What is the critique that Zine is making of nations like France? Do you find it convincing? Why or why not?
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Zine critiques nations like France, which control Muslim women’s bodies using multiculturalism and state secularism as an excuse. The hijab is banned in public schools and universities because it is perceived as a threat to ‘laïcité.’ According to Zine, it has become a symbol of “pollution of the nation” by the outsiders (Zine, 149). The veiled Muslim woman is paradoxically perceived as an oppressed victim of extreme Islamism and an immigrant who does not want to assimilate. Their bodies are controlled by religious authorities forcing them to wear the veil and by countries like France banning the hijab from public institutions. In both contexts, Muslim women are losing their agency.
Zine’s critique is persuasive. I am from France and agree that state secularism or ‘laicité’ is used anytime the state wants to enforce a law focused on Muslims. A few years ago, the ‘burkini’ scandal highlighted the paradox of laïcité in France. Conservative mayors in the south of France wanted to forbid bathing suits covering the whole body of Muslim women on beaches to preserve secularism. It is interesting to see how Western countries control women’s bodies. It is badly perceived to cover our bodies; it is expected if you are on a beach to be in a bikini, almost naked; so much for giving women the freedom to dress as they want.