{"id":5223,"date":"2016-08-25T14:40:10","date_gmt":"2016-08-25T20:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/?p=5223"},"modified":"2016-10-13T07:51:32","modified_gmt":"2016-10-13T13:51:32","slug":"whats-the-opposite-of-islamism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2016\/08\/whats-the-opposite-of-islamism.html","title":{"rendered":"What’s the opposite of Islamism?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File%3ANuns_clamming_-_Toni_Frissell_LC-F9-04-5709-012-17.jpg;<\/p>\n

Secularism, apparently.<\/p>\n

What, did you think that the fears of an Islamicist threat in Europe would bring the natives back to Christianity?<\/p>\n

I have yet to read any articles suggesting any revival in Christianity, either in belief or in practice, in Europe, as a result of the ISIS and Islamist threat (reports such as this one<\/a> notwithstanding).<\/p>\n

To the contrary, the \u201cburkini\u201d ban is justified in language that could apply to anyone with distinctive dress due to religion (yes, even nuns). \u00a0Any form of dress that\u2019s \u201ccontrary to secularism\u201d is forbidden.<\/p>\n

Now, granted, I\u2019m all for a true \u201cburqa ban\u201d \u2014 that is, I think it\u2019s entirely appropriate to ban the covering of one\u2019s face in public. \u00a0It\u2019s a matter of public safety, and applies equally to the burqa and niqab, the KKK hood, and wearing a ski mask into a convenience store. \u00a0(It would be likewise appropriate to carve out limited exceptions such as, in fact, ski masks while skiing or due to winter weather.)<\/p>\n

But to say that when the constituent parts of one\u2019s dress-on-a-beach \u2014 long pants, long-sleeved shirt, and a hair covering \u2014 are illegal because they identify one as a religious adherent, well, it clearly offends our American sensibilities, but seems entirely satisfactory to those enacting these laws.<\/p>\n

Here, courtesy the BBC<\/a>, is the actual language of the ban:<\/p>\n

\u201cAccess to beaches and for swimming is banned to any person wearing improper clothes that are not respectful of accepted customs and secularism\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBeachwear which ostentatiously displays religious affiliation, when France and places of worship are currently the target of terrorist attacks, is liable to create risks of disrupting public order\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Exactly how \u201cimproper clothes\u201d are defined isn\u2019t clear \u2014 can a woman wear a headscarf but a short-sleeved shirt? \u00a0Or a full long sleeves but a swim cap that\u2019s separate? \u00a0I haven\u2019t seen anything on this element.<\/p>\n

But if you think that the French supporters of this ban are going to rethink it upon being reminded that it affects nuns in habits<\/a>, you\u2019re mistaken. \u00a0This ban is not a sudden turnabout, or due to a history of targeting Islam. \u00a0They have a strict policy of secularization\u00a0that makes the US version toothless, and seem to be increasingly of the opinion that the way to integrate Muslims is with public secularism. \u00a0As The Economist<\/a> writes,<\/p>\n

France adheres to a strict form of secularism, known as la\u00efcit\u00e9, which is designed to keep religion out of public life. This principle was entrenched by law in 1905, after fierce anti-clerical struggles with the Roman Catholic church. Today, the lines are in some ways blurred. The French maintain, for instance, certain Catholic public holidays, such as Ascension. But on the whole, secular rules prevail. It would be unthinkable in France, for example, to stage a nativity play in a state primary school, or for a president to be sworn in on a Bible.<\/p>\n

Over the past 30 years, in response to a growing assertiveness among the country\u2019s 5\u20136 million Muslims, the focus of this effort to balance religious and secular needs has shifted to Islam. After a decade of legal uncertainty over the wearing of the headscarf in state schools, the French government in 2004 banned all \u201cconspicuous\u201d religious symbols, including the Muslim headscarf, from public institutions such as state schools or town halls. This was followed in 2010 by what the French call the \u201cburqa ban\u201d, outlawing the full face covering in public. Critics accuse France of illiberalism, of curbing freedom of religious expression, and of imposing a Western interpretation of female oppression. Amnesty International, for example, called the 2014 recent European court ruling \u201ca profound retreat for the right to freedom of expression and religion\u201d. For the French, however, it is part of an unapologetic effort to keep religious expression private, and to uphold the country\u2019s republican secular identity. Interestingly, many moderate Muslim leaders also back the ban as a bulwark against hard-line Islam.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bottom line: \u00a0whether you agree or disagree with the French, there\u2019s more going on than just harassing\u00a0Muslim women.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Image: \u00a0https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File%3ANuns_clamming_-_Toni_Frissell_LC-F9-04-5709-012-17.jpg; Toni Frissell [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Secularism, apparently. What, did you think that the fears of an Islamicist threat in Europe would bring the natives back to Christianity? I have yet to read any articles suggesting any revival in Christianity, either in belief or in practice, in Europe, as a result of the ISIS and Islamist threat (reports such as this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":5230,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[458,83,16,91],"class_list":["post-5223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-burkini","tag-france","tag-islam","tag-secularism"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat's the opposite of Islamism?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Secularism, apparently. What, did you think that the fears of an Islamicist threat in Europe would bring the natives back to Christianity? 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