Sarkozy’s view of Muslim dress code is myopic

By Abdulahi Ahmednasir

The French President, Nicolas Sarkozy is a short man with monarchical pretensions. He is man with a self-inflated ego, who sees himself in mystical visions. He considers himself to be something close to a messiah, not only to the French people but also probably to the entire world.

His second marriage to the Italian model-cum-singer Carla Bruni seems to have revitalised his grandeur views about his place in the world. As the husband of a woman who on countless occasions posed nude, some available on the Internet, Sarkozy must be too familiar with the naked flesh of women, and not just in bedroom.

Because of the frequency nudity is used in relation to Carla Bruni, the image of Sarkozy and Bruni walking, relaxing or eating naked Adam and Eve style, but without the branch leaf covering their private parts in Elyse Palace might not be farfetched. In the process, he might have internalised nudity of women as the norm.

In equal measure, Sarkozy must loathe women who cover themselves. One thing is dead certain. Sarkozy does not like the Burga, a form of dress that Muslim women wear, for it hides too much. It is only by appreciating his indulgence for nudity, especially of beautiful woman, that one can appreciate the policy speech last Monday in which he declared the Burga prohibited and unwelcome in the French Republic.

Last Monday, Sarkozy gave a State of the Nation address that was the first by a French president to both Houses of Parliament since 1873. To make this grandiose occasion legally possible, Sarkozy had to amend the constitution last year.

The country was expecting a big speech, which in a sense was misplaced. Considering the geopolitics of the world, France’s relevance is shrinking and its importance diminishing. Even Francophone Africa no longer sees France as the allure it was once upon a time. So with a big ego and little global relevance, Sarkozy’s speech will be remembered for what he thought will leave a lasting impression. He zeroed in on the Muslim minority, while never losing sight of the need for women to show more flesh. France has five million Muslims, the largest in Europe. It is not a minority that is allowed the religious freedoms we usually associate with the West or as we know here. Freedoms of worship for French Muslims is curtailed and supervised by State.

So for lack of greater issues to address, the highlight of Sarkozy’s speech was entirely about a garment some few Muslim women wear. That his speech will be remembered for his views on Muslim woman’s dress is a testimony of the smallness of France and how its imperial stock has terminally declined.

The French president in his speech declared the "Burga is not a religious sign. It is a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement. It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic". In a betrayal of what he really likes and loathes about how women should (un) dress, he said, "we cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity". Doesn’t Sarkozy have enough nudity in his household? Or is it a case of the emperor insisting variety is the spice of life?

The French will endlessly lecture foreigners that their constitution is based on separation between the Church and the State. That is why in 2004; France passed a legislation that banned Muslim girls from wearing scarves in schools and universities. Strangely, France practices the converse when it comes to its Muslim minority. The French government argues for assimilation of the mosque by the French state. The Government has a tight control over mosques and religious schools. That is why despite the outrage Sarkozy’s speech was universally greeted with, Dalil Boubakeur, the imam of the great mosque in Paris hailed the president’s remarks as "in keeping with the republican spirit of secularism". Talk about indoctrination, Northern Korean style, and the French model in so far as it contains its Muslim minority becomes the envy of many.

The myopic views of Sarkozy can only be contrasted with the insightful and visionary speech president Barack Obama gave two weeks ago in Cairo Egypt. That speech was by all standards groundbreaking. It was the visionary speech the world was waiting for long. President Obama spoke on the same subject Sarkozy addressed. This is what Obama said in relation to how Muslims should dress in a western country and how they should be treated: "It is important for western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing their religion as they see fit, for instance by dictating what clothes a Muslim women should wear".

President Sarkozy, let there be freedom of dress. Those who like nudity can have their choice. Similarly let those who want to wear the Burga do it. The world knows your preference; don’t impose it.

—The writer ([email protected]) is an advocate of the High Court.