The French Burqa Ban: a Muslim Woman’s ‘Life’ Under the Living Together Principle

Abstract

The burqa and the right to choice especially for Muslim women has been one of the most controversial issues in the world in recent times. This has been fueled by Islamophobic rhetoric in an increasingly polarized world where liberal minded people often find themselves in a fix. Such a fix exists because of the repelling nature of both the vehement anti burqa and the staunch pro burqa discourse. The French imposing a complete ban on the veil adds more fuel to this cultural fire. The main aim of this paper is to understand the burqa controversy with specific focus on France and analyzing how the ECHR’s judgment upholding the French Burqa ban is endorsing a half-baked majoritarian law which undoes feminist principles and belittles veiled women and their autonomy in France.