Should ‘burqa’ be banned?

The inconclusive debate over the necessity of the face veil or ‘burqa’ has been once again thrown into the limelight owing to France’s decision to ban it. It has raised a worldwide debate on whether a citizen has the right to practice its religious beliefs in a nation or not. The French government has taken this decision as its determined effort to define and protect French values but it has also disconcerted many in the country's large Muslim community.

Proponents of the law say face-covering veils don't square with the French ideal of women's equality or its secular tradition but even if we look at it from a different perspective we realize that the purpose of religious customs and traditions is for a person’s or society’s well being and when a custom or tradition poses a threat to the national security and sovereignty then in people’s good it should be withheld and prohibited. The veil is just not about the Islamic belief to cover a woman’s body but it also hides one’s identity, propagates inequality and is an example of gender oppression.

Therefore in my opinion the ‘burqa ban’ is justified because not only it violates women rights but it also aides identity concealment which could be a hazard pertaining to security issues in any nation at a time where terrorism and violence have become very serious issues.