France

Sarkozy's veil climbdown: Has Nicolas Sarkozy lost face in his battle against the burqa? One might think so considering his latest compromise on the issue. While the French president firmly believes that these allegedly Islamic veils are "a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement" which are "not welcome" anywhere in the Fifth Republic, he now thinks the only workable ban would be on public transport or in civic buildings.

France will today take the first step towards barring Muslim women from wearing the full veil when using public services, but will stop short of calling for an outright ban after critics argued that such a move would be socially divisive and hard to enforce. A cross-party committee of MPs was set up last year to explore the controversial issue in France of burkas and niqabs. The committee will recommend to ­parliament that Muslim women should be allowed to continue covering their faces in the street. Its final report will, however, recommend that anyone covering their face be barred from entering public sector property, including hospitals and schools, or using public transport.

On Tuesday 12 January 2010, the feminist playwright and actress of Algerian origin, Rayhana, was doused with petrol and narrowly escaped being burned alive when the lit cigarette thrown at her by two assailants failed to ignite. This completely unprovoked attack took place in the eleventh arrondissement of Paris as the 45-year-old actress was arriving at the theatre, ‘La maison des Metallos’, where she was due to resume her role in the play about women in Algeria, ‘At my age, I still have to hide to smoke!’ This grave act of physical aggression was accompanied by a verbal assault that left few doubts in the minds of the victim’s family about the link between the attempted homicide and the play’s representations of the rise of Islamic fundamentalism.

To some it is a symbol of female subjugation. But these women believe that their Islamic headwear is a versatile, liberating way of expressing their identities. Jilbab. Niqab. Al Amira. Dupatta. Burqa. Chador. Even the language used to describe the various kinds of clothing worn by Muslim women can seem as complicated and muddied as the issue itself. Rarely has an item of cloth caused so much consternation, controversy and misunderstanding as with the Islamic headscarf or veil.