for women Pru Goward has said the burqa does not fit with her view of women's rights.
Liam Bartlett, a reporter with 60 Minutes, has stated, 'Tolerating the burqa is not about multicultural harmony, it merely allows us to turn a blind eye to subjugation. In all my travels through the Middle East, I have never seen any burqa-clad woman walking less than three paces behind her husband.'
Age columnist, Virginia Haussegger, stated in 2009, 'For a woman to argue she feels more comfortable hidden beneath her burqa, away from the gaze of men, is unacceptable in modern society. Such a claim represents total submission to sexual subordination. That sort of thing might have been understandable - perhaps even forgivable - when women were uneducated and utterly dependent on men for food, shelter and protection. But women must no longer agree to such secondary status.'
6. Those who live in Australia should be prepared to adhere to Australian customs
The wearing of the burqa is an oppressive measure that is contrary to Australian values. Those coming to live in Australia should be prepared to abide by the values that are part of Australian life.
Senator Bernardi has stated, 'In my mind, the burqa has no place in Australian society. I would go as far as to say it is un-Australian. To me, the burqa represents the repressive domination of men over women which has no place in our society and compromises some of the most important aspects of human communication...
Equality of women is one of the key values in our secular society and any culture that believes only women should be covered in such a repressive manner is not consistent with the Australian culture and values.'
Developing this idea further, Senator Bernardi has gone on to claim, 'New arrivals to this country should not come here to recreate the living environment they have just left. They should come here for a better life based on the freedoms and values that have built our great nation.'
Age columnist Virginia Haussegger stated in 2009, 'Islamic fundamentalists view Australia, and all Western democracies, as immoral and decadent - because the women are free. Australia must not allow that radical and overt tool of fundamentalism - the burqa - to be worn here. It defies our cherished values of equality and freedom.
Wearing the burqa - or niqab - in Australia is an aggressive way of saying "I will not integrate into your society, and I care nothing for the cultural mores and social traditions of this country". Instead, the woman wearing it is demonstrating that she would rather submit to gender apartheid than embrace the social norms of this place. The burqa is an arrogant display of disrespect to Australia and the Australian way of life.'