Burka Rage Begins in France: Two Women Try to Rip Burka From Muslim Woman

A 60-year-old lawyer and her adult daughter were shopping in a trendy French department store this weekend. They got into a physical fight with a 26-year-old Muslim convert who was wearing a burka. They tried to rip the garment off the younger girl’s body because they found it offensive. This is being called the first incident of “burka rage” in France. But tension focused around Muslim clothing has been building for some time in this country that is comprised of more than five million Muslims. (By comparison, the U.S. is estimated variously as up to 2.5 million.)

Five years ago, France banned any conspicuous symbol of religion from any public schools. While this covered all religions, it was thought to be aimed the most at the Muslim headscarf. But France, stating that it wished a secular national identity, did not stop there. Recently, the French parliament has adopted a formal motion declaring burkas and other forms of Islamic dress to be “an affront to the nation’s values.”

In addition to Belgium, they are expected to adopt legislation as early as September banning the burka entirely.

According to The Telegraph:

A police officer close to the case said: “The lawyer said she was not happy seeing a fellow shopper wearing a veil and wanted the ban introduced as soon as possible.”

The lawyer compared the Muslim woman to Belphegor, a demonic fictional character well known to French TV and film viewers. Belphegor has been featured in horror films, TV shows, pulp fiction and comic books since the early 1900s. Here is one sample from an early film.

First, the women argued. Then the lawyer ripped off the other woman’s veil, and the daughter of the lawyer joined in. The police reports indicated that the Muslim woman’s husband had to intervene to break up the attack.

The Arab News reports that a Council of Europe commission is opposing the total burka ban in both Belgium and France, as it would “rob women of their freedom of expression and could violate their religious freedoms.” This commission also wants Switzerland to end its ban on the building of minarets. They also explain:

The Council of Europe is a 47-nation human rights institution that will discuss the burka issue at its plenary next month.

It is a separate organization from the European Union and is the region’s primary human rights watchdog whose rulings are binding on all Council of Europe member states.

These are not trivial issues. The reaction to the legislation starting to spread across Europe could be monumental. It also could start working its way across the ocean. And people on any side of this issue are passionate.