research - Associated Student Government, Northwestern University

RESEARCHMaster Frame: RightsThe French National Assembly members mentionedthe rights of women and of humans in multiple instances,with a great emphasis on the latter. “We mustdefend human rights, women’s rights, freedom andequality of men and women in our country.” 90 The ideaof protecting the rights of women as well as rights overalloften took the form of “our humanistic heritage” 91or “humanist values.” 92 Protecting rights became a markof a good country, of the French Republic. “We canbe proud of this model that underpins our social pactforged our identity and makes us focus, beyond ourborders, the ideas of respect for people and women, ofhuman dignity.” 93Sub-Frame: Women’s EqualityIn a resolution of May 11th, 2010 that lead up tothe National Assembly debate of July 6th, 2010, theNational Assembly wrote that it “considers that theradical practices detrimental to the dignity and equalitybetween men and women, including wearing a full veil,are contrary to Republican values.” 94 Asking women towear the veil but not men is clearly an affront to one ofthe core republican values: equality. “These practicesalso violated the principle of equality: you’ve all noticedthat [the Qur’an] only asks women to wear the full veil,not to men.” 95Allowing some women to wear the full veil in Franceconstitutes a “form of sexual apartheid” and is againstthe principles of the Republic. 96 “We condemn all sectarianforms of alienation. We condemn without appealwearing the burqa or niqab, because it is an insult towomen.” 97 “We condemn it as you wearing the full veilin the name of the Republic, its principles of freedom,especially freedom for women.” 98 Women’s rights andgender equality rise as a major sub-frame of rights. Theveil on Muslim women violates the republican value ofequality and it also undermines other progressive aspectsof French society. “How can we, in our country, fight forthe free accession to work, education, health care, equalpay for women, and not the means to fight against thatwhich symbolizes the ban all these freedoms?” 99 The veilundermines the entire edifice of French society.Sub-Frame: Identity versus Anonymity“The full veil dissolves the identity of a person.” 100Closely related to the women’s equality sub-frame is thesub-frame of identity versus anonymity. André Rossinotwas quoted by a member of the National Assembly ashaving said “What [is] the burqa? It shows that a womanis the property of her husband, father or brother andshe should not be seen by other men… the burqa is auniform that reduces women to anonymity.” 101 Not onlyis there a concern for women being subjugated, thereis concern that they become anonymous, identity-lessobjects.“I am against this prison of the full veil. It isolates,socialized, put away.” 102 Relating to the interactionnorms sub-frame of the “living together” master frame,the idea of the veil as an isolating prison is further developedinto how people connect to these women andrecognize them as having an identity. “The face is, theemotions it expresses, the preferred vehicle of the feelingof brotherhood. Stealing her face against the otheris to deny its own identity and take the risk of beingtreated without dignity as an object.” 103Sub-Frame: Liberation of VictimsSome of the National Assembly members usedphrases that made the French government’s failureto protect the rights of all citizens out to be a form ofvictimization, degradation and violence. “Constraint,concealment of the face affects the dignity of the person.The enslavement or degradation of the human personare strictly incompatible with our Constitution, ourconstitutional values.” 104 It is the place of the Frenchgovernment to intervene. “The Republic does not acceptviolations of human dignity. It does not toleratethe abuse of vulnerable people.” 105 A sub-frame of rightswas an understanding of veiled women as passive victimsand the ban as a way for them to end their enslavement.The women were portrayed as agency-less victims.“Wearing the full veil is often imposed on women whohave neither requested nor desired. This is a form of violencewhose perpetrators incur severe penalties.” 106 Theveil was seen not only as a symbol of this loss of dignity,but as a gateway to worse events. “The imposition of theveil is the first step of a downward spiral marked by theimprisonment and domestic violence.” 107 Even womenthat supposedly claimed to wear the veil by choice werequestioned and seen as pressured into it. “These women,even if they claim the port of this outfit, are often underthe influence of fundamentalist preachers, victims ofviolence within their families or forced to hide their facesby the pressures they face in their environment.” 108 TheFrench government was sweeping in and giving thesewomen an escape. “For them, this ban will be a point oftremendous support. They may invoke the law of the Republicto liberate themselves from the growing pressureon them.” 109 There was no discussion of exactly how thisban would help them, only that it would.Bérengère Poletti gave a compelling speech to theNational Assembly “on behalf of the delegation of women’srights and equality between men and women.” 110When you see one of these women fully veiled, blackgloved,black pavement, how do you feel? Obviously, eachof us has the feeling of crossing a person imprisoned, andeven inaccessible victim. These women who wear the signof alienation on their face must be paid even if they saythey are willing. As noted by Simone de Beauvoir, ‘the consentof the legitimate victims do nothing’ because it is oftenapparent, it is the result of a perverse brainwashing. 11158 NORTHWESTERN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH JOURNAL