Voluntary wearing of the chador will be punished in France with a fine or a lecture
And a day later, the military parade on the Champs-Élysées for Bastille Day for the first time included not only French soldiers, but also columns from 13 countries – former French African colonies. From the stands, President Nicolas Sarkozy greeted them.
It would seem, how are these two events connected? Where is the logic? However, many human rights activists declared that France, as a former colonial power, had no right to so uniquely remind of those moments of its recent history that perhaps are not worth being proud of. And although President Sarkozy condemned 'any colonial nostalgia', it was he who last year initiated the bill to ban the chador. One involuntarily wonders: is the French state for or against the dominance of European culture?
Generally speaking, the French chose convenience. A lady covered from head to toe in clothing is a sight that worries and irritates the average citizen. Moreover, it is a problem for the police, who are always concerned when it is impossible to quickly identify a person.
And the 'civilizing mission' in the colonies does not evoke much nostalgia, since in its time it was associated for France with burdensome efforts and sacrifices. This year marks half a century since the proclamation of independence of most French colonies in Africa in 1960. In many of them (especially in Algeria, which became free a little later), maintaining colonial domination with its corresponding administrative, educational and social institutions cost both money and lives. The spirit of the 'civilizing mission', very strong in France at the beginning of the 20th century, had faded by mid-century, so the collapse of the empire proceeded quickly.
However, the empire left as a legacy a huge population of former colonies speaking French and dreaming of living in the former metropolis (Russia faces a similar problem today). As a result, in the 65-million-strong France, over these fifty years, up to six million Muslim citizens have appeared.
Meanwhile, over the centuries since the medieval Arab conquests, the French have been accustomed to seeing Muslims only abroad. The appearance of mosques somewhere near Paris or Nantes evokes in a French person a subconscious fear of a new invasion, similar to the one from which the Franks fought off in the battle with the Arabs at Poitiers in 732. Therefore, when the construction of mosques was banned in Switzerland, Sarkozy expressed the opinion of many by recommending that fellow citizens 'respect the decision of the Swiss people'. Culturally alien also appear ladies wrapped from head to toe. So complete comfort (both using the colonies and getting 'convenient' migrants) did not work out.
Even the most politically correct politician is forced to take into account the subconscious fears of his electorate, although he tries not to call these fears by their names. This manifested itself during the vote on the 'fully covering veil' (as the chador is called in France). 335 deputies voted for the ban, and only one voted against. True, the Greens boycotted the vote for a 'demagogic' law, and the Socialists abstained, although they made it clear that the chador was also quite unpleasant to them.
Actually, no one particularly wanted to fight for the right of 'women of the East' to wear the chador. Only the organization Amnesty International mumbled something, from whose point of view legislation prohibiting forcing women to cover their faces is sufficient. Thus, a respected international organization put the public wearing of Muslim clothing on the same level as liberal laws of some EU countries put prostitution. Doing it is allowed, but forcing others to do it (i.e., pimping) is not.
But French deputies went a bit further. Not only forcing to wear the chador is punished (that carries a year in prison plus a fine of 30,000 euros), but also its voluntary wearing. A lady in a chador entering, say, a bus, will have to pay 150 euros and/or attend a course of lectures on the rights and duties of French citizens.
However, many voters consider even this option too lenient, calling for an unconditional and complete ban on the chador. In Europe, according to polls, 82% of French, 71% of Germans, 62% of British, and 59% of Spaniards support this. They insist on the adoption of prohibitive laws. For more subtle methods – studying the culture of the 'other', persuasion or educational work – modern consumer society seems incapable.