The West on liberating Muslim women and protecting themselves from Muslim women.
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It is understood that the Islamic Regime's veiling law of 1980 is oppressive towards women, as forcing women to cover themselves takes away their bodily autonomy and democratic rights. Western media emphasizes the harsh punishments that women receive - including public flogging, imprisonment, and fines - if they do not cover in public, showing the 'backwardness' of the country (Hoodfar, 265). What Western media fails to remember is the implications of Iran's 1936 law banning the veil. In a plan to modernize Iran, the government (under shah's father), made it illegal for women to wear the veil (chador) in public (Hoodfar, 259). Hoodfar explains that the police were ordered to "pull off and tear up any scarf or chador worn in public" (Hoodfar, 259). As it was both the cultural and religious norm to be covered up, it left urban, lower middle class women with problems dealing with both the "public and private affairs of [their] her household" (Hoodfar, 261). Since women could not leave the house without a chador they were left to plead with their male relatives and community members to take care of public tasks previously under their domain. Without personal autonomy, women were left without the ability to socialize or work. And without the ability to work, women lost what little money they were able to keep for themselves (Hoodfar, 261). The negative impact on women's social and economic wellbeing with the de-veiling law is a prime example of how Western "liberation" is merely a hinderance to women.
When the town of Herouxville in Quebec implements charters that removes the right to cover your face in public, the question of who this is aim towards is brought up (Zine, 147). Herouxville is a majority white town that fears the Other. Through subtext it can be assumed that danger of a veiled Muslim woman, who covers her head and face, is what threatens their community (Zine, 147). While both the de-veiling rules Herouxville and Iran were created to protect Western ideals and 'liberate' women, the societal implications are far worse for Muslim women. If the "liberation" and "protection" of women come at the cost of their bodily autonomy, is it truly helpful?