7.2.3 Dealing with Racism in a Pluralist Society
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7.2.3 Dealing with Racism in a Pluralist Society
"Afghan woman and child in Parwan Province", by Sgt. Sean A. Terry, USA. Image courtesy of DefenseLINK, Public Domain
What thoughts come to mind when you look at the photo of a woman in Afghanistan and her child? Does the fact she wears a burqa (burka) make you uncomfortable? Does it make you think she is oppressed? Or does it make you think she is free
to choose her own style of clothing in keeping with her religious views?
We live in a world of people with many different beliefs and values. Although many people in liberal democracies may feel a woman who is protected completely from the view of everyone does not have the equal rights that are guaranteed to all people, regardless of gender, some Muslims believe that modest dress is a way of serving Allah. Others believe that women must be fully covered to protect them from unwelcome attention from men.
Dispute occurs within Muslim society regarding the use of the niqab and the burka. In fact, the Muslim Canadian Congress has called for a ban on this form of dress in Canada.
We live in a world of people with many different beliefs and values. Although many people in liberal democracies may feel a woman who is protected completely from the view of everyone does not have the equal rights that are guaranteed to all people, regardless of gender, some Muslims believe that modest dress is a way of serving Allah. Others believe that women must be fully covered to protect them from unwelcome attention from men.
Dispute occurs within Muslim society regarding the use of the niqab and the burka. In fact, the Muslim Canadian Congress has called for a ban on this form of dress in Canada.
A spokeswoman for the the Congress said:
"To cover your face is to conceal your identity. The tradition of Muslim women covering their faces in public is a tradition rooted more in Middle Eastern culture than in the Islamic faith, and there is nothing in any of the primary Islamic religious texts, including the Qur'an, that requires women to cover their faces-not even in the controversial, ultra-conservative tenets of Sharia law. Considering the fact that women are in fact forbidden from wearing burkas in the grand mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest site, it hardly makes sense that the practice should be permitted in Canada. If a government claims to uphold equality between men and women, there is no reason for them to support a practice that marginalizes women."
"To cover your face is to conceal your identity. The tradition of Muslim women covering their faces in public is a tradition rooted more in Middle Eastern culture than in the Islamic faith, and there is nothing in any of the primary Islamic religious texts, including the Qur'an, that requires women to cover their faces-not even in the controversial, ultra-conservative tenets of Sharia law. Considering the fact that women are in fact forbidden from wearing burkas in the grand mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest site, it hardly makes sense that the practice should be permitted in Canada. If a government claims to uphold equality between men and women, there is no reason for them to support a practice that marginalizes women."
Racism and Racial Profiling
When we see things we do not understand, we often make judgements leading to stereotyping people of other cultures and races. Unfortunately, racism is too common in today's world-a world in which people of various races are far more interconnected than in the world of our ancestors. Ethic jokes, racial slurs, and racial profiling (such as a law enforcement person using race or ethnicity in deciding to question or arrest someone) happen so frequently that Americans have an acronym for it: "DWB" or "driving while black" is slang for the supposed "crime" of being black while driving. Police in some parts of Canada have been accused of racially targetting Aboriginal people.After September 11, 2001, the racial profiling of people from the Middle East in airport security has increased.
"McCarthyism Alive and Well in 2002"by James Grasdal. ©Artizans
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"Racial profiling by Edmonton Police Uncovered" CBC News: The National, You-tube
Learn more about the similarites between the illiberal actions taken during the Cold War under McCarthyism,
and racial profiling in today's world.
Consider the following stories from around the world:
"Twelve airline passengers arrested in Amsterdam on suspicion of planning acts of terrorism were released Thursday after Dutch police found no evidence they were about to commit an act of violence."
"Two Israeli-Arab brothers have won $8,000 in damages from Israel's national carrier, El Al, after a court found that their treatment by the company's security staff had been abusive and unnecessary."
"Muslim, Arab, and South Asian passengers are being profiled by Homeland Security officers at Kennedy Airport, civil liberties groups said Wednesday, citing a New Jersey family that was detained and interrogated after a flight from Dubai last
week. The family, a mother and her 20-year-old twin daughters from Montclair, N.J., said they were plucked from the baggage area, held six hours without food or water by Customs and Border Protection agents, and questioned about their views
of Iraq."
To what extent should an individual or group's rights be violated (illiberal action) on the basis of race, culture or religion?
Six imams removed from a US Airways flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix are calling on Muslims to boycott the airline. If only we could get Muslims to boycott all airlines, we could dispense with airport security altogether.
Ann Coulter, American commentator
Others believe that everyone in a liberal democracy has the right to equal treatment under the law regardless of circumstance.
Some people said that after September 11, 2001, human rights must take a back seat to security. I disagree. If human rights are worth defending, we must actively promote and exercise them, and deplore religious persecution, racial profiling,
and racial discrimination and vigorously promote human rights.
Shirley Sarna, Quebec Human Rights Commission
Consider the following questions:
- In a pluralist society, should all people enjoy equal rights, regardless if we hold different ideas about what those rights should be?
- How important is tolerance in a pluralist society?