In 2009, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that the burqa was “not welcome” in France: “It is a sign of subjugation, of the submission of women,” he stated before the French Parliament.
Several hours ago, two Muslim women wearing full face veils were arrested within hours of the enforcement of France's burqa ban. The women were taking part in a demonstration against the new measure in front of Notre Dame Cathedral in central Paris.
Their arrests came two years after Sarkozy denounced the burqa and two years after the presentation of Couture abayas which was held at the George V hotel in Paris. John Galliano, Paule Ka, Jean-Claude Jitrois, Bruno Frisoni, Felipe Oliverai Baptista, Adam Jones, Anne Valérie Hash and Martine Sitbon all showed designer interpretations of the long, black coat that comprises the essential element of the burqa. This garment is now an enemy of France, a nation that espouses Liberte, Egalite and Fraternite, yet is uncomfortable with the torrential history it shares with former Muslim colonies.
Above: An 1842 Lithography work by James Rattray showing a Persian (Qizilbash) woman in Afghanistan with a burqa next to her.
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Writes the Telegraph: "Officers have also been told to look out for members of the public taking the law into their own hands. The ban extends to all garments which cover the eyes, although scarfs, hats, and sunglasses are excluded. Muslims will be able to put on a veil in the privacy of their own homes, mosques, hotel room, or even cars, as long as they are not driving. The new ban will mean France is officially the second country in Europe, after Belgium, to introduce a full ban on a garment which immigration minister Eric Besson has called a 'walking coffin.'"
While French women face the fines and "civic duty" guidance if they break the law, men who force their wives or daughters to wear burqas will face up to a year in prison and fines of up to £25,000.
Above: Scenes from the 2009 Abaya show in France.
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Belgium introduced a full ban last year, although it has not been enforced with any vigor. A ban also looks likely in Holland, Spain and Switzerland.
The law is a major PR flub for a country steeped in fashion history and will no doubt fuel xenophobia and discontent among its masses. After the break, we take a look at the burqa in fashion and history.
Above: Malaysian singer Yuna is not wearing a burqa, a garment that covers the whole face and predates Islam. Yuna is instead wearing a headscarf or hijab which is worn by women as required by law in countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia.
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An abaya from Givenchy Fall 2009 Haute Couture collection.
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An abaya from Givenchy Fall 2009 Haute Couture collection.
An abaya covers the body. A burqa is a combination of the abaya and niqab and covers the head, hands and eyes. Example of a niqab after the break.
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A woman in the United Arab Emirates wearing a niqab; most women in Arabian countries wear this.
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Women in burquas. Roman African Christian Tertullian, writing in Chapter 17 of The Veiling of Virgins around 200 AD, praises the modesty of those "pagan women of Arabia" who "not only cover their head, but their whole face…preferring to enjoy half the light with one eye rather than prostituting their whole face." Strabo, writing in the first century AD, also refers to covering the face as a practice of some Persian women.
