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Pressure
Anyone who has spent any time in Europe, and especially in France, should not be surprised by the burqini dilemma that has been igniting ire from feminists and human rights activists alike.
For one thing, France has seen a number of terrorist attacks. Muslim extremists living in Europe, have planned and carried out a succession of terrible acts of violence and mass murder in this country under the banner of ISIS.
For another, western Europe has seen a dramatic influx of immigrants and refugees from north Africa and the Middle East, many of them Muslims, which has meant a huge shift in the social landscape of countries like France and the U.K.—the ultimate culture clash.
Beyond that, western Europe seems to have an aversion to welcoming strangers. That unabashed xenophobia is indiscriminate, and likely has more to do with cultural protectionism than actual hatred.
But all of these factors together lead to instances of women being fined for the clothes they wear, punished for attempting to embrace their European lives while continuing to follow their own religious and cultural practices. For failing to wear “an outfit respecting good morals and secularism” at the beach. For covering their bodies while out having a good time at the beach.
Europeans, and North Americans for that matter, seem to be scared of Muslim extremism, and as a result, there are certain social behaviours— even laws—that emerge that alienate Muslims.
While France’s highest court has deemed the burqini ban unconstitutional and ordered the 20 French municipalities enforcing it to stop, they have refused. It is, the mayors insist, for public safety.
To some, the ban seems reasonable. To others, absolutely insane. But to a frustrated young Muslim person, one who has already experienced a lifetime of discrimination and prejudice, one who is just unstable enough to buy into the rhetoric of extremist groups like ISIS, this issue might just be the one that gives them the courage and the drive to join the fight.
Europeans have created a self-fulfilling prophecy: the actions taken in response to a fear of Muslim extremism might actually contribute to causing it.
Bangladeshi-born Canadian Tamim Chowdhury made headlines with his death last week after he was implicated in a terrorist attack in Bangladesh. Chowdhury had left Canada to join the unconfirmed branch of ISIS.
Why Chowdhury would want to leave the comfort and safety of a first-world country like Canada to die for a group as cruel as ISIS is a mystery to the average Canadian, but to him it seemed reasonable enough. And the fact is, none of us can know what he experienced before the call seemed inviting enough.
What we must know is that despite the freedom we insist all Canadians and residents have here, social prejudices and socio-economic boundaries make minorities—especially those singled out by fear-mongering news stories—feel like pariahs. And for a tiny portion of those minority groups, that can be dangerous.
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