The Burka Ban: Islamic Dress, Freedom and Choice in The Netherlands in Light of the 2019 Burka Ban Law

Bat-Sheva Hass

doi:10.3390/rel11020093

Abstract

This article, part of an evolving and large project, examines the relationship between clothing, freedom and choice, and specifically Islamic dress in shaping the identity of Dutch Muslim women after the Burka Ban that was voted into law on 1 August 2019 in the Netherlands. It discusses the debates before and after this date, as well as the background to the ban. A veil covering the face is a garment worn by some Muslim women to adhere to an interpretation of hijab (modest dress). It can be referred to as a burqa or niqab. In the aftermath of the Burka Ban that prompted considerable public alarm on the part of Muslim men and women, niqab-wearing women, as well as women who do not wear a veil, but are in solidarity with their niqabi sisters, raised a number of questions that form the basis for the analysis presented here: how do Dutch Muslim women shape their identity in a way that it is both Dutch and Muslim? Do they incorporate Dutch parameters into their Muslim identity, while at the same time weaving Islamic principles into their Dutch sense of self? The findings show how Islamic clothing can be mobilized by Dutch Muslim women to serve identity formation and personal (religious) choice in the Netherlands, where Islam is largely considered by the non-Muslim population to be a religion that is oppressive and discriminatory towards women. It is argued that in the context of being Dutch and Muslim, these women express their freedom of choice through clothing, thus pushing the limits of the archetypal Dutch identity and criticizing Dutch society while simultaneously stretching the meaning of Islam to craft their own identity.

Highlights

This article, part of an evolving and large project, examines the relationship between clothing, freedom and choice, and Islamic dress in shaping the identity of Dutch Muslim women after the Burka Ban that was voted into law on 1 August 2019 in the Netherlands
The visible presence of Islamic dress in the streets of the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Germany, Scandinavia, Israel, France and the US—the latter two endorsing strict separation between State and Church—has sparked heated debate (Badran 2006; Bartels 2005; Bowen 2010; Bowen 2007; Cesari 2005; Coene and Longman 2008; Elor 2017; Hass and Lutek 2018; Moors 2007; Moors and Tarlo 2013; Read and Bartkowski 2000; Read 2007; Van Nieuwkerk 2004; Van Nieuwkerk 2014; Vroon 2014). They center on the apparent rights and wrongs of coverings, hijab and face veils, and whether their use is forced or chosen, and to what extent they might indicate the spread of Islamic fundamentalism or pose concerns for security (Moors 2007; Moors 2009; Moors 2013; Moors and Tarlo 2013; Read 2007; Tarlo and Moors 2013)
To better understand how Muslim groups in the Netherlands are coping with these tensions, this study focused on Dutch Muslimas, i.e., native Dutch women who have chosen to convert to Islam at different levels of observance and born Muslim women who became more observant at a later stage

Summary

Introduction

This article, part of an evolving and large project, examines the relationship between clothing, freedom and choice, and Islamic dress in shaping the identity of Dutch Muslim women after the Burka Ban that was voted into law on 1 August 2019 in the Netherlands. It discusses the debates before and after this date, as well as the background to the ban. Scholars have noted that most of these debates ignore the development and proliferation of what is known today in Muslim circles and beyond as Islamic fashion, and how its emergence does not necessarily signal

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