At the end of March 2017, the European People’s Party (EPP) organised a congress in Malta. This political grouping includes a number of European parties with centre-right and/or Christian Democrat tendencies, including the Nationalist Party of Malta (PN).
To make sure we’re on the same page, the burqa is veil that covers the entire face, whereas the niqab contains a slit through which the eyes are visible. Both are common in the culture of countries whose primary religion is Islam.
This statement is more strange than curious, when one remembers the efforts of Mr Busuttil two years ago to declare that the PN was not a Christian club but was open to people of other religious persuations (read Muslims primarily). We will see whether Joseph Muscat, Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party (PL), is cunning enough to take the moral, if not popular, high ground and distance the PL from such a step, and strategically position the PL as more open to people of other faiths.
From my side, it’s only since I’ve been in Australia that I’ve been encountering women wearing the burqa or niqab. Since in this country they are a tiny minority, they are conspicuous and draw attention, and perhaps this is their main problem, that is the draw attention to a culture and tradition that is relatively new and imported into this country, as well as to European countries that are considering this step.
I am not convinced at all by the argument of the burqa and/or the niqab presenting a security threat. How can clothes be considered a threat? These clothes in particular immediately associate their wearers with Islam, which for many people is directly associated with terrorism, and this is where all this pressure against the burqa and niqab is coming from.
Terrorism does not need these clothes to carry out its disgusting work. It is true that there have been cases where the burqa was used as a disguise, but there have been many more where this clothing was completely uninvolved.
For many people, passing a law against wearing the burqa and the niqab represents a victory, small but symbolic and highly visible, against this religion, misunderstood but despised, even hated. It’s a win against immigrants, refugees, queue jumpers, those who lord it over our backs, take our work and property, and then to boot have the temerity to pull out a knife to us or attack some poor bugger on the street. The burqa and niqab represent the terrorists, in the eyes of many.
It’s amazing how leaders of these parties in Europe and around the world subscribe to this narrative, formalising this association between an innocuous act (wearing of clothes) with terrorism (labelled a security threat), and become participants in dog whistling of a whole religion with more than a billion adherents around the world. I expected better from them.
It’s no use for these leaders in the same breath saying that Islam is not the enemy, and that Muslims are already an integral part of society. Why should we interfere with how people dress for them to be accepted in public?
If viewing of someone’s face is so important in Western society, why don’t we object to Father Christmas apart from the niqab? Aren’t the eyes the only part of the face visible while ringing the bell and shouting “ho ho ho”?
If these leaders had proposed that it be mandatory for burqa or niqab wearers to be obliged to show their face if deemed necessary by members of law and order, or where it’s necessary to be identified to provide a personalised service, I’d agree with that.
If these leaders had proposed it to be against the law for anyone to force a woman to wear any dress against her will, I would also be in agreement.
However, I feel that this attitude is nothing but an attempt to strike a symbolic blow to Islam, to endear themselves to the apparently growing number of people around the world being intolerant to this religion, so that the tendency of votes trickling to extreme right parties is reduced. What has happened to the principles of tolerance and individual freedom? Shall we start prescribing wardrobe contents from now on?
“Do they tolerate our customs in their countries?”, I have often heard defenders of the Christian faith complain. “Then we shouldn’t tolerate them either”, their pseudo-logic continues.
If we’re better than them, are we going to start acting like them? And if we act like them, do we remain better?
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Fl-aħħar ta' Marzu 2017, sar kungress tal-Partiti Popolari Ewropew (EPP) f'Malta. Dan il-grupp politiku jiġbor fih diversi partiti Ewropej ta' tendenza ċentru-lemin u/jew nisel Kristjan-Demokratiku, inkluż il-Partit Nazzjonalista (PN) Malti.
Biex inkun żgur li qed niftiehmu, il-burqa hija velu li tgħatti l-wiċċ sħiħ filwaqt li n-niqab huwa velu li jkollu fetħa li tħalli 'l-għajnejn jidhru. It-tnejn huma komuni fil-kultura ta' pajjiżi fejn il-reliġjon ewlenija hija l-Islam.
Iktar stramba milli kurjuża din l-istqarrija, meta wieħed jiftakar l-isforz tas-Sur Busuttil sentejn ilu biex jistqarr li l-PN mhux klabb għall-Insara imma miftuħ għal nies ta’ reliġjonijiet oħra (aqra l-Musulmani primarjament). Issa naraw jekk Joseph Muscat, Prim Ministru u kap tal-Partit Laburista, hux makakk biżżejjed biex jieħu l-pożizzjoni moralment għolja, anke jekk forsi mhux popolari, li jbiegħed lill-PL minn pass bħal dan, u strateġikament ipinġi lill-PL bħala iktar miftuħ għal nies ta’ reliġjonijiet oħra.
Jien ngħid għalija huwa biss kemm ilni l-Awstralja li bdejn niltaqa' regolarment ma' nisa lebsin il-burqa jew in-niqab. Peress li f'dan il-pajjiż huma f'minoranza żgħira, dejjem jispikkaw u jiġbdu l-għajn, u forsi din hija l-problema maġġuri tagħhom, ċioe li jattiraw l-attenzjoni għal kultura u tradizzjoni li hija relattivament ġdida u impurtata għall-dan il-pajjiż, kif ukoll għall-pajjiżi Ewropej li qed jikkunsidraw din il-ħaġa.
