How do Catholics feel about whether countries should ban Niqab/Burka (full face covering) or not?

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Rozellelily

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I am referring to the full face coverings that is now being banned in some European countries which some Muslims wear in public and not referring to just a headscarf.

I am in two minds because on one hand,I think it is Christian to be welcoming of all people and to accept/love/support people to practice their religion however they feel to,but then on the other hand I also see it as causing divisive in society and from my observation it is usually the more extreme minded people that choose to wear full face cover.
So I don’t think it’s necessary good for harmonious society,that individual woman’s psychology,or for security reasons (ie:a potential terrorist using the outfit as a cover to disguise themselves).

Living here in Australia,the majority of Muslim women don’t wear a full face cover so it’s perceived as not tolerant or bigoted to support banning them.
Whether this is due to it being a non issue,or rather due to political correctness-I don’t know?

I do know of a couple of women here who do wear it though and I also think the issue in Europe countries are more pronounced with more social issues…so what is the Catholic way to view this?
 
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It makes me uneasy when countries outlaw religious expression.

OTOH, there was an incident where a child was taken from a day care center by a woman in full burka who wasn’t the child’s mother. I forget all the details, but I believe Mom also wore a burka, so the providers didn’t question it.

So like you, I’m of two minds :confused:
 
Vanilla makes me uncomfortable!

I am a little conflicted about this. I guess it is a matter of perceived public safety, but for the majority it is unfounded. At what point does that outweigh religious prescripts ?
 
Safety issues aside,and maybe it’s controversial to say this in the current pc climate but do you think it’s necessary healthy for the mindset of the woman who chooses that?
It’s not just singling Muslim religion-anything where a person has an extreme mindset is unbalanced and unhealthy and can happen with some Catholics too but obviously in Islam the imbalance it’s more “publicity visually noticeable” due to clothing.
If a person lives this way without any (name removed by moderator)ut about it (in a respectful way) from others,can’t that become almost like a self imposed prison?
 
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But if she’s willing, where will we draw the line?

Who’s stopping people from saying nuns shouldn’t have to cover up, or long skirts are oppressive etc etc
 
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I don’t see how a full face covering can cause division in a society like you fear it would. In my country some Arab women wear full-face covering and no one thinks twice or even cares about it. The only problem I personally have is that sometimes I can’t understand what they’re saying through the veil.

By the way, the proper name for an Islamic full face covering is “niqab”.

IMHO, the way to view this is just live and let live. They’re not hurting you personally by wearing a niqab.
 
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Referring to the thread title, I don’t see this as a Catholic issue at all.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
don’t care if somebody wears a burka, as long as they agree to show their face for necessary security purposes, for example picking a child up from school, going through airport security, showing that they match a picture on their drivers license, etc.
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At my relatives’ kids’ school women in a niqab or burqa have to show their faces or else the child won’t be left with them. The school makes it clear that a woman with a full face veil will not be allowed to pick up her kid until she shows her face, and many opt for the hijab as a result. Full face covering isn’t even mandatory in Islam anyways.
 
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Head scarfs seem okay, but all that other gear seems a bit much. But its their religion, not mine. That God.
 
I am always hesitant to infringe upon liberty, particularly when it is done to target a specific group. The power you hand to the government to regulate the behavior of others will be expanded and used to regulate your behavior. I think it is a mistake to give government the right to ban burkas or hijabs. What’s next? You can’t wear the crucifix in public?
 
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Asinner said:
Exactly. So it’s not religious discrimination to insist that everyone show their face in public.
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So I’m not allowed to wear a mask on Halloween or in a parade, or bundle up my face in a scarf when it is freezing outside?

People don’t need to “show their face in public”. They need to show it only when there’s a legitimate need to show it, like security reason, or picking up your child at school.
 
Exceptional circumstances don’t disprove the general rule. And the general rule is that in the west, all of our interactions with each other are based on trust, which includes being able to see each other’s faces and therefore our intentions.
 
I think if the woman or her family have a deeply held religious conviction then it should be respected. It is a matter of modesty in very much the same way as my covering my shoulders and wearing only longer skirts.
 
Banning the Niqab or the Burka is simply straight up religious discrimination. Requiring some exceptions for security or other purposes (as @Tis_Bearself suggests) may be acceptable, if it is shown that those exceptions are truly necessary. As to what Catholics should think - any religious person should be concerned if the government can simply ban the practices of disfavored religions.
 
Just adding to the discussion, it could be that many women who feel compelled to wear the burka would be happy to have it banned. If you look at pictures of women from Muslim countries from the 60s, 70s and 80s, they were not wearing it in nearly the same numbers. And in ISIS areas, when ISIS was driven out, many women immediately removed their burkas and even burned them.
 
Where in my post did I mention religious discrimination? And you shouldn’t be “insisting” people show their faces in public. If I decide to put on a mask right now and walk around I expect to be fully able to do so, unless there is some safety concern about criminals or murderers or whatnot hiding their faces, in which case the government will take appropriate steps to ban all head covering, not just Muslim niqab (But do pay attention to how the OP singled out Muslim niqab 😉). Other than these and other security related cases, you don’t have the right to demand someone take off an article of clothing in public.

I’m muting this thread now, because I’ve no desire to witness once again the deterioration of yet another CAF thread on Muslims ( and given the original post, a thread that wasn’t looking so good from the start), nor read the same stereotypical posting about “a guy I know who knew a Muslim who threatened to kill them” and co from the same posters.
 
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You didn’t mention religious discrimination. I used your specific quote to make a more general point.

And societies can definitely insist on people following certain norms. That’s what societies do.
 
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