Ban of the Burqa in Morocco
You would think that in a country with a 99% muslim population, it would be impossible for the government to ban a religious symbol like the burqa. This was proven wrong as the Moroccan government, stating security reasons, has recently banned the production and sale of the burqa in Morocco.
The burqa is an outer garment worn by Muslim women. It completely covers the body and face, leaving a little strip of see-through material for the women to look out of.
The primary explanation for this ban is “security reasons”; the government mentioned that there had recently been a rise in the number of crimes committed with the use of burqas to hide the criminals identities. Not only the use of burqas was a method for criminals to hide their identities, but also the use of a niqab. Similar to the burqa, the niqab covers the body and face of the woman wearing it only revealing the eyes.
Despite this being the official reason for the ban, another major worry for the government is the threat of radical Salafist Islam. Salafism has been linked to many terrorist groups, including the so-called, self-proclaimed “Islamic State”. The security is a major concern for Morocco as the country receives around ten million visitors a year and depends greatly on the revenue it makes from tourism. By banning the burqa the government hopes to slow the spreading of radical Islam in the country.
The ban has not caused outrage in Morocco, and this can be attributed to two main factors. First of all, only a small minority of Moroccan women actually wear burqas. The national garment is the Djellaba. During the mid-1980s, new veilings were introduced in Morocco, including the hijab, the niqab, and the burqa. Nowadays, it is very common to see Moroccan women wearing a hijab (a headscarf that covers the hair) and a djellaba or the hijab and western clothes. Secondly, solely the production and sale of the burqa, not the burqa itself, have been banned.
A couple influential personalities have been vocal about their opinions on this issue. Including Salafist extremist Abu Naim: he posted a video on his Facebook page saying that the people responsible for the ban were, “ ...infidels, apostates and renegades who are leading a war against God.” The Northern Moroccan National Observatory for Human Development thought that the ban was an, “indirect violation of women’s freedom of expression.”
On the opposing side, progressive women’s organisations have stated that this move of the government is necessary because the burqa ‘oppresses women’. Former Minister for Family and Social Development, Nouzha Skalli, also expressed his approval for the ban, saying that it was “an important step in the fight against religious extremism.”
Could this ban mean that Morocco is to follow the footsteps of some European countries such as France and Belgium, where it is illegal to wear full veils in public areas? What kind of impacts would that have on the women and Moroccan society as a whole and should the government have the power to ban religious clothes for security reasons? These are just some of the question that this issue has raised and that will continue to be in the spotlight of public discussion in Morocco.
