The US Criticizes the Burqa Ban in France

A report from the U.S. Department of State provides an overview of religious freedom. It condemns Egypt and China, but also Europe for its restrictive dress code laws, which penalizes Muslims.

The U.S. points a finger at France on the subject of the burqa. The U.S. Department of State blew the whistle Monday on a rise in anti-Semitism and hostility toward Muslims in Europe. And it criticized the burqa ban in France and Belgium in its “International Religious Freedom Report,” in which it also condemned Egypt and China. Commenting on this report produced by the Department of State in 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton assessed that “the world is sliding backward” in the protection of religious freedom, “this human right — this key feature of stable, secure, peaceful societies …”

Providing a country-by-country summary 18 months after the beginning of the Arab Spring, the Department of State wanted to highlight, “the impact of political and demographic transitions on religious minorities, who tended to suffer the most in 2011; the effects of conflict on religious freedom; and the rising tide of anti-Semitism.”

But the U.S. reserved its most acerbic criticisms for Europe. These “countries in Europe are becoming more ethnically, racially, and religiously diverse. These demographic changes are sometimes accompanied by growing xenophobia, anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim sentiment …” bemoans the Department of State. Particularly, it notes, “a rising number of European countries, including Belgium and France, whose laws restricting dress adversely affected Muslims and others,” an allusion to legislation against the burqa.

The U.S. duly expressed its disagreement with Paris on the matter. To wear or not to wear religious attire “should be a personal choice,” insisted Suzan Johnson Cook, US ambassador for religious freedom. The French law banning concealment of the face in public places has been in effect since April 11, 2011. Before being elected, the French president Francois Hollande was committed to preserving it. Belgium adopted the same legislation in July 2011.

“Stop Targeting Muslims Through Legislation or Policy”

Last week, the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner Nils Muiznieks called on lawmakers, notably in Paris and Brussels, to “stop targeting Muslims through legislation or policy.”

The U.S. also takes on China. They bemoan “a marked deterioration during 2011 in the government’s respect for and protection of religious freedom in China,” especially for “Tibetan Buddhists, Christians and Uighur Muslims ….” The U.S. admonished Beijing last week saying, “the overall human rights situation in China continues to deteriorate.”

Having collected data in 2011, in the midst of the Arab Spring, the Department of State praises the “… countries in political transition …” in North Africa and the Middle East, notably Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, saying that the “the situation of religious minorities in these societies comes to the forefront.” But it cautions, “some members of society who have long been oppressed seek greater freedom and respect for their rights while others fear change. Those differing aspirations can exacerbate existing tensions.”

The report mostly criticizes Egypt for not stamping out violence against the Coptic Christian minority. “… As they form new constitutions, it’s a wonderful opportunity to include … religious freedom,” pleaded Johnson Cook regarding Arab countries. Lastly, the Department of State is alarmed by a “global increase in anti-Semitism, manifested in Holocaust denial, glorification and relativism; conflating opposition to certain policies of Israel …” and “acts of desecration and assault,” citing Venezuela, Egypt, Iran, Ukraine, Hungary, the Netherlands and France.