L-argument li l-burqa u/jew in-niqab jirrappreżentaw theddida għas-sigurtà ma jikkonvinċini xejn. Kif jistgħu ħwejjeġ ikunu ta' theddida? Dan il-ħwejjeġ partikulari mallewwel jassoċjaw lill-persuni li qed jilbsuhom mal-Islam, li għal ħafna nies huwa direttament assoċjat mat-terroriżmu, u minn hawn ġejja l-pressjoni kontra l-burqa u n-niqab.
It-terroriżmu m'għandux bżonn dan il-ħwejjeġ biex jagħmel ix-xogħol ta' ħniżrija tiegħu. Veru li kien hemm każijiet fejn il-burqa intużat bħala travestiment, imma kien hemm bil-wisq aktar fejn ma kellha x'taqsam xejn.
Għal ħafna nies, li tgħaddi liġi bħal din kontra l-ilbies tal-burqa u n-niqab tirrappreżenta rebħa żgħira, imma simbolika u viżibbli ħafna, kontra din ir-reliġjon ġdida, mhux mifhuma, imma mistmerra u anke mibgħuda. Hija rebħa kontra l-immigranti, ir-rifuġjati, dawk li qed jiġu jaqbżu l-kjuwijiet, ipappuha minn fuq daharna, jeħdulna x-xogħol u l-proprjetà, imbagħad biex tagħqad joħorġu s-sikkina għalina jew jħebbu għal xi povru fit-triq. Il-burqa u n-niqab jirrappreżentaw lit-terroristi, fl-għajnejn ta' ħafna nies.
Ħaġa tal-għaġeb kif mexxejja ta' dawn il-partiti fl-Ewropa u madwar id-dinja jaslu biex jissottoskrivu din in-narrattiva, jifformalizzaw din l-assoċjazzjoni bejn att innokwu (l-ilbies) mat-terroriżmu (msejjaħ theddida għas-sigurtà), u jsiru parteċipi fl-ikkalunjar ta' reliġjon sħiħa ta' iktar minn biljun ruħ madwar id-dinja. Kont nistenna aħjar minnhom.
Jien għalija għalxejn li l-istess mexxejja jippruvaw jgħidu fl-istess nifs kemm l-Islam mhuwiex l-għadu, u li l-Musulmani huma diġà parti integrali mis-soċjetà tagħna. Għalfejn għandna nindaħlu kif nies għandhom jilbsu biex ikunu aċċettati fil-pubbliku?
Jekk li wieħed jara l-wiċċ ta' dak li jkun huwa tant importanti fis-soċjetà tal-Punent, għaliex ma noġġezzjonawx għall-Father Christmas apparti għan-niqab? Mhux ukoll l-għajnejn biss ikunu jidhru waqt li qiegħed idoqq il-qanpiena u jgħajjat “ħo ħo ħo”?
Kieku dawn il-mexxejja pproponew li jkun mandatorju li dik li tilbes il-burqa jew n-niqab tkun obbligata li turu wiċċha jekk jinħass il-bżonn minn membri tal-forzi tal-ordni fil-pajjiż, jew fejn ikun hemm bżonn tidentifika ruħha biex tingħata servizz personali, hemmhekk naqbel magħha.
Kieku dawn il-mexxejja pproponew li jkun kontra l-liġi għal min iġiegħel lil xi mara tilbes kwalunkwe lbies kontra r-rieda tagħha, ukoll kont naqbel mal-proposta.
Imma fil-fatt, jien wisq nibża li din l-attitudni mhi xejn ħlief daqqa simbolika kontra l-Islam, biex jintgħoġbu man-numru li jidher li qed jikber madwar id-dinja ta' nies b’intolleranza lejn din ir-reliġjon, ħalli t-tendenza tal-voti li jmorru għall-partiti tal-lemin estrem titnaqqas. Fejn marru l-prinċipji tat-tolleranza u l-libertà tal-individwi? Se nibdew nippreskrivu l-gwardarobba tan-nies issa?
“Huma jittolleraw l-użanzi tagħna f'pajjiżhom?”, ġieli smajthom jgħidu d-difensuri tal-Insara. “Mela ma nittollerawx lilhom lanqas”, ikomplu bil-psewdo loġika.
Jekk aħna aħjar minnhom, se nibdew naġixxu bħalhom? U jekk naġixxu bħalhom, nibqgħu aħjar minnhom?
1http://malta2017.epp.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/1-EPP-Resolution5938.pdf, retrieved 18/4/2017
2http://netnews.com.mt/2017/04/16/il-kap-tal-partit-nazzjonalista-simon-busuttil-favur-il-projbizzjoni-ta-nies-bwicchom-mghotti-fil-pubbliku/, retrieved 18/4/2017
1http://malta2017.epp.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/1-EPP-Resolution5938.pdf, retrieved 18/4/2017
2http://netnews.com.mt/2017/04/16/il-kap-tal-partit-nazzjonalista-simon-busuttil-favur-il-projbizzjoni-ta-nies-bwicchom-mghotti-fil-pubbliku/, retrieved 18/4/2017
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