Politics of the Veil - Question 1

1. Despite reservations about the headscarf, the political scientist Mossuz-Lavau argues against the law to ban headscarves. What is at the crux of her argument? Is it valid? (162)

Mossuz-Lavau argues against the law to ban headscarves because she thinks that the decision of whether or not to wear headscarf shouldn't be made by the government but Muslim women themselves. According to the article Politics of the Veil, written by Joan Wallach, Mossuz-Lavau does not support the wearing of headscarf because she thinks the veil designates the woman as "a source of sin" and "a potential whore," and deprives a woman of sexual liberation that was hers by right. But meanwhile, she argues that a ban on wearing headscarf won't effectively give Muslim women more freedom or raise their awareness of the sexual liberation they were supposed to have because such liberation "could only come from being exposed to modern ideas at school. " I think the crux of her argument is that girls with headscarves must be allowed to stay in school, in order to receive the education they need to learn more about sexual freedom and help them make the right decision regarding whether or not to wear headscarf. I believe her argument is valid because she provided strong evidence to support her argument. First of all, "public opinion polls demonstrated that modern liberal attitudes were held by those with high levels of education; the most bigoted members of French society were those with no degrees." In addition, Mossuz-Lavau has personally interviewed Muslim women about sexual practices in French society, and the result showed that women who violated Islamic norms and had sex before marriage all held high academic degrees.

Reference:

Scott, Joan Wallach. "The Politics of the Veil ." Constellations 15.3 (2008): 162-163. Web